The Offensive Security Web Expert (OSWE) is a popular advanced cybersecurity certification that validates the ability to defend against advanced web application attacks and exploits.
If you’re an advanced pentester or red teamer, here’s what you need to know about OSWE, how it compares with other certification options, and how to achieve OSWE certification.
The OSWE is offered by OffSec, a US-based cybersecurity company that has been in service since 2006 and is known in industry circles for its Kali Linux distribution. OffSec offers numerous security certifications and related courses on subjects ranging from penetration testing to defensive security. The OSWE is one of two web application certifications that OffSec offers, along with Offensive Security Web Assessor (OSWA), which focuses on web attacks with Kali Linux.
Because OffSec enjoys a high reputation in the industry, its certifications can provide a career boost to pentesters and red teamers, and often are required for compliance. OffSec’s Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) and OSCP+ certifications have become industry standards for overall pentesting expertise validation.
The OSWE is more specifically designed for experienced penetration testers and web application security specialists, in contrast to other certifications that cater to newer pentesters or other specializations within cybersecurity. It’s also useful for bug bounty hunters and both developers and security engineers who need to integrate cybersecurity into the software development lifecycle.
The OSWE certifies the ability of experienced offensive security team specialists to identify, exploit, and report on complex web application vulnerabilities and custom exploits in a real-world environment. To prepare candidates for the exam, OffSec provides the WEB-300 (Advanced Web Attacks and Exploitation) course, which focuses on advanced web exploitation skills and techniques. The course covers:
The WEB-300 course encompasses 17 in-depth modules covering advanced web exploitation techniques. Key topics include:
The course covers real-world applications, including ATutor (PHP), ManageEngine (Java), DotNetNuke (.NET), and Bassmaster (Node.js), teaching candidates to identify and exploit vulnerabilities through white-box source code review.
Many modules include companion videos and hands-on activities. Course material includes 20 Challenge Labs that simulate exam conditions, allowing candidates to practice building fully automated exploit chains before attempting the OSWE exam.
Both the OSCP/OSCP+ and OSWE certificates support security professions, but they promote specialists with different areas and levels of expertise. OSWE certification benefits from a background in development, as it’s more dependent on coding experience. Both certificates validate hands-on expertise, but there are some key differences between them:
These differences make the OSWE exam more challenging compared to the OSCP. In his AWAE/OSWE Preparation and Exam Guide, pentester Reando Veshi compares the OSWE to a marathon versus the OSCP as a sprint. He recommends having a strong foundation in programming and a broad knowledge of vulnerabilities before tackling the OSWE.
The OSWE exam presents several unique challenges that distinguish it from other certifications. The white-box focus requires candidates to methodically analyze thousands of lines of source code across unfamiliar codebases, often written in languages testers may not use daily, such as C# or Java.
Unlike the OSCP, where it’s mostly black-box testing, with the primary focus on asset discovery and exploitation, candidates must manually trace application logic to identify exploitable vulnerabilities. The exam demands fully automated exploit scripts that execute without human interaction, meaning partial solutions that require manual steps will not receive credit.
While 48 hours may seem generous compared to other certification exams, this time must cover vulnerability discovery, exploit development, debugging, and comprehensive report writing, making effective time management essential for success. An example is “Bit-flipping to evade detection."
The OSWE exam requires candidates to complete the WEB-300 course before taking the test. The exam itself involves compromising several target machines based on instructions that only become available at the time of testing. The objective is to deliver a single functional script that exploits multiple vulnerabilities on each target machine.
The script must execute without human interaction, so that the exam grader does not have to do anything while it's running. Before script execution, candidates can set a netcat listener apache webserver. After execution, if you obtain a reverse shell, you can grab the flags and type ifconfig/ipconfig to show the IP address manually, but otherwise, the script should automatically extract the proof values.
Candidates must compose a professional pentest report describing the exploitation process for each target. The report must document all attack steps, commands issued, and console output, including any source code for custom exploits. The documentation must be detailed enough to allow a technically competent reader to replicate the attacks. OffSec provides links to documentation templates in Microsoft Word and OpenOffice/LibreOffice format.
To pass, you must score at least 85 out of 100 possible points. Insufficient documentation results in a point deduction or nullification. All exams are proctored by an OffSec employee in a private VPN.
Candidates have 47 hours and 45 minutes to complete the exam. You are allowed and expected to take breaks for rest, food, and drink.
Candidates are expected to prepare contingency plans for unplanned emergencies, such as backup connections for an Internet connection loss. If there is a legitimate issue beyond your control, such as a power outage, you must submit details and supporting documentation via email.
Fees for the test and supporting WEB-300 course start at $1,749. Exam retakes are available for purchase, and some OffSec subscription options allow multiple retakes. In the event of an issue on OffSec’s side, OffSec allows one free retake.
Unlike some other recent OffSec certificates, the OSWE certification is a lifetime award. There is no expiration date.
OSWE illustrates how pentesting certifications have become more specialized in recent years. It occupies one niche in a growing array of cybersecurity certifications available to today’s professional as a step toward career advancement. It builds upon other certifications, which stand as prerequisites. Which certification is appropriate for you depends on your experience, needs, and compliance requirements. Learn more about other security certifications that can help you along your career path by visiting the Cobalt Offensive Security Learning Center.