Offensive Security Certifications Overview

Offensive Security provides industry-leading cybersecurity certifications focused on penetration testing, ethical hacking, and red teaming. These certifications emphasize hands-on, practical skills through real-world scenarios and rigorous exams. Here’s a breakdown of their key certifications:


1. Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)

Focus: Penetration Testing & Ethical Hacking
Ideal For: Cybersecurity professionals, penetration testers, and ethical hackers

Key Learning Areas:

  • Penetration Testing Methodologies – Understanding the full penetration testing lifecycle
  • Information Gathering & Enumeration – Identifying vulnerabilities and attack surfaces
  • Exploitation & Privilege Escalation – Gaining access and elevating privileges
  • Web Application Attacks – Exploiting common web vulnerabilities (SQL Injection, XSS, etc.)
  • Active Directory Attacks – Attacking Windows-based environments
  • Report Writing – Documenting findings and recommendations professionally

Exam: 24-hour hands-on practical exam where candidates must exploit multiple machines.


2. Offensive Security Experienced Penetration Tester (OSEP)

Focus: Advanced Penetration Testing & Evasion Techniques
Ideal For: Experienced penetration testers looking to bypass modern security defenses

Key Learning Areas:

  • Bypassing AV & EDR – Evading modern security solutions
  • Advanced Lateral Movement – Pivoting within internal networks
  • Custom Malware Development – Creating undetectable exploits
  • Windows Privilege Escalation – Exploiting advanced Windows vulnerabilities
  • C2 Frameworks & Evasion – Using and modifying command-and-control frameworks

Exam: 48-hour practical exam focusing on red team tactics.


3. Offensive Security Web Expert (OSWE)

Focus: Web Application Security & Exploitation
Ideal For: Web application security testers and developers

Key Learning Areas:

  • Source Code Auditing – Identifying vulnerabilities in application code
  • Advanced Web Exploitation – Exploiting logic flaws, authentication bypasses, and RCE
  • SQL Injection & XSS – Finding and exploiting database and script vulnerabilities
  • Deserialization Attacks – Exploiting insecure object handling
  • Custom Web Shells – Writing and deploying malicious payloads

Exam: 48-hour hands-on exam requiring deep exploitation of web applications.


4. Offensive Security Exploit Developer (OSED)

Focus: Exploit Development & Reverse Engineering
Ideal For: Security researchers, exploit developers, and red teamers

Key Learning Areas:

  • Windows Shellcoding – Writing custom shellcode for exploitation
  • Buffer Overflows & ROP Chains – Developing exploits for memory corruption vulnerabilities
  • Windows Kernel Exploitation – Identifying and exploiting kernel vulnerabilities
  • DEP & ASLR Bypass – Defeating modern security protections
  • Reverse Engineering – Analyzing and modifying compiled binaries

Exam: 48-hour practical exam on advanced exploit development.


5. Offensive Security Defense Analyst (OSDA) – Upcoming

Focus: Defensive Security & Threat Hunting
Ideal For: Blue teamers, SOC analysts, and threat hunters

Key Learning Areas:

  • Threat Hunting & Detection – Identifying malicious activity in networks
  • Incident Response – Investigating and mitigating security breaches
  • SIEM & Log Analysis – Analyzing security logs and events
  • Endpoint Protection – Configuring and hardening systems against attacks
  • Adversary Simulation – Understanding attacker tactics to strengthen defenses

Exam: Expected to be hands-on, focusing on real-world defensive scenarios.


Why Choose Offensive Security Certifications?

Hands-On Training: Focused on real-world attack scenarios
Respected in the Industry: Recognized by top cybersecurity firms and organizations
Challenging Exams: No multiple-choice questions—fully practical assessments
Career Growth: Opens doors to high-paying cybersecurity roles

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