CPTS: The gold standard for penetration testing skills

CPTS is the new OSCP️

When will HR get the memo!?

.Fady Assaad said it best: CPTS demolishes OSCP — and in some areas, OSEP too

.Hack The Box is setting the new standard

“So true! CPTS is rapidly becoming the gold standard for hands-on penetration testing skills. As someone deeply involved in cyber education and enterprise security, I see firsthand how HTB’s CPTS bridges the gap between theory and real-world offensive capabilities. It's time HR and hiring managers start recognizing its value alongside traditional certs like OSCP.”

Why CPTS resonates with modern teams

CPTS puts practitioners inside realistic enterprise environments that demand end-to-end problem solving: discovery → initial access → privilege escalation → lateral movement → reporting. The emphasis is on repeatable methodology, documentation quality, and adapting to modern defenses — exactly what hiring managers want to see in day-one contributors.

What CPTS actually measures

• Realistic attack chains: enumeration, weaponization, and exploitation mapped to common enterprise stacks.
• Active Directory & network pivoting: credentials, delegation, constrained contexts, and routing obstacles.
• Web/API skills: auth flaws, logic bugs, and chaining medium-severity issues into high-impact compromise.
• Scripting & automation: building small tools to speed recon/ exploitation ethically and safely.
• Reporting: clear, reproducible findings with risk/impact and pragmatic remediation guidance.

How to reflect CPTS in a job description

For HR and hiring managers, here’s a simple, fair line you can copy-paste:

“Required: proven hands-on penetration testing ability. Certifications such as CPTS, OSCP (or equivalent) are accepted.”

Bottom line

If your goal is validated, practical capability on modern networks, CPTS is an excellent bar. It complements traditional certs and gives candidates a way to demonstrate real offensive skills — not just theory. The industry is moving; job posts should move with it.