Pentesting

AWS is the biggest cloud provider on the planet. It’s also one of the most common attack surfaces in modern red team engagements. If you’re doing pentesting in 2026 and you don’t understand how to attack AWS, you’re leaving scope on the table. This guide covers the full attack chain — from initial recon through privilege escalation — with real commands and the tools that actually matter. You need a lab environment to practice this. Spin up a dedicated AWS account for testing. If you want a VPS to run attack tooling from, Vultr and DigitalOcean are solid choices — cheap, fast, and you can tear them down when done. ...

Windows privilege escalation is one of the most critical skills in offensive security. You land on a box as a low-privileged user, and your job isn’t done until you have SYSTEM. This cheat sheet covers every technique that actually works in 2026 — with real commands, the right tools, and notes on which Windows versions each technique applies to. Bookmark it. You’ll use it. Why Windows PrivEsc Is Different From Linux Linux privilege escalation has patterns: SUID binaries, sudo misconfigs, writable cron jobs, kernel exploits. Clean and predictable. ...

Linux privilege escalation is the step between getting a shell and owning the box. You land as www-data or a low-priv user — the goal is root. This cheat sheet covers every technique worth knowing in 2026, with commands you can run immediately. Practice these techniques on a real machine. Vultr and DigitalOcean both offer $5–6/month VPS you can spin up, break, and destroy. Cheap, legal, and resets whenever you want. ...

Bottom line: TryHackMe’s Pre-Security and SOC Level 1 paths are the best entry points in the industry right now. The Jr Penetration Tester path is solid but shows its age. Skip the CompTIA-aligned paths unless you’re studying for the cert specifically. Why Learning Path Choice Matters TryHackMe has over 20 learning paths, and the quality gap between them is significant. The best paths are structured like a curriculum, with each room building on the last. The weakest are loosely coupled topic collections dressed up as “paths” that leave gaps you’ll only discover when you try to apply the knowledge. ...

Breaking into penetration testing is one of the most asked-about topics in cybersecurity. Everyone wants to do it. Far fewer actually get hired. The gap isn’t talent — it’s knowing what the industry actually looks for versus what you think it looks for. After more than a decade working in offensive security, here’s an honest breakdown of how to get your first pentest job in 2026. What “Entry-Level Pentester” Actually Means First, a reality check: most companies hiring “junior” pentesters still expect you to hit the ground running. You won’t have your hand held through every engagement. What they’re really looking for is: ...