🎯 Ethical Hacking & Penetration Testing

Master the art of ethical hacking to identify vulnerabilities and strengthen cybersecurity defenses

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Ethical Hacking Curriculum

15
Hacking Units
~100
Techniques
50+
Tools & Frameworks
30+
Attack Vectors
1

Ethical Hacking Fundamentals

Learn the foundations of ethical hacking, legal considerations, and professional standards.

  • Ethics and legality
  • Hacker types and motivations
  • Legal frameworks
  • Penetration testing methodology
  • Professional certifications
  • Rules of engagement
  • Documentation standards
  • Industry best practices
2

Reconnaissance and Information Gathering

Master passive and active reconnaissance techniques to gather intelligence about targets.

  • Passive reconnaissance
  • Active reconnaissance
  • OSINT techniques
  • Social media intelligence
  • DNS enumeration
  • Whois and domain analysis
  • Google hacking
  • Metadata analysis
3

Scanning and Enumeration

Discover and analyze network services, ports, and system configurations.

  • Network scanning
  • Port scanning techniques
  • Service enumeration
  • Version detection
  • Operating system fingerprinting
  • Banner grabbing
  • SNMP enumeration
  • SMB enumeration
4

Vulnerability Assessment

Identify, analyze, and prioritize security vulnerabilities in systems and applications.

  • Vulnerability identification
  • CVE database analysis
  • Risk assessment
  • Automated scanning tools
  • Manual testing techniques
  • False positive analysis
  • Vulnerability prioritization
  • Reporting and documentation
5

System Hacking

Learn to exploit system vulnerabilities and gain unauthorized access to target systems.

  • Password attacks
  • Buffer overflow exploitation
  • Privilege escalation
  • Registry manipulation
  • Backdoor installation
  • Rootkit deployment
  • Steganography
  • Covering tracks
6

Network Attacks

Explore network-based attack vectors and techniques for compromising network infrastructure.

  • ARP spoofing
  • MAC flooding
  • DHCP attacks
  • VLAN hopping
  • DNS poisoning
  • Session hijacking
  • Man-in-the-middle attacks
  • Network sniffing
7

Web Application Security

Identify and exploit vulnerabilities in web applications and APIs.

  • OWASP Top 10
  • SQL injection
  • Cross-site scripting (XSS)
  • Cross-site request forgery (CSRF)
  • Authentication bypass
  • Session management flaws
  • File upload vulnerabilities
  • API security testing
8

Wireless Network Security

Test the security of wireless networks and mobile communications.

  • WiFi security protocols
  • WPA/WPA2 cracking
  • Rogue access points
  • Evil twin attacks
  • Bluetooth attacks
  • RFID/NFC security
  • Wireless packet analysis
  • Mobile device security
9

Social Engineering

Understand and practice social engineering techniques to test human factors in security.

  • Psychological manipulation
  • Phishing attacks
  • Pretexting
  • Baiting and quid pro quo
  • Physical social engineering
  • Tailgating and piggybacking
  • Phone-based attacks
  • Awareness training
10

Malware Analysis

Analyze and understand malicious software to improve defense mechanisms.

  • Malware types and families
  • Static analysis
  • Dynamic analysis
  • Sandbox environments
  • Reverse engineering
  • Behavioral analysis
  • Signature creation
  • Incident response
11

Cryptography and PKI

Test cryptographic implementations and public key infrastructure security.

  • Cryptographic attacks
  • Hash function analysis
  • Symmetric key attacks
  • Asymmetric key attacks
  • PKI vulnerabilities
  • Certificate attacks
  • Implementation flaws
  • Side-channel attacks
12

Cloud Security Testing

Assess security in cloud environments and cloud-native applications.

  • Cloud service models
  • Shared responsibility model
  • Container security
  • Serverless security
  • IAM misconfigurations
  • Storage bucket attacks
  • API gateway security
  • Multi-tenant issues
13

IoT and Embedded Systems

Explore security vulnerabilities in Internet of Things devices and embedded systems.

  • IoT architecture
  • Firmware analysis
  • Hardware hacking
  • Communication protocols
  • Device authentication
  • Update mechanisms
  • Physical attacks
  • Industrial control systems
14

Penetration Testing Methodology

Master structured approaches to penetration testing and security assessments.

  • Testing frameworks
  • PTES methodology
  • OWASP testing guide
  • Scoping and planning
  • Risk-based testing
  • Test case development
  • Quality assurance
  • Continuous testing
15

Reporting and Remediation

Create effective security reports and guide remediation efforts.

  • Executive reporting
  • Technical documentation
  • Risk scoring
  • Remediation guidance
  • Proof of concept
  • Timeline recommendations
  • Compliance mapping
  • Retesting procedures

Unit 1: Ethical Hacking Fundamentals

Learn the foundations of ethical hacking, legal considerations, and professional standards.

Ethics and Legality

Understand the ethical principles and legal frameworks governing ethical hacking practices.

Legal Framework Professional Ethics Authorization
Ethical hacking requires explicit written authorization and adherence to strict legal and ethical guidelines. Never perform security testing without proper permission and scope definition.
# Ethical Hacking Principles
ethical_hacking = {
  "core_principles": {
    "authorization": "Always obtain written permission",
    "scope": "Stay within defined boundaries",
    "confidentiality": "Protect client information",
    "integrity": "Do no harm to systems",
    "disclosure": "Report findings responsibly"
  },
  "legal_considerations": {
    "cfaa": "Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (US)",
    "gdpr": "Data protection regulations",
    "local_laws": "Jurisdiction-specific requirements",
    "contracts": "Service agreements and NDAs"
  },
  "professional_standards": {
    "certifications": ["CEH", "OSCP", "CISSP", "CISM"],
    "organizations": ["EC-Council", "ISC2", "SANS", "CompTIA"],
    "code_of_ethics": "Professional conduct guidelines"
  }
}

Hacker Types and Motivations

Explore different categories of hackers and their various motivations and methodologies.

Hacker Classifications:
• White Hat: Ethical hackers working to improve security
• Black Hat: Malicious hackers with criminal intent
• Gray Hat: Hackers operating in ethical gray areas
• Script Kiddies: Inexperienced hackers using existing tools
• Hacktivists: Politically motivated hacking groups
• Nation-State: Government-sponsored cyber operations
Understanding Motivations:
Recognizing different hacker motivations helps in threat modeling and developing appropriate defense strategies. Financial gain, political activism, espionage, and curiosity drive different attack patterns.

Penetration Testing Methodology

Learn structured approaches to conducting professional penetration testing engagements.

Standard Methodologies:
• PTES (Penetration Testing Execution Standard)
• OWASP Testing Framework
• NIST SP 800-115
• OSSTMM (Open Source Security Testing Methodology)
• ISSAF (Information Systems Security Assessment Framework)
# Penetration Testing Phases
pentest_methodology = {
  "pre_engagement": {
    "activities": ["Scoping", "Contracts", "Rules of engagement"],
    "deliverables": ["SOW", "Legal agreements", "Contact list"]
  },
  "intelligence_gathering": {
    "activities": ["OSINT", "Reconnaissance", "Target profiling"],
    "tools": ["Google dorking", "Social media", "DNS enumeration"]
  },
  "threat_modeling": {