TOTAL: CompTIA PenTest+ (PT0-003) Course

Michael Solomon on ethical hacking & high-level penetration testing. Hack like a pro. Study for PT0-003

Mike Meyers and the Total Seminars Team, your source for best-selling cybersecurity courses, brings you this ethical hacking and penetration testing course with your instructor Michael Solomon, Ph.D., CISSP, PMP, CISM. Prepare for the CompTIA PenTest+ PT0-003 exam.

This is NOT a boring voice over PowerPoint course. Michael speaks to you and presents the material in an engaging interactive style that will keep you interested and make it easier to understand. Check out the free sample lectures and you will see the difference.

We've added a bonus Practice Test that covers the CompTIA PenTest+ certification exam. Test your readiness to pass industry ethical hacking certification exams.

With 30+ years of experience in security, privacy, blockchain, and data science, and an energetic presentation style, Michael takes his proficiency in network penetration testing and consolidates it into this informative and engaging course.

WHY SHOULD I TAKE THIS COURSE?

Did you know penetration testers' average salary is 71,929?* And this career is in one of the fastest-growing job markets.

Whether you're looking to pass the CompTIA PenTest+ certification exam, take your next step in the CompTIA Cybersecurity Pathway, or you're just looking to learn some awesome ethical hacking skills, you’re in the right place.

Keep in mind there's much more to being an ethical hacker than what's covered here, including how to secure a network, however this course focuses on how to be a pen tester. A pen tester plans and scopes a pen test engagement with a client, finds vulnerabilities, exploits them to get into a network, then reports on those findings to the client.

This course shows you how to:

• Use the tools you’ll need to scan networks, crack passwords, analyze and intercept traffic, discover code vulnerabilities, and compromise resources

• Recognize vulnerabilities within a system, run exploits, and suggest solutions to a client to remediate the weak points

• Work within a virtual environment to practice your pen testing skills, including using Oracle VM manager, Kali Linux, Metasploitable, and DVWA

• Scope, plan, and execute a pen test engagement from start to finish

WHAT'S COVERED?

PenTest+ Exam Domain  -  Percentage of Exam

Engagement management (13%)

• Planning and scoping: defining rules of engagement, testing windows, and target selection.

• Legal and ethical compliance: ensuring authorization letters, mandatory reporting, and adherence to regulations.

• Collaboration and communication: aligning with stakeholders through peer reviews, escalation paths, and risk articulation.

• Penetration test reports: creating reports with executive summaries, findings, and remediation recommendations.

Reconnaissance and enumeration (21%)

• Active and passive reconnaissance: gathering information using open-source intelligence (OSINT), network sniffing, and protocol scanning.

• Enumeration techniques: performing DNS enumeration, service discovery, and directory enumeration.

• Reconnaissance tools: using tools like Nmap, Wireshark, and Shodan for information gathering.

• Script modification: customizing Python, PowerShell, and Bash scripts for reconnaissance and enumeration.

Vulnerability discovery and analysis (17%)

• Vulnerability scans: conducting authenticated, unauthenticated, static application security testing (SAST) and dynamic application security testing (DAST).

• Result analysis: validating findings, troubleshooting configurations, and identifying false positives.

• Discovery tools: using tools like Nessus, Nikto, and OpenVAS for vulnerability discovery.

Attacks and exploits (35%)

• Network attacks: performing VLAN hopping, on-path attacks, and service exploitation.

• Authentication attacks: executing brute-force attacks, pass-the-hash, and credential stuffing.

• Host-based attacks: conducting privilege escalation, process injection, and credential dumping.

• Web application attacks: performing SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and directory traversal.

• Cloud-based attacks: exploiting container escapes, metadata service attacks, and identity and access management (IAM) misconfiguration.

• AI attacks: explaining prompt injection and model manipulation against artificial intelligence systems.

Post-exploitation and lateral movement (14%)

• Post-exploitation activities: establishing persistence, performing lateral movement, and cleaning up artifacts.

• Documentation: creating attack narratives and providing remediation recommendations.

EXAM INFO

Exam code: PT0-003

Max. 90 questions (performance-based and multiple choice)

Length of exam: 165 minutes

Passing score: 750 (on a scale of 100-900)

Recommended experience: Network+, Security+ or equivalent knowledge. Minimum of 3-4 years of hands-on information security or related experience. While there is no required prerequisite, PenTest+ is intended to follow CompTIA Security+ or equivalent experience and has a technical, hands-on focus.

HOW DO I TAKE THE COMPTIA PENTEST+ EXAM?

Buy an exam voucher (get your discount voucher at Total Seminars' website), schedule your exam on the Pearson VUE website, then take the exam at a qualifying Pearson VUE testing center.

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT THE COMPTIA PENTEST+, ANYWAY?

CompTIA's PenTest+ is the only penetration testing exam taken at a Pearson VUE testing center or online, with both hands-on, performance-based questions and multiple-choice, to ensure each candidate possesses the skills, knowledge, and ability to perform tasks on systems.

Penetration testing and information security is one of the fastest-growing job categories according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It predicts that roles requiring these skills will see 28 percent overall growth by 2026.

COMPTIA PENTEST+ VS. EC-COUNCIL CEH CERTIFICATIONS

The CompTIA PenTest+ is your quickest and most cost-effective route to a pen testing certification

The PenTest+ includes the latest mobile and cloud penetration testing skills, including IoT, as well as traditional desktop & server systems (CEH covers only traditional desktop & server systems)

The PenTest+ better matches employer needs by covering not just technical topics, but also business processes, project flow, best practices, and professionalism in pen testing (CEH is strictly technical)

The PenTest+ exam voucher costs 381USD (compared to the CEH 1,150USD non-member plus application fee)

Take a look at these student reviews:

- “This is an excellent course!! Even in earlier chapters, the instructor gets you going on sample exercises to chop up the theoretical content a little, which always helps. With a course like this, hands-on is everything. I also appreciate that the theoretical parts are NOT TOO LONG AT ONCE!! Total Seminars did a fantastic job of breaking the content up in just the right places. LOVE this course!” – Chris N

- “Amazing. Well Explained. Detail description for all the fundamental terms.” – Nisarg T

- “Instruction was excellent. Including notes as resources was a big help! I reviewed the notes while watching the videos and I think that is really going to help me with information retention. The instructor used real-world examples to demonstrate points. Overall, I feel confident I can pass the test after studying the materials and doing the exercises the instructor emphasizes. The instructor also highlighted several key points to study for the exam for maximum preparation.” - Tim W

- “This is what I was hoping for and it's much more upbeat than most of the lulling video series' I've seen before.” – John G

- “This course covers everything in the approved CompTIA PenTest+ certification test. The presenter knows his stuff, has done real work pentests and does a good job of showing off the tools you'll be quizzed on and how to manipulate and analyze the results. Highly recommend this for anyone with Security+ that is looking to specialize as a pentester. Great place to start!” – Casey D

- “Very well thought out course. The instructor is very knowledgeable, and the course is laid out in a great way! A lot of time was put into this and it shows!” – Luke P