GIAC Penetration Tester Certification (GPEN): A Complete Pathway

Following is the detailed course outline of the GPEN exam. 

• Advanced Password Attacks

The candidate will be able to use additional methods to attack password hashes and authenticate.

• Attacking Password Hashes

The candidate will be able to obtain and attack password hashes and other password representations.

• Azure Applications and Attack Strategies

The candidate will demonstrate an understanding of Azure applications and the attacks against them including federated and single sign-on environments and Azure AD authentication protocols

• Azure Overview, Attacks, and AD Integration

The candidate will demonstrate an understanding of Azure Active Directory implementation fundamentals, common Azure AD attacks, and Azure authentication techniques

• Domain Escalation and Persistence Attacks

The candidate will demonstrate an understanding of common Windows privilege escalation attacks and Kerberos attack techniques that are used to consolidate and persist administrative access to Active Directory.

• Escalation and Exploitation

The candidate will be able to demonstrate the fundamental concepts of exploitation, data exfiltration from compromised hosts and pivoting to exploit other hosts within a target network.

• Exploitation Fundamentals

The candidate will be able to demonstrate the fundamental concepts associated with the exploitation phase of a pentest.

• Kerberos Attacks

The candidate will demonstrate an understanding of attacks against Active Directory including Kerberos attacks.

• Metasploit

The candidate will be able to use and configure the Metasploit Framework at an intermediate level.

• Moving Files with Exploits

The candidate will be able to use exploits to move files between remote systems.

• Password Attacks

The candidate will understand types of password attacks, formats, defenses, and the circumstances under which to use each password attack variation. The candidate will be able to conduct password guessing attacks.

• Password Formats and Hashes

The candidate will demonstrate an understanding of common password hashes and formats for storing password data.

• Penetration Test Planning

The candidate will be able to demonstrate the fundamental concepts associated with pen-testing, and utilize a process-oriented approach to penetration testing and reporting.

• Penetration Testing with PowerShell and the Windows Command Line

The candidate will demonstrate an understanding of the use of advanced Windows command line skills during a penetration test, and demonstrate an understanding of the use of advanced Windows Power Shell skills during a penetration test.

• Reconnaissance

The candidate will understand the fundamental concepts of reconnaissance and will understand how to obtain basic, high level information about the target organization and network, often considered information leakage, including but not limited to technical and non technical public contacts, IP address ranges, document formats, and supported systems.

• Scanning and Host Discovery

The candidate will be able to use the appropriate technique to scan a network for potential targets, and to conduct port, operating system and service version scans and analyze the results.

• Vulnerability Scanning

The candidate will be able to conduct vulnerability scans and analyze the results.

Read more: GCIH Certification Exam Guide