Question about the OSWP certification

[ThePistonDoctor]

Hey guys, I'm sorry but I'm not sure where to put this question so mods if it's in the wrong place or there's a better one for it feel free to close it and let me know, or move it.

I am interested in taking the OSWP (Offensive Security Wireless Professional) exam so I went to the website and signed up, got the pre-reg email, returned the registration form asking me some questions about my background, then received the post-reg email informing me that I needed to go to the website and input CC information to officially register for the course.

I noticed in reading the post-reg email that it said I will receive a link to download BT3 along with my course materials. Is that test really that outdated? I don't really want to drop $350 on a test that utilizes an OS that is two releases behind. Also I have heard that the OSWP exam is pointed very heavily at WEP which I am not terribly interested in learning because I already have a lot of experience with cracking WEP. It seems that $350 is a lot to pay for a course to teach me how to use an outdated version of aircrack just to receive a piece of paper that says OSWP on it.

Is there a more current version of this cert which uses current technologies, WPA/WPA2 and BT4 or BT5? Or maybe another one I should look into like the CWSP from Cisco? I love the Offensive Security style of testing with hands-on tests as opposed to multiple choice book-smarts garbage, but I'm afraid with this one I might just be throwing away my money on something I already know.

Thanks in advance.

[Gitsnik]

Alright, I'll bite. The test will cover all the relevant wifi technologies that we have weaponised attacks for (at least, it did when I ran through it). There is no sane reason for you to require BT4 or BT5, that sort of complaint is... irrelevant. If you want to take the test, then pay for it. And remember, even when you pentest you won't always get to use the latest version of the software, or OS, or whatever.

So try harder.

Or in my preferred terms.

Suck it up, cupcake

[ThePistonDoctor]

Haha, I just wanted to make sure this is the most updated version of the test! I actually responded to the post-reg message and asked them and they said a new version is coming out in a few months ... so now the question is do I wait? Maybe I will get a different cert in the mean time and that way I can be uber-up-to-date and leet and other such jazz :-P

Would you wait for it or Do you think I will get enough out of this one to make it worth it even if I already have a lot of experience w/ WEP and wireless attacks in general? Thanks again

[Gitsnik]

I don't really know, and perhaps this isn't the place to speculate, but short of an extra tool or two in the aircrack suite, I don't think I've actually learned any new attacks. It may be that the new one covers a broader scope as well (Bluetooth radio hacking? That'd be cool). For at least the flagship product, they sell the update at a reduced rate, so you get the course and the cert, but can then upgrade the course materials later.

Also, I didn't learn all that much extra when I did the OSWP, being pretty experienced with it, but still learned something new. Same for the OSCP when I took that - there was a module in there where I went "WTF when did that become an attack?!". Always worth getting these courses.

[ThePistonDoctor]

Thanks for the info. I just got profit sharing from work so maybe I'll do it anyway. Anyway good to get a second opinion. Regards!

[leetbean]

keep in mind that the course offers very detailed information in the study guide on the fundamentals. you don't really need a class to tell you how to crack wep with the aircrack suite. if you use the materials provided to your advantage and actually learn why and how the attacks work 'true wifu is achieved.'

wpa can only be cracked with dictionary/brute force attacks, and the current course goes over how to obtain and test against the wpa handshake. it is certainly a minor topic of the course, but still a part. if i had to guess i would imagine the new version will go more in depth possibly including creating word lists (although that's not specific to wifi) or tools like cowpatty, pyrit, etc.

if/when you do take it i would advise you to not skip over the 'boring' stuff, look at your own and the provided packet dumps and understand what's going on. if you decide to take the current course it doesn't matter that you ssh into bt3 for the exam, if you fully understand the attacks you can easily modify any parameters that are different between newer and older versions of tools. good luck!

[Archangel-Amael]

Suck it up, cupcake

mmmmm cupcakes.

PistonDr. The best thing for you to do is talk to the folks over at offensive-security. They are the experts and can provide answers to your questions.
They will also have the official and probably the best answer in regards. Not that any answers you got here are bad or irrelevant in any way.