Advanced Cybersecurity & Penetration Testing
Hands-on adversary tactics: network exploitation, web/API attacks, AD & enterprise paths, exploit development, post-exfil, and professional reporting. Built for real-world tradecraft.
Overview
Who it’s for
This course is ideal if you already understand basic ethical hacking and want to move closer to real consulting / red teaming work.
- CEH, eJPT or similar baseline level.
- Junior security engineers or SOC analysts.
- Developers moving into offensive security.
What you’ll be able to do
- Map real-world attack surface (not just lab CTFs).
- Gain, maintain and escalate access with OPSEC in mind.
- Pivot across network, web, API, AD and cloud paths.
- Document findings so that devs & leadership actually act on them.
How we teach
Every topic follows a predictable learning loop, so you never feel lost:
- Short, targeted theory (no 2-hour lectures).
- Guided lab with step-by-step hints.
- Freeform scenario where you drive the attack path.
- Retrospective: what worked, what didn’t, and how to report it.
Labs use realistic environments with modern auth, containers and misconfigured cloud assets so your skills transfer directly into client work.
Prerequisites
Technical skills
- Comfort using Linux and Windows: services, users, permissions, logs.
- Basic networking: IP addressing, TCP/UDP, DNS, HTTP/HTTPS, VPN concepts.
- Some scripting: Bash, Python or PowerShell (even at a beginner level).
Mindset & tools
- Experience with at least one proxy / debugger (like Burp Suite, ZAP, or similar).
- Curiosity to break things responsibly and then fix them better.
- Awareness of ethical guidelines, safe-harbor policies and local law.
If you’re missing one of these, we can share a short warm-up track so you’re comfortable before diving into the main labs.
Curriculum
We emphasize repeatable methodology over tool worship. Each module comes with a lab, rubric, and solution write-up so you can see what “good” looks like.
Module 1
Threat Modeling & Advanced Recon
STRIDE/PASTA, OSINT narratives, CT logs, passive DNS, and attack-surface scoring for realistic target mapping.
Module 2
Initial Access
Modern auth weaknesses (JWT/OAuth/OIDC), SSRF chains, deserialization bugs, and broken password reset flows.
Module 3
Network Exploitation
SMB/RDP/LDAP/DBs, pivoting with SOCKS/SSH/proxychains, and stealth practices to avoid noisy scans.
Module 4
Web & API at Depth
Logic flaws, race conditions, IDOR/mass assignment, GraphQL pitfalls, and rate-limit abuse cases.
Module 5
Wireless & IoT
PMKID/handshakes, rogue APs, firmware triage, and UART/JTAG basics for edge environments.
Module 6
Exploit Development Foundations
Crash triage, fuzzing (AFL/honggfuzz), modern mitigations, and building safe, controlled PoCs.
Module 7
Post-Exploitation & Data Ops
Privilege escalation (Win/Linux), persistence, collection, exfil paths, and trace reduction.
Module 8
AD & Enterprise Tradecraft
BloodHound paths, Kerberos abuse, constrained delegation, and OPSEC-friendly movement.
Module 9
Reporting & Communication
Executive summaries, developer-ready fixes, and risk ratings that stand up in review.
Module 10
Capstone Engagement
End-to-end assessment: kickoff, rules of engagement, daily notes, evidence handling, final report & readout as if you’re working with a real client.
Outcomes
By the end of the course, you won’t just “run tools”—you’ll be able to design, execute, and explain engagements end-to-end.
Scoped engagements
Plan and execute scoped engagements with clear objectives, constraints, and safeguards.
Business impact
Chain vulnerabilities into meaningful business impact instead of dumping raw CVE lists.
OPSEC discipline
Reduce detection surface, manage beacons responsibly, and clean up traces after testing.
Reports that land
Produce reports that unlock remediation, earn stakeholder trust, and reflect real risk.
Schedule
Duration: 8–10 weeks (cohort) or self-paced. Expect ~5–7 hrs/week plus optional lab time. Live office hours are available in select cohorts.
| Week | Focus | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recon & scoping | Attack surface report |
| 2–3 | Initial access + web exploitation | Foothold notes + PoCs |
| 4–6 | Privilege escalation & lateral | Internal map + OPSEC plan |
| 7 | Post-ex & data ops | Data handling SOP |
| 8–10 | Capstone engagement | Final report + readout |
Pricing
We offer individual, cohort, and team pricing. Ask about bundles with OSCP/OSEP prep and retake credits.
- Individual: EMI options available.
- Teams (3+): group discounts and custom scheduling.
- Academia / Non-profit: subsidized slots when available.
FAQs
Is this OSCP or OSEP prep? ›
It complements both. You’ll practice methodology, lab note-taking, and reporting that translate well to OSCP/OSEP-style exams and real work.
Do I need a powerful laptop? ›
A modern 4-core CPU, 16GB RAM, and ~60GB free disk space is comfortable for the labs. Cloud-hosted options can reduce local requirements.
Will you provide report templates? ›
Yes—executive summary, finding template with risk rationale, and a remediation plan format.
Ready to level up your tradecraft?
Tell us about your background and goals—we’ll tailor a path from this course to your next credential or role.
Talk to an advisor