Prove offensive skills and expertise, from reconnaissance and exploitation to rigorous and effective reporting.
The GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN) certification validates a practitioner's ability to properly conduct a penetration test employing effective techniques and methodologies. GPEN certification holders have the knowledge and skills to conduct exploits, engage in detailed environmental reconnaissance, and apply a process-oriented approach to penetration testing projects.
Areas Covered
- Comprehensive Pen Test Planning, Scoping, and Recon
- In-Depth Scanning and Exploitation, Post-Exploitation, and Pivoting
- Azure Overview, Integration, and Attacks, and In-Depth Password Attacks
Who is GPEN for?
- Security personnel responsible for assessing network and systems
- Penetration testers
- Ethical hackers
- Red Team members
- Blue Team members
- Defenders, auditors, and forensic specialists who want to better understand offensive tactics
CyberLive: Real labs. Real tools. Real skills.
CyberLive is a hands-on exam format that replaces traditional multiple-choice testing with performance-based challenges in realistic lab environments to validate real-world capability.
Virtual Machines:
Full-scale lab systems that behave like physical computers: install, attack, defend, and run services.
Real Security Tools:
Exact tools used by professionals every day including all the quirks and challenges
Authentic Code:
Real code, real exploits, real impacts
Exam Format
- 1 proctored exam
- 82 questions
- 3 hours
- Minimum passing score of 73%
Note: GIAC periodically reviews and may update certification specifications to ensure fairness, validity, and reliability. Using a psychometric standard-setting study, GIAC has set the passing score for the GPEN exam at 73% for all candidates who receive the exam version released on or after July 12th, 2025.
To confirm the exam format and passing score that apply to your specific attempt, please refer to the Certification Information section of your GIAC account: https://exams.giac.org/pages/attempts.
Certification Delivery
GIAC certification attempts will be activated in your GIAC account after your application has been approved and according to the terms of your purchase. Details on delivery will be provided along with your registration confirmation upon payment. You will receive an email notification when your certification attempt has been activated in your account. You will have 120 days from the date of activation to complete your certification attempt.
NOTE: All GIAC Certification exams are web-based and required to be proctored. There are two proctoring options: remote proctoring through ProctorU, and onsite proctoring through PearsonVUE. Click here for more information.
Exam Certification Objectives & Outcome Statements
- Advanced Password AttacksThe candidate will be able to use additional methods to attack password hashes and authenticate.
- Attacking Password HashesThe candidate will be able to obtain and attack password hashes and other password representations.
- Azure Applications and Attack StrategiesThe candidate will demonstrate an understanding of Azure applications and the attacks against them including federated and single sign-on environments and Azure AD authentication protocols.
- Azure Overview, Attacks, and AD IntegrationThe candidate will demonstrate an understanding of Entra ID implementation fundamentals, common Entra ID attacks, and Azure authentication techniques
- Command and Control (C2)The candidate will demonstrate an understanding of the design, application, and use of Command and Control (C2) and common C2 Frameworks.
- Domain Escalation and Persistence AttacksThe candidate will demonstrate an understanding of common Windows privilege escalation attacks and Kerberos attack techniques that are used to consolidate and persist administrative access to Active Directory.
- Escalation and Exploitation The candidate will be able to demonstrate the fundamental concepts of exploitation, data exfiltration from compromised hosts and pivoting to exploit other hosts within a target network.
- Exploitation FundamentalsThe candidate will be able to demonstrate the fundamental concepts associated with the exploitation phase of a pentest.
- Kerberos AttacksThe candidate will demonstrate an understanding of attacks against Active Directory including Kerberos attacks.
- MetasploitThe candidate will be able to use and configure the Metasploit Framework at an intermediate level.
- Password AttacksThe candidate will understand types of password attacks, formats, defenses, and the circumstances under which to use each password attack variation. The candidate will be able to conduct password guessing attacks.
- Password Formats and HashesThe candidate will demonstrate an understanding of common password hashes and formats for storing password data.
- Penetration Test PlanningThe candidate will be able to demonstrate the fundamental concepts associated with pen-testing, and utilize a process-oriented approach to penetration testing and reporting.
- ReconnaissanceThe candidate will understand the fundamental concepts of reconnaissance and will understand how to obtain basic, high level information about the target organization and network, often considered information leakage, including but not limited to technical and non technical public contacts, IP address ranges, document formats, and supported systems.
- Scanning and Host DiscoveryThe candidate will be able to use the appropriate technique to scan a network for potential targets, and to conduct port, operating system and service version scans and analyze the results.
- Vulnerability ScanningThe candidate will be able to conduct vulnerability scans and analyze the results.
Practice Tests
- Practice exams are a simulation of the real exam, allowing you to become familiar with the test engine and style of questions
- Practice exams can serve as a gauge to determine if your preparation methods are sufficient
- The bank of practice questions is limited, so you may encounter the same question on multiple practice tests
- Practice exams never include actual exam questions
- Purchase a GPEN practice test here
Other Resources
- Training is available in a variety of modalities including live training and OnDemand
- Practical work experience can help ensure that you have mastered the skills necessary for certification
- College level courses or self-paced study through other programs or materials may meet the needs for mastery
- Understand the procedure to contest exam results
- Use this justification letter to share key details of this certification opportunity with your boss