HTB Certified Active Directory Pentesting Expert (CAPE) - How to Pass

Those of you who read my “Certified Red Team Professional (CRTP) - How to Pass” article will remember that at the end of it, I set myself a new goal and said, “the next fortress to conquer will be the HTB Certified Active Directory Pentesting Expert (CAPE).” That day has come, and I’m here to happily announce that I have conquered that fortress!

In this article, I will dive deep into this challenging yet incredibly instructive exam that truly lives up to its name, sharing my preparation process and what awaits you in the exam with all my sincerity.

CAPE pulls you into the deepest parts of the ocean. The “just run the tool and get the result” mentality simply doesn’t work here. You need to understand the soul of Active Directory, know what every object and every permission means, and figure out the complex relationships they form with each other.

Let me warn you from the start: This exam requires far more detailed knowledge, much more patience, and a much sharper “attacker” mindset compared to other Active Directory exams on the market. The exam environment simulates a real-world domain environment so well that you can sometimes spend hours on a single machine, only to realize you’re not making progress because you overlooked a tiny detail.

That’s why in this guide, in addition to technical details, I will be giving plenty of advice like, “pay attention to this,” “don’t fall for this mistake,” and “adopt this way of thinking.”

For Those in a Hurry: TL;DR

• Who is it for?: A perfect fit for those with intermediate-to-advanced experience in Active Directory penetration testing who want to specialize in the Red Team field.
• The Lab: An incredible learning environment, filled with real-world scenarios that are brain-melting but just as developmental.
• Format: Proctor-free. You have a total of 10 days for both the exam and reporting.
• Environment: You are expected to compromise a fully-patched Active Directory forest with multiple domains.
• Report: You must submit a professional penetration testing report in PDF format (max 20MB) within the 10-day period.

What’s Inside the Course?

HTB’s CAPE course is a highly comprehensive training that takes you into the darkest corners of a modern Active Directory environment. It adds layers of new and complex information on top of your Active Directory fundamentals. The training materials consist entirely of modules with explanations and illustrated demonstrations. After each concept is detailed, there is a lab environment at the end of the page for you to reinforce that topic. You progress by running the lab and applying what you’ve learned.

Here’s what’s on the menu:

• Advanced Active Directory Enumeration
• Advanced Active Directory Attacks
• Abusing AD Protocols
• Abusing AD Trusts
• Abusing AD Misconfigurations
• Abusing Common Active Directory Components
• Command and Control (C2) Operations
• Windows Antivirus Evasion Techniques
• Pivoting & Lateral Movement
• Advanced Post-exploitation Tactics

In short, each module is an ocean in itself. So it’s not really possible to just “read it and move on.” It’s essential to understand and digest every concept and to try it out multiple times in the module’s lab environment.

The Exam Environment & What to Expect

The exam makes you experience a real penetration testing project from A to Z. The process begins with a request email sent to you, in which you are asked to prepare a full-fledged penetration test report. The domain and network structures in the environment (like IP addresses, domain names, and which domain is on which subnet) are given to you at the beginning.

Access is a two-step process:

1. First, you establish a VPN connection to the Active Directory environment with the information provided.
2. Then, the SSH information for a Parrot OS machine, which HTB has prepared for you and has access to the environment, is shared.

The exam will officially start as soon as you connect to this Parrot machine via SSH after VPN and you will be able to start numbering.

So, what awaits you in this environment?

• The Goal: To capture a total of 10 flags by compromising and pivoting between computers in the specified domains.
• Creativity and Methodology: The exam requires creative thinking much more than rote steps. When you feel you’re stuck, don’t panic. Don’t hesitate to use the course content as a checklist to verify, “Have I tried this technique?”
• Enumeration Diversity: Don’t blindly rely on a single enumeration tool. Sometimes one tool can see what another misses. Be sure to try alternative tools, and if necessary, be prepared to perform manual enumeration with the information you have.
• Rabbit Holes: In my experience, there are no obvious “rabbit holes” that will keep you busy for hours. If you can’t make progress down a certain path, you have likely overlooked a detail or not tried a different approach.

Before Conquering the Fortress: A CAPE Prep Guide

Preparing for this exam requires a much more disciplined process compared to other Active Directory exams.

• Devour the Course Materials: Make sure you understand every module, every line. Don’t skip a concept thinking, “this probably won’t be on the exam,” because it absolutely will be.
• Exploit the Lab: Complete all the lab machines in the course not just by watching walkthroughs, but by trying to solve them yourself. Even after solving them, try resetting and solving them again using different paths. Constantly ask yourself, “Why did this attack work?” and “How else could I have done this?” Especially, learn alternative enumeration techniques for that vulnerability, if any exist.
• Mindset Shift: Instead of blindly trusting the output of tools, focus on understanding what that output means behind the scenes. You should be able to say, “BloodHound showed this path because user A has permission C on machine B, which leads to vulnerability D,” rather than just “BloodHound showed me the way.” Mastering tools like PowerView and dacledit and being able to manually interpret their output is crucial.

The 10-Day Marathon: Exam Day Strategies

A Confession: My Personal Note on Time and Stress Management

Before we get into this section, I want to share a personal experience with you in all sincerity: I did not pass the CAPE exam on my first attempt. I succeeded on my second try, three months later. The reason for my initial failure was not a lack of technical knowledge, but a complete inability to manage time and stress.

The 10-day period, while seeming comfortable on one hand, can create immense pressure as each day melts away. On my first attempt, I panicked when I hit a wall and started acting hastily instead of thinking methodically. This led to more mistakes and wasted time. At the end of the exam, I realized that CAPE tests not only your technical skills but also your mental resilience under pressure.

So, my most important piece of advice is this: Stay calm and trust yourself. When you get stuck, accept it as part of the process. See this exam as a 10-day marathon and spread your energy across all the days.

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The 10-day window might sound long, but it flies by in the blink of an eye. Here are some golden strategies to use your time effectively:

• Time Management: Make a plan for yourself. Dedicate the first few days solely to getting to know the environment and performing deep enumeration. Spread your energy throughout the days; don’t burn out on day one.
• The Art of Note-Taking: Taking notes is everything in this exam. Don’t just jot down the passwords you find or the commands you run; document your thought process. Notes like, “I’m trying X now because I found Y. My goal is to reach Z,” will be incredibly helpful when you’re stuck and need to retrace your steps. Tools like Obsidian or CherryTree are great for this.
• The Golden Rule: Write the Report as You Go: This is perhaps the most critical piece of advice. Start writing your report the moment the exam begins. Report writing will take much longer than you think, and if you leave it until the end, you’ll likely run out of time. The reporting process is also a consolidation session; as you document your steps, you might notice a detail you missed or come up with a new attack idea. Before starting the exam, be sure to download and review the sample CAPE report template provided by HTB. Knowing what’s expected of you from the very beginning will give you a huge advantage. The report basically expects two main sections: First, a step-by-step walkthrough of how you obtained the flags. Second, a list and explanation of all the vulnerabilities you found in the environment during the process (I reported around 40 findings in my exam).
• Enumeration, Enumeration, Enumeration: I’m not sure if I’ve emphasized this enough, so here it is again: CONSTANT ENUMERATION! Found a new credential? Rescan the entire domain from that user’s perspective. Got access to a new machine? Scrutinize everything on it.
• Take Breaks: Are you stuck on a path? Staring at the same screen for hours is pointless. Get up, have a coffee, go outside for some fresh air. When you return, you’ll often find you notice the detail you were missing.
• Approach BloodHound Wisely: BloodHound is your best friend, but it can sometimes be misleading. If the data you’ve collected is outdated or incomplete, it can send you down the wrong path. Make sure you keep it updated with new information and always manually verify its findings instead of blindly trusting them.
• Be Prepared for AV Evasion: During the exam, you may need to use code or binaries that could be flagged as malicious to execute certain techniques. At this point, you are expected to bypass security mechanisms like Windows Defender or AMSI (Antimalware Scan Interface). If you are sure your code is correct and your technique is sound, but you’re not getting the expected result (like a shell), the antivirus is likely blocking you. Don’t panic. Try again and again to bypass the block by applying various obfuscation techniques to your payload.
• Have Your Cheatsheet Ready: Absolutely prepare a cheatsheet with the commands you’ll use frequently. For example, since I had to restart the environment several times, having command sets for routing, enabling RDP, adding a new local admin user, and disabling Defender saved me a tremendous amount of time. You should think about every detail that could save you time beforehand. When you restart the environment, this cheatsheet will help you get back to where you were much faster, preventing you from losing focus.

Reporting: Turning Technical Skill into an Art

You’ve showcased your technical skills, you’ve collected the flags… But the part that will truly earn you the medal is the reporting. Remember, this is a certification, and a professional report is expected of you.

• Time and Format: You must submit your report within the 10-day period after starting the exam. The report should be prepared using the provided template, in English, in PDF format, and should not exceed 20MB.
• It’s Mandatory: Even if you fail the exam, submitting a report is mandatory to be eligible for a second attempt. If you don’t submit a report, you forfeit your right to a retry.
• Details Matter: For each finding, you must include what the vulnerability is, how it was exploited (with commands and screenshots), its business impact, and most importantly, detailed recommendations on how to fix it.
• Present Your Evidence Professionally: The evidence you include in your report (screenshots and console outputs) is crucial. Make sure you save the console output for every attack step. When presenting this evidence, always mask sensitive data like passwords or hashes. Also, improve your report’s readability by snipping long console outputs with tags like <SNIP> to show only the relevant parts. This professional approach plays a huge role in how your report is evaluated.
• Your Notes Will Save You: The detailed notes you take during the exam will turn the report-writing process from a chore into an enjoyable task. If your notes are good, writing the report will be as simple as organizing and putting them together.

In Summary: The Golden Rules for Success

After all these experiences, I can summarize the path to success in the exam with these points:

• Stay Calm and Be Methodical: This is a 10-day marathon, not a sprint. Manage your stress, spread your energy across the days, and proceed methodically. Remember, this exam also measures your mental resilience.
• Don’t Leave the Report for Last: Start writing the report the moment you start the exam. This saves time and helps you organize your thoughts. Don’t forget to review the sample template beforehand.
• Learn the Logic, Not Just the Course: Don’t just complete the modules; understand “why” each technique works. Don’t blindly trust tools; interpret the outputs yourself.
• Explore Endlessly (Enumeration): Every new piece of information can open a new door. Use different tools, and check manually if necessary. Your biggest key will be continuous and detailed enumeration.
• Take Notes, Save Your Life: Note down not just the commands, but “why” you’re running that command. Your notes will be your best guide when you get stuck.
• Have Your Cheatsheet Ready: Keep commands for repetitive tasks (like enabling RDP, adding a user, etc.) or for when you restart the environment in a ready file. This will save you an incredible amount of time.
• See Antivirus as Your Adversary: If you don’t get a shell or your code doesn’t work, your first suspect should be AV/AMSI. Be prepared to obfuscate your payloads.
• Present Your Report Professionally: Never leave sensitive data like passwords/hashes exposed in your evidence (console outputs, screenshots). Mask them and snip long outputs with <SNIP>.

The Fortress Has Fallen, So What’s Next?

In my previous article, I set HTB CAPE as my goal after CRTP. I am thrilled to have reached this goal. I feel that the CAPE certification, combined with my existing work experience and other certifications, has brought my penetration testing skills to a certain level of maturity.

Now, I’m setting my course for deeper waters: Red Team operations. In the coming period, I will focus on new certifications and training to fill in my missing techniques in this area. I aim to take my skills to the highest level by focusing on advanced topics that are the cornerstones of Red Team operations, such as OPSEC (Operational Security), the setup and management of C2 (Command and Control) infrastructures, and malware development.

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I hope my experiences shed some light for everyone preparing for or thinking about taking on the challenging journey of the HTB CAPE exam. Remember, this process is as rewarding and educational as it is difficult. Thanks for reading, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me through the channels on my contact page!