Pentesting

CrackMapExec is dead. Long live NetExec. If you’ve been in offensive security for more than a few years, CrackMapExec (CME) was probably one of the first tools you learned. It became the go-to for Active Directory enumeration, credential testing, and lateral movement — packed into a single framework with clean output and a protocol-agnostic design. In 2023, the original author archived the project. The community forked it and kept building under a new name: NetExec (nxc). Same DNA, actively maintained, and compatible with everything CME could do. ...

Google Cloud is no longer just AWS’s little sibling. It’s the backbone of YouTube, Google Workspace, and thousands of Fortune 500 environments. In 2026, GCP powers a significant chunk of enterprise infrastructure — and most red teams still don’t know how to attack it properly. This guide fixes that. We’ll walk through a complete GCP attack chain: from passive recon through persistence, using real commands against real services. If you’ve done our AWS pentesting guide or Azure pentesting guide , this follows the same structure — but GCP has its own quirks that’ll trip you up if you treat it like AWS. ...

Introduction Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) has been at the center of some of the most damaging data breaches in cloud history. From exposed customer databases to leaked government documents, misconfigured S3 buckets remain a goldmine for attackers — and a nightmare for defenders. In 2026, S3 misconfigurations haven’t disappeared. They’ve evolved. New attack surfaces emerge from complex IAM chains, cross-account trust relationships, and the growing use of S3 as a backend for serverless and containerized workloads. For red teamers and pentesters, S3 is still one of the highest-value targets in any AWS engagement. ...

Azure is the second-largest cloud platform on the planet and the dominant choice in enterprise environments. Microsoft’s deep integration with Active Directory, Office 365, and enterprise tooling means Azure is everywhere corporate red teams operate. If you’re doing internal red team work or enterprise pentesting in 2026, Azure is unavoidable. This guide covers the full attack chain — from initial recon through credential theft, RBAC abuse, lateral movement, and persistence — with real commands and the tools that actually work. ...

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: ...