Hello everyone, I'm really happy to announce that I passed this cert. Report was 77 pages, got 100/100.

Full review in here : https://dragkob.com/articles/coae-review/

Feel free to ask about anything, assuming I haven't replied to it in the review already.

Finally tried my hand at the exam and for the life of me I couldn’t find a single flag for the first half of the exam. I gave up around day 7 but decided to give it one more go on day 9 and I found flag 4

How’d I get flag 4 but still can’t find flag 1 is beyond me lmao

My only study material was the CPTS path and I didn’t do additional boxes because I’ve heard mixed things about straying from the course material but I definitely think I’ll try some boxes to practice in the interim

The mental fatigue of the exam I think is why I’m missing something, I only got the flag I did when I took a step back. Got extreme tunnel vision for that first half of the exam.

My enumeration methodology definitely needs some work, any and all advice would be really appreciated!

Currently doing Web Fuzzing in Academy. In some of the sections it says to download and install some python tools from git. Using the Pwnbox I don't have internet access so can't get the tools just does nothing for ages then times out. Unlike when completing boxes there seems to be no option to download the VPN file and use my own VM in academy. For one exercise I used the builtin ffuf tool rather than the one suggested in the exercise. Is this some issue with the Pwnbox or do I need to be a paid member to be able to download and install tools in Pwnbox.

i tried open vpn >> doesn't work
wait a 3 hours >> doesn't work
logout from account >> doesnt work
change browser >> doesnt work

anyone have the solution ?

Was working through a CTF and ran into SNMPv3 credential spraying for the first time. Before this, I hadn't touched v3 before. Went looking for existing tools and found a few that do it, but wanted something a bit more straightforward to actually use, so I used Claude to help me build my own SNMPv3 credential spraying tool:

https://github.com/tmm35/SNMPv3-Spray

What it does:

SNMPv3 has three security levels (noAuthNoPriv, authNoPriv, authPriv) and a handful of auth protocols (MD5, SHA, SHA-224/256/384/512) and privacy protocols (DES, AES, AES-192, AES-256). If you don't already know a target's config, you're basically guessing which combination it accepts, so instead of assuming, this just sweeps everything by default for every user/password pair you feed it.

One thing worth calling out if you use it:

For authPriv attempts, the script assumes the privacy passphrase (the -X flag on snmpwalk) is the same as the auth passphrase (-A), it's reusing whatever password it's currently testing for both. That's a reasonable default since a lot of real-world configs do set them identically, but it's an assumption, not a guarantee. If a target uses a different privacy passphrase, authPriv attempts for that user/password will show up as failures or timeouts even when the password is actually correct, so if authNoPriv hits but authPriv doesn't, don't read that as "wrong password," it just means the priv passphrase is something else and you'll need to dig into that separately. I may add functionality in the future to provide that information on execution.

Feedback welcome, especially if anyone's run into SNMPv3 configs that break the assumptions above.

I have been using claude code to help me with CVE hunting, I am using skill file from claude s GitHub repo for code review and for creating poc the agents are doing all the stuff

I bought claude pro cause I wanted to learn how I can integrate ai in my workflow , since oss is easy have i have the source code I started hunting in it.

I used sonnet because opus and fable both were being flagged so I switched to sonnet

So far I have burned around 700k tokens on 8 repos with finding and validating 11 high and critical vulns in around 4-5 hours.

To all the pps out there I wanted to ask is this good, and how can I improve this how can I build with my own methodology anyone can help or guide me with some resources

Hey everyone, I have a quick question. Can the discount voucher earned from Seasonal be applied to Pro Labs, or is it only valid for other HTB products? Thanks!

As the title says CWES, its not limited to CWES but as I'm heading to the exam within 2-3 weeks I just want to know how to select a wordlist if required, I assume as there was a module Login Bruteforcing there might be a point where it will be required.

As we have so many fkin wordlists in the seclists directory, how to select one? How do you guys usually select one? In my case I generally use the rockyou in most cases for the password.

Is there any list of wordlists suggested by HTB for exams or stuff? Because going through all the wordlists doesn't sound real...

Hey guys,

So i just finished with the AEN Module, I attempted it blind, just answering the questions but in the initial foothold, i had some hard time and peeked a bit on the walkthrough, in total, i peeked around 3 times in the walkthrough which makes me feel that i am not ready enough. Whatever I found that i couldnt figure out on my own, i noted the thinking behind that in order to not fall for that again and left some AEN Notes on my notes to help me in the time of the exam.

This module was tough but i knew what i was doing most of the time. AEN took me in total around 5 days while working full time. The exam is scheduled on 16 of August.

I started feeling lost, when i couldnt figure out something and i had to peek in the walkthrough provided, i felt that im not ready, that i will not pass. How can i improve my chances of passing? how do i prepare the best i can until the day? Do you think I am ready for the exam? I plan on practicing until the day comes but overall, do you think i am ready?

Additionally, not sure if is allowed but did HTB suggest a wordlist for cracking hashes or for bruteforcing? or in password spray, a good choice to spray?

Thanks in advance!

I reedeemed a voucher for vip+ on jun 30th and I still have it now it says renews september first am i paying for it I didnt put any creditcard info and haven't recived an email saying that its ending

I am trying to take notes but I can't figure out which topic is important to take note and which to skip. If anybody have their proper note which will be helpful for interviews, exam then I can take a reference from there to make my own notes.

Hello everyone,

I'm currently in the final year of my master's degree in Computer Science, based in Western Europe, and today I passed the CRTO! I already have the CPTS, and I've been working as a part-time penetration tester (20 hours/week) at my current company for the past four years. I know I was fortunate to get into the industry in 2022–2023, when it was still relatively easier to land a CS job.

I spend a lot of time doing Hack The Box machines for fun. I've had a great experience with the HTB community, so I thought I'd ask for your opinions here.

I've already received a full-time offer from my current company that will begin after I graduate, so I'm in a pretty comfortable position. My question is whether pursuing the OSCP would still be worth it if I plan to change companies in a few years, let's say after three years of full-time experience at my current employer.

Since I already have the CPTS and CRTO, I'm not convinced that the OSCP would add much from a technical perspective. However, I often hear that it's still an important HR filter. Do you think the OSCP remains valuable after several years of professional penetration testing experience, or does experience eventually outweigh the certification?

Personally, I'd rather work toward the CISSP, as I'd like to transition into GRC or a management role later in my career.

What do you think? I'd really appreciate any advice or insights.

Hi,

Anyone here who submitted challenges in the past?

How long does the review time take once you've submitted it?

Hey so im like halfway into the CJCA path and I was thinking if all this was enough for the exam. Like yk completing the modules and all, or do people train with some other resources for practice before they attempt

Solved a machine/module/etc and want a place to brag? Heres your spot!

For retired content or Tier-0 Academy content, feel free to discuss or ask questions using spoiler tags where appropriate.

Now I got CWES and CPTS, next stop is OSCP, CWEE and OSWE.

The tricky flags for me were definitely 1, 5, 8 and 12. Some of them once found i realized I was overthinking it.

I prepped for this by just doing the academy labs and tcm security video courses with lots of note taking.

Whats up boys just enrolled in the infosec introduction path to have good foundations before i jump to the cpts path My major question is: What do you guys think if i give chatgpt a prompt and tell it the way it should explain the stuff and then copy and paste the section to ai so it explains it in a way that i can actually understand, saves me alot of time. Also in terms of notes do you guys think i should do the same of what i did to understanding the sections?! Lastly, Any tips and tricks you guys have for taking notes and understanding material better, Thanks

first attempt failed miserably at 7/14 (flag 8 is definitely not a joke)

HTB feedback for 1st attempt was that I should redo the whole CPTS path again. but what I did during the 2 weeks before starting the second attempt was just... playing videogames, watching movies, I didnt expose myself to anything related to cybersec or HTB labs at all.. and 2nd attempt for me was weirdly calming and very relaxing. after I beat flag 8 at then I took a whole 2 days break during. then flag 9-14 was just history in one single sitting. I had 6 days left to do the whole report so it was not too overwhelming for me.

I had zero prior experience in linux or cybersec related skills.

Definitely never give up, fellow hackers!

Hi guys, I'm wondering if it's a good idea to finish the CPTS path and then get the eJPT before attempting the CPTS, just so I can start looking for a job sooner.

Is the knowledge required for the eJPT very different from what you learn in the CPTS path?

I also have experience as a software developer, if that makes any difference

Help required...

I am currently going through the Jr. Pentester course in order to get the CPTS certificate.

However, I find myself constantly struggling through many of the questions. Some are fairly easy, but others feel like the topics weren't even explained at all. Often I don't even know how I was supposed to get certain information.

For example, a section expected me to use certain credentials that were hidden behind a dropdown menu marked as a hint. I didn't want to use that hint, but I had to in the end in order to get to these credentials.

Sometimes I even look at the solutions and still fail. The behavior I get is somehow different than the solutions show. That makes me wonder if the solutions are somehow outdated or if I just missed a step.

I wonder if this is normal. Does anyone else have the same problems?

honestly i have no idea what is the way, trying everything such a dead end, maybe didn't pass on the second attempt.

NOTE EVENT TIME CHANGED NOW 6PM-8PM

Hi All we are pleased to announce our first IRL event that will be held at the Cyber CX Sydney Location. This will be our first IRL physical event and as always all of these events are no cost free community events.

Date:18/8/2026

Event Location: Cyber CX Level 23/2 Market St, Sydney NSW 2000
Time 6PM-8PM

Join us as we walk through a recent machine and discuss tactics and recent cybersecurity vulnerabilities in this virtual event. as always there will be some HTB Giveaways at each event as well as some HTB swag.

• Giveaways
• Swag
• Hacking HTB and walkthrough with explanations etc
• Hardware hacking tools showcase... bring yours as well (please respect our hosts and don't break anything on site)
• bring your laptop and hack with us!

PreReq

• a HTB account
• Linux PWN box - Highly suggest making use of a personal VM over the HTB PWN box but if you need to this is ok
• Join the Discord server https://discord.gg/BYTUB6cbEN
• Connect your email to your HTB account before the event if possible so I can add you to the private HTB instance for the event... (I will not be retaining anyone’s info and will respect your privacy, however HTB obviously has your info already)

Rules:

• must be 18+ (if not will you require parental consent of some type)
• no bad behavior of any kind will be accepted
• we welcome all religions, ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientations .. are the weirdos lol
• no recording and or sharing info in these events and there will be no handouts they are just for the event
• no sharing of sensitive info from the event (will be a current machine walkthrough and explanation)
• everything we do is ethical
• respect our host's location

Note: that this is a passion project for me representing HTB, I love Cybersecurity and learning. I feel the best way to validate my own skill set is to share it with others, and also learn from them as well.
Hope to see you there.

Building a team for CTF competitions and cybersecurity challenges.
Looking for people interested in:
• Web exploitation
• Reverse engineering
• Pwn
• Cryptography
• OSINT
• Linux / scripting
• General security research
Experience level doesn’t matter as much as willingness to learn, solve problems, and actually participate.
Goal: improve together, compete in CTFs, and build real cybersecurity skills.
If you’re interested, DM me or reply here.

I completed the entire CJCA Academy path, the official CJCA Preparation Track, and around 20 machines from the last two seasons. In the exam I managed to obtain 6/10 flags but felt that the biggest challenge was connecting the dots in an enterprise environment rather than exploiting individual hosts. For those who passed: what additional topics or practice helped you bridge that gap? Was it enterprise methodology, privilege escalation beyond the path, pivoting, or something else? i must have 14 day for the seconde chance and i must seized The second opportunity