PT0 003 Exam Objectives: Real-World Attacks

PT0‑003 Exam Objectives: Real-World Attacks & Exploits You will Face

The PT0‑003 Exam Objectives clearly show that the Attacks and Exploits domain carries the highest weight at 35%. To pass the CompTIA PenTest+ certification, you must thoroughly understand these real-world attacks. This guide breaks down each attack type according to the official PT0‑003 Exam Objectives, helping you connect theoretical knowledge with practical scenarios.

Information Gathering & Vulnerability Identification

Before launching any attack, the PT0‑003 Exam Objectives  require you to understand reconnaissance. This foundation determines which attacks you will attempt.

 

Passive Reconnaissance:

 

  • Google dorks to find exposed documents (site:company.com filetype: pdf)
  • SHODAN to discover internet-connected devices
  • theHarvester to collect employee email addresses

 

Active Reconnaissance:

 

  • Nmap scans to identify open ports and services
  • Banner grabbing to determine software versions

 

Vulnerability Scanning Tools:

 

  • Nessus - Industry standard scanner
  • OpenVAS - Open-source alternative
  • Nikto - Web server focused scanner

 

The information gathered here directly maps to specific attacks outlined in the PT0‑003 Exam Objectives.

Attacks and Exploits - The Main Event

This section represents the largest portion of the PT0‑003 Exam Objectives. Master these attacks thoroughly.

 

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

 

Real-World Scenario: An attacker posts malicious JavaScript in a forum comment. When an admin views it, their session cookie is stolen.

 

Three Types According to PT0‑003 Exam Objectives:

 

  • Reflected XSS - Payload comes from the current request
  • Stored XSS - Payload saved on the server
  • DOM-based XSS - Vulnerability in client-side JavaScript

 

Impact: Session hijacking, credential theft, website defacement

 

SQL Injection (SQLi)

 

Real-World Scenario: An attacker modifies a product page URL to dump the entire user database.

 

Types Covered in PT0‑003 Exam Objectives:

 

  • In-band SQLi - Same channel for attack and results
  • Blind SQLi - No visible errors, infer from behavior
  • Out-of-band SQLi - Different channel for data exfiltration

 

Impact: Complete database compromise, authentication bypass, data theft

 

Command Injection

 

Real-World Scenario: A website's ping tool takes user input. The attacker adds; whoami after the IP address, and the server executes both commands.

Impact: Reverse shells, data exfiltration, privilege escalation

 

File Inclusion Vulnerabilities

 

Real-World Scenario: A site includes pages via ?page=about.php. The attacker tries .../.../.../.../etc/passwd and reads system files.

  • LFI (Local File Inclusion) - Reading local files
  • RFI (Remote File Inclusion) - Including malicious remote files
  • Directory Traversal - Moving up directories with ../

 

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)

 

Real-World Scenario: A logged-in user clicks a malicious link that triggers a bank transfer without their knowledge.

Defends the PT0‑003 Exam Objectives Expect You to Know:

  • CSRF tokens
  • SameSite cookies
  • Re-authentication for sensitive actions

 

Authentication Attacks

 

The PT0‑003 Exam Objectives require understanding these attack variations:

  • Brute Force - Many passwords against one account
  • Password Spraying - One password against many accounts
  • Credential Stuffing - Using leaked passwords
  • Dictionary Attacks - Wordlists of common passwords

 

Session Attacks

 

Session Hijacking: Stealing session cookies to impersonate users

Session Fixation: Forcing a user to use a known session ID

 

Privilege Escalation

 

  • Horizontal - Accessing another user's data
  • Vertical - Gaining higher privileges

 

Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attacks

 

Real-World Scenario: An attacker sets up a rogue WiFi access point and captures all unencrypted traffic.

Techniques: ARP spoofing, DNS spoofing, LLMNR poisoning

Penetration Testing Tools

The PT0‑003 Exam Objectives emphasize tool proficiency for executing these attacks.

Metasploit Framework

 

The go-to exploitation framework is covered extensively in the PT0‑003 Exam Objectives:

 

  1. Search for an exploit
  2. Select exploit
  3. Set options
  4. Run

 

Burp Suite

 

Web application testing platform:

 

  • Proxy - Intercept and modify requests
  • Repeater - Manually resend modified requests
  • Intruder - Automated attacks
  • Scanner - Vulnerability detection

 

Nmap

 

Network discovery aligned with PT0‑003 Exam Objectives:

 

  • SYN scan - Stealthy port scanning
  • Version detection - Identify exact software
  • Scripts - --script vuln, --script brute

Code Analysis and Exploitation

Buffer Overflow

 

Sending more data than expected to overwrite memory and control execution.

Process: Fuzzing → Find offset → Control instruction pointer → Inject shellcode

 

Input Validation Bypass

 

Tricking filters with:

 

  • Double extensions
  • Case manipulation
  • Null byte injection
  • Double encoding

Reporting and Communication

The final domain of the PT0‑003 Exam Objectives ensures you can properly document findings.

 

Executive Summary: For management—business risk, no technical jargon

Technical Findings: For developers—detailed steps, exact commands, remediation guidance

Risk Ratings: Critical, High, Medium, Low, based on impact and exploitability

Exam Day Tips for PT0‑003 Success

Know the Differences Tested in the PT0‑003 Exam Objectives:

 

  • XSS vs CSRF
  • LFI vs RFI
  • Horizontal vs Vertical privilege escalation

 

Recognize Scenarios:

 

  • User input displayed unsanitized → XSS
  • User input in database queries → SQL Injection
  • User input in system commands → Command Injection
  • Unintended user actions → CSRF
  • Data accessible by changing IDs → IDOR/Horizontal escalation

 

Performance-Based Questions: You may need to identify attacks from logs, match vulnerabilities to impacts, or put exploit steps in order—all critical skills outlined in the PT0‑003 Exam Syllabus

 

Final Thought 

The Attacks and Exploits domain represents 35% of your PT0‑003 exam. By mastering these real-world attacks as outlined in the official PT0‑003 Exam Objectives, you are well-prepared for the most critical section of the certification. Focus on recognizing attack scenarios, understanding their impacts, and distinguishing between similar techniques.

With this foundation aligned to the PT0‑003 Exam Objectives, you are ready to tackle the exam confidently. Good luck!