How I passed OSCP on the first attempt? [ Part 2 ]
Ultimate Strategy And Tools To Pass OSCP
The Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) certification is widely regarded as one of the most challenging and respected certifications in the cybersecurity field. To pass the OSCP exam, it's crucial to have not only technical knowledge but also a strategic plan and effective use of available resources.
In this article, I will share my successful approach to passing the OSCP exam. I primarily focused on Offensive Security labs, mastered a few key tools, and watched tons of techniques to enhance my learning experience.
Emphasizing Offensive Security Labs
Offensive Security provides comprehensive lab environments for OSCP candidates to practice their skills and gain hands-on experience. Instead of spreading my efforts across multiple platforms, I chose to concentrate on the Offensive Security labs. This focused approach helped me achieve better results. The labs provide a controlled environment where I could explore various networks and systems, identify vulnerabilities, and practice exploiting them.
By dedicating my time to the Offensive Security labs, The labs challenged me, pushing my limits and helping me build the skills necessary to tackle the OSCP exam successfully. To be honest the labs were harder than the exam!
Mastering a Few Tools
With a vast array of tools available for offensive security, trying to master all of them can be overwhelming. Instead, I chose to focus on a core set of tools and become proficient in their usage. Here are a few popular tools that I mastered:
Nmap
Netcat
Metasploit (Allowed only for one machine)
Burp
Mimikatz
Impacket
CrackMapExec
CrackMapExecWin
Responder
PowerShell Empire
Enum4linux
Evil-winrm
Dirsearch
Nikto
dirb
dirbuster
MSFVenom
Exploit Databases-
Exploit-DB — https://www.exploit-db.com/
Windows Kernel Exploits — https://github.com/SecWiki/windows-kernel-exploits
AutoNSE — https://github.com/m4ll0k/AutoNSE
Linux Kernel Exploits — https://github.com/lucyoa/kernel-exploits
Hashcat
Ripper
Linux Exploit Suggester
Windows Exploit Suggester
GTFOBins
Chisel <3
Proxychains
Best Site That Helped Me? - https://www.hackingarticles.in/
I used many other tools throughout my labs but these were the major ones I can remember which you should master at least.
During the exam, a valuable strategy was to search for similar labs to those found in the Offensive Security labs using the keyword "Hackthebox" in my search. Sometimes, I came across HTB VMs that mirrored the same vulnerable services as in the exam. This parallel exploration provided additional hints and exposed me to alternative exploitation techniques.
Passing the OSCP exam requires dedication, perseverance, and a strategic approach to training. By focusing primarily on the Offensive Security labs, and mastering a select few tools I significantly enhanced my chances of success.
[ Disclaimer: I could have given a lot more into this but I didn't want to throw a ton of stuff at you which didn't even help me during the exam but yes don't take this as the ultimate thing rather its better to do your own research and get comfortable with the things you prefer and like to work on with ]