OSWP Review

TL;DR

The OSWP is the weakest certification I’ve done, and it isn’t close. The content is incomplete, the platform barely functions, and the official practice material is effectively nonexistent. The only reason I did it is that it came bundled in a package I’d already bought. If it lands in your lap the same way and you’re bored, fine. Otherwise, don’t bother.

My background before the OSWP

I did this one fresh off the OSCP, as the second cert in the Learn One package I’d picked up. So I came in with a solid offensive base already, just not specifically in wireless.

Why I took it

Honestly? Because it was there. It was included in the pack, I had the time, and grabbing it cost me nothing extra. That’s the whole story, and I think that’s the only sensible reason to take it.

Preparation

Here’s the first problem: OffSec gives you no real practice environment for wireless. If you actually want hands-on reps, you have to go elsewhere. I used the WiFiChallenge Labs (the CWP course), and those were genuinely excellent, a clear 5 out of 5. If anything useful prepared me, it was those, not anything from OffSec.

A nice side effect of WiFiChallenge is that the labs are virtualised, so you don’t even need an external wireless adapter to practise. That alone removes the usual barrier to entry for wireless work.

The OffSec theory, people say, is enough on its own, and it probably is. But it has the exact same flaw as the OSCP material: it’s so dense that by the time you reach the end you’ve forgotten the start. I got through it in about five days.

The exam experience

The exam is where it really falls apart. It feels slow, dated, and low quality, right down to accessing the targets over SSH and a dashboard that looks like it hasn’t been touched in years. It does not feel like something you paid for.

I passed two of the three networks, which is all you need. The one I didn’t finish stalled on an attack that only progresses once you’ve captured enough traffic, and the environment was feeding me what I needed so slowly that I made the call not to pour two hours into it when the pass was already in the bag. The irony is that it was the simplest of the three on paper. That tells you something about the state of the setup rather than the difficulty.

Who should take it

Take it if:

• It comes bundled with something else, you’ve got spare time, and you want the extra line. That’s it.

Skip it if:

• You’d have to pay for it specifically, or set aside real time for it. For basically everyone who isn’t doing it as filler, there are far better uses of both.

Final verdict

Incomplete content, a platform that barely works, and official material that’s missing rather than just weak. The OSWP feels like a certification OffSec stopped caring about a long time ago. The wireless knowledge is worth having, but get it from WiFiChallenge, not from here. Do the OSWP only if it’s already paid for and sitting in front of you. Nobody is going to be impressed that you have it.