UNF Professional and Lifelong Learning · Centri
Certified Penetration Testing Associate (CPTA) Training
LevelJunior to Intermediate
DurationOn-demand · approx. 100 hours
Course codeCPTA
DeliveryInstructor-led
Offered to the Jacksonville and Northeast Florida community through UNF Professional and Lifelong Learning in partnership with Applied Technology Academy — live online or in person, taught by ATA's practitioner instructors.
Centri's Certified Penetration Testing Associate is the offensive counterpart to Blue Team Level 1: a hands-on route through the whole engagement, from scopin
Course Overview
- Twenty-four modules covering the full engagement rather than isolated techniques.
- Four environments in one course: enterprise infrastructure, Active Directory, web applications and AWS.
- 600+ lessons, activities and quizzes with more than 60 hands-on labs.
- Assessed by a three-part practical exam, with a resit included.
Prerequisites
- Centri recommends zero to three years of experience; the course is pitched junior to intermediate.
- There are no entry requirements for the exam, though Centri strongly recommends completing the labs first.
- Networking, Linux, Windows and Python fundamentals are all covered in the course.
What You'll Learn
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- scope and run a penetration test against a defined methodology
- enumerate networks, services and attack surface
- identify and validate vulnerabilities, then exploit them to gain access
- escalate privilege on both Windows and Linux, and move laterally
- attack Active Directory along common paths and establish persistence
- test web applications for injection, file inclusion and path traversal flaws
- test and exploit AWS environments
- explain C2 and where red teaming differs from penetration testing
- report findings in terms a client can act on
Course Outline
- Module 1. Introduction to Penetration Testing
- What the discipline is and how engagements run.
- Module 2. Networking Essentials The networking an attacker has to understand.
- Module 3. Linux Essentials
- Linux fundamentals for offensive work.
- Module 4. Windows Essentials
- Windows fundamentals for offensive work.
- Module 5. Python Essentials
- Scripting and automation for testers.
- Module 6. Introduction to Databases
- Database fundamentals behind data-layer attacks.
- Module 7. The Penetration Testing Process
- Scoping, methodology and engagement structure.
- Module 8. Network Discovery
- Enumerating hosts, services and attack surface.
- Module 9. Vulnerability Assessment
- Finding and validating weaknesses.
- Module 10. Password Attacks
- Credential attacks and where they succeed.
- Module 11. Exploitation Essentials
- Turning a vulnerability into access.
- Module 12. File Transfer & Data Movement
- Moving tooling and data during an engagement.
- Module 13. Linux Privilege Escalation
- Escalating from a foothold on Linux.
- Module 14. Windows Privilege Escalation
- Escalating from a foothold on Windows.
- Module 15. Lateral Movement Essentials
- Moving between hosts once inside.
- Module 16. Introduction to Active Directory
- How AD works, from an attacker's view.
- Module 17. Introduction to Active Directory Attacks
- Common AD attack paths.
- Module 18. Persistence Essentials
- Maintaining access.
- Module 19. Web Application Essentials
- How web applications are built and exposed.
- Module 20. Introduction to Web Application Attacks
- SQL injection, command injection, file inclusion and path traversal.
- Module 21. AWS Essentials
- Cloud fundamentals for testers.
- Module 22. Introduction to AWS Penetration Testing
- Testing and exploiting AWS environments.
- Module 23. Introduction to Command & Control (C2) and Red Teaming
- C2 concepts and where red teaming differs from penetration testing.
- Module 24. Practice Labs and Exam Preparation
- Consolidation across 60+ labs ahead of the three-part practical exam.
