SecProve
ExpertVendor-neutralOffSec· issued from US

OSWE

Offensive Security Web Expert

Advanced web application exploitation — whitebox review, vulnerability chain construction.

Official page at OffSec↔ Compare with another cert
Exam fee
$1,699
Ongoing
$0/yr AMF · 30 CPE/yr
Study time
300–500 hrs
Delivery
Hands-on practical lab
Validity
3 yrs (renewal cycle)

› Quality score

32.5 / 40

Four-axis SecProve rubric, each 0–10. SecProve editorial assessment — each axis carries a written justification so you can push back on any single call without dismissing the whole score.

Blueprint rigor
How well-defined and rigorous the exam blueprint is.
Public WEB-300 syllabus; whitebox-review and chained-vuln objectives explicit.
8.5/10
Practical evidence
Hands-on labs / written reports vs pure MCQ.
47-hour live lab against modern web stacks plus a graded report. As real as web-pentest exams get.
9.5/10
Currency & upkeep
How aggressively content is kept current with the field.
WEB-300 refresh cadence is irregular but each refresh meaningful.
7.0/10
Market recognition
How often this signal actually moves a hiring decision.
Strong in offensive AppSec circles; growing but narrower than OSCP. [Holders: 3k, 2024-12]
7.5/10

› Market signals

public, citable inputs to the recognition score
Holders worldwide
3,000
as of 2024-12 · source

› Built for these roles

Application Security Engineer (offensive)Web App PentesterBug Bounty HunterRed Team Operator (web-track)

› Exam format

47-hour, 45-minute hands-on lab against multiple modern web stacks. Whitebox source review and chained vulnerabilities required. 24-hour report-writing window after the lab. Online proctored.

Passing score
Lab points-based (varies — typically 60+/100 with report)
Retake policy
Fee: $249 per attempt
Wait: 0d between attempts

Retake voucher $249 separately. No wait period beyond exam scheduling availability.

› Recertification

90 OffSec CE credits over the three-year cycle (avg 30/yr). No annual maintenance fee.

› NICE Framework work roles

The NIST NICE work-role IDs this cert maps to. NICCS lookup.

PD-WRL-007DD-WRL-005
Recognition
GlobalUSEUUK
Exam languages
en

› Core domains covered

The 2 domains this cert is centrally about. Passing the exam demonstrates working knowledge of each.

A4Application Security

OWASP Top 10, secure SDLC, SAST/DAST/IAST, API security, code review, DevSecOps.

A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming

Methodology (OSSTMM, PTES), web/network/mobile pentesting, social engineering, purple teaming.

› Also touched

Present in the blueprint but not the primary focus — you’ll be introduced but shouldn’t expect depth.

A24Exposure Management & Attack Surface

External attack-surface management (EASM), cyber asset attack-surface management (CAASM), continuous threat exposure management (CTEM), attack-path analysis, validation, and remediation orchestration.

› Prerequisites

Experience

Strong web AppSec background. Comfort reading + debugging code across multiple languages (PHP, Python, Node, .NET).

Knowledge assumed
  • Web application frameworks across multiple stacks
  • Deobfuscation and code review
  • Exploit chain construction

› Progression

requiredrecommended

Where this cert fits in the typical learning path. Required edges are vendor-gated; recommended edges reflect de facto industry progression.

Required prereqs (0)

No vendor-gated prereqs.

Recommended priors (2)
OSCPOffSecBSCPUnbekannt
OSWE
OffSec
Required by (0)

No certs require this one.

Recommended next (1)
OSCE3OffSec

› Study materials

Curated starting points. Not exhaustive — vet each against your learning style and the current exam version.

› Version & lifecycle

Current version
WEB-300 (2024)
Released
2024-01

› Salary signal

Senior web/app pentester, US, 4-7 years.

$130K–$195K
median $155K

Robert Half Salary Guide + Glassdoor 'Web Application Pentester' aggregations · 2024 · US base only · p25–p75 range

› How it compares

vs
eWPTX

Both are senior practical web-pentest exams; OSWE has wider hiring-manager recognition, eWPTX is similarly rigorous at lower price.

↔ Compare side-by-side
vs
OSCP

OSCP is generalist pentest; OSWE is web-app deep-dive. Common pairing.

↔ Compare side-by-side

› Careers that commonly pursue this cert

AppSec / DevSecOps Engineer

Embed security into the software development lifecycle. Shift left to catch vulnerabilities before they reach production.

Product Security Engineer

Embedded in a product team — owns threat modelling, secure design, libraries, dependency risk, and increasingly the AI-specific hardening of LLM features the product ships.

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