Top 10 penetration testing certifications for security professionals (2023)

Penetration testers are security professionals who help organizations find weak spots before potential bad actors do. Often called ethical hackers, they have the skills and knowledge to discover vulnerabilities and other issues — hopefully before bad actors do.

If this makes you perk up your ears, real-world training and penetration testing certification are the best way in. To get certified, you must take relevant pentesting courses or have equivalent experience and knowledge to pass exams covering skills, tools and the latest penetration testing methods.

What certifications do you need to be a penetration tester?

There are multiple recognized penetration testing certifications available. If you’re interested in a career path as a penetration tester, you will need a mix of technical hands-on skills and broad cybersecurity knowledge. Specialized certification is a valuable path to gain technical skills and prove your aptitude to potential employers.

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Top-notch certifications delve into advanced techniques, like using client-side attacks and finding vulnerabilities in operating systems.

These are the top 10 options for pursuing pentesting certification:

1. CompTIA PenTest+

2. EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

3. Certified Penetration Tester (CPT)

4. Certified Expert Penetration Tester (CEPT)

5. Certified Cloud Penetration Tester (CCPT)

6. Certified Mobile and Web Application Penetration Tester (CMWAPT)

7. Certified Red Team Operations Professional (CRTOP)

8. EC-Council Licensed Penetration Tester (LPT) Master

9. Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) Penetration Tester (GPEN)

10. Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)

The value of penetration testing certification

As more organizations turn to penetration testing to identify gaps in their defense systems, the demand for skilled penetration testers has grown. While other security practitioners can probe information systems and networks for vulnerabilities, pentesting professionals are highly specialized and trained to think like hackers when exploiting security weaknesses.

As the demand for cybersecurity professionals grows, so does the workforce gap. The latest (ISC)² Cybersecurity Workforce Study showed a global gap of 3.4 million cybersecurity workers, with 436,080 workers needed in North America. That’s good news for those looking to become a penetration tester. CyberSeek, which includes vulnerability analysts/penetration testers on its list of top most in-demand cybersecurity job titles, reported 21,048 U.S. job openings in this field as of July 2023.

Top 10 penetration testing certifications

1. CompTIA PenTest+

• Exam fee: $392

• Valid period: 3 years

• Example job title: Cybersecurity consultant

• Average annual salary: $102,405

The CompTIA PenTest+ certification covers all aspects of vulnerability management. It certifies the knowledge and skills required to plan and scope a penetration testing engagement, including vulnerability scanning, understanding legal and compliance requirements, analyzing results and producing a written report with remediation techniques.

The PenTest+ exam includes a maximum of 85 multiple-choice and performance-based questions over 165 minutes. The exam covers five basic areas: planning and scoping, information gathering, attacks, reporting and tools. A minimum of 3-4 years of hands-on information security or related experience is recommended but not required.

The goals of this certification are to help you:

• Verify years of knowledge and skills development

• Align with the most up-to-date hacking and pentesting skills

• Demonstrate an ethical hacking mindset across scenarios

2. EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

• Exam fee: $1,199

• Valid period: 3 years

• Example job title: Cybersecurity analyst

• Average annual salary: $103,000

The EC-Council bills its CEH as the “world’s No. 1 ethical hacking certification.” It is a comprehensive certification designed to teach you to think like a hacker. The knowledge needed for this cert is highly valued, including experience with commercial-grade hacking tools and over 500 unique hacking techniques.

To be eligible for the four-hour, 125-question certification exam, candidates must either attend official Certified Ethical Hacker training or be approved via an application process.

The goals of this certification are to help you:

• Master an ethical hacking methodology

• Grasp complex security concepts

• Learn how to scan, hack, test and secure an organization’s information systems

3. Certified Penetration Tester (CPT)

• Exam fee: $499

• Valid period: Does not expire, but recommend re-certifying every three years

• Example job title: Penetration tester

• Average annual salary: $97,962

The Certified Penetration Tester (CPT) from Infosec is the first of several hacking, penetration testing and red teaming certifications they offer. Infosec has more than two decades of experience teaching ethical hacking to cybersecurity professionals, and it offers a 10-day Penetration Testing Boot Camp that prepares you for the first four certifications on this list (PenTest+, CEH, CPT and CEPT).

Certified Penetration Tester is a two-hour exam designed to demonstrate working knowledge and skills for pentesting across nine domains.

The goals of this certification are to help you:

• Understand pentesting methodologies

• Learn network attacks and network reconnaissance

• Understand vulnerability identification 

• Carry out exploits across various operating systems

4. Certified Expert Penetration Tester (CEPT)

• Exam fee: $499

• Valid period: Does not expire, but recommend re-certifying every three years

• Example job title: Vulnerability analyst

• Average annual salary: $133,900

The Certified Expert Penetration Tester (CEPT), as the name implies, demonstrates expert knowledge in the pentesting field and is offered in conjunction with the CPT as part of Infosec’s Advanced Ethical Hacking Boot Camp. Infosec defines an expert pentester as “a person who is highly skilled in methods of evaluating the security of computer systems, networks and software by simulating attacks by a malicious user.”

The two-hour CEPT exam includes 50 multiple-choice questions that cover nine domains. A passing score is 70% or above.

The goals of this certification are to help you:

• Go deep into network attacks and recon, shellcodes, memory corruption and more

• Defend against attacks from advanced persistent threats (APTs)

• Gain hands-on practice and experience with real-world scenarios

5. Certified Cloud Penetration Tester (CCPT)

• Exam fee: $499

• Valid period: Does not expire, but recommend re-certifying every three years

• Example job title: Web app penetration tester

• Average annual salary: $107,054

The Certified Cloud Penetration Tester (CCPT) certification from Infosec validates your skills around the tools and techniques required for conducting comprehensive security tests of cloud servers and applications. There is no experience requirement for the Cloud Penetration Testing Boot Camp. Still, a solid understanding of cloud and pentesting concepts and at least one year of relevant experience is recommended.

The exam covers five areas: common vulnerabilities, pentesting tools and processes, security features, and reporting specific to cloud environments. It consists of 50 multiple-choice questions. 

The goals of this certification are to help you:

• Demonstrate expert-level knowledge in Azure and AWS penetration testing

• Enhance your resume to include cloud-based pentesting tools

• Get hands-on experience with cloud service provider security, cloud penetration testing and cloud security architecture and management

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6. Certified Mobile and Web Application Penetration Tester (CMWAPT)

• Exam fee: $499

• Valid period: Does not expire, but recommend re-certifying every three years

• Example job title: Web app penetration tester

• Average annual salary: $107,054

The Certified Mobile and Web Application Penetration Tester (CMWAPT) certification from Infosec focuses on domains specific to different mobile operating systems and web apps. Like the cloud penetration testing certification above, there is no experience requirement but familiarity with penetration testing concepts is recommended.

The two-hour exam tests knowledge of mobile and web application vulnerabilities and attacks, including Android and iOS. The exam includes 50 multiple-choice questions, and a passing score is 70% or higher.

The goals of this certification are to help you:

• Build skills using pentesting methodologies

• Conduct tests on web and mobile apps and assess their security

• Validate your pentesting knowledge

7. Certified Red Team Operations Professional (CRTOP)

• Exam fee: $499

• Valid period: Does not expire, but recommend re-certifying every three years

• Example job title: Red Team operator

• Average annual salary: $111,529

Red teaming is similar to pentesting; it’s just a little larger in scope. For example, red teaming may include physical security and evaluating if intruders could gain access to buildings or areas with sensitive data. Infosec offers the Certified Red Team Operations Professional Boot Camp cert for those who want to demonstrate their skills at performing a comprehensive red team assessment.

The two-hour exam covers seven domains: red team roles and responsibilities, red team assessment methodology, physical reconnaissance tools and techniques, digital reconnaissance tools and techniques, vulnerability identification and mapping, social engineering and red team assessment reporting.

The goals of this certification are to help you:

• Excel in offensive cybersecurity

• Leverage expertise to fortify defenses from the inside

• Use learned techniques to improve organization-wide security

8. EC-Council Licensed Penetration Tester (LPT) Master

• Exam fee: $500

• Valid period: 2 years

• Example job title: Penetration tester

• Average annual salary: $116,104

Licensed Penetration Tester Master is an expert-level EC-Council certification. It is ideal for the pentesting professional who wants to demonstrate their advanced knowledge of thorough security assessments and penetration tests across diverse networks and applications. In the words of EC-Council, it differentiates “the experts from the novices in penetration testing.”

To earn LPT Master certification, you must pass with at least 90%. The exam is 24 hours long, during which you progress through intense challenges that require mastering advanced techniques, real-time critical thinking and knowledge of tools like SSH tunneling and multi-level pivoting.

The goals of this certification are to help you:

• Validate and recognize best-of-the-best expertise

• Ensure skills and knowledge of advanced penetration testing concepts

• Stay sharp and ready to conduct pentesting at the highest level 

9. Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) Penetration Tester (GPEN)

• Exam fee: $949 (see GIAC pricing)

• Valid period: 4 years

• Example job title: Penetration tester

• Average annual salary: $110,000

Part of SANS, GIAC® offers a variety of certification options, including the GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN) credential. GPEN focuses on pentesting methodologies, best practices and legal issues around pentesting.

Candidates must demonstrate knowledge in 16 areas during the three-hour exam through multiple-choice questions. Topics include advanced password attacks, formats and hashes, vulnerability scanning, escalation and exploitation, Web app recon and more.

The goals of this certification are to help you:

• Prove the ability to conduct pentesting on a wide range of infrastructure

• Gain vendor-neutral certification

• Demonstrate understanding of process-oriented approaches to pentesting and reporting

10. Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)

• Exam fee: $1,599

• Valid period: Does not expire

• Example job title: Offensive security engineer

• Average annual salary: $98,000

The Offensive Security Certified Professional Credential demonstrates a comprehensive mastery and practical understanding of pentesting. Unlike most other certs, OSCP is 100 percent hands-on and can only be obtained by taking a course from Offensive Security, “Penetration Testing with Kali Linux.”

After course completion, candidates take a 24-hour exam simulating real-world scenarios. The exam consists of a virtual network with different targets with various operating systems and configurations. Candidates are expected to research the network, identify vulnerabilities, execute attacks and present a pentesting report.

The goals of this certification are to help you:

• Be well-versed in identifying known and unknown vulnerabilities, including configuration mistakes

• Validate knowledge of methodologies that use tools in the Kali Linux distribution

• Demonstrate technical skills needed to execute offensive white hat hacking

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How to choose a certification

This is only a sample of the options for available pentesting credentials. As with any security certification, you should research all your choices before deciding which is best for you. While your skill level may limit which programs you qualify for, other criteria you may want to consider are recertification requirements, rigor, and the credentialing body's industry validation.

If you are interested in cybersecurity, becoming a certified penetration tester gives you a competitive edge. Learn more about pentesting courses and certification to move into the forefront of the field.