Reproduced with permission from Matthew Webster - MA from New School University , author of three books and possesses the following certifications; MCP, MCSA, MCSE, MCSA Security, MCSE Security, CCSP, CCNP, INFOSEC, CCNA, CQS-CWLSS, CWP, countless security classes, and almost 10 years experience in the IT field.
November 2005
Review: Certified Penetration Testing Specialist - CPTS
The Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS) class is an excellent way to gain a basic introduction to the seventeen aspects of network penetration evaluation. Perhaps its greatest strength is that by it's step-by-step process, it clearly elucidates why each part of the IT infrastructure is so important for securing the IT enterprise. Each weakness in the infrastructure provides a potential that a penetration tester (and potential hacker) can expose (and make use of). One begins to see that every part of the network becomes so critical and how network security policy needs to include every single person in an organization.
CPTS is an excellent way of gaining a fuller understanding of the penetration testing methodology. Not only are the instructors extremely helpful in class, they are an excellent source of material for continuing work towards network penetration testing. The instructor set up additional materials for the
class which I found very helpful for the in class exercises.
The instructor for the CPTS class was top notch. He thoroughly knew his subject matter and was able to patiently explain every aspect of penetration testing and how they interrelated. The material was a real eye opener and his careful, methodical approach was not only easy to
understand, but also provided a very clear understanding of the process of penetration testing. His real life experience that he brought to the class was very helpful in understanding what it means to be a penetration tester. He even provided important web sites to locate penetration-testing tools.
But perhaps the best thing about the CPTS class is that they teach a way of thinking about penetration testing. By learning about all the aspects of the penetration testing, one learns about how the penetration tester works and thus provides a perspective that is helpful for understanding how both systems and network security postures (and policies) influence overall IT security.
The CPTS class may be taken through Mile2 (www.mile2.com).
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