UPDATED - 22nd April 2024
If you are reading this, I assume that you already hold one of our red team training certifications - CRTP, CRTE, PACES (now CRTM), CESP - ADCS, CARTP, CARTE or CAWASP.
As detailed in the blog post here - https://www.alteredsecurity.com/post/redlabs - We ran the certifications with Pentester Academy (acquired by INE in October 2021). Our reseller contract with them ended on 15th January 2023 and now we offer these under our branding!
All of our certifications carry an expiry date of 3 years. We have been getting a lot of questions on renewal process. With private discussions with certification holders and public polls, we gathered comments on the process.
Just like our labs, we want the renewal process to be:
- Affordable
- Easy to Access
- Stable and provide great user experience
- Fun to Solve
We do not want you to spend any money on the renewal. We also want that you spend considerable less time on it!
So, how do I renew my certification?
Certificate renewal is free before expiry of a certificate (including the first attempt to renewal exam). Subsequent attempts are charged $29.
You can start the renewal exam any time from the respective lab portal. We will reach out to you on your registered email with more details.
Certified Red Team Professional (CRTP)
- 8 hours hands-on exam OR doing CRTE will extend the certification by 3 years OR doing CRTM will extend the certification by 6 years.
Certified Enterprise Security Professional - ADCS (CESP - ADCS)
- 8 hours hands-on exam or doing CRTE will extend the certification by 3 years OR doing CRTM will extend the certification by 6 years.
Certified Red Team Expert (CRTE)
- 8 hours hands-on exam OR doing CRTM will extend the certification by 3 years.
Certified Red Team Master (CRTM)
- 8 hours hands-on exam.
Certified Azure Red Team Professional (CARTP)
- 8 hours hands-on exam OR doing CARTE will extend the certification by 3 years,
Certified Azure Web Application Security Professional (CAWASP)
- 8 hours hands-on exam OR doing CARTE will extend the certification by 3 years,
Certified Azure Red Team Expert (CARTE)
- 8 hours hands-on exam.
Take a look at the below table to understand the renewal process:
Certification | Renewal Exam | CRTE | CRTM | CARTP | CAWASP | CARTE |
CRTP | 3 years added to expiry | 3 years added to expiry | 6 years added to expiry | NA | NA | NA |
CRTE | 3 years added to expiry | NA | 3 years added to expiry | NA | NA | NA |
CRTM | 3 years added to expiry | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
CESP - ADCS | 3 years added to expiry | 3 years added to expiry | 6 years added to expiry | NA | NA | NA |
CARTP | 3 years added to expiry | NA | NA | NA | NA | 3 years added to expiry |
CAWASP | 3 years added to expiry | NA | NA | NA | NA | 3 years added to expiry |
CARTE | 3 years added to expiry | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
Let me explain this by an example. Let's say you got CRTP in August 2020, it would expire in August 2023. You can appear for a free renewal exam and extend the expiry by 3 years.
Alternatively, you can purchase the Windows Red Team Lab course (https://www.alteredsecurity.com/redteamlab) and clear the CRTE exam to extend your CRTP expiry by 3 years.
If you take the Global Central Bank course (https://www.alteredsecurity.com/gcb) and clear the CRTM exam. Your CRTE is expiry is extended by 3 years and CRTP expiry is extended by 6 years. Note that we do not recommend jumping directly from CRTP to CRTM.
How to prepare for renewal?
You have lifetime access to the videos courses! If you do not have access to the course material, reach out to the lab team or contact[at]alteredsecurity.com to get the access.
But I need access to the labs for preparation!
You can purchase a "Renewal Extension" at 40% discount on the list price on respective lab page. The Renewal Extension is only available for one month of lab access.
What about other options like no expiry for certificates or CPEs?
Both of the options were extensively discussed with existing certificate holders and infosec professionals. We got a lot of valuable suggestions.
Majority of our existing certificate holders were in favor of a renewal exam. Some had apprehensions too but we really liked that our certificate holders share our view of keeping the certifications updated and respected. We understand that even for an 8 hours exam, a lot of time goes into preparation. However, that is what keeps our certifications recognized and well respected in the information security community.
Some from the information security community suggested using CPEs. We believe that it might bring a lot of 'paperwork' to validate and keep track of CPEs.
Therefore, we concluded that it would be best to have a free renewal exam with a shorter duration. We are providing lifetime access to the course material and 40% discount on one month lab for practice!
Thanks for reading this!
Nikhil