Pathway to Becoming a Cybersecurity Tester

1. Understand What a Cybersecurity Tester Actually Does

A Cybersecurity Tester evaluates the security of systems by simulating real‑world attacks.

Core responsibilities include:

• Conducting penetration tests on networks, applications, cloud, and APIs

• Identifying vulnerabilities and exploiting them safely

• Writing detailed reports with remediation guidance

• Performing social engineering assessments

• Running vulnerability scans and validating findings

• Supporting red team or purple team exercises

• Staying up to date with new exploits and attack techniques

It’s a blend of technical skill, creativity, curiosity, and discipline.

2. Build the Technical Foundations

A. Networking

You need a strong grasp of:

• TCP/IP

• Ports & protocols

• Routing & switching

• Firewalls & proxies

• DNS, DHCP

B. Operating Systems

Testers must be comfortable with:

• Linux (Kali, Parrot, Ubuntu)

• Windows internals

• Command line usage

• System administration basics

C. Programming & Scripting

You don’t need to be a full developer, but you should understand:

• Python

• Bash

• PowerShell

• Basic web development (HTML, JavaScript, PHP)

This helps you write exploits, automate tasks, and understand application logic.

3. Learn Core Offensive Security Skills

A. Web Application Testing

• OWASP Top 10

• SQL injection

• XSS

• Authentication bypass

• API testing

B. Network Penetration Testing

• Scanning & enumeration

• Exploitation

• Privilege escalation

• Lateral movement

C. Wireless Testing

• WPA/WPA2 attacks

• Rogue APs

• Packet capture & analysis

D. Social Engineering

• Phishing

• Pretexting

• Physical security testing

E. Cloud Penetration Testing

• Misconfigurations

• IAM exploitation

• Cloud‑native attack paths

4. Build a Hands‑On Lab

A home lab is essential for testers.

You can set up:

• Kali Linux

• Metasploitable

• OWASP Juice Shop

• Active Directory lab

• Vulnerable VMs from VulnHub

• Cloud free tiers (Azure, AWS)

Platforms like Hack The Box, TryHackMe, and PortSwigger Academy are excellent for practice.

5. Certifications That Help

Beginner

• CompTIA Security+

• eJPT (INE Junior Penetration Tester)

Intermediate

• CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker)

• PNPT (Practical Network Penetration Tester)

• eCPPT

Advanced

• OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional)

• OSWE (Web Expert)

• OSEP (Advanced Penetration Tester)

OSCP is the industry’s most respected hands‑on certification.

6. Build a Portfolio

A strong portfolio sets you apart.

Include:

• Write‑ups of vulnerable machines you solved

• Web app testing reports

• Scripts you wrote

• Cloud attack path demos

• Red team exercise summaries (anonymised)

This proves your practical skill.

7. Develop Your Professional Narrative

A compelling tester narrative sounds like:

“I specialise in identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities across networks, applications, and cloud environments, helping organisations strengthen their defences through realistic, ethical attack simulations.”

This positions you as a proactive, offensive‑minded security professional.

8. Move Into the Role

Entry points include:

• Junior Penetration Tester

• Security Analyst (with offensive tasks)

• SOC Analyst → Red Team path

• Vulnerability Analyst

• Bug bounty hunter (portfolio builder)

Many testers start by doing bug bounties to gain real‑world experience.

Next Steps

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