Hacking Course

Lesson 1 • Cybersecurity Landscape Overview

Maps the threat ecosystem including actors, motivations, and attack categories. Provides context for why offensive skills are essential to defence.

Lesson 2 • Legal and Ethical Frameworks

Defines authorised testing boundaries, responsible disclosure, and professional ethics. Ensures students operate within lawful and ethical constraints throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Hacking Methodology and Phases

Introduces the structured penetration testing lifecycle from reconnaissance to reporting. Students apply this framework as a repeatable process in all labs.

Lesson 1 • Common Application Protocols

Examines HTTP, DNS, FTP, SMTP, and SSH at the packet level. Students identify protocol weaknesses exploited in later attack chapters.

Lesson 2 • TCP/IP Protocol Suite

Covers IP addressing, subnetting, and core transport protocols. Understanding packet structure is prerequisite to crafting and intercepting traffic.

Lesson 3 • Packet Capture and Analysis

Uses traffic capture tools to inspect live and recorded network sessions. Students develop the ability to extract credentials and session data from captures.

Lesson 1 • Passive Open-Source Intelligence

Collects target data from public sources without touching target systems. Minimises detection risk while maximising pre-engagement intelligence.

Lesson 2 • DNS and Email Enumeration

Extracts subdomains, mail servers, and organisational structure from DNS. Reveals attack vectors often overlooked in standard perimeter assessments.

Lesson 3 • Recon Automation and Frameworks

Integrates multiple recon tools into automated pipelines for efficiency. Students produce structured target dossiers ready for vulnerability analysis.

Lesson 1 • Manual Vulnerability Verification

Confirms scanner findings through manual testing to eliminate false positives. Develops the analytical judgement required before attempting exploitation.

Lesson 2 • Vulnerability Scanning Tools

Runs automated scanners to detect known CVEs and misconfigurations at scale. Students interpret scanner output critically rather than accepting results uncritically.

Lesson 3 • Advanced Port and Service Scanning

Applies stealth, timing, and protocol-specific scans to map services accurately. Builds on basic scanning from Chapter 3 with evasion and precision techniques.

Lesson 1 • Exploitation Concepts and Terminology

Defines exploits, payloads, shellcode, and staged vs. stageless delivery. Provides conceptual grounding before students touch any exploitation tooling.

Lesson 2 • Exploiting Common Service Vulnerabilities

Targets unpatched services including file sharing, remote desktop, and web servers. Reinforces the link between vulnerability analysis findings and successful exploitation.

Lesson 3 • Exploitation Framework Usage

Operates a professional exploitation framework to select, configure, and launch exploits. Students learn module selection, option setting, and session management.

Lesson 4 • Exploit Development Basics

Introduces buffer overflow concepts and manual exploit construction at a foundational level. Prepares students for advanced binary exploitation covered in later chapters.

Lesson 1 • Lateral Movement Techniques

Moves between systems using harvested credentials and trusted relationships. Students map internal networks and pivot to reach high-value targets.

Lesson 2 • Linux Privilege Escalation

Leverages SUID binaries, cron jobs, and kernel exploits to reach root on Linux systems. Students enumerate and exploit the most common Linux escalation vectors.

Lesson 3 • Post-Exploitation Objectives

Defines attacker goals after initial access including data exfiltration and persistence. Frames post-exploitation as a structured phase with measurable objectives.

Lesson 4 • Credential Harvesting and Reuse

Extracts password hashes, plaintext credentials, and tokens from compromised systems. Harvested credentials enable lateral movement and further privilege escalation.

Lesson 1 • Advanced Web Vulnerabilities

Covers SSRF, XXE, insecure deserialization, and access control flaws in modern apps. Students chain multiple vulnerabilities to achieve high-impact compromise scenarios.

Lesson 2 • Injection Vulnerabilities

Exploits SQL, command, and LDAP injection flaws to extract data and execute commands. Students understand root causes and construct manual payloads beyond automated tools.

Lesson 3 • Web Application Reconnaissance

Maps web application structure, technologies, and entry points before active testing. Builds a target profile that guides all subsequent web attack phases.

Lesson 4 • Authentication and Session Attacks

Targets login mechanisms, session tokens, and password reset flows for unauthorised access. Exposes design flaws that bypass authentication without exploiting code vulnerabilities.

Lesson 1 • Report Writing for Technical Audiences

Structures executive summaries, technical findings, and remediation guidance clearly. Students write findings that security engineers can act on without ambiguity.

Lesson 2 • Penetration Test Planning

Defines scope, rules of engagement, and success criteria before testing begins. Proper planning prevents legal issues and ensures findings are actionable.

Lesson 3 • Communicating Findings to Stakeholders

Presents risk and impact to non-technical executives and technical teams separately. Bridges the gap between offensive findings and organisational decision-making.

Lesson 4 • Vulnerability Risk Scoring

Applies standardised scoring systems to rate severity and business impact of findings. Enables clients to prioritise remediation based on risk rather than technical complexity.