I’m excited to share that, as of April 3rd of 2025, I’ve officially passed the Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS) exam by HackTheBox!
For those unfamiliar, CPTS is a hands-on certification focused on real-world penetration testing techniques. It covers the full pentesting lifecycle — from information gathering to post-exploitation — and is known for its practical, lab-based approach.
The exam itself was a 10 days hands-on assessment where I had to compromise 8 different machines organized in a lab resembling a real life scenario. To be become certified I also had to write and submit a professional pentest report based on my findings. This is certainly easier said than done since when my report was finished it had 197 pages…
It was intense and challenging, but in the end, a incredibly rewarding experience.
What I Learned
Going through the CPTS helped me:
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Sharpen my enumeration and exploitation skills in real life scenarios.
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Improve my report-writing and documentation workflow.
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Think more critically when approaching hardened environments.
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Push my time management and troubleshooting under pressure.
Final Thoughts
I highly recommend this certification to anyone looking to validate their practical pentesting skills. HTB’s approach really stands out — it’s not just about knowing tools, but understanding the why and how behind each step. This is a big milestone in my journey into cybersecurity, and I’m proud to have earned it. On to the next challenge!
