OSCP Proctored Exam Journey

“Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy”

TL;DR: This is not a technical post but a story of my journey which I am sharing, so you can take something out of it. There are many OSCP blog post which will help you to give details about 

• What to study 
• How to prepare 
• Where to start 
• Researcher showing their ways to prepare for the OSCP. 
• Different cheat-sheet for privilege escalation and many more...So you can refer that. 

The purpose of writing this blog post is to tell you: 

“It always seems impossible until it is done.” and my journey. 

Long time back when I was beginner in info sec, I always thought about should I give time to bug bounty or prepare for certification. Choices and situations makes people take decision in life. 

After few years finally I decided to give the OSCP certification. This decision I took when i was away from my home. Those who are on the same page can correlate as being home is always a blessing :-) 

Manage Time => Family => On time food and everything => Time management DONE :P 

It took a long time for me to prepare due to my on going situations at that time. Failure is part of the process of success. I did not make it on the first try.

Many times what we perceive as an error or failure is actually a gift. Learn from the mistakes and try not to repeat at-least. So I learnt from my all the mistake and made it to OSCP (y) 

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This is proctored exam and many things you need to be prepared before jumping into it. Take your time to be ready with all the situation before you give your attempt. 

Some of my take-away before exam (its deep):  

1. Study: Revise/Practice/Make your own notes before you attempt for the exam. Make a note which covers all windows and Linux privilege escalation 
2. Plan:  Before you go for war try to be ready with your Plan A and Plan B what if this doesn't work what's next ? 
3. Environment: Make sure your environment/surrounding is good before you give exam. 
4. Your Weapons: Check twice/thrice or four time to see your Machine is all ready for challenge. (Hardware level - Your laptop/Camera etc)
5. Quantum Realm:  Make sure your Internet connection is good. ("Rain fire!" on me) 
6. Fresh Mind: Take proper break in between to fresh up. ("Rain fire!" on me)
7. Move on: If you stuck move on and come back after sometime 
8. Food: Have food your body needs so your brain too during exam.  ("Rain fire!" on me)
9. Time: If you manage your exam time, your end result will be fruitful. 
10. Points: Last but not least plan your targets to get require points to win the GAME :) 

During this journey you may feel broken, tense and many more negative things but always remember one thing in your exam and in your life #NeverGiveUp no matter what (y)

Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) Certification journey will take you to the Roller coaster ride where you will see failure, demotivation, sleepless nights and all the negative elements on the road but the outcome at the end of the GAME will make's you "AVENGER" 

Iron Man Spiderman GIF from Ironman GIFs

Best of Luck :-) 

Why You Should Leave Your Comfort Zone

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"You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone."

― Roy T. Bennett

It can be easy to fall into a routine and get comfortable with the way things are. If your life and work are good, why change them and risk things getting worse?

Breaking out of your comfort zone is hard but it is a good thing for you. It can make you achieve great things by forcing you to push the boundaries. It is the state where your mental productivity and performance reach your peak and you find it easier to brainstorm and harness your creativity in future.

Pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone doesn’t have to be extreme, like taking on a project that you’re unprepared for or jumping out of an airplane.
But it is the zone where you become more alert, productive, and your skills increase. If the discomfort and anxiety is too high, you’re not productive and may just shut down.
So keep your focus "ON"

The benefits of getting out of your comfort zone can linger but there is an overall self-improvement you get through the skills that you are learning. Everyone’s comfort one is different but it can help you to bring out your best especially when it comes to business.

Following are the reasons that you should get out of your comfort zone.


Challenging yourself can help you perform at your peak.

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Stepping outside one's comfort zone is an important, and almost universal, factor in personal growth. How can we expect to evolve in our lives and careers if we only stick to habit and routine? Reaching new heights involves the risk of attempting something we might not succeed at.

It broadens your perspective:

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As an entrepreneur, you may have been working on a particular area. This makes you ignore the things that you know are not going to work for the kind of projects you are working on. This can however be an entrepreneur’s biggest mistake. The limited thinking can either lead you to achieving something that is being done over the years in the same way to achieve same results. But it can blind you with more exciting ways of performing your work that could yield much better results.

Risk-taking:

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Getting out of the comfort one requires you to take risks. For a startup, the strength lies in its ability to be nimble and agile and to come up with solutions in unique ways. Risks make your work more exciting and unique in ways that make a big difference when it comes to customers.

Trying new things can make you more creative

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Creativity is innately risky -- when we share creative work, we open ourselves up to vulnerability and possible rejection. At the same time, risking failure increases the possibility of great creative achievement. Seriously. Think of all the things you've never tried. How can there not be tons of wonderful activities on that list! You might discover something you love.

You will be proud that you took the leap.

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We all stand a little taller with the pride of a new accomplishment. You can make that happen far more frequently than you are today.


Each milestone makes it easier to tackle another milestone.

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Success breeds more success thanks to the confidence, experience, learning, and determination it inspires.


You will be more promotable and/or will earn more money.

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Those who are willing to step up to challenges and take some risks earn respect and promotions. Independent professionals must take personal risks to make more money.

As your comfort zone expands, you will see new opportunities previously obscured by barriers of your own making.
Staying in your comfort zone is like wearing blinders. You will tell yourself that all you care about are the things that are already a part of your life. You will continually convince yourself that you dislike the things you've never tried. They just aren't for you. And with every such thought, you erect thicker walls between yourself and everything that makes you uncomfortable. Take some risks and the walls start coming down.


You will become more resilient and prepared for whatever comes your way.

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Life can be tough. Things can happen that will yank you right out of your comfortable nest. The more open you are to new possibilities, the more diverse your experiences, and the more confident you are in your ability to face new situations, the more resilient you will be.

It brings success:

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One of the biggest reasons that you should get out of your comfort zone is that the people who encourage their companies to take risks, they attain huge success. Most of the people, who are a reason behind the success of any company or startup, are the risk takers. Their thinking breaks all the traditional norms of doing things and their uniqueness mushes them to think forward.

Last but not least :-  Having Mentor in your Life 

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Often, it’s easier to take the steps to break outside of our comfort zone with a mentor or support team. If you know someone who can help you and encourage you along the way, they can make these changes seem less daunting. They can also introduce you to things you never would have thought of on your own. Having someone to mentor you can also help hold you accountable and keep you from slipping back into your comfort zone.