So, I’m sure anyone who reads this site knows that I am currently studying this Pentesting with Bactrack course from the Offensive Security guys. Well, it seems it is a little harder than I first thought!!

I’ve done quite a few security certs over the last few years (CISSP, CISA, CISM, GSEC, GCIH) but nothing has really come close to what this course has to offer. The SANS stuff is by far the closest .. and I think that if I had done the SANS SEC560 – Network Penetration and Ethical Hacking I would be in a much better position than what I am now. The stuff I’ve done with SANS has all been at live events, so you get the added comfort of being able to ask questions of actual people when you don’t understand something (as well as the whole classroom type of thing where everyone seems to help each other out). The Offensive Security course doesn’t really give you that luxury .. you have the ability to ask questions of people in their IRC chatroom, but if like me, you’re in an odd timezone, sometimes you can sit there for hours without a single thing happening. Having said that, there is nothing like researching and finding the information out for yourself (it just takes a little longer).

Anyway, I have succumbed to the pressures and extended my labs for another 30 days. I really want to make sure I’m totally on top of this course as much as I can be, I’d really like to pass it first go if I can (I hate having to re-sit exams). I’m going to try and sit the exam before Christmas (fingers crossed).

Now, for all you kids following the bouncing ball, over the next 30 days I’ll probably be sharing ALL the information that I get out of the exercises from this course! For some of you this will all be old hat and trivial, for some of you it will hopefully be enlightening (and possibly somewhat boring). I’ll try not to give anything away to other people sitting the PWB course, I want people to think and learn for themselves .. just like me!

Until next time …

(I really need to have more pictures in my posts .. everyone likes pictures and popup books right?)