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Certified Penetration Testing Professional (CPENT)

EC-Council

What is an Ethical Hacker?
To beat a hacker, you need to think like one!
Ethical Hacking is often referred to as the process of penetrating one’s own computer/s or computers to which one has official permission to do so as to determine if vulnerabilities exist and to undertake preventive, corrective, and protective countermeasures before an actual compromise to the system takes place. Around the world, partners and customers look to the EC-Council to deliver the highest quality exams and certifications. EC-Council has developed a number of policies to support the goals of the EC-Council certification program, including: Become a Certified Ethical Hacker A Certified Ethical Hacker is a skilled professional who understands and knows how to look for weaknesses and vulnerabilities in target systems and uses the same knowledge and tools as a malicious hacker, but in a lawful and legitimate manner to assess the security posture of a target system(s). The Certified Ethical Hacker credential certifies individuals in the specific network security discipline of Ethical Hacking from a vendor-neutral perspective.

What is an Ethical Hacker?

What is a Certified Penetration Testing Professional (CPENT)?

To defend against hackers, you need to think and act like one!

Penetration testing is the process of simulating real-world cyberattacks on an organization’s infrastructure to identify vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them. A Certified Penetration Testing Professional (CPENT) is trained to conduct sophisticated security assessments, applying advanced ethical hacking techniques to penetrate, analyze, and secure enterprise networks, cloud environments, IoT systems, and industrial control systems (ICS).

Around the world, security professionals and organizations rely on EC-Council’s CPENT certification to validate their expertise in offensive cybersecurity. EC-Council has developed comprehensive guidelines to uphold the highest standards in penetration testing, ensuring that professionals are equipped with the latest skills and methodologies.

Become a Certified Penetration Testing Professional (CPENT)

A Certified Penetration Testing Professional (CPENT) is an elite security expert who understands how to assess, exploit, and harden modern IT environments against cyber threats. CPENTs are trained in real-world attack simulations and use the same techniques as malicious hackers—but in a legal and ethical manner—to evaluate an organization’s security posture. The CPENT credential certifies individuals in the specialized discipline of penetration testing from a vendor-neutral perspective.

The purpose of the CPENT credential is to:

Establish and govern minimum competency standards for professional penetration testers and offensive security specialists.
Ensure organizations and individuals meet or exceed industry-recognized security assessment standards.
Reinforce penetration testing as a critical cybersecurity discipline, ensuring ethical and responsible conduct in security assessments.

Training Outline

Introduction to Penetration Testing: Foundations and methodologies of penetration testing.

Penetration Testing Scoping and Engagement: Defining scope and engagement protocols.

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT): Gathering intelligence using publicly available sources.

Social Engineering Penetration Testing: Techniques to exploit human elements in security.

Network Penetration Testing – External: Assessing vulnerabilities in external networks.

Network Penetration Testing – Internal: Evaluating internal network security.

Network Penetration Testing – Perimeter Devices: Testing security of devices like firewalls and routers.

Web Application Penetration Testing: Identifying vulnerabilities in web applications.

Wireless Penetration Testing: Assessing security of wireless networks.

IoT Penetration Testing: Evaluating security of Internet of Things devices.

OT/SCADA Penetration Testing: Testing Operational Technology and SCADA systems.

Cloud Penetration Testing: Assessing security in cloud environments.

Binary Analysis and Exploitation: Analyzing and exploiting binary applications.

Report Writing and Post Testing Actions: Documenting findings and recommending mitigations.

Who is it for?

The Certified Penetration Testing Professional (CPENT) certification is designed for professionals who want to advance their skills in penetration testing and ethical hacking. It is ideal for:

Penetration Testers
Red Team Professionals
Ethical Hackers
Security Consultants
Security Analysts (L1, L2, L3)
SOC Analysts
Network Security Engineers
Vulnerability Assessment Analysts
Incident Response Teams
System Administrators
IT Managers
Cybersecurity Architects and Consultants

Vendor Exam Certification

Exam Code: CPENT

Format: 24-hour practical exam, split into two 12-hour scenarios.

Passing Score: 70% to pass; 90% for LPT (Master) certification.

Delivery: Online proctored or EC-Council exam centers.

Skills Tested: Penetration testing methodologies, including network, web application testing, exploitation, and reporting.

Exam Registration

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