CompTIA PenTest+ Exam Preparation Course

Module 1: Engagement Management I: Scoping, Rules of Engagement, and Legal Concepts

• Lessons:
  • Pre-Engagement Activities and Scoping
  • Rules of Engagement and Authorization
  • Legal Concepts and Compliance Requirements
  • Contracts, Master Service Agreements, and Third-Party Considerations
• Applied activity: Given a fictional client request, learners draft a scope statement and rules of engagement that specify testing windows, excluded systems, and escalation contacts.

Module 2: Engagement Management II: Communication, Reporting, and Post-Engagement

• Lessons:
  • Communication and Escalation Paths
  • Report Structure and Findings Documentation
  • Risk Ratings and Remediation Recommendations
  • Post-Engagement Cleanup and Deliverables
• Applied activity: Learners convert a set of raw findings into a one-page executive summary and a prioritized remediation table.

Module 3: Passive Reconnaissance and OSINT

• Lessons:
  • OSINT Fundamentals and Sources
  • DNS, WHOIS, and Certificate Transparency Research
  • Social Media and Public Records Reconnaissance
  • Passive Reconnaissance Tools and Documentation
• Applied activity: Learners build a target profile for a fictional organization using only publicly available sources, without touching the target's systems.

Module 4: Active Reconnaissance and Scanning

• Lessons:
  • Network Discovery and Host Scanning
  • Port and Service Scanning Techniques
  • Packet Crafting and Scan Evasion
  • Scan Output Analysis
• Applied activity: Learners interpret a sample scan output and identify likely services, versions, and next-step testing priorities.

Module 5: Enumeration Across Protocols and Services

• Lessons:
  • Enumeration Fundamentals
  • Windows and Active Directory Enumeration
  • Web, Database, and Cloud Service Enumeration
  • Documenting Enumeration Findings
• Applied activity: Learners enumerate a simulated Active Directory environment description and identify likely privilege escalation paths from the output.

Module 6: Vulnerability Scanning and Identification

• Lessons:
  • Vulnerability Scanner Fundamentals
  • Configuring and Running Authenticated Scans
  • Interpreting CVSS and Scan Output
  • Validating and De-duplicating Findings
• Applied activity: Learners review a sample scan report, flag likely false positives, and re-rank findings by validated severity.

Module 7: Vulnerability Analysis and Attack Surface Prioritization

• Lessons:
  • Attack Surface Mapping
  • Prioritizing Vulnerabilities by Risk and Exploitability
  • Common Vulnerability Classes: Injection, Misconfiguration, Weak Authentication
  • From Analysis to Attack Planning
• Applied activity: Learners take a list of unranked vulnerabilities and produce a prioritized attack plan with justification for the chosen order.

Module 8: Network and Host-Based Attacks

• Lessons:
  • Exploiting Network Services and Protocols
  • Password Attacks and Credential Access
  • Host-Based Exploitation Techniques
  • On-Path and Man-in-the-Middle Attacks
• Applied activity: Learners work through a scenario selecting the least noisy, most reliable exploitation technique for a described network service weakness.

Module 9: Application-Based Attacks: Web and API

• Lessons:
  • Web Application Attack Fundamentals
  • Injection and Input Validation Attacks
  • Authentication and Session Attacks
  • API Security Testing
• Applied activity: Learners walk through a sample web request and identify where an injection or session weakness could be tested.

Module 10: Wireless, Cloud, and IoT Attacks

• Lessons:
  • Wireless Network Attacks
  • Cloud Service and Configuration Attacks
  • IoT and Embedded Device Attacks
  • Attack Selection by Environment
• Applied activity: Learners are given three environment descriptions, wireless, cloud, and IoT, and select the most relevant testing technique for each.

Module 11: Social Engineering and Physical Attacks

• Lessons:
  • Social Engineering Fundamentals and Pretexting
  • Phishing and Related Attack Delivery
  • Physical Security Testing
  • Ethical and Legal Boundaries in Social Engineering
• Applied activity: Learners draft a pretext and delivery plan for an authorized phishing exercise, including required approvals.

Module 12: Post-Exploitation Techniques

• Lessons:
  • Post-Exploitation Fundamentals
  • Privilege Escalation Techniques
  • Data Exfiltration Simulation and Impact Assessment
  • Maintaining Access and Cleanup Considerations
• Applied activity: Learners describe a privilege escalation path from a low-privileged foothold to administrative access on a described host.

Module 13: Lateral Movement, Pivoting, and Persistence

• Lessons:
  • Lateral Movement Fundamentals
  • Pivoting Through Compromised Systems
  • Persistence Mechanisms and Detection Risk
  • Mapping the Post-Exploitation Phase to Reporting
• Applied activity: Learners trace a described lateral movement path across three systems and identify the point where detection risk was highest.

Module 14: Tools and Scripting for Penetration Testing

• Lessons:
  • Reconnaissance and Scanning Tool Categories
  • Exploitation Framework Fundamentals
  • Scripting Basics for Automation, Python and PowerShell
  • Choosing the Right Tool for Each Engagement Phase
• Applied activity: Learners match a set of described testing tasks to the tool category best suited to each, and justify the choice.