Ethical Hacking Course

Lesson 1 • Core Networking Concepts for Hackers

Reviews TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP, and routing fundamentals required for all attack techniques. Bridges general networking knowledge to offensive security application.

Lesson 2 • Setting Up a Safe Lab Environment

Guides students through building an isolated virtual lab for all hands-on exercises. Ensures no real-world systems are exposed during practice.

Lesson 3 • Defining Ethical Hacking and Its Scope

Covers the distinction between ethical hacking, penetration testing, and malicious hacking. Anchors the chapter by framing professional purpose and authorised boundaries.

Lesson 4 • Legal and Ethical Frameworks

Examines consent requirements, liability exposure, and professional codes of conduct. Students learn to operate within enforceable boundaries before touching any system.

Lesson 1 • Passive Reconnaissance Techniques

Teaches intelligence gathering without touching target infrastructure. Establishes the safest first phase of any engagement.

Lesson 2 • Active Reconnaissance Methods

Covers direct probing techniques that interact with target systems within authorised scope. Bridges passive intelligence to hands-on scanning in the next chapter.

Lesson 3 • Reconnaissance Automation and Tooling

Demonstrates scripting and tool chaining to accelerate information gathering at scale. Students build repeatable recon workflows for professional engagements.

Lesson 1 • Service and OS Fingerprinting

Identifies running services, versions, and operating systems on discovered hosts. Feeds directly into vulnerability matching in later sections.

Lesson 2 • Network Enumeration Techniques

Extracts users, shares, and configurations from network services within scope. Provides the detailed target data needed for targeted exploitation.

Lesson 3 • Vulnerability Scanning and Analysis

Uses automated scanners to match discovered services against known vulnerability databases. Students learn to interpret, validate, and prioritise scanner output.

Lesson 4 • Host Discovery and Port Scanning

Teaches techniques to identify live hosts and open ports across a target network. Forms the first active footprint of the attack surface.

Lesson 1 • Client-Side Exploitation Techniques

Covers attacks that target end-user applications rather than server services. Expands the attack surface understanding beyond network-facing services.

Lesson 2 • Exploit Development Concepts

Explains how exploits work at a conceptual level, including memory corruption and logic flaws. Gives students the mental model needed to select and adapt exploits.

Lesson 3 • Exploiting Common Service Vulnerabilities

Applies exploitation techniques to frequently vulnerable services such as SMB, FTP, and web servers. Reinforces framework skills with realistic target scenarios.

Lesson 4 • Exploit Chaining and Pivoting Basics

Demonstrates combining multiple vulnerabilities to reach deeper network segments. Prepares students for the post-exploitation and lateral movement chapters ahead.

Lesson 1 • Post-Exploitation Goals and Methodology

Defines objectives after initial access: data identification, persistence, and lateral movement. Frames all subsequent sections within professional engagement goals.

Lesson 2 • Credential Harvesting and Lateral Movement

Extracts credentials from memory, files, and registries to move across the network. Connects privilege escalation outcomes to broader network compromise.

Lesson 3 • Persistence and Backdoor Techniques

Establishes reliable re-entry mechanisms that survive reboots and user logoffs. Students understand attacker persistence to better advise defensive teams.

Lesson 4 • Windows Privilege Escalation

Covers techniques to elevate from standard user to SYSTEM on Windows hosts. Builds on exploitation skills using misconfigurations and token abuse.

Lesson 1 • Web Application Reconnaissance

Maps application structure, technologies, and entry points before active testing. Applies recon skills from earlier chapters to the web application context.

Lesson 2 • Authentication and Session Attacks

Tests login mechanisms, session tokens, and access control implementations for weaknesses. Directly impacts confidentiality and authorization integrity of applications.

Lesson 3 • Cross-Site Scripting and CSRF

Demonstrates reflected, stored, and DOM-based XSS alongside cross-site request forgery. Teaches client-side attack vectors that compromise end users.

Lesson 4 • Advanced Web Vulnerabilities

Explores SSRF, XXE, insecure deserialization, and broken access control. Prepares students for complex, chained web application attack scenarios.

Lesson 1 • Firewall and IDS Evasion

Demonstrates techniques to bypass perimeter controls and avoid detection during engagements. Prepares students for realistic environments with active defenses.

Lesson 2 • Active Directory Attacks

Targets Active Directory authentication, delegation, and trust relationships for domain compromise. Represents the most common enterprise attack path in real engagements.

Lesson 3 • VPN and Remote Access Attacks

Tests VPN configurations and remote access services for authentication and implementation flaws. Addresses the expanded attack surface of remote work environments.

Lesson 4 • Wireless Network Penetration Testing

Tests WPA2 and enterprise wireless networks for authentication and encryption weaknesses. Extends the attack surface to physical and wireless perimeters.

Lesson 1 • Building a Professional Pentest Practice

Addresses scoping, pricing, contracts, and continuous skill development for practitioners. Prepares students to operate as independent or employed security professionals.

Lesson 2 • Remediation Guidance and Validation

Provides actionable fix recommendations for each vulnerability class covered in the course. Includes retesting methodology to confirm remediation effectiveness.

Lesson 3 • Engagement Debrief and Client Handoff

Covers the final meeting, evidence handling, and data destruction after an engagement. Ensures professional closure and protects both client and tester.

Lesson 4 • Penetration Test Report Structure

Defines the components of a professional pentest report from executive summary to technical appendix. Establishes the deliverable standard for all student assessments.