http://beckhamsterz.com/Recent content on Beckhamster BlogHugo -- 0.154.2en-usThu, 08 Jan 2026 21:37:49 +1300http://beckhamsterz.com/post/cwes-review/Thu, 08 Jan 2026 21:37:49 +1300http://beckhamsterz.com/post/cwes-review/<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2> <h3 id="what-is-cwes">What is CWES</h3> <p>The Certified Web Exploitation Specialist (CWES) is a hands-on web penetration testing certification from HackTheBox. It consists of two parts:</p> <ul> <li>The Course Content: Complete HTB&rsquo;s &ldquo;Web Penetration Tester&rdquo; Job Role Path first (20 modules, 279 sections, 22 days).</li> <li>The Exam: Then take a 7-day hands-on exam where you attack a simulated environment and submit a commercial-grade report.</li> </ul> <h3 id="why-i-took-it">Why I took it</h3> <p>Three reasons drove me:</p> <ul> <li>Practical Skills Over Theory: I wanted a cert that tested real exploitation, not multiple-choice memorisation.</li> <li>HTB Labs Prep: My goal was to learn how to tackle web footholds in the more advanced platform HTB Labs, and the CWES path seemed like good preparation.</li> <li>5-year goal?: I set a 5-year goal back in 2021 to focus on cybersecurity after finishing my computer science degree. The CWES was part of that vision.</li> </ul> <p><img alt="goal" loading="lazy" src="http://beckhamsterz.com/post/cwes-review/images/2021_goal.png"></p>