I've started my journey on completing the OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional) course. I've been waiting for this one with great anticipation, as this course is the only, among a handful, that offers real hands-on challenges. No quiz this time, your true skills and logical thinking are put to the test.
Upon subscribing to the course and paying a moderate fee, you will receive a Manual (PDF file), training videos, as well as access to the Lab environment. Lab access is achieved through an individually pre-configured OpenVPN package, provided to you by the vendor.
It is strictly prohibited to share or disseminate your training materials: in order to have some sort of control on that the vendor decided to have your personal Manual file and training videos engraved with embedded watermarks that can identify to whom the material was designated to, therefore it can be traced back, who the "leaker" was.
Considering the value you'll get out of the course, I would say the price is quite cheap compared to the competitors. There are other ethical-hacking/penetration-testing exams on the market, but all of those either seek academic knowledge solely, or just not that deep with the hands-on side.
The vendor's slogen is: Try harder! That would appeal to anyone, right? Although you are provided with a great base set of materials, you also have the opportunity to ask and learn from other students through the support forum or from the moderators on IRC. But, do not get your hopes high: if you find yourself jammed on a problem, you may want to dig deeper first and ask later, as usually, the only answer you'll get from moderators is: Try harder. Now, those guys are not being jerks, they just want you to develop and advance your own thinking process and come up with workarounds by yourself. Anyhow, what good would it give to you, if they were to give all the answers.
Be aware, that this course is not for everyone! Depending on your previous experience and knowledge, this course will require a great amount of time to complete.
Also you'll oftentimes find yourself stuck on a specific problem, but do not give it up, you'll just have to dig deeper and get better at finding solutions on your own. In the end, that will give you the real experience and knowledge.
I've found that the course is not all about the commands and parameters, but about changing your mindset: always finding the weakest link, coming up with clever workarounds, being persistent and never giving up.
Once your lab is past, and you feel comfortable enough, you may attempt the exam.
A long 24 hours of breaking into networks and servers, after which you must submit your full report.
To be continued...
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