New OSCP Alternative Emerges
A new pentesting certification, CNPen, is being positioned as a more modern alternative to the industry-standard OSCP. A recent comparison highlights CNPen's focus on Active Directory and cloud environments, greater flexibility on tool usage, and a more efficient exam and retake structure.
The Certified Network Pentester (CNPen) certification is offered by The SecOps Group as an intermediate-level, practical exam. In contrast to the OSCP's mandatory training course bundle, which starts at $1,749, CNPen focuses solely on the examination, providing a syllabus and leaving training resources up to the candidate. This unbundled approach contributes to its significantly lower price point, which is normally around $325 but is often available for under $100 with promotions. The OSCP, offered by Offensive Security, has long been considered an industry benchmark, requiring a rigorous 24-hour, hands-on exam to prove practical penetration testing skills. The CNPen exam is positioned as a more time-efficient alternative, structured as a 4-hour practical test that can be taken on-demand. This shorter format is designed to be more convenient, allowing candidates to complete the assessment without the significant time commitment required for the OSCP. CNPen's syllabus covers a range of topics including Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), various brute-force attacks, and exploitation of application server flaws. A significant portion of the exam is dedicated to on-premise Windows Active Directory attacks, such as Kerberoasting and Golden Ticket attacks, reflecting modern enterprise environments. The curriculum also includes identifying common security weaknesses that affect cloud services. A key distinction in exam philosophy is the flexibility on tooling. While the OSCP has historically placed restrictions on the use of certain automated tools to emphasize manual exploitation techniques, the CNPen exam allows the use of any hacking tools, including automation. This approach is intended to more closely mirror real-world penetration testing engagements where efficiency is a key factor.
