Certified Penetration Testing Associate (CPTA) Training

• Twenty-four modules covering the full engagement rather than isolated techniques.
• Four environments in one course: enterprise infrastructure, Active Directory, web applications and AWS.
• 600+ lessons, activities and quizzes with more than 60 hands-on labs.
• Assessed by a three-part practical exam, with a resit included.

• Aspiring penetration testers and ethical hackers starting out.
• Security consultants who need a defensible testing methodology.
• Red team operators building breadth across infrastructure, AD, web and cloud.

Blue teamers — SOC analysts, threat hunters, detection engineers and incident responders — who want to understand attacker tradecraft first-hand.

• Centri recommends zero to three years of experience; the course is pitched junior to intermediate.
• There are no entry requirements for the exam, though Centri strongly recommends completing the labs first.
• Networking, Linux, Windows and Python fundamentals are all covered in the course.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• scope and run a penetration test against a defined methodology
• enumerate networks, services and attack surface
• identify and validate vulnerabilities, then exploit them to gain access
• escalate privilege on both Windows and Linux, and move laterally
• attack Active Directory along common paths and establish persistence
• test web applications for injection, file inclusion and path traversal flaws
• test and exploit AWS environments
• explain C2 and where red teaming differs from penetration testing
• report findings in terms a client can act on

• Module 1. Introduction to Penetration Testing
  • What the discipline is and how engagements run.
• Module 2. Networking Essentials The networking an attacker has to understand.
• Module 3. Linux Essentials
  • Linux fundamentals for offensive work.
• Module 4. Windows Essentials
  • Windows fundamentals for offensive work.
• Module 5. Python Essentials
  • Scripting and automation for testers.
• Module 6. Introduction to Databases
  • Database fundamentals behind data-layer attacks.
• Module 7. The Penetration Testing Process
  • Scoping, methodology and engagement structure.
• Module 8. Network Discovery
  • Enumerating hosts, services and attack surface.
• Module 9. Vulnerability Assessment
  • Finding and validating weaknesses.
• Module 10. Password Attacks
  • Credential attacks and where they succeed.
• Module 11. Exploitation Essentials
  • Turning a vulnerability into access.
• Module 12. File Transfer & Data Movement
  • Moving tooling and data during an engagement.
• Module 13. Linux Privilege Escalation
  • Escalating from a foothold on Linux.
• Module 14. Windows Privilege Escalation
  • Escalating from a foothold on Windows.
• Module 15. Lateral Movement Essentials
  • Moving between hosts once inside.
• Module 16. Introduction to Active Directory
  • How AD works, from an attacker's view.
• Module 17. Introduction to Active Directory Attacks
  • Common AD attack paths.
• Module 18. Persistence Essentials
  • Maintaining access.
• Module 19. Web Application Essentials
  • How web applications are built and exposed.
• Module 20. Introduction to Web Application Attacks
  • SQL injection, command injection, file inclusion and path traversal.
• Module 21. AWS Essentials
  • Cloud fundamentals for testers.
• Module 22. Introduction to AWS Penetration Testing
  • Testing and exploiting AWS environments.
• Module 23. Introduction to Command & Control (C2) and Red Teaming
  • C2 concepts and where red teaming differs from penetration testing.
• Module 24. Practice Labs and Exam Preparation
  • Consolidation across 60+ labs ahead of the three-part practical exam.

• Blue Team Level 1 (BTL1)
• Certified Detection Engineering Associate (CDEA)