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Introduction
The CompTIA PenTest+ certification is a fast-growing cybersecurity certification that security professionals attain to prove their security and penetration testing knowledge. The CompTIA PenTest+ certification is a well-recognized certification that not only tests your knowledge on the common tools used to perform a penetration test, but also it tests your knowledge on the process to follow when performing a penetration test.
About This Book
CompTIA PenTest+ Certification For Dummies is designed to be a hands-on, practical guide to help you pass the CompTIA PenTest+ certification exam. This book is written in a way that helps you understand complex technical content and prepares you to apply that knowledge to real-world scenarios.
I understand the value of a book that covers the points needed to pass the PenTest+ certification exam, but I also understand the value of ensuring that the material helps you perform information technology (IT)–related tasks when you are on the job. That is what this book offers — key points to pass the exam combined with practical information to help you in the real world, which means this book can be used in more than one way:
As an exam preparation tool: Because my goal is to help you pass the PenTest+ exam, this book is packed with exam-specific information. You should understand everything that is in this book before taking the PenTest+ exam, but to help identify key points that you must know, look for icons called For the Exam to help you prepare.
As a reference: Rely on my extensive experience in the IT industry not only to study for (and pass) the PenTest+ exam, but also to help you perform common pentest-related tasks on the job.
I hope you find this book a useful tool that you can refer to time and time again in your career.
Conventions Used in This Book
Each chapter in this book has different elements that help you prepare to pass the PenTest+ exam. Each chapter includes the following features:
Icons: Look for the icons used in each chapter to draw your attention to information needed for the PenTest+ exam or in the real world. For more details on the icons I use, check out the section, “Icons Used in This Book” later in this introduction.
Reviewing Key Concepts: Found at the end of each chapter, the “Reviewing Key Concepts” summary covers key points you should remember for the exam.
Prep Test: Following each chapter’s “Reviewing Key Concepts” section, you will find example questions to help you review the chapter content in preparation for the PenTest+ certification exam. Be sure to do the review questions with each chapter! Then, after you complete the book, check out the practice exam that accompanies this book on the www.dummies.com website. This practice exam is designed to function like the real exam, with the same level of difficulty. (See the section, “Beyond the Book” later in this Introduction for more information about how to access the online practice exam.)
Foolish Assumptions
I make a few assumptions about you as a reader and have written this book with these assumptions in mind:
You are interested in obtaining the PenTest+ certification. After all, the focus of this book is helping you pass the exam.
You have a computer to work on. To perform the lab exercises in this book, you need a computer with virtualization software to run multiple virtual machines. I recommend using virtualization software such as Hyper-V or VMWare Player to run Kali Linux, Metasploitable2, a Windows Server, and a Windows client.
You will study hard and do as much hands-on work as possible. There is a lot of content covered by the PenTest+ certification exam, and you should read over the information in this book a few times to ensure you understand everything. You should also experiment as much as possible after you read about a particular topic. For example, after you read about running a vulnerability scan, you should try it. There are lab exercises to help you with this as well.
How This Book Is Organized