IACRB - CERTIFIED PENETRATION TESTER

Certified Penetration Tester:

The CPT certification is designed to certify that candidates have working knowledge and skills in relation to the field of penetration testing.

The CPT consists of 9 domains directly relating to job duties of penetration testers.

The exam consists of two parts, a traditional multiple choice, true/false and multiple answer examination and a take-home practical exam. The multiple choice exam consists of 50 questions randomly pulled from a master list of questions. The certification candidate has 2 hours to complete the exam. The 9 Certified Penetration Tester (CPT) Domains are as follows:

* Penetration Testing Methodologies
* Network Protocol Attacks
* Network Reconnisannce
* Vulnerability Identification
* Windows Exploits
* Unix/Linux Exploits
* Covert Channels & Rootkits
* Wireless Security Flaws
* Web Application Vulnerabilties

Any candidate that answers 70% of the questions correctly is considered to have passed the multiple choice exam.

Upon completion of the multiple choice exam, candidates are then distributed a take-home practical, in which they will be tested on their ability on three Challenges. Candidates have 60 days from the completion of the multiple choice exam to complete the practical examination. The three challenges are as follows:

Challenge #1: Compromise System #1 and recover Token A
Challenge #2: Compromise System #2
Challenge #3: Use information gathered from System #1 and #2 to recover Token B

Candidates are instructed to submit the contents of Token A and B. Partial credit is given when submitted with detailed documentation.

The practical is then submitted to an exam proctor, who will grade the exam. A 70% is considered a passing grade. Generally, candidates that submit both Token A and Token B will pass the exam.

Becoming a candidate for the CPT exam:

There are three options for taking the CPT exam:

- The CPT is available at any of our training partner's locations throughout the world.
- The exam can be proctored on-site at your location for groups of 10 or more.
- Individuals employed at member organizations can take the exam over the internet

Access to the CPT exam:

- All CPT related correspondence is sent to the email address you provided when you registered.
- All training and certification is conducted through the exam engine. Use the exam engine to log in to your account to take exams..
- Once you log in, you will have links for Certification Attempts and/or Self Study Files as appropriate to your registration.
- Please be sure to read all documentation pages.

Exam Fees:

As the IACRB is a not-for-profit organization, please be aware that fees are used only for administrative functions.

- Flat fee of $499 per exam
- On-site proctored exams are $399 per voucher

Ready to take the exam? Contact a training partner or register to take the exam here.

Re-certification:

The CPT certification has now moved to a four year certification period. Regular renewal of a certification ensures that IACRB professionals maintain their knowledge and skills over time. Recertification is conducted via the exam engine system.

Your recertification will become available for registration in your portal account one year in advance of your certification expiration. Recertification candidates will be taking exactly the same exams as current certification candidates.

There are no fees associated with re-certification.

Tips for Success:

The CPT certification program is very challenging. We offer the following advice when pursuing your certification:

- Budget your time carefully. Don't postpone until the last minute and expect to do well.
- Plan to spend some hands on time working with any of the resources available on the internet for exploit writing. You are not formally required to have experience in the field in order to take the CPT certification. Do realize that by design the CPT focuses on and tests your ability to apply your knowledge and skills in practice. You will have a much easier time with the certification process if you've spent some time working with the tools and technology.