
HackTheBox CPTS Certification
My Journey to the CPTS by HackTheBox


HTB CPTS: Certified Penetration Testing Specialist
I recently enrolled in the CPTS path to eventually gain the CPTS certification by HackTheBox.
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How much is it?
I chose the $38 a month US Dollar monthly subscription that comes with 500 cubes. Cubes are the currency used to purchase modules for the Pentester path. They range from 5 or 10 cubes onwards. Depending on the module the cube value can go up or down. You also get 1 month of Pownbox which is their own ParrotOS version for HackTheBox in the cloud used to complete the given challenges after each exercise.
How long do you have to take the final exam?
This depends on your experience and how many hours a day you set aside to study for the CPTS Exam. If you don't work full time you obviously have a better chance of finishing quicker than someone who works a 9 t o5 job.
You should realistically set aside a few hours a day to complete the modules and take notes. The longer you study the quicker you will be ready for the final exam.
How long do you have to take the final exam?
The HTB website states that you have 7 days to take the exam and finish writing your report and have it sent in. Even if you don't finish the exam make sure you write the report so you can keep the free 2nd voucher you receive when purchasing the CPTS exam.




Penetration Testing Process
Getting Started
Reconnaissance Enumeration & Attack Planning
Network Enumeration with Nmap
Footprinting
Information Gathering - Web Edition
Vulnerability Assessment
File Transfers
Shells & Payloads
Using the Metasploit Framework Exploitation & Lateral Movement
Password Attacks
Attacking Common Services
Pivoting, Tunneling, and Port Forwarding
Active Directory Enumeration & Attacks Web Exploitation
Using Web Proxies
Attacking Web Applications with Ffuf
Login Brute Forcing
SQL Injection Fundamentals
SQLMap Essentials
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
File Inclusion
File Upload Attacks
Command Injections
Web Attacks
Attacking Common ApplicationsPost-Exploitation
Linux Privilege Escalation
Windows Privilege Escalation Reporting & Capstone
Documentation & Reporting Attacking Enterprise Networks
Attacking Enterprise Networks