{"id":77559,"date":"2022-09-01T08:54:17","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T08:54:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eccouncil.org\/cybersecurity-exchange\/?p=77559"},"modified":"2025-09-25T11:48:51","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T11:48:51","slug":"fail-the-cpent-exam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eccouncil.org\/cybersecurity-exchange\/penetration-testing\/fail-the-cpent-exam\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Reasons Why People Fail the Penetration Testing (C|PENT) Exam"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"77559\" class=\"elementor elementor-77559\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1da52a6 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1da52a6\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a238a0f\" data-id=\"a238a0f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b76c242 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"b76c242\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<script>\r\n\r\ndocument.querySelectorAll('.elementor-heading-title').forEach(title => {\r\n    title.innerHTML = title.textContent.replace('C|PENT', 'CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup>');\r\n})\r\n<\/script>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-551b9d8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"551b9d8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The global cyber security industry is growing at a rate of 13.4% a year as companies invest millions to keep cybercriminals at bay. Numerous methods are being employed to accomplish that. Enterprise penetration testing continues to prove to be a fast and reliable tactic for discovering vulnerabilities in a company&#8217;s system while revealing actionable changes they can make to improve their security infrastructure.<\/p><p>As the cybersecurity industry grows, the future only gets brighter for penetration testers. As of last year, pentesters earn an average of $88,089 annually in the United States (Payscale, 2022), yet no formal degree or license is required to obtain such a position. Instead, pentesters need hands-on experience and a way to prove their knowledge, which is why EC-Council created the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eccouncil.org\/train-certify\/certified-penetration-testing-professional-cpent\/\"> Certified Penetration Testing Professional (CPENT)<\/a> exam.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-dbe9f93 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"dbe9f93\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6233a9d\" data-id=\"6233a9d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a6b6e19 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a6b6e19\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What Is the CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup> Exam?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bca4eda elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"bca4eda\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEC-Council\u2019s CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup> program is a multi-disciplinary course that teaches you AI-powered pentesting skills mapped to all pentesting phases in over 40 hours of strenuous curriculum. The course is designed to be comprehensive, including information about the latest attack surfaces, threats vectors, and practice ranges. In fact, it has been labeled extremely difficult by even accomplished professionals. Yet, all the knowledge you acquire will ensure you finish the course ready to perform effective penetration testing in a real-world enterprise environment. During the 24-hour exam, you will work in a test environment where each network must be attacked, exploited, evaded, and defended.\n\nThe program will teach you how to:\n<ul>\n \t<li>Pentest IoT and OT systems<\/li>\n \t<li>Bypass filtered networks<\/li>\n \t<li>Write your own exploits<\/li>\n \t<li>Perform advanced Windows attacks<\/li>\n \t<li>Conduct advanced privilege escalation<\/li>\n \t<li>Conduct binary exploitation<\/li>\n \t<li>Single and double pivoting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup> exam is far more thorough and hands-on than any other pentesting exam. If not prepared well, the exam will prove to be very challenging, even for professionals. It goes beyond the exploitation and attack tools covered by others and requires you to utilize professional methodologies employed on enterprise networks.\n\nHere&#8217;s why even experienced penetration testers fail the CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup> exam and advice to help ensure that you can succeed.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b58b233 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b58b233\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e73c888\" data-id=\"e73c888\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d9d1471 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d9d1471\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">#1 Inability to Ping Networks Effectively<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-599f2cc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"599f2cc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup> exam is meant to test your penetration testing skills in the real world. In enterprise architecture, ICMP is typically not allowed. Even the Windows Defender firewall blocks ICMP by default. Many professionals with other industry certifications miss this fundamental point.<\/p><p><strong>Solution:<\/strong> Use another protocol to discover live targets.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f9c5055 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"f9c5055\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-25fd66f\" data-id=\"25fd66f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-51e45b1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"51e45b1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">#2 Unable to Gain Machine or Network Access<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d8361d5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d8361d5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup> exam mimics real-world testing, so you will not have access to all machines, nor will all machines have points you can leverage to gain access. In other words, if you expect to be guided to your targets, you will not have an easy time completing the CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup> exam.<\/p><p>Many pentesters that fail the CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup> exam run into issues because they do not use custom, tuned scans to discover their targets. They also fail to look at the network traffic at the packet level to see what the network is showing them. As such, they struggle to move forward and successfully complete the pentest.<\/p><p><strong>Solution:<\/strong> Dig deeper to see what you can find on the network.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-45091a2 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"45091a2\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-301185f\" data-id=\"301185f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8349d7e elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8349d7e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">#3 Failure to Prioritize Targets<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b573360 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b573360\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Many professionals with other industry certifications fail to plan their strategy. Even if they have one, they fail to practice it using the EC-Council Labs or the EC-Council Practice Range. This means that, once the exam begins, they start hacking away, hoping that something works\u2014but that&#8217;s not how it&#8217;s done in the real world.<\/p><p>The CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup> is like no other in that it prepares you to be part of a professional team, which means managing the scope of a pentest and prioritizing your testing. So, you must practice using different methods to egress data from protected and filtered networks. You should also practice recording information and efficiently extracting data for your report.<\/p><p><strong>Solution:<\/strong> Create an extensive target database before you begin exploiting.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-09b94c1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"09b94c1\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d75470d\" data-id=\"d75470d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bf7c24c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bf7c24c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">#4 Failure to Implement Systematic Processes<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bd111da elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"bd111da\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLike an actual engagement, the CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup>  exam requires you to read the entire scope of work. You must take notes as needed, identify what network addresses are part of the scope of work, and create a target database template using all that information.\n\nHowever, when pentesters attempt to discover filtered suspect targets, they often use default scans instead of a custom scan against a firewalled and non-firewalled target. As a result, many do not know what works and doesn&#8217;t work, and they waste time trying to figure it out.\n\n<strong>Solution:<\/strong> Follow a systematic process to work efficiently and ensure nothing is missed.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5cd12ee elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5cd12ee\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b5e00af\" data-id=\"b5e00af\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-57169f7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"57169f7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">#5 Scans Take Far Too Long to Complete<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f4c0fb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f4c0fb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOne thing that makes the CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup> exam so challenging is that you cannot get away with just using default scans or intensely scanning every port. If you try to do that, you&#8217;ll end up with scans that take far too long to complete, and you&#8217;ll run out of time\u2014just like many pentesters do when trying to take the easy route, and they end up failing.\n\n<strong>Solution:<\/strong> Let the packets show you the way.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-acba7ae elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"acba7ae\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3c934ea\" data-id=\"3c934ea\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73923dc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"73923dc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">#6 You Can't Find Any OT Machines<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-86c9339 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"86c9339\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>You&#8217;d be surprised to learn that among those who failed the CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup> exam, including experienced pentesters, many cannot get anywhere close to the OT machines. In the real world, the OT network is rarely directly accessible, and you will have to identify weaknesses on a machine that has access to it to get in.<\/p><p>Like in the real world, the CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup> exam requires you to find the communication between the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and the slaves. Plus, just like any other communications on the network, it is in TCP\/IP packets.<\/p><p><strong>Solution:<\/strong> Know where to find the TCP\/IP packets and how to analyze them.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b2c6dde elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b2c6dde\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4071fa6\" data-id=\"4071fa6\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1960c3d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1960c3d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">#7 Failure to Attack an Active Directory<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a4a383f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a4a383f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Ask yourself: &#8220;What would I see in an active directory environment?&#8221; Many professionals with other industry certifications could not take what the network gave them. Nor could they look for Kerberos weaknesses and see if they could compromise a ticket.<\/p><p><strong>Solution:<\/strong> Get comfortable finding and understanding your targets.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-85ad1d6 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"85ad1d6\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-da5b539\" data-id=\"da5b539\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-811b47b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"811b47b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">#8 Inability to Extract Firmware from the IoT Zone<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d23ec71 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d23ec71\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Many professionals with other industry certifications could not check the syntax and verify that they entered the options correctly. As a result, they failed to have privileges to write to the folder where they were extracting the firmware file system to.<\/p><p><strong>Solution:<\/strong> Come up with a strategy before taking action.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-02a853e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"02a853e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8754efc\" data-id=\"8754efc\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3dd1a77 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3dd1a77\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">#9 Making Incorrect Assumptions<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-297aad2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"297aad2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>As with any real-world engagement, the CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup> exam requires you to analyze what is on the network and, from that analysis, try to find a weakness so you can gain access.<\/p><p>Many professionals with other industry certifications could not take what the network showed them, analyze it, and find a way to gain access. Instead, they made bad assumptions. Just remember this: In a real-world assignment, you will not gain access to every machine every time.<\/p><p><strong>Solution:<\/strong> Be mindful of your assumptions and don&#8217;t get led astray.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5c7a8e2 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5c7a8e2\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e55711b\" data-id=\"e55711b\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cb956ae elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cb956ae\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Prepare For Your Exam with Over 110+ Labs<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-592a5ee elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"592a5ee\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEven seasoned penetration testers fail the CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup> exam because they don&#8217;t yet have the confidence and hands-on knowledge to plan a comprehensive strategy or handle critical problems while on the clock. With the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eccouncil.org\/train-certify\/certified-penetration-testing-professional-cpent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup> program<\/a>, you can learn from over 110+ labs and practice extensively on the live cyber ranges to help hone your skills and be ready to challenge the exam.\n\nReady to take the next step and explore the CPENT<sup>AI<\/sup> course and exam?\u00a0<a style=\"letter-spacing: var(--the7-base-letter-spacing); text-transform: var(--the7-base-text-transform); word-spacing: normal;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eccouncil.org\/train-certify\/certified-penetration-testing-professional-cpent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get to know the curriculum.<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7b8d561 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7b8d561\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7bcba25\" data-id=\"7bcba25\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ed5bf3d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ed5bf3d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">About the Author<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4f0b7db elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4f0b7db\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Sydney Chamberlain is a content writer specializing in informational, research-driven projects.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b8350a0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b8350a0\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4878b80\" data-id=\"4878b80\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-30882d8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"30882d8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">References<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-643ce43 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"643ce43\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Fortune Business Insights. (2022, June 14). With 13.4% CAGR, global cyber security market size to surpass USD 376.32 billion in 2029. GlobalNewswire. <em>https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/news-release\/2022\/06\/14\/2461786\/0\/en\/With-13-4-CAGR-<br \/>Global-Cyber-Security-Market-Size-to-Surpass-USD-376-32-Billion-in-2029.html<\/em><\/p><p><span style=\"color: var(--the7-base-color); letter-spacing: var(--the7-base-letter-spacing); text-transform: var(--the7-base-text-transform); word-spacing: normal;\">PayScale. (2022, July 27). Average PenTester Salary. <\/span><em style=\"color: var(--the7-base-color); letter-spacing: var(--the7-base-letter-spacing); text-transform: var(--the7-base-text-transform); word-spacing: normal;\">https:\/\/www.payscale.com\/research\/US\/Job=Penetration_Tester\/Salary?loggedIn<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The global cyber security industry is growing at a rate of 13.4% a year as companies invest millions to keep cybercriminals at bay. Numerous methods are being employed to accomplish that. Enterprise penetration testing continues to prove to be a fast and reliable tactic for discovering vulnerabilities in a company&#8217;s system while revealing actionable changes&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":80967,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11466],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-77559","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-penetration-testing"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.13 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>9 Reasons Why People Fail the Penetration Testing (C|PENT) Exam | EC-Council<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"EC-Council&#039;s C|PENT exam is backed by a multi-disciplinary course that covers over 40 hours of strenuous curriculum. 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