Offensive Security Certified Professional [OSCP]: Reviews
Please Note — I will follow the OffSec policies and not provide specific details about the course or the exam. This post will be my recommendations based on my experience with the PWK course and OSCP exam. Besides, I will share public accessible links.
DISCLAIMER: I cannot and WILL NOT discuss the exam material itself. Please don’t reach out asking about exam specifics, I’m not risking months of work after working hours and on my holidays, to help someone cheat. Don’t cheat yourself out of this.
- Case — Real Life Scenario → TLDR: I got lifetime banned from Offensive Security. What’s next? Is my goal and dream over? Maybe.: https://medium.com/@therealcybergin/tldr-i-got-lifetime-banned-from-offensive-security-whats-next-is-my-goal-and-dream-over-maybe-c74e895339d7
Long before it begins, the first thing I’m going to say is my recommendation for you to read the following:
- Cyber Security Certifications are USELESS if You Don’t Do These Things…: https://alexislingad.medium.com/cyber-security-certifications-are-useless-if-you-dont-do-these-things-ad131d8c1c62
- Cybersecurity Certifications: To renew or not renew — that is the question: https://medium.com/cloud-security/cybersecurity-certifications-to-renew-or-not-renew-that-is-the-question-d81529f43985
The write-up links, resources and some notes I read and studied are here:
ABOUT THE EXAM:
- OSCP Reborn — 2023 Exam Preparation Guide (*): https://johnjhacking.com/blog/oscp-reborn-2023/
- What to Expect From the New OSCP Exam: https://www.offsec.com/offsec/what-to-expect-new-oscp-exam/
- OSCP Exam Change: https://www.offsec.com/offsec/oscp-exam-structure/
- PEN-200 Reporting Requirements: https://help.offsec.com/hc/en-us/articles/360046787731-PEN-200-Reporting-Requirements
- OSCP Exam Guide: https://help.offsec.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040165632-OSCP-Exam-Guide
- Exams: Scheduling, Expiry, Rules and Recommendations: https://help.offsec.com/hc/en-us/articles/4406678993812--Important-information-about-exam-scheduling-in-the-Training-Library
- Proctoring Tool Manual: https://help.offsec.com/hc/en-us/articles/360050299352-Proctoring-Tool-Student-Manual
BONUS POINT:
- Bonus Points: https://help.offsec.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040165632-OSCP-Exam-Guide#bonus-points
- OSCP Bonus Points Update: Sunsetting PEN-200 Legacy
Course Exercises and a New Way to Achieve Points!: https://www.offsec.com/offsec/sunsetting-pen-200-legacy-topic-exercises/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/oscp/comments/wqt63n/what_do_you_have_to_report_on_with_the_new_bonus/?rdt=62509
- https://help.offsec.com/hc/en-us/articles/4412170923924-OSCP-Exam-FAQ#h_01FP8BXRYRTQM6QKB9FPH2FQM7
FAQ:
- https://help.offsec.com/hc/en-us/articles/4412170923924-OSCP-Exam-Update-01-11-22-FAQ
- https://www.offsec.com/offsec/pwk-oscp-faq/
- https://help.offsec.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040160792-What-are-the-technical-requirements-to-participate-in-a-proctored-exam-
- https://help.offsec.com/hc/en-us/articles/360050299352-Proctoring-Tool-Student-Manual
PREPARATION:
- https://help.offsec.com/hc/en-us/articles/4547917816468-OffSec-OSCP-Exam-with-AD-Preparation#h_01FX592NV7N98Y8WF9NSPPE9XX
- https://fs.hubspotusercontent00.net/hubfs/5852453/OSCP%202.pdf
- A Path to Success in the PWK Labs: https://www.offsec.com/offsec/pwk-labs-success/
- PWK: All New for 2020: https://www.offsec.com/offsec/pwk-2020-update/
- HTB Machines: Difficulty Matters: https://infosecwriteups.com/ctf-mindset-htb-machines-d306cc73fde2
- https://ivanitlearning.wordpress.com/2021/07/11/review-of-the-oscp/
GUIDE:
- OSCP in 2024. My journey. (*): https://medium.com/@0n3pr0t0n/oscp-in-2024-my-journey-5e6d55cdf727
- My Review on OSCP (PWK 2023) and How I Managed to Pass in 2 Hours: https://fabian-lim.com/my-review-on-oscp-pwk-2023-and-how-i-managed-to-pass-in-2-hours-8430e4fe95d8
- OSCP Tricks 2023: https://github.com/rodolfomarianocy/OSCP-Tricks-2023
TOOLS and NOTES (X):
- OSCP Reborn — 2023 Exam Preparation Guide (*): https://johnjhacking.com/blog/oscp-reborn-2023/
- My OSCP Tools and Notes (*): https://medium.com/@toneemarqus/my-oscp-tools-and-notes-1d977730c2f0
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/muhammadnomankhalid_cybersecurity-infosec-communitysupport-ugcPost-7147021431384555520-OvOK
- Muhammad Noman’s OSCP Journey: A Comprehensive Review and Tips for Achieving 110 Marks in 12 Hours (*): https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/muhammad-nomans-oscp-journey-comprehensive-review-110-noman-khalid-9ksgf
- How I passed OSCP first time: https://medium.com/@0xs4m/how-i-passed-oscp-first-time-19d0b63354c1
LIST:
[1] PRIORITY WRITEUPS (X):
- How I passed the 2023 OSCP exam on my first attempt with a perfect score (*): https://medium.com/@xmarkinmtlx/how-i-passed-the-2023-oscp-exam-on-my-first-attempt-with-a-perfect-score-da9bd9f20978
- How I Passed the OSCP in a Month! (*): https://medium.com/@issam.qsous/how-i-conquered-the-oscp-in-a-month-1d2a7740507a
- STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO OSCP (*): https://cyberoffsecpro.com/step-by-step-guide-to-oscp/
- How I Passed OSCP with 110 points in 7 hours(First Attempt) Without Metasploit: https://nagendrangs.medium.com/how-i-passed-oscp-with-110-points-in-7-hours-first-attempt-without-metasploit-d6d7f6156444
- OSCP: A little update: https://mark.rxmsolutions.com/oscp-a-little-update/
- Passed OSCP on 2nd Attempt!: https://mark.rxmsolutions.com/category/oscp/
- What to Expect From the New OSCP Exam: https://www.offsec.com/offsec/what-to-expect-new-oscp-exam/
- PASSING YOUR OSCP IN 2023 (OR 2024): https://securitycafe.ro/2023/10/30/passing-your-oscp-in-2023-or-2024/
- Perfecting the OSCP with 110/100 score: Here’s my journey: https://alexvec.github.io/posts/perfecting-oscp/
- Zero to OSCP 2023: it isn’t as tough as you think: https://medium.com/@yeobowen/from-zero-to-oscp-it-isnt-as-tough-as-you-think-dbb483e243fd
- How I Passed OSCP 2023 in Just 8 Hours with 110 Points Without Using Metasploit: https://medium.com/@singh_manish/how-i-passed-oscp-2023-in-just-8-hours-with-110-points-without-using-metasploit-a1c1f464645b
- How I Passed the OSCP as an Absolute Beginner: The Beginner’s Guide to OSCP Success: https://spencer5cent.wordpress.com/category/oscp/
- Noobs Guide to Passing OSCP 2023 Exam: https://medium.com/@purpleXsec/noobs-guide-to-passing-oscp-2023-exam-f7ee1f347309
- My OSCP journey Tips&Tricks: https://medium.com/@firat.demir1337/my-oscp-journey-and-tips-tricks-18234cd40c5e
- OSCP 2023 — Tips for success: https://medium.com/@ushah.789012/oscp-2023-tips-for-success-c11ff981fbbc , Roadmap to OSCP 2023: https://medium.com/@ushah.789012/roadmap-to-oscp-2023-c38c5b4e713a , and Cleared OSCP | April 2023: https://medium.com/@ushah.789012/cleared-oscp-april-2023-5980c5e2c3d8 .
- Methodology and Mindset for Passing the OSCP: https://infosecwriteups.com/methodology-and-mindset-for-passing-the-oscp-d609592a7dcb
- How I Passed the OSCP Exam in 8 Hours: https://kashishtopi.medium.com/how-i-passed-the-oscp-exam-in-6-hours-b15cb29f211c
- OSCP Serüvenim: https://medium.com/@mesutyildirim580/oscp-ser%C3%BCvenim-4f02d1d67306
[2] SECONDARY WRITEUPS:
If you have time in available times, you are able to read them for extra.
VIDEOS:
- I passed OSCP using this web pentesting methodology: https://youtu.be/zLObgMQ41zs
- OSCP ⚔️ CPTS: https://youtu.be/-5s2R0Mldgw
- “Die with memories, not dreams!”
- “Flow state”: https://www.betterup.com/blog/flow-state#:~:text=The%20flow%20state%20is%20the,whatever%20you're%20doing%20forever
- The three-or-four-hours rule for getting creative work done: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/fourhours
“There has been a certain dilemma that I have been thinking about and it is the finitude of time during a day and how to organize my limited time to effectively pursue everything that needs to be done. But as I now realize it is impossible to keep up with everything you wish to complete because we also have limited cognitive abilities, which means we have a limitation on the work capacity that we can produce on any kind of creative topic. So this article actually helped me understand this limitation even better and also created a sense of relief that in the end securing 3–4 hours of each day would be more than enough for me to make consistent progress on anything I want.”
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly:
Thanks for reading and sharing. See you later, stay health and have a nice day.
You can find me on:
LinkedIn: bit.ly/34BKvtC
Github: bit.ly/3JNmXkK
linktr.ee: bit.ly/3DZiDN1
