CAPenX Certification: Review

If you’re someone who love to challenge yourself and the excitement of solving complex Web App vulnerabilities, the Certified AppSec Pentesting Expert (CAPenX) exam from The SecOps Group might just be your next big adventure. As for me? It was a rollercoaster ride of frustration, triumph, and a few existential crises sprinkled in for good measure.

CAPenX certification is no walk in the park. In fact, it’s more like a marathon where every mile marker asks, “Did you even prepare for this?” Spoiler alert: I passed, but the journey taught me lessons I’ll never forget. Here’s my experience and some tips to help you conquer this beast of a certification.

Before the Exam: A Hiccup with VPN Credentials

The CAPenX exam is completely on-demand, meaning you can take it whenever you decide. This offers a significant degree of flexibility, allowing candidates to choose a time that works best for their schedules and peak performance. This can be a huge advantage, especially for busy professionals juggling work and personal commitments. You can strategically plan your study schedule and choose a time when you’re most alert and focused, minimizing pre-exam stress by knowing you have control over the date and time.

However, this flexibility also presents some challenges. It requires strong self-discipline to adhere to a study plan and actually schedule the exam in your personal agenda. Without a fixed deadline, it’s easy to procrastinate, potentially leading to rushed preparation.

Sounds convenient, right? It is - until you realize, like I did, that you’re missing your VPN credentials on the day you plan to start the exam.

Yes, that happened. I ordered the exam voucher back in November during a 90% off sale - (on the day I am writing this the exam voucher is still 90% off using the coupon: EXPERT-90-OFF).

Trump using a 90% off voucher for CAPenX

I received the order confirmation email without noticing that the VPN credentials hadn’t arrived in my email. Panic mode activated!

But here’s where The SecOps Group’s customer service shone bright. I shot them an email explaining the issue, and to my surprise, they responded incredibly quickly. Within minutes, I had my VPN credentials and exam access ready to go on my speedexam.net account.

Their prompt and efficient support set the tone for a smooth exam experience. Shoutout to the customer service team - you’re the real MVPs!

What led me to take CAPenX?

The CAPenX exam by The SecOps Group is renowned for its focus on real-world application security. Unlike certifications that test theoretical knowledge, CAPenX throws you into the deep end with practical challenges that emulate real-world scenarios. Think 7:30 hours of hands-on pentesting, with 10 questions, each one harder than the one before so not all questions are weighted equally.

With two years of experience in Web App and API pentesting under my belt, I figured I had the foundation to take this on. My experience definitely provided a solid base. I was already comfortable using tools like Burp Suite in an advanced way and understood pretty much every common attack methodology. This meant I could quickly dive into the practical challenges without getting bogged down in basic tool usage (which is expected from an Expert level certification). I have also completed most of the PortSwigger Academy challenge labs which are the gold standard for Web App Pentesting and are completely free.

Some of the scenarios presented complex attack vectors I hadn’t encountered in my day-to-day work, requiring me to think creatively and apply my existing knowledge in new ways. The pressure of the timed exam also added a significant challenge, demanding careful time management to ensure I could dedicate sufficient attention to each question. There were also instances where identifying a vulnerability was relatively straightforward, but achieving the required level of exploitation proved more complex than anticipated. Boy, was I in for a surprise.

Pro Tip: Take breaks, eat properly, drink water, don’t forget to go to the bathroom, and go for a walk. 7:30 hours is a lot of time; don’t stay focused 100% of the available time; eye and brain tiredness will start to make you less focused and consequently make you lose more time than the one you would take for breaks.

APIs: The MVP of CAPenX

If you’re planning to tackle CAPenX, here’s the golden rule: master APIs, tools and advanced exploitation techniques or prepare to fail. Nearly every challenge in the exam revolves around exploiting vulnerabilities through API endpoints. From SSRF to SQLi to BOLA and Improper Assets Management, APIs are at the heart of it all.

To prepare, I leaned heavily on APIsec University’s API Penetration Testing Course lectured by the one and only Corey J. Ball, which is not only extremely comprehensive but also 100% free. It gave me the confidence to dissect API endpoints, find vulnerabilities, and exploit them effectively. Along the way, I earned the ASCP (API Security Certified Professional) certification, which was a game-changer for my approach to API pentesting.

If you’re not comfortable with APIs, tooling and attack techniques beyond basic understanding, copy-paste PoCs and on-the-spot research, you will struggle - plain and simple. And if you’re REALLY not comfortable, you will FAIL. This exam demands more than basic knowledge; it requires expertise in crafting tailored payloads and a deep understanding of the multiple attack vectors.

Preparation Tips for Future CAPenX Warriors

Prioritize API Knowledge: Spend time mastering API pentesting. APIsec University’s free course is a fantastic resource, and earning the ASCP certification is a bonus.
Practice, Practice, Practice: PortSwigger Web Academy, HackTheBox, and TryHackMe are goldmines for sharping your skills. Focus on labs involving SSRF, XSS, SQL Injection, and API-specific vulnerabilities.

The three platforms above are my personal preference, the exam details website has a list of resources you can use to study for this certification.

Custom Payload Crafting: The exam doesn’t allow for cookie-cutter solutions. Learn to craft payloads tailored to unique scenarios.
Plan Your Time Wisely: Focus on high-value questions first. Don’t let easier questions eat up your valuable time.
Do some OSINT: Look for more articles like this one, maybe you will find information about what to study more in-depth. Also, look for posts on LinkedIn of people who managed to achieve the certification, read the comments and try to extract all the information you can about the exam. Don’t forget to check The SecOps Group’s posts related to the exam, they often offer some type of additional information about what the exams tests you, a good example would be this one.

Pro Tip: Search for the hashtag #capenx here on LinkedIn, you might find more juicy information. A good Google Search will also do the job.

My Exam Setup

Actual setup photo.

To tackle CAPenX, here’s what I used:

Operating System: Windows 11 Host running Kali Linux VM on Oracle VirtualBox as virtualization software.
Burp Suite Professional: I’m fortunate enough to have access to the Pro version of Burp through my day job. For Burp extensions, I use a few on a daily basis, but they were not needed at all; if anything the only ones I would recommend is JWT Editor (great for handling JSON Web Tokens on the spot) and Turbo Intruder to help you out in case any race conditions show up wink wink.
I also used a lot of Burp Collaborator, which proved invaluable for OOB (Out-of-Band) exploitation techniques.

If you don’t have Burp Professional, don’t worry, you don’t really need it for the exam - you can use the following alternatives:

Replace the JWT extension with copy-pasting any tokens in jwt.io or you can just use jwt_tool.
Use Webhook.site or Pipedream’s RequestBin instead of Burp Collaborator.

For one of the challenges, I also used GitHub Gist, though you can achieve similar results with Webhook.site if you know how to manipulate it well.

Pro Tip: Be well-versed in OOB exploitation techniques. Many challenges rely heavily on this skill, so comfort with OOB methods is a must.

The Most Difficult Exam of My Career So Far

Let me be brutally honest: CAPenX was the most challenging exam I’ve ever attempted.

Out of the 10 challenges, I managed to solve only 7. The remaining 3? They were beasts.

Not only were they weighted heavily (so I assume they were also the hardest ones to solve), but they also required extremely advanced techniques that I just couldn’t crack during the time allocated to me, not even with the ‘Tip’ system that The SecOps Group has. This left me scraping just enough points to pass.

The ‘Tip/Hint’ system in The SecOps Group exams works in the following way:

Each question will include a hint option. When you click the hint button, a dialog will display how much of the score will be deducted if you answer the question correctly after using the hint. On average, the deduction will be around 10-20% of the total question value, and the exact deduction will be specified for each question.
If you use the Tip and you still can’t crack the challenge, no points will be deducted.

I’m proud to say I didn’t use any hints on the seven questions that I did manage to solve, but I’m certain that if I had, I wouldn’t have passed (as points would have been deducted from my final score). This shows how close to failing I was.

Got humbled really fast.

Why I’m Retaking the Exam

Yes, I passed. Yes, I received the coveted certificate. But this isn’t just about the certification for me - it’s about growth and self-improvement. Those 3 unanswered questions have been living rent-free in my head ever since I finished the exam. The CAPenX journey isn’t just a test of what you know; it’s a spotlight on what you don’t know. And that’s where the real value lies.

I’m planning to retake the exam to tackle those unanswered questions head-on. For me, certifications are less about the piece of paper and more about identifying weaknesses and turning them into strengths. CAPenX has already made me a better pentester, and I’m eager to push myself even further.

Final Thoughts

CAPenX isn’t just a certification - it’s a journey of self-discovery. It’ll challenge you, frustrate you, and ultimately make you a better professional. For those considering this path, know that it’s not easy, but it’s absolutely worth it.

Remember, failure isn’t the end - it’s an opportunity to learn and grow. Whether you pass on the first try or need a retake (like I’m planning), the experience will be invaluable. So gear up, stay curious, and embrace the challenge. You’ve got this!

Oh yes you can!

If you are interested in challenging yourself, you can find The SecOps Group courses at:

The SecOps Group @ Pentesting Exams

This article is based my opinion and experience with the exam. I am not sponsored in any way by The SecOpsGroup or other entities mentioned in this article.

#CAPenX #Cybersecurity #AppSec #WebApplicationSecurity #Pentesting #Certification