If you are rigorously preparing for the HackTheBox Certified Penetration Testing Specialist certification, having a centralized and exhaustive resource is non-negotiable. These HTB CPTS Notes serve as the definitive "Mastermind" companion, meticulously compiling over 700 pages of critical enumeration techniques, exploitation methodologies, and post-exploitation strategies.
Unlike scattered blog posts or fragmented wiki pages, this guide consolidates the entire penetration testing lifecycle from initial information gathering to complex Active Directory attacks into a single, cohesive workflow. Whether you are struggling with specific protocol enumeration or need a structured approach to the 10-day practical exam, these notes provide the technical depth and command-line precision required to pass.
Comprehensive Information Gathering & Network Enumeration
Success in the CPTS exam hinges on the ability to discover the unseen. The HTB CPTS Notes begin with a deep dive into active information gathering, offering far more than just basic Nmap syntax.
The guide details advanced scanning techniques, including firewall and IDS/IPS evasion using decoys and fragmented packets, ensuring you can map networks even in hostile environments. It provides extensive cheat sheets for enumerating essential protocols such as SMB, SNMP, NFS, and MySQL, alongside specialized tools like enum4linux, snmpwalk, and rpcclient. By mastering these enumeration steps, you ensure that no service is left unchecked, creating a solid foundation for the exploitation phase.
Deep Dive into Active Directory Exploitation
Active Directory (AD) is a significant component of the CPTS exam, and these notes dedicate substantial space to demystifying AD attacks. You will find detailed workflows for enumerating domains, users, and groups using PowerShell and BloodHound to map attack paths. The HTB CPTS Notes cover critical attack vectors such as Kerberoasting, AS-REP Roasting, and Pass-the-Hash, explaining not just the tools (like Impacket and Rubeus) but the underlying mechanics of Kerberos authentication.
Furthermore, the guide walks you through complex lateral movement techniques and domain privilege escalation, ensuring you can navigate from a single compromised workstation to complete Domain Admin control.
Web Application Penetration Testing Mastery
Web exploitation is vast, but these notes distill the chaos into actionable methodologies. The guide covers the OWASP Top 10 and beyond, providing concrete examples and payloads for SQL Injection (including blind and boolean-based), Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), and Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI).
It specifically targets Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and Jenkins, offering specific enumeration steps and exploit chains for each. Whether you are bypassing file upload filters, manipulating JSON Web Tokens (JWT), or exploiting Insecure Deserialization, the HTB CPTS Notes provide the exact syntax and theoretical background needed to identify and exploit these vulnerabilities during your exam.
Privilege Escalation and Post-Exploitation
Gaining a foothold is only half the battle; these notes ensure you can escalate privileges on both Windows and Linux systems. For Windows, the guide details manual enumeration of misconfigured services, unquoted service paths, and kernel exploits, alongside automated tools like WinPEAS.
For Linux, it covers SUID binary exploitation, cron job abuse, and NFS root squashing. Beyond escalation, the notes emphasize post-exploitation and reporting—crucial skills for the CPTS. You will learn how to maintain persistence, harvest credentials using Mimikatz and LaZagne, and, most importantly, how to document your findings professionally using tools like SysReptor to meet the strict reporting standards of the exam.
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HTB CPTS Notes | Updated 2026 by Motasem Hamdan
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