Skip to content

GCP Red Team Certification (GCRTP)

Enroll now
Explore the full bootcamp
GCRTP_

GCP Red Team Certification (GCRTP) at a glance

  • Provider: Pwned Labs
  • Format: Hands-on, assessed in a live Google Cloud environment
  • Focus: service account abuse, IAM escalation, OAuth scope attacks
  • Level: Professional
  • Prerequisites: a general security foundation (no prior GCP expertise required)
  • Delivered via: the Google Cloud Attack and Defense bootcamp


GCP Red Team Certification (GCRTP) is earned through the Google Cloud Attack and Defense bootcamp, an instructor-led Pwned Labs program that goes deep on modern attack chains and the detections that catch them, then certifies you hands-on.

Google Cloud is often the platform red teamers understand least, which is exactly why attackers like it. Service accounts, OAuth scopes, and IAM bindings behave differently from AWS and Azure, and those differences create attack paths that go unnoticed. A GCP red team certification should prove you can find and exploit them in a live environment. The Google Cloud Red Team Professional (GCRTP) is built to do that, hands-on.

What the GCRTP certification proves

GCRTP is a practical Google Cloud and Google Workspace red team certification. There is no multiple choice section. You are assessed inside a live GCP environment with realistic misconfigurations and telemetry, and you have to enumerate the project, gain a foothold, escalate privileges, and move laterally to reach the objective. Passing means you demonstrated real tradecraft against real Google Cloud infrastructure, which is a credential an employer can trust.

Who this certification is for

GCRTP fits penetration testers moving into cloud, red teamers who need Google Cloud depth, and cloud security engineers who want offensive understanding to strengthen their defenses. You do not need prior GCP expertise. The Google Cloud Attack and Defense bootcamp that leads into GCRTP starts from fundamentals and progresses into service account abuse and lateral movement, so a strong general security background is enough to start.

What you learn on the path to GCRTP

The curriculum tracks how Google Cloud environments are actually compromised rather than listing service features. Core areas include:

  • IAM and service account enumeration, including privilege escalation through role bindings and impersonation.
  • Abusing OAuth scopes and access tokens, and harvesting credentials from metadata and misconfigured storage.
  • Lateral movement across Compute Engine, Cloud Functions, Cloud Storage, and between projects in an organization.
  • Attacking the boundary between Google Workspace identity and Google Cloud resources.
  • Detection awareness across Cloud Audit Logs and related telemetry, so you understand what defenders record while you operate.

Because the labs run in production-like projects, you build the blue team awareness that distinguishes a cloud red teamer from someone who only ran a script.

GCRTP compared to other Google Cloud security certifications

The Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer is a defensive knowledge exam. It validates that you can design and manage secure Google Cloud deployments and is valuable for engineering and architecture roles, but it does not ask you to attack anything. Other offensive exams prove general penetration testing skill while covering little of the service account and IAM abuse that defines Google Cloud compromise. GCRTP fills that gap with a fully hands-on, offense-focused assessment specific to GCP and Google Workspace.

How the GCRTP exam works

The certification is assessed in a live Google Cloud environment, not a simulation. You are given objectives and a time window and must accomplish them with real tradecraft against real services that are logging your activity. There is no memorization component. You reach the objectives or you do not, which makes the credential difficult to fake and easy for an employer to verify.

Related labs to build the skills first

You can practice free starter labs for GCP that run live in your browser before committing to the certification. They are the most direct way to test your readiness against real Google Cloud attack techniques. Browse the full catalog at pwnedlabs.io/explore.

Gain career-ready skills

Employers hire for what you can do, not what you can recall. Every objective in this certification maps to a skill you will use on real engagements. By the time you certify, you can:

  • Enumerate and abuse Google Cloud IAM and service accounts
  • Use service account impersonation to escalate privileges
  • Abuse OAuth scopes and access tokens
  • Move laterally across Compute Engine, Cloud Functions, Cloud Storage, and projects
  • Attack the boundary between Google Workspace identity and Google Cloud resources
  • Interpret Cloud Audit Logs to operate with defensive awareness

These are the capabilities behind cloud penetration tester, cloud red teamer, and cloud security engineer roles. You can build the foundations first with free hands-on labs at pwnedlabs.io/explore, then go deep and certify through the Google Cloud Attack and Defense bootcamp.

 

Pricing and enrollment

Enrollment includes the full self-paced curriculum, lab access, and certification exam attempts. Current pricing and bundle options are shown below, and full details are on the Google Cloud Attack and Defense bootcamp page.

GCP Red Team Certification (GCRTP) pricing

Need employer sponsorship? Download the employer funding request letter.

Frequently asked questions

Is GCRTP a hands-on certification?

Yes. GCRTP is assessed in a live Google Cloud environment with realistic misconfigurations and telemetry. There is no multiple choice component.

Do I need GCP experience before starting?

No prior Google Cloud expertise is required. The bootcamp starts with fundamentals and builds toward advanced service account abuse and lateral movement. A general security foundation is enough.

How is GCRTP different from the Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer exam?

The Google exam focuses on designing and managing secure deployments. GCRTP is an offensive, fully practical certification earned by operating in a live Google Cloud environment. They serve different, complementary goals.

Does GCRTP cover Google Workspace?

Yes. The curriculum includes attacking the boundary between Google Workspace identity and Google Cloud resources, reflecting how real environments connect the two.

What roles does GCRTP support?

Cloud penetration tester, cloud red teamer, and cloud security engineer roles where proving offensive Google Cloud capability matters.

What practitioners say.

Caleb Havens

Red Team Operator & Social Engineer, NetSPI


"I’ve attended two training sessions delivered by Pwned Labs: one focused on Microsoft cloud environments and the other on AWS. Both sessions delivered highly relevant content in a clear, approachable manner and were paired with an excellent hands-on lab environment that reinforced key concepts and skills for attacking and defending cloud infrastructures. The training was immediately applicable to real-world work, including Red Team Operations, Social Engineering engagements, Purple Team exercises, and Cloud Penetration Tests. The techniques and insights gained continue to be referenced regularly and have proven invaluable in live operations, helping our customers identify vulnerabilities and strengthen their cloud defenses."

Sebas Guerrero

Senior Security Consultant, Bishop Fox


"The AWS, Azure, and GCP bootcamps helped me get up to speed quickly on how real cloud environments are built and where they tend to break from a security standpoint. They were perfectly structured, with real-world examples that gave me rapid insight into how things can go wrong and how to prevent those issues from happening in practice. I’m now able to run cloud pentests more confidently and quickly spot meaningful vulnerabilities in customers’ cloud infrastructure.”

Dani Schoeffmann

Security Consultant, Pen Test Partners


"I found the Pwned Labs bootcamps well structured and strongly focused on practical application, with clear background on how and why cloud services behave the way they do and how common attack paths become possible. The team demonstrates both sides by walking through attacks and the corresponding defenses, backed by hands-on labs that build confidence using built-in and third-party tools to identify and block threats. The red-team labs are hands-on and challenge-driven, with clear walkthroughs that explain each step and the underlying logic. I’ve seen several of these techniques in real engagements, and the bootcamp helped me develop a repeatable methodology for cloud breach assessments and deliver more tailored mitigation recommendations."

Matt Pardo

Senior Application Security Engineer, Fortune 500 company


"I’ve worked in security for more than 15 years, and every step up came from taking courses and putting the lessons into practice. I’ve attended many trainings over the years, and Pwned Labs’ bootcamps and labs are among the best I’ve experienced. When you factor in how affordable they are, they easily sit at the top of my list. As a highly technical person, I get the most value from structured, hands-on education where theory is immediately reinforced through labs. Having lifetime access to recordings, materials, and training environments means you can repeat the practice as often as needed, which is invaluable. If you’re interested in getting into cloud security, sign up for Pwned Labs.”

Steven Mai

Senior Penetration Tester, Centene


“Although my background was mainly web and network penetration testing, the ACRTP and MCRTP bootcamps gave me a solid foundation in AWS and Azure offensive security. I’m now able to take part in cloud penetration testing engagements and have more informed security discussions with my team.”