Dante ProLabs Review + Tips! (ENG)
Before taking the HTB CPTS exam, I decided to challenge myself in the amazing world of ProLabs, which is a perfect scenario for practicing and sharpening your skills in penetration testing, as well as learning new things along the way. I aimed to complete at least 3 or 4 of them before actually taking the exam. Today, I’m here to share my thoughts on Dante and offer a few tips for those of you planning to give it a try.
How much does it cost?
The cost for accessing Hack the Box ProLabs is based on a monthly subscription, currently priced at USD 49. The total amount you’ll spend depends on how long it takes you to complete the labs. I personally took 5 days, dedicating around 6 to 7 hours each day. Dante is definitely the easiest of all the ProLabs, so it’s more than possible to finish it in less than a month, even if you don’t have extensive experience with CTFs. During your subscription period, you can try as many ProLabs as you want, allowing you to explore and learn at your own pace.
Difficulty and areas covered.
Even though this lab is rated as “Beginner” level, don’t let it fool you. While it may seem easy overall, it is definitely NOT for true beginners. During your exploration inside the machines, you need to demonstrate a solid understanding of the fundamentals of penetration testing, along with a few topics you might not be familiar with if you’re new to this field.
These are:
- Enumeration.
- Exploit development (don’t expect to just copy and paste step-by-step exploits from the internet).
- Detecting and exploring common web vulnerabilities.
- Pivoting and Portforwading (which is definetly not something many beginners may now).
- Both Windows and Linux privillege escalation.
Why Should You Try It and Tips.
As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, ProLabs are an excellent place to hone your skills and prepare for certifications like CPTS, OSCP, and similar, and Dante is the first step to all the ProLabs. If you’re planning to attempt this lab, I’d recommend getting very comfortable with the 5 topics mentioned above. A good way to study for the ProLabs is by taking the Penetration Tester career path on Hack the Box Academy, along with practicing on active easy/medium level machines on the Hack the Box platform. This combination of HTB Academy, ProLabs, and easy/medium machines will definitely provide you with a solid foundation and experience to tackle the CPTS or even the OSCP, especially since the CPTS exam is widely considered to be harder than the OSCP. Last but not least, the certifications you receive after completing the ProLabs are pretty damn cool.
Extra Tip: Note taking.
- One crucial concept that applies not just for Dante is effective note-taking. Consider organizing your notes by topics, such as scan results, vulnerabilities found and every relevant information you may find.. This way, you’ll have a personalized guide to refer back to when needed.
Thank you so much for reading, and good luck!