Top Penetration Testing Certifications
Pen testing, often known as penetration testing, is a type of ethical hacking that helps businesses secure themselves. Penetration testing certification attempt to get into companies’ digital systems to identify vulnerabilities before a black hat hacker does. As firms want to avoid the high-profile data breaches that have occurred in recent years, this is a burgeoning sector. The best penetration testing certification might assist you in breaking into this industry.
CEH stands for Certified Ethical Hacker
The Certified Ethical Hacker certification is regarded as a gold standard for ethical hackers all around the world. To pass this certification, you’ll need to be up to date on the newest hacking and virus strategies to help your prospective clients avoid security breaches. Alpine Security’s training will not only prepare you for the EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker Exam, but we will also ensure that you will pass it. The 125-question 4-hour test validates your understanding of the subject at hand. After you’ve received your certification, take the 6-hour practical test to demonstrate that you’ve done your homework.
GPEN
The GPEN certification from GIAC (Global Information Assurance Certification) is a three-hour proctored exam with multiple-choice questions. This test may appear simple in comparison to other firms’ day-long practical tests, but the questions cover a wide range of topics. The proctored exam includes not just technical questions regarding ethical hacking and penetration testing, but also legal themes and other non-technical questions.
CPT (Certified Penetration Tester)
The IACRB — the Information Assurance Certification Review Board — issued the CPT certification. This is a flexible test that may be proctored anywhere in the globe, or a proctor can come to you if you have a group of ten persons interested in taking the material. It assesses your understanding of penetration testing in general, as well as particular vulnerabilities in Windows, Unix, and Linux, wireless security, and web application exploits, among other things.
The exam is multiple-choice, and you will pass if you have a score of 70% or above. Because technology develops so fast, this certification is only valid for four years. So once you earn it, make sure you keep it up to date. Fortunately, recertifying is entirely free.
PenTest+
CompTIA, a “vendor-neutral” IT certification organisation, offers PenTest+ as one of its certifications. The examinations are held at Pearson VUE testing facilities, which are computer-based testing centres with strict security.
With both test questions and a practical part, this exam is typically regarded as an intermediate exam that assesses your ability to detect vulnerabilities in a system and recommend solutions to mitigate deficiencies. Alpine Security’s PenTest+ pentesting course, which comes with an exam pass guarantee, may help you prepare for this exam.
EC Council Certified Security Analyst (ECCSA)
This is a moderate exam from the EC Security Council, which is one of the major certification bodies in the penetration testing business. They’ve developed several certifications to assure industry stability and competency. This certification requires two tests. A four-hour multiple-choice test with 150 questions is the first step.
The other exam is a 12-hour examination that verifies your penetration testing abilities in the real world. You will be given a genuine organization’s network to work with as part of the test. You must show your understanding of network scans, vulnerability analysis, and other critical aspects of a penetration test during the 12 hours. Alpine Security’s ECSA ethical hacking training course will prepare you for both exams, and the exam fee is included in the class fee.
Certified Expert Penetration Tester (CEPT)
The IACRB offers an advanced test called Certified Pen Testing Expert Tester. This exam demonstrates your ability to modify shellcode and exploit code, as well as execute reverse engineering and other sophisticated penetration testing techniques. It’s comparable to the CPT exam in that it’s a multiple-choice examination with a four-year validity period. This one consists of 50 questions spread out over two hours.
Licensed Penetration Tester (LPT)
The EC Security Council’s most sophisticated certificate is the LPT. Those who hold this certification are often regarded as experts in their profession. The LPT practical test lasts an incredible 18 hours. Alpine Security’s APT (Advanced Penetration Testing) course will prepare you to pass the tough test, which is regarded as one of the most difficult of its kind by certain industry experts.
OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional)
Offensive Security is a Pentesting Certification-focused IT certification organisation. The test comprises a real-life scenario that you must investigate for 24 hours. The exam assesses your abilities to obtain network information and then write a complete report with notes and images to support your findings.
The difficulty of the vulnerabilities you identify, as well as their amount of access, are factors in the test’s scoring. It’s a difficult practical exam, but if you want to be a competent penetration tester, getting this pentesting certification is well worth losing a night’s sleepover.
Careers in Penetration Testing
Any of these qualifications will assist you in beginning your career as an ethical hacker. If you’re new to the area, start with some of the simpler ones and work. Your way up to the ones that make you lose sleep for a day or two until you can establish you’re an certified pentesting expert.
Keep in mind that, while any qualification is a good addition to your CV, companies prefer practical credentials that demonstrate you know what you’re doing and can operate under pressure. To ensure your success, enrol in one of Alpine Security’s certification preparation pentesting courses.
Conclusion:
A penetration tester’s career path is usually similar to that of other IT and IT jobs. You might begin your career in general IT and then specialise in pen testing by earning one of the aforementioned ethical hacking certifications and working your way up to become a junior ethical hacker or penetration tester.
You can advance to a more senior position including hard projects or managing people with less experience once you’ve shown yourself at that job. Getting any of the credentials listed above will help you advance in your penetration testing career. Whether you’re a penetration tester, vulnerability tester, security analyst, or one of the many other titles available in this interesting and vital industry.