EH-Net

I'm seriously considering taking the PBW course.  But I have a couple questions.

1) How old should you be?  I'm 17 and I'm wondering if taking the course would be a good idea.

2) System requirements and internet speed?  What should I have?

Welcome to the forums, jedi22.

I think age doesn't matter - if you are interested in security and have some knowledge in this area, you certainly can do it. If you haven't done much towards security and this might be one of your first step into it, you might probably look into something else first, as PWB, although not an expert-based course, needs some requirements (e.g. linux, networking, ...).

For PWB (Penetration Testing with BackTrack), BackTrack seems to be the obvious choice. The system requirements can be found on BackTrack's official website (http://www.backtrack-linux.org/). You'll also find pre-build images for VMware if you prefer running it as a virtual machine.

agreed with what awesec said.

someone told me
if you have experience you are good, if you don't its a lesson.

I am going to echo the others and say go for it if you feel that you are ready.  It would be a fantastic experience at such an early age. 

Good question jedi22,

I tried to take the course when I first turned 18 (Couple years ago) and I was in high school at the time; It was sort've difficult getting an acceptance in - since I was still in high school they wanted me to scan my ID and e-mail it over to them to verify I was of legal age. At the time it freaked me out that they wanted me to scan my ID and mail it over so I didn't respond back.

System Requirements & Internet Speed: For This I'd just say have enough memory to be able to run their virtual machine they provide with the course - or if you have BackTrack installed to your host OS you'll be good to go. Internet speed related, I signed up and paid for a seat in the course last month with a 1.5 meg connection and figured I had to make a switch. Made the switch to a cable isp and it seems everything is up to par in the lab environment (I.e - normal single nmap scans on single machines are quick depending on what arguments you apply with your scan; other scans take lots of time!). Btw my current internet speed is 10megs.

My suggestion if you plan on taking the course - be sure you meet the prerequisites and i've noticed it's a huge plus if you know python or perl.

Hope this helps!

P.s - welcome aboard
Kris

I've registered for my PWB session. Though the best thing would be to inquire with the OffSec team. I suspect your age might be an issue. Students have to virtually sign a legal agreement. Which could be problematic while you're still considered a minor. I'd suggest asking on the IRC channel: #offsec on irc.freenode.net

Any system that runs BT/Linux good enough for you. There is a BT VM image that's optimized for the course. As for connection speed. The official requirement is: "high speed ADSL or cable connection (512/256 minimum)" . As well as what's on the site: basic Linux skills, though good knowledge with Linux and Windows helps. Also solid understanding of networking & TCP/IP is key. Knowledge of bash scripting and language (python, perl) helps but not a must. You can typically learn enough during the course.

Just my two cents

Thanks all of you for your responses.

The specs for my computer are:

2GB Ram
2.2Ghz 64 bit processor
24x Optical Drive
Ubuntu and Windows Vista currently installed on separate hard drives.

Also my internet speed maxes out at about 750Kb/s when downloading from a website.

Also should I try taking WiFu (the other OffSec course I would like to take) first?

If you plan to go for both, WiFu and PWB, I'd recommend taking WiFu first and then PWB. WiFu needs some more requirements though.

I am prepared to buy these.

Which laptop do you think would work better with BackTrack? MacBook Pro 13" or Alienware M11x 11.6"?

Thank you for your responses.

I don't know their specific hardware setup, but as long as you can run BT, it probably doesn't matter. I would use the one I feel more comfortable with.

any PC will do, just make sure your wireless card supports packet injection. for the list check the website.

I passed the CPT entrance challenge, does this bode well for the Pentesting with Backtrack course?

Sure, just like walking does for a marathon ;)

That is a good analogy.