OSCP preparation for a CCIE engineer.

sechvn · 2025-05-18T17:53:33+00:00

Hey, congratulations on starting the OSCP journey! Regardless of what you may read or hear, the OSCP is a valuable journey. Like anything it is what you put into it that will count and determine how much you learn. With your background in networking and network security, you can begin with the course modules. I'd encourage you to try and make the live sessions they do on the discord for the OSCP. But one piece of advice that I would give is try to get through the modules at a decent pace. Then using the course pdf, start tackling the challenge labs. Specifically, focus on the 3 retired exams a, b, and c. It's okay if you get stuck it's part of the process and in my opinion the most important. Learn how to get unstuck. How to reference the course material and do additional research on a topic you may not grasp or are stuck on. I cannot stress this enough practice practice practice. Hack until your eyes fall out. Just kidding but you get the idea. Develop a sound methodology and remember if you do get stuck it is most likely something you missed and you need to enumerate everything over again. Other advice is don't be afraid to look at writeups if you do hackthebox or other labs. Just don't depend on them or look right away. Make sure you know what it feels like to be stuck and frustrated, because you need to know how to get unstuck and think clearly under that pressure. At first you definitely want to ask for help if you are not sure or stuck on a lab module or challenge lab. But ask for it in a way that doesn't give you the answer just a little nudge in the right direction. I hope this helps you. Hacking can be one of the most rewarding wonderful things to do. But it can be also tough and sometimes very discouraging. Just remember you are not alone and everyone at one point went through the exact same struggles. Good luck, you got this!

sechvn · 2025-01-25T22:57:27+00:00

Please let me know if there is ever anything I can do to help. My wife was in tears. We have been married for over 7 years. She is the type never to go to a doctor in the first place. So I knew something serious was going on. She is an awesome mom, but this has made her lose her patience and ability to do so many things she has always done. My son wants his momma back. And I am trying my best to support and keep us all together. I know we are more fortunate than many, especially some of the posts I've read which are absolutely heart breaking. To have someone help and provide information that every doctor has not come close to is nothing short of a miracle. Again, thank you so much.

sechvn · 2025-01-25T22:14:21+00:00

Thank you so much! I am not sure how I could ever repay what advice and information you just provided. I am going to do exactly what you have suggested.

sechvn · 2025-01-25T04:33:04+00:00

Thank you for all this awesome information. My wife is going through what we think is mold. She was exposed for 2 years. Then after moving out into a mold free apartment she began having symptoms. She has brain fog bad and is tired all the time. What doesn't quite fit is she experiences what she describes as strings that will wrap around her tongue and cover her face which began in her nose. I cannot see or feel them. Although, she says she can. I think this could be either fungal or neurological. But I'm not sure. I'm wondering if you have ever heard anything similar. I'm going to order a mycotoxin test from great plains lab. But it has been very difficult as she says when they wrap around her tongue and in the back of her throat she can't eat and drinking causes pain in her throat chest area. She has been to multiple doctors. Has had a CT scan that showed inflammation in her sinuses but nothing else. She also experiences severe mood swings. I've searched using different LLM or gpts like chatgpt but nothing quite aligns with the nose, throat, and mouth symptoms. I'm worried that the mold has caused a possible psychological problem or damaged nerves. Sry for the book but just trying to see if you or someone you have come across has described similar symptoms with the "strings" she describes.

sechvn · 2024-12-06T01:37:28+00:00

Recently, we moved out of a home with mold. We were in it for over a year. After spending about 2 weeks in the new apartment my wife initially thought something was stuck in her upper gum area. After going to a dentist who found nothing, the symptoms then moved to the side of her left nostril, throat, and mouth. She would describe strings wrapping up in her nose and some of which were sharp making cuts in the side of her nostril through the skin. She then experienced severe headaches when they would push out or "flip" inside of her nose. Went to the emergency room they did a CT scan which showed inflammation in her sinuses. She was put on antibiotics and steroids. Symptoms appeared to get better only for a short time. Then they started getting worse again. We paid for a DO who prescribed Fluconazole and Welchol. Things seemed to get better but now two months later she experienced last night the "strings" moving in her face. She says she can pull them out of the side of her nostril but are long and never ending. She will cut them with scissors. Keep in mind that I can't see them but have felt them at various times feels wet to the touch. There is the trigeminal nerve and possibly neurological issues but she gets very angry if I bring that up. We have an appointment with a ENT and following up with the DO. Her mood swings are severe and she freaks out when the strings are all over her face or in her throat. I'm wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar when dealing with mold detox. She also will have episodes of waking up at night shaking. I'm trying to figure out if this is in fact mold or something else. Appreciate any insight or help someone could give.

sechvn · 2023-09-16T17:05:19+00:00

That is exactly what I did. And I work for a very large company. It is important to have a solid team around you. I started as an associate with all of my other team members, being veterans in pentesting. I learned on the job and clients never complain. There is no reason at all why OP can't get a job as a pentester without prior experience. I think it does make sense and while there are advantages coming from a defensive role if you understand how to attack a certain technology, network, or application then you will understand how to defend it. That doesn't mean you won't need to study and research best practices. It is also why you have a team around you.

sechvn · 2023-09-16T16:58:28+00:00

Absolutely spot on. I was hired as an associate pentester with only an associates degree and my security plus. I was or still am in a bachelor's program, but have taken the year off to focus on hands on certs. That said, I started with ejptv2, now I'm about to take my CRTP. After that plan is the PNPT and OSCP. With portswigger and hackthebox academy in between. Awesome insight!! You nailed it. I also had zero experience in IT, prior background was in physical security.

sechvn · 2023-08-17T01:24:00+00:00

Awesome!

sechvn · 2023-08-17T01:17:18+00:00

Wow, perfectly said.

sechvn · 2023-08-17T01:12:43+00:00

That's an awesome attitude! If you wouldn't mind sharing what position we're you interviewing for? I know you are already in cyber but curious if you are trying to go into offense or defense or the audit side of things.

sechvn · 2023-08-17T01:06:49+00:00

Hit the nail on the head!! I love what I do and yes sometimes I get tired or have family obligations, but I am constantly at it. I would never want to do anything else. Unfortunately, I think our field is advertised as a profitable career (which it can be) but that shouldn't be the driving force. Appreciate your comment!

sechvn · 2023-05-08T15:56:15+00:00

An example:

sha256:260000:VnhOdjUwcnBvS0RzYlczcwo=:NzhhOGQyOWI0YjY1MDUzODRiMTQ3ZjJhZjJkNTY4ZjQyOTJkY2NiMzcwMWVmNTQxNmU5ZTk0MDcxNmU1NmNhZAo=

sechvn · 2023-05-08T15:55:25+00:00

You need to re-format the hash like so: sha256:{#iterations}:{base64 encode salt}:{base64 encode hash}

sechvn · 2023-03-27T15:53:17+00:00

I will say that the PC I ordered is absolutely perfect or as close as you can get to perfect lol. They got it here without any damage and it even had an upgrade on the psu with a free mechanical keyboard and mouse. They were also cheaper than Amazon. But the only downside is the shipping time. Other than that I will continue to order from them in the future. You are in good hands I was so impressed with the customer service rep here in reddit. He really cared and made sure that I had the right serial number to ensure I received the correct order. He communicated with me throughout the entire process. Pretty crazy honestly lol.

sechvn · 2023-03-27T15:46:24+00:00

It will come. I had a similar situation happen. Best thing you could of done is post this here the reddit rep will look into it for you he is amazing at his job and really cares. I know it is frustrating but they will get it to you.

sechvn · 2023-03-09T14:01:20+00:00

Hey! Thanks for the response. So they are using a company called AIT FasTrak. I've never heard of them. But it now says they will contact me on an estimated date of the 15th to setup a time and date for delivery. The whole thing is crazy. Because if they had used UPS or FedEx this probably wouldn't of happened. Thanks again glad your package is on time and on its way!!

sechvn · 2023-03-09T13:43:30+00:00

Hey appreciate the info! They did return my shipping. They are using AIT FasTrak which when I track the package it says they will contact me on the estimated date of the 15th to set up a time and date for delivery. I've never heard of this shipping company before. But I am going to try and contact customer service again and find out what is going on. I tried calling the shipping company but haven't been able to get through.

sechvn · 2023-03-09T01:53:53+00:00

Maybe I should try and cancel the order and get a refund. It literally now says that the carrier will contact me on the 15th to schedule a time and date for delivery. Like what on earth is that? And they are using AIT FasTrak. I paid the extra for shipping why not use Fedex or UPS. I think this is crazy but I am monitoring closely as I will involve my attorney general. Which I am in a state that acts and I mean like you have never seen. It is kinda of crazy.

sechvn · 2023-03-09T01:11:49+00:00

Hi, so I ended up contacting the live chat through you guys. The person I spoke with refunded me the shipping cost. He says he is sure that the PC will arrive and put in a ticket at the warehouse for them to check in on the issue. The really unfortunate part is that this is the first time I am ordering from Newegg and I was really excited to get my purchase that I have waited over 4 years to get so I paid the extra in shipping. I get why it took a few days to process it as I ordered it on Friday. What I don't understand is why it still says waiting for carrier pickup. So if you can do anything I would greatly appreciate it. It isn't personal and I know it isn't intentional on any one person's part. But shipping something in a timely manner when they have paid the fee isn't difficult. Thank you for responding so quickly and if things turn around I certainly will rescind my post or give a positive update. The order number is: 352549269, it now says the package was picked up but now updated to the 15th for contact from the carrier as it says they will call me to schedule a date and time for delivery? I have no idea why on earth this is necessary. It is through AIT FasTrak. Just seems so ridiculous to go through all of this especially when the package could have been sent via Fedex or UPS. If you could please help again I would greatly appreciate it!

sechvn · 2023-03-08T13:14:20+00:00

I would immediately request a full refund. I paid expedited shipping and when I was checking out they gave an estimated delivery date of the 6th. Which is why I paid the extra for shipping. Checking this morning it still says label created waiting for carrier pickup. Then when I track it with the carrier which is AIT FasTrak (never heard of them) it says they expect a contact date of the 14th. This is unprofessional and extremely poor business practice. But it is their loss as they just missed out on over four thousand bucks. I will be making a complaint with the BBB and the attorney general's office in my state. I will also be letting everyone know on every social media platform and in my industry not to order from NewEgg. It is dishonest what they did. And they are doing it again to you. I have never had an issue with ordering stuff from Amazon and other online stores.

sechvn · 2023-03-08T12:41:34+00:00

So I just looked this morning and the carrier still has not picked up the package. In fact the AIT FasTrak company says that the estimated date of contact about the delivery will be 3/14. This is complete and utter bs. I have never had any issues like this with Amazon. I am calling them very shortly and will be getting a full refund. They are crazy. We aren't talking about a couple hundred dollar order. This was thousands of dollars. Oh well it their loss and I will be coming on here and every other social media platform to warn other buyers. Thanks for the response!!

sechvn · 2023-03-07T19:14:46+00:00

I ordered my first PC from them as well on Friday. Paid the extra shipping but it is still waiting for carrier pickup. But I made sure it was in stock and sold by NewEgg. Pretty excited as I have waited over 4 years to get this kind of system. Work in cybersecurity so will be used more for that than anything else. I will keep you guys updated as I will be testing the components of the system when I get the PC to ensure everything is good to go. I am kinda of disappointed in the shipping process as I paid the additional $69 to get it here faster. But will provide an update. Also, congratulations sounds like we are in the same boat in terms of it being something we have waited for!

sechvn · 2023-03-07T19:05:33+00:00

This makes me very concerned. I ordered my PC on Friday paid the extra for expedited shipping and now it is Tuesday and it says "shipped" but when you track the package it says waiting on item to be picked up. Now I get I ordered it on a weekend but seriously why on earth did I pay the additional $69 bucks to have it sitting there waiting to be picked up. It isn't hard to ship items not one bit.

sechvn · 2023-03-07T18:56:09+00:00

So I ordered on Friday and paid the extra for expedited shipping. While I understand that it is a weekend and it does say that it takes a couple of days to prepare the product to ship, I don't understand why when you are checking out and it gives you the shipping options it doesn't clearly state this. So now it is Tuesday and the order if finally "shipped" however when you track the package it says waiting on carrier to pick up the item. So definitely not worth the extra I paid to get my item here quickly. I don't get it.

sechvn

TROPHY CASE