NEW: VHL CIPT-01 Certification

It has now been several months since the launch of the VHL IoT Penetration Testing Essentials course, after two years of hard work. In the meantime, several students have completed the course, and we’ve received valuable and insightful feedback that we’ve used to improve the course further. In addition, we also have news regarding the IoT Penetration Testing Essentials exam.

VHL IoT Penetration Testing Exam (CIPT-01)

The most recent addition to the course is the new VHL IoT Penetration Testing Essentials Exam (CIPT-01). Over the past three months, we’ve worked hard to design this exam in a way that is as practical and realistic as possible. The main challenge was to create an exam that closely resembles a realistic scenario without requiring participants to purchase any hardware.

During the exam, participants perform a security assessment of an IoT device using a provided case file. This case file includes all the necessary information to carry out the assessment, such as device photos, documentation, manuals, firmware dumps, logic analyzer traces, and more. Using this information, the participant will carry out the security assessment to identify vulnerabilities in the device following the exact same process we used to discover the vulnerability.

Since this is a new approach to exam delivery, we hope it provides students with a valuable learning experience that brings together all course materials, knowledge, techniques and methodology in a practical and meaningful way.

A free exam attempt is included with the 6- and 12-month IoT Penetration Testing Essentials plans until the end of the year. Students currently enrolled in the course can book the exam through the LMS.

CIPT-01 Exam Structure

The CIPT-01 exam involves conducting a security assessment on an IoT device. It is divided into two primary exam components:

• Practical assessment
• Report writing

Let’s have a brief look at each component.

Practical assessment

You will perform a full security assessment on a real-world IoT device. The assessment mirrors the exact same vulnerabilities and research steps previously discovered by the course developers. This ensures that the exam is both realistic and aligned with actual fieldwork. As part of the assessment, you will create a report that details each step you took throughout the process.

Report writing

After completing the technical component, you’ll be required to write a vulnerability report. This part of the exam evaluates your ability to clearly and professionally communicate findings and recommendations.

Upon successful completion of both components, candidates are awarded the VHL Certified IoT Penetration Tester certification (CIPT‑01), demonstrating core skills in assessing the security of embedded and IoT systems.

Who is this exam for?

The VHL IoT Penetration Testing Essentials course and exam are intended for:

• Penetration testers who want to specialize in IoT security.
• Security researchers that want to discover zero-day vulnerabilities in IoT devices.
• Embedded systems engineers and developers that want to learn about security.
• Learners who want to learn about security testing IoT devices in a structured way.

The exam format is specifically designed to help you apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the VHL IoT Penetration Testing Essentials course in a practical, structured manner by conducting a security assessment on an IoT device. The methodology used mirrors the course content and reflects the author’s personal approach to testing IoT devices and identifying zero-day vulnerabilities. During the exam, you will perform a complete security assessment on an IoT device where you will focus on discovering, testing, documenting, and reporting one or more vulnerabilities in the target device. You’ll follow the same steps that were originally taken to discover the vulnerability.

How to book the exam

The CIPT-01 exam can be booked from the course LMS. If you’re enrolled in the VHL IoT Penetration Testing Course, you’ll see a form in the final lesson that can be used to book the exam. The exam is only accessible to currently enrolled students. The exam cannot be booked or purchased separately at this moment.

Practical exam information

The VHL IoT Penetration Testing exam can be booked to start at any day of the week. The candidate is given 10 days to complete both the practical assessment and the accompanying assessment and vulnerability report allowing candidates to complete the exam at their own pace. VHL will review the submitted documentation, including the assessment and vulnerability report, within 14 days after submission. The student will be notified by email within 14 days whether they have passed the exam based on the submitted documentation.

Do you have any questions about the exam format, how to book the exam or anything else? Feel free to contact us!