Top Offensive Security Certifications in 2025: The Path to Becoming a Red Teamer
In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, hands-on expertise is more valuable than ever. If you're aiming to build or elevate your career in penetration testing, ethical hacking, or Red Team operations, earning the right cybersecurity certifications can make all the difference.
Here’s a curated list of the most respected and in-demand offensive security certifications in 2025.
1. OSCP – Offensive Security Certified Professional
The OSCP by Offensive Security is a foundational but highly respected certification in the world of ethical hacking. It focuses on real-world penetration testing using Kali Linux and custom exploitation.
Why it matters:
- 24-hour practical exam
- Hands-on labs and active directory exploitation
- Realistic attack paths, no multiple choice
Ideal for: aspiring pentesters and Red Team beginners
Keywords: oscp, ethical hacking certification, pentesting cert
2. CRTP – Certified Red Team Professional
Offered by Pentester Academy, the CRTP is one of the best Active Directory-focused Red Team certifications available. It covers post-exploitation, domain privilege escalation, and AD misconfigurations—all from a Red Team perspective.
Why it matters:
- Highly affordable
- Focus on real techniques used in enterprise AD environments
- Loved by SOC and pentest teams
Ideal for: anyone targeting Red Team or internal AD compromise scenarios
Keywords: CRTP, Red Team certification, Active Directory hacking
3. eCPTXv2 – Certified Expert Penetration Tester
The eCPTXv2 from INE (ex-eLearnSecurity) is a full-scope Red Team exam including network, web, AD, AV evasion, and lateral movement. The 48-hour exam simulates real enterprise environments.
Why it matters:
- High-quality labs and modern TTPs
- Focus on EDR bypass, phishing, and C2 operations
- No fluff, all hands-on
Ideal for: Red Teamers and offensive security pros looking for depth
Keywords: eCPTX, Red Team, advanced penetration testing
4. CRTE – Certified Red Team Expert
The big brother of CRTP, CRTE dives deeper into AD exploitation, Kerberos attacks, trust abuse, and defensive evasion.
Why it matters:
- Realistic Red Team infrastructure
- Lab-based training with full domain control scenarios
- Strong emphasis on stealth and OPSEC
Ideal for: Red Teamers, purple team members, SOC specialists
Keywords: CRTE, advanced red teaming, kerberos abuse
5. OSEP – Offensive Security Experienced Penetration Tester
A more advanced follow-up to OSCP, OSEP focuses on attacking hardened environments, EDR bypass, and advanced payload delivery. It’s part of the PEN-300 course.
Why it matters:
- 48-hour hands-on exam
- Shellcode injection, C2, AV evasion
- Advanced TTPs mapped to MITRE ATT&CK
Ideal for: pentesters ready to step into real-world Red Team engagements
Keywords: osep, offensive security, advanced pentesting
6. Red Team Operator (RTO) by Zero-Point Security
This is one of the best-reviewed Red Team certs in 2025. RTO teaches you how to conduct realistic red teaming using C2 frameworks (Cobalt Strike, Mythic), initial access, and privilege escalation.
Why it matters:
- Modern Red Team tooling and infrastructure
- Tradecraft over theory
- Real adversary simulation mindset
Ideal for: those building or joining Red Teams
Keywords: RTO, Red Teaming, adversary simulation
Bonus: Other Notable Certifications
- OSWA (Web App Attacks – Offensive Security)
- CBBH (Certified Bug Bounty Hunter – TCM Security)
- PACES (Red Team Ops – Practical SOC evasion by HackTheBox)
- GXPN (SANS Exploit Development) – expensive but elite
Conclusion
Whether you're targeting penetration testing, Active Directory exploitation, or full-scale Red Team operations, there’s never been a better time to invest in a high-impact cybersecurity certification.
From the OSCP and CRTP to OSEP and RTO, these certifications demonstrate real capability—not just theory. They’re hard, technical, and highly respected in the field.
Pick one, plan your roadmap, and start building your Red Team muscle.
