AWS Red Team Expert (ARTE) – My SITREP and review
AWS Red Team Expert (ARTE) – My SITREP and review
Introduction
🌟 If you’re looking to level up your cloud security skills, the HackTricks AWS Red Team Expert (ARTE) certification is a fantastic choice. This credential validates your ability to penetration test AWS environments, making it a valuable certification for both offensive and defensive security professionals.
AWS has been around since 2006, yet red teaming resources for AWS remain relatively scarce compared to traditional penetration testing domains. Even well-known certifications like OSCP don’t cover AWS security extensively. However, AWS is something that every red teamer and security researcher will encounter sooner or later.
That’s exactly why I pursued the ARTE certification. Another key reason? HackTricks! While preparing for OSCP, I found HackTricks (by Carlospolop) to be an invaluable resource. Since ARTE is created by the same author, I knew it was going to be high-quality content, making it a no-brainer for me.
Some might ask: “Why go for a red team cert instead of blue team ones like CCSP or AZ-500?” Simple: Red teaming is way more fun! 😆
My Background & Motivation
Before taking ARTE, I had:
✅ OSCP Certification
✅ CTF Experience
✅ Cloud Security Engineer role (although I primarily focus on endpoint security)
However, my biggest challenge in AWS security was thinking like a hacker. I knew many attack techniques, but I didn’t really understand how to chain them together effectively. I lacked a structured approach to AWS red teaming, which made ARTE the perfect learning opportunity.
Exam Preparation
How I Prepared
- HackTricks was my #1 resource.
- AWS official documentation was also super useful.
- Unfortunately, there aren’t many AWS red teaming resources online, so if you know any, let me know!
- ChatGPT also played a role—more on that later.
How Long Did It Take?
- A full Christmas holiday (~14 days) + a few weekends (total ~30 days).
- My study tip: Everyone learns at a different pace. Start with a few modules, find your speed, and adjust your schedule accordingly.
Most Interesting Things I Learned
- Lambda is super versatile and fun to explore.
- EC2 security from a red team perspective is eye-opening—it makes you realize how many misconfigurations exist in real-world environments.
The Exam Experience
Exam Overview
The ARTE exam is a simulated AWS cloud environment where you must capture three flags—similar to an Active Directory attack chain in OSCP.
🔹 My Experience:
- The first foothold was the hardest—I spent 4 hours stuck due to an argument mistake.
- After that, the remaining two flags only took 3 hours—once you’re in, things move quickly!
A Glimpse of a Flag (Without Spoilers!)
One of the flags required me to identify a misconfiguration in an AWS cloud component and exploit it to gain access.
If I Could Do It Again…
- ENUMERATE, ENUMERATE, ENUMERATE!
- Train with ChatGPT before the exam. The black-box nature of the test means you’ll rely on external resources, so learning how to efficiently cooperate with AI tools can be a game-changer.
How Does ARTE Compare to OSCP?
| Feature | ARTE | OSCP |
|---|---|---|
| Tool Freedom | More freedom | More restrictions |
| Focus | Cloud (AWS) | Traditional pentest |
| Difficulty | Technical but manageable | More endurance-based |
| Cost | Cheaper than OSCP | More expensive |
| Recognizability | Less known | More famous |
Who Should Take ARTE?
🚀 Best for:
✅ Red Teamers
✅ Cloud Security Engineers (both offensive & defensive)
✅ Security Researchers interested in AWS security
🚀 Prerequisites:
- OSCP-level knowledge is preferable, but not required.
- If you don’t have OSCP, at least be able to solve Hack The Box easy boxes.
- Some web pentesting & CTF experience helps, as certain footholds involve traditional attack techniques (e.g., SQL injection).
Final Thoughts & Recommendations
Has this certification changed my approach to cloud security?
Absolutely.
- I can now plan engagements for AWS environments more effectively.
- It also helped me improve XDR configurations for cloud security.
Would I take more cloud security certs?
- Maybe OSCE3 or CISSP.
- If I ever need Azure or GCP security, HackTricks also offers courses for those.
Final Advice for ARTE Candidates
✔️ While cheaper than OffSec certs, ARTE is still an investment—but totally worth it for cloud red teaming.
✔️ There aren’t many good AWS red team certs out there, so I’m super grateful to Carlos for creating this course.
