ARTOC by White Knight Labs - Review
If you’re serious about red teaming and want training that actually mirrors real engagements, the Advanced Red Team Operations Certification (ARTOC) by White Knight Labs is worth investing in.
Why ARTOC is very good
ARTOC is structured around running a full engagement from start to finish. You build your own C2 infrastructure with Cobalt Strike and Adaptix, set up redirector across AWS, Azure, and GCP, and then operate against a realistic Active Directory environment defended by actual enterprise EDR. You’re not bypassing some weak antivirus, you’re going up against real EDRs, and when your payload gets caught (and it most likely will) you have to go back, rethink your approach, and improve your tooling until it works. This is why ODPC goes very well with ARTOC since ODPC is much more malware development focused, and you can use the skills gained from it in ARTOC labs/exam.
The Lab Environment
The lab setup is one of the best parts. Everything is deployed through a student portal into your own private AWS environment. You get full control to build, destroy, and rebuild your infrastructure whenever you need to. There’s even built-in cost tracking and budget controls so your AWS bill doesn’t spiral. It genuinely takes ONE click to build your lab.
WKL labs are hands down the best in the market. They provide you access to the best EDRs to test everything you learn on them. You will also have access to fully licensed cobalt strike and the newly added Adaptix c2. The lab is packed with challenges that tie directly into the course material, and the best part? The lab is yours forever.
The Content
The course covers the full spectrum: C2 setup, cloud-based redirectors using CDNs and serverless functions, initial access, lateral movement, Active Directory and ADCS exploitation and kernel and user-mode evasion. It also explain in detail how to customize Cobalt Strike malleable profiles, and how it plays a big role on detection. The content is delivered in markdown format through the portal, and it’s detailed enough to follow without hand-holding while still being challenging. You can check out the full course and what it covers here
The Exam
The certification exam is a 48 assessment where you have to deploy your infrastructure, compromise targets, and capture flags, followed by another 48 hours to write and submit a professional red team report. The exam feels like an actual red team engagement and trust me, it’s no easy task.
Final Thoughts
Overall, ARTOC is a solid course that genuinely prepares you for real world red team engagements. With lifetime access to the course and labs, it’s an easy recommendation. If you’re serious about red teaming, ARTOC is it.