Network Penetration Tester

Part of the Cybersecurity Career Guide — This article is one deep-dive in our complete guide series.

By HADESS Team | February 28, 2026 | Updated: February 28, 2026 | 5 min read

You get paid to hack into networks. Companies hire you to find the holes in their infrastructure before real attackers do. You scan, probe, exploit, and report — then help teams fix what you broke into.

What You Will Do

Your day starts with scoping. A client hands you an IP range or a network segment and says, “Find what’s wrong.” You run reconnaissance, map out live hosts, identify services, and look for misconfigurations. Then you go deeper.

You will chain together vulnerabilities that individually seem minor but together give you domain admin. You will pivot through internal networks, escalate privileges on Windows and Linux systems, and demonstrate real business impact. A single open SMB share or a default SNMP community string can be the foothold that leads to full compromise.

Typical tasks include:

• Running external and internal network penetration tests
• Scanning with tools like Nmap, Nessus, and Masscan
• Exploiting services using Metasploit, custom scripts, or manual techniques
• Performing Active Directory attacks (Kerberoasting, AS-REP roasting, Pass-the-Hash)
• Cracking passwords with Hashcat or John the Ripper
• Writing clear, actionable reports that developers and sysadmins can actually use
• Retesting after remediation to confirm fixes work

You are not just running automated scans. The value you bring is the ability to think like an attacker and chain findings into realistic attack paths.

Skills You Need

Network penetration testing demands a solid foundation in networking and operating systems. You need to understand TCP/IP at a packet level, know how routing and switching work, and be comfortable with both Windows and Linux internals.

Key skills to build:

• TCP/IP and network protocols — DNS, DHCP, ARP, SMB, LDAP, Kerberos
• Vulnerability scanning and assessment — identifying and prioritizing weaknesses
• Exploitation techniques — manual and tool-assisted attacks
• Active Directory security — the backbone of most enterprise environments
• Scripting and automation — Python, Bash, PowerShell for custom tooling
• Report writing — translating technical findings into business risk
• Post-exploitation — lateral movement, persistence, data exfiltration

Start building these skills in the skills library and map them against what employers actually want using the career path explorer.

Certifications

Certifications matter in this field because clients and employers use them as trust signals. The most respected ones for network pentesters:

• eJPT — solid entry point, proves you can run a basic pentest end-to-end
• CEH — widely recognized, often required for government contracts
• PNPT — practical exam, tests real-world skills including OSINT and report writing
• OSCP — the industry standard for proving hands-on exploitation skills
• GPEN — GIAC certification with strong enterprise credibility

Plan your certification path with the certification roadmap planner.

Salary Range

Network penetration testers earn between $34K and $102K, depending on experience, location, and whether you work in-house or as a consultant. Senior pentesters and those with OSCP-level certs tend to land on the higher end. Consultants who build a reputation can push past these numbers.

Check current market rates with the salary calculator.

How to Get Started

1. Build a home lab — set up vulnerable VMs (HackTheBox, TryHackMe, VulnHub) and practice in the hands-on labs 2. Learn networking fundamentals — you cannot break what you do not understand 3. Take the skills assessment to identify gaps — start here 4. Get your first cert — eJPT or CEH to get past HR filters 5. Document everything — write up your lab work as if it were a real engagement report 6. Work toward OSCP — this is the cert that opens the most doors 7. Build your resume with the resume builder to highlight practical skills 8. Search for junior pentester or security analyst roles on the job board

If you want personalized guidance on breaking into pentesting, book a session with the career coach. The path is not easy, but it is straightforward: build skills, prove them, and keep hacking.

Related Guides in This Series

• Application Penetration Tester: Go Beyond the Web Layer — HADESS | 2026
• Bug Bounty Hunter: Get Paid to Find Real Vulnerabilities — HADESS | 2026
• Exploit Developer: Turn Vulnerabilities into Working Code — HADESS | 2026

Take the Next Step

Start your career assessment. Go to the start your career assessment on HADESS.

Explore career paths. Check out the explore career paths.

Get started free — Create your HADESS account and access all career tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

What certifications do I need for this role?

Certification requirements vary by employer and seniority level. Use the certification roadmap planner to build a sequence based on your target role and current qualifications.

What is the salary range for this role?

Salaries vary significantly by location, experience, and employer type. Use the salary calculator for your specific market rate.

How do I transition into this career path?

Take the skills assessment to identify your current strengths and gaps relative to this role. The assessment generates a personalized learning plan to close the gap.

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HADESS Team consists of cybersecurity practitioners, hiring managers, and career strategists who have collectively spent 50+ years in the field.