Please read this entire document carefully before beginning your exam!
INTRODUCTION
This guide explains the objectives of the Offensive Security Web Assessor (OSWA) certification exam.
You have 23 hours and 45 minutes to complete the exam.
This means that if your exam begins at 09:00 GMT, your exam will end at 08:45 GMT the next day.
Once the exam is finished, you will have another 24 hours to upload your documentation. Details on how to submit your files are provided below.
All OSWA exams are proctored.
Please make sure to read the proctoring tool student manual and the proctoring FAQ at the following URL: https://help.offensive-security.com/hc/en-us/sections/360008126631-Proctored-Exams
SECTION 1: EXAM REQUIREMENTS
The exam consists of 5 independent targets and each target will contain local.txt and proof.txt files.
Specific instructions for each target will be located in your Exam Control Panel, which will only become available to you once your exam begins.
Documentation Requirements
You are required to write a professional report describing your exploitation process for each target. You must document all of your attacks including all steps, commands issued, and console output in the form of a penetration test report. Your documentation should be thorough enough that your attacks can be replicated step-by-step by a technically competent reader.
The documentation requirements are very strict and failure to provide sufficient documentation will result in reduced or zero points being awarded. Please note that once your exam and lab report is submitted, your submission is final. If any screenshots or other information is missing, you will not be allowed to send them and we will not request them.
Exam Proofs
Your goal is to exploit the web application to gain access to an authenticated administrator session and the proof.txt file from the server. Each machine has a local.txt value that is visible with the administration section of the web application.
Proof.txt can usually be found in the root directory or in the home directory of an exploited process or user.
You do not need to perform privilege escalation after obtaining a remote shell.
You must submit the local.txt and proof.txt values in your control panel and include a screenshot of the values in your documentation. If proof values are obtained through the web UI, you must provide screenshots of Burp Suite (or any web proxy) and your browser of the web UI on the actual target machine with the value of proof value visible. If you obtain a proof value through a shell, you must screenshot the contents of the proof files is with the type or cat command from their original location.
Failure to provide the appropriate proof files in a screenshot for each machine will result in zero points being awarded for the target.
Emulated Users
Some targets may have emulated users that visit certain pages of the web applications at regular intervals. You may target these emulated users to attack the web applications.
Control Panel Submission
The exam control panel contains a section available to submit your proof files. The contents of the local.txt and proof.txt files obtained from your exam machines must be submitted in the control panel before your exam has ended. Note that the control panel will not indicate whether the submitted proof is correct or not. An example of this is provided below:
Exam Restrictions
You cannot use any of the following on the exam:
- Spoofing (IP, ARP, DNS, NBNS, etc)
- Commercial tools or services (Metasploit Pro, Burp Suite Enterprise Edition, etc.)
- Automatic exploitation tools (e.g. db_autopwn, browser_autopwn, etc.)
- Mass vulnerability scanners (e.g. Nessus, NeXpose, OpenVAS, Canvas, Core Impact, SAINT, etc.)
- Chatbots (e.g. ChatGPT, YouChat, etc.)
- Features in other tools that utilize either forbidden or restricted exam limitations
You may, however, use tools such as Nmap (and its scripting engine), Nikto, Burp Suite (Community or Professional), DirBuster, SQLMap, etc. and payload generator tools such as msfvenom and ysoserial against any of your target systems.
Downloading any applications, files or source code from the exam environment to your local machine is strictly forbidden. For more information, please refer to the https://www.offensive-security.com/legal-docs/
SECTION 2: EXAM INFORMATION
Exam Connection
Your connection to the exam is to be done with Kali Linux using OpenVPN. We are unable to provide any VPN connectivity support if you choose to use another setup. Your exam connection pack and details will be sent by email at the exact start time of your exam and not in advance.
1) Download the exam-connection.tar.bz2 file from the link provided in the exam email to your Kali machine.
2) Extract the file:
┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ tar xvfj exam-connection.tar.bz2
OS-XXXXXX-OSWA.ovpn
troubleshooting.sh
3) Initiate a connection to the exam lab with OpenVPN:
┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ sudo openvpn OS-XXXXXX-OSWA.ovpn
4) Enter the username and password provided in the exam email to authenticate to the VPN:
┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ sudo openvpn OS-XXXXXX-OSWA.ovpn 1 ⨯
[sudo] password for kali:
2022-01-11 04:15:50 Note: Treating option '--ncp-ciphers' as '--data-ciphers' (renamed in OpenVPN 2.5).
2022-01-11 04:15:50 OpenVPN 2.5.0 x86_64-pc-linux-gnu [SSL (OpenSSL)] [LZO] [LZ4] [EPOLL] [PKCS11] [MH/PKTINFO] [AEAD] built on Oct 28 2020
2022-01-11 04:15:50 library versions: OpenSSL 1.1.1g 21 Apr 2020, LZO 2.10
🔐 Enter Auth Username: OS-XXXXXX
🔐 Enter Auth Password: ***********
2022-01-11 04:16:01 TCP/UDP: Preserving recently used remote address: [AF_INET]x.x.x.x:1194
2022-01-11 04:16:01 UDP link local (bound): [AF_INET][undef]:1194
2022-01-11 04:16:01 UDP link remote: [AF_INET]x.x.x.x:1194
2022-01-11 04:16:01 WARNING: this configuration may cache passwords in memory -- use the auth-nocache option to prevent this
2022-01-11 04:16:02 [offensive-security.com] Peer Connection Initiated with [AF_INET]x.x.x.x:1194
2022-01-11 04:16:03 TUN/TAP device tun0 opened
2022-01-11 04:16:03 net_iface_mtu_set: mtu 1500 for tun0
2022-01-11 04:16:03 net_iface_up: set tun0 up
2022-01-11 04:16:03 net_addr_v4_add: 192.168.xx.xx/24 dev tun0
2022-01-11 04:16:03 Initialization Sequence Completed
Exam Control Panel
The exam control panel is available via a link provided in your exam email. Through the exam control panel you will be able to:
- Submit proof files
- Revert target machines
- View specific target objectives and point values
Machine Reverts
You have a limit of 24 reverts. This limit can be reset once during the exam. All of the machines have been freshly reverted at the start of your exam so you will not be required to revert the machines when you begin. Please wait patiently for the machine to revert and only click the button once per attempt. Note that reverting a target machine will cause it to return to its original state and any changes you have made to the machine will be lost.
Exam Proof Filenames
- proof.txt - This file is found in the root directory or in the home directory of an exploited process or user.
- local.txt - This file is accessible through the administration section of the web application.
Note that the targets containing these files are detailed in your exam control panel.
Point Allocation
Points will be awarded for partial and full completion of the exam objectives. Each specific set of objectives must be met in order to receive full points.
You must achieve a minimum score of 70 points to pass the exam. There is a maximum of 100 points available on the exam.
Suggested Documentation Templates
Ideally, one of the following templates should be used for the penetration test report:
Note: We will be uploading suggested templates soon. Please check back later.
You may use your own template as long as the information is presented in a structured, professional manner and follows all other requirements outlined above.
Internet Connection Issues
This subsection of the exam guide documents what you should do in case you are unable to complete your exam due to severe external factors. Please make sure to read and understand it carefully.
The exam lab is a dedicated environment with no students connected other than yourself. The total allotted time of 23:45 hours does take life and its situations into consideration:
- You are expected to take rest breaks, eat, drink and sleep
- You are also expected to have a contingency plan in the event that there is an issue outside your control. (e.g. make sure you have access to a backup Internet connection)
If you have a legitimate issue, please send an email with your OSID to "challenges AT offensive-security DOT com" immediately. Make sure to include all the necessary details and supporting information such as a letter from your power company, ISP or any other relevant documentation.
Please note we are only able to extend the lab time if the issues were present on our side and only when the exam subnet is not immediately in use by another student following your exam. In the event of an issue on our side and the exam subnet is scheduled immediately following your exam we will provide a free exam retake attempt. We work very hard to ensure our environments are highly available and issues are very rare.
Contact Protocol
If you encounter any connectivity problems with the VPN or target machines, inform us immediately, directly in the proctoring chat. Should you not be able to access the proctoring tool, please contact us via the live chat available at https://chat.offensive-security.com or via email to "help AT offensive-security DOT com".
Please note that we will not be able to assist with, or give hints on, any exam objectives and will only be available for technical problems during the exam.
SECTION 3: SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Submission Checklist:
- Your exam report is in PDF format
- You have used the following format for the PDF file name "OSWA-OS-XXXXX-Exam-Report.pdf", where "OS-XXXXX" is your OSID
- Your PDF has been archived into a .7z file (Please do NOT archive it with a password)
- You have used the following format for the .7z file name "OSWA-OS-XXXXX-Exam-Report.7z", where "OS-XXXXX" is your OSID
- You have made sure that the your archive is not more than 300MB and the extracted files are not more than 400MB
- You have uploaded your .7z file to https://upload.offsec.com
Note that the filename is case sensitive. Students must submit their exam file following the exact filename format structure above. If your file does not follow the exact filename format and structure, the application will not accept it.
The following subsections provide details on each of these requirements.
Submission Format and Name
Your exam report must be submitted in PDF format archived into a .7z file. Please make sure to include all your scripts or any PoCs as text inside the exam/lab report PDF file itself. No other file formats will be accepted within the .7z file other than PDF file format.
If you submit your report in any other file format, we will not request or remind you to send a PDF report archived into a .7z file and your exam report will not be scored.
Before submitting your exam report, please review the PDF document to ensure the format and content appear as it did in your original edition document and that there are no formatting errors.
After uploading your exam file to upload.offsec.com, the site will provide you with the MD5 hash of your uploaded file.
Please make sure to verify that you have uploaded your report correctly by checking and comparing the MD5 hashes of your uploaded exam file and the file you have locally.
If the values do not match, that means your file did not upload successfully. Click on "Select a new file" and upload your archive again.
┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ sudo md5sum OSWA-OS-XXXXX-Exam-Report.7z
f7feecea01ac1eca9ee522906b087d5e OSWA-OS-XXXXX-Exam-Report.7z
Archive File
Please do not archive your .7z and PDF(s) files with a password. Our system will not accept should you upload a password-protected files.
You must submit your documentation in a .7z file. Please use your Kali machine to create your .7z file.
┌──(kali㉿kali)-[~]
└─$ sudo 7z a OSWA-OS-XXXXX-Exam-Report.7z OSWA-OS-XXXXX-Exam-Report.pdf
7-Zip 9.20 Copyright (c) 1999-2010 Igor Pavlov 2010-11-18 p7zip Version 9.20 (locale=en_US.UTF-8,Utf16=on,HugeFiles=on,2 CPUs)
Scanning
Updating archive OSWA-OS-XXXXX-Exam-Report.7z
Everything is Ok
Submission Upload
Please submit your .7z file via https://upload.offsec.com within 24 hours of completion of the exam and follow the provided instructions in order to upload your archived exam report.
The size limit for extracted files is 400MB and the archive is 300MB. If the size constraints are not met, you would not be able to upload your archive. If you are unable to meet the size constraints, we suggest looking at ways to reduce your file size using techniques such as image compression.
After the file has been uploaded, you will be presented with a "Submit File" button where a MD5 hash of your exam report will be displayed. Make sure to click the "Submit File" button after verifying your MD5 hash to submit your files successfully.
If you do not upload your exam-report via https://upload.offsec.com , it will not be graded.
Acknowledgement of Receipt
Once the report is uploaded successfully, a confirmation email will be sent immediately acknowledging the receipt. If you have not received the email, please ensure that you uploaded your report and clicked the Submit File button on the final page of https://upload.offsec.com after verifying your MD5 hash. We also recommend you to check your email spam and junk folders in case the confirmation email has been flagged as spam.
Additional Required Information
In the unlikely event that we require additional clarification on your exam report, we will get in contact with you via email. You must submit the requested information within 24 hours from the time we have requested it.
Results
You will receive an email with your certification exam results (pass/fail) within ten (10) business days after submitting your documentation. Please note that we do not provide the exam score or solutions to the exam targets.