Name: CompTIA PenTest+ Exam Preparation Course (Self-Paced)
Price: 2949.0 USD
Availability: InStock

This course includes

24 hours of project-based training from experts
PenTest+ exam voucher
Answers from real instructors
Retake for free within 1 year
Verified digital certificate of completion
Learn at an accredited institution
Credits: 2.4 CEUs

CompTIA and PenTest+ are trademarks of CompTIA. This course is not affiliated with or endorsed by CompTIA, and passing the exam is not guaranteed.

This course is self-paced. For live online or in-person instruction, take PenTest+ Exam Preparation Course.

This course prepares experienced security practitioners to sit the CompTIA PenTest+ (PT0-003) exam, covering its five domains. It assumes hands-on testing experience and focuses on the judgment the exam rewards.

Learners work through engagement management, reconnaissance and enumeration, vulnerability analysis, attacks and exploits, and post-exploitation. Every knowledge check uses the scenario-based style of the real exam, and no hosted lab is included.

Tuition

Full Tuition

$2,949
Due before the class starts

This course includes

24 hours of project-based training from experts
PenTest+ exam voucher
Answers from real instructors
Retake for free within 1 year
Verified digital certificate of completion
Learn at an accredited institution
Credits: 2.4 CEUs

Learning Experience Highlights

Training from government‑experienced instructors

Receive instruction from subject‑matter experts who bring proven government experience.

Specialized for government & DoD

Courses that are regularly updated based on feedback and industry developments, ensuring versions are mapped to federal competencies.

The instructor was wonderful and so knowledgeable. The course materials were extremely relevant to what my job is. I feel like I can be better because of this class.
— 2025 student

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24/7 access to our premium course videos and projects.
Industry experts are assigned as your course instructor. Message your instructor with any questions.
Participate in GSUSA online discussion forums — share ideas and receive additional support.
Hands-on quizzes and mini projects to test and reinforce concepts.

Earn a Certificate of Completion

Upon completion of this course, you’ll receive an official certificate testifying to your mastery of the curriculum. We’ll send you a link where you can download your certificate, share it online with your friends, post it to your professional network on LinkedIn, and view all your earned certificates. Congratulations on your achievement!

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Sample credential for completion of CompTIA PenTest+ Exam Preparation Course (Self-Paced)

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CompTIA PenTest+ Exam Preparation Course (Self-Paced) Curriculum

What You'll Learn at a Glance

Scope and authorize a penetration test engagement using rules of engagement, legal concepts, and compliance requirements.
Conduct passive and active reconnaissance to build a target profile without triggering unnecessary detection.
Enumerate hosts, services, and directory environments to identify likely attack paths.
Run and interpret vulnerability scans, then prioritize findings by exploitability and business risk.
Exploit common network, host, and application vulnerabilities using appropriate tools and techniques.
Test web applications and APIs for injection, authentication, and session-handling weaknesses.
Assess wireless networks, cloud configurations, and IoT devices for exploitable weaknesses.
Plan and execute social engineering and physical security tests within legal and ethical boundaries.
Escalate privileges and move laterally while documenting risk to the target environment.
Select and justify the right tool or technique for each phase of a penetration test.
Translate technical findings into a clear, prioritized penetration test report for technical and executive audiences.
Communicate risk and remediation recommendations to stakeholders at different technical levels.
Recognize the legal and compliance boundaries that govern authorized penetration testing.

Course Syllabus

Download Syllabus PDF

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.

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