Introduction to Cybersecurity – Need, Importance, Applications

Key Terminologies: Web, Servers, Systems, Protocols, Firewalls

CIA Triad (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability)

Understanding Threats, Vulnerabilities, Risks & Impact

Cyber Kill Chain & Attack Lifecycle

Types of Hackers: White Hat, Black Hat, Grey Hat

Cybersecurity Domains Overview (Network, Web, Mobile, Cloud, IoT, etc.)

Introduction to Networking: LAN, WAN, IP, DNS, DHCP

Types of Network Topologies & Devices (Router, Switch, Firewall, etc.)

Introduction to Command-Line Interface (CLI) for Security

Hands-on: Packet Tracer / GNS3 basic lab setup

Weekly Quiz & Group Discussion: Real-World Cyber Incidents

Deeper Networking Concepts: OSI & TCP/IP Models

IP Addressing, Subnetting & CIDR

Routing Protocols & Switching Methods

Common Protocols in Detail: HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SSH, DNS

Understanding Firewalls, NAT, and Proxy

Network Segmentation & VLAN Basics

What is VAPT? Key Terms: VA vs PT

Tools Overview: Nmap, Nessus, Nikto, Burp Suite

Network Vulnerabilities: ARP Spoofing, DNS Poisoning, etc.

Overview of MITRE ATT&CK Framework

Reporting Formats & Documentation Techniques in VAPT

Practical: OSI Model Packet Flow Simulation in Packet Tracer

Introduction to VA/PT Methodologies

Port Scanning: Nmap Advanced Usage

OS Detection & Banner Grabbing

Service Enumeration Techniques

Introduction to Exploitation Frameworks (Metasploit)

Basic Exploit Usage (Remote Code Execution, Local Priv Esc)

CVE, CVSS & Exploit Database Usage

Privilege Escalation Fundamentals (Linux & Windows)

Post Exploitation: Persistence, Cleaning Logs

Antivirus Evasion Techniques Basics

Security Baseline Checks & Patch Management

Red Team vs Blue Team Basics

Capture the Flag (CTF) Introduction & Scenarios

Hands-on: Simulated VAPT on Test Machine (Kali + DVWA)

Wireshark Deep Dive: Filtering, Protocol Analysis

Kali Linux Toolkit Exploration

Introduction to Nessus: VA Scanning Hands-On

Advanced Nmap: NSE Scripting

Proxy Tools: Tor, VPNs, SOCKS5, Psiphon, Proxychains

Web Reconnaissance with FOCA, Shodan & WhatWeb

IP Tracking & Geolocation with OSINT Tools

Phishing & Social Engineering Techniques (Email & Web Based)

Case Studies: Facebook Hack, Yahoo Data Breach, Equifax

Forensics Basics: Chain of Custody, Digital Footprint

Anti-Forensics & Tactics for Evading Detection

Risk Assessment & Threat Modeling

Hands-on Lab: Creating a phishing simulation + detection

Web Application Architecture (Client-Server Model)

HTTP/HTTPS Deep Dive: Headers, Methods, Cookies

Web App Components: Frontend, Backend, Databases

Introduction to Browser Dev Tools for Recon

Common Web Security Issues & Entry Points

Burp Suite Introduction & Configuration

Hands-on: Intercepting HTTP Requests

Session Management & Cookie Hijacking Basics

URL Encoding/Decoding, Parameter Tampering

Input Validation & Error Handling Flaws

Reflected vs Stored Input Injection

OWASP Top 10 Overview (Introduction)

Lab: Web Application Recon using Burp Suite & HTTP Tools

Introduction to Standards of Hacking & OWASP, SANS, OSSTMM, NIST, ISMS, PCI

Introduction to OWASP Top 10 Vulnerabilities

SQL Injection (SQLi) & Understanding & Exploitation

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) & Types & Mitigation

Broken Authentication & Session Management

Sensitive Data Exposure & Encryption Best Practices

Security Misconfigurations in Web Applications

Exploring OWASP Tools & Resources

Secure DevOps Practices Overview

Using OWASP ZAP for Scanning OWASP 10

Secure Headers: CSP, X-Frame-Options, HSTS

SSRF Basics (Server Side Request Forgery)

Hands-on Lab: Broken Access Control Exploitation

OWASP Top 10 Vulnerabilities Continued

Broken Authentication

Sensitive Data Exposure

Hands-on with Burp Suite Community Edition

Intercepting Requests

Modifying and Resending Requests

Deep Dive into Input Validation Techniques

XSS (Reflected, Stored, DOM) Hands-on

Session Hijacking via Burp Suite

JWT Token Analysis & Manipulation

Log4j, Shellshock & Recent CVE Discussions

Hands-on: Exploiting XSS in DVWA/Juice Shop

Vulnerability Scanning Tools Overview (Nikto, Acunetix)

Practical: Manual and Automated Web Testing (OWASP Top 10)

Introduction to SSL/TLS Its Role in Web Security

Understanding SSL/TLS Handshake & Encryption Mechanisms

Common SSL/TLS Vulnerabilities (SSL Stripping, Heartbleed, POODLE, BEAST, etc.)

Certificate Authorities (CAs) & Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

Identifying Weak SSL Configurations & Misconfigurations

Web Application Security Testing with OWASP ZAP

Using Acunetix for Automated Web Security Scanning

Comparing Web App Scanners: Burp Suite, Nessus, Nikto, and More

Hardening Web Security: Best Practices for Secure SSL/TLS Implementation

Web Application Firewall (WAF) Basics

Anonymity while scanning (VPN + TOR + Proxychains)

Intro to CI/CD Security in DevOps Pipelines

Lab: Compare Burp Suite, ZAP, Nikto, and Acunetix on Same App

Authentication vs Authorization – Core Differences

Session Management: Cookies, Tokens, Sessions

Importance of Compliance in Cybersecurity , Risk Assessment & Compliance AuditingCopyCopy

Password Storage Best Practices (Hashing, Salting, Bcrypt)

kareBrute Force & Credential Stuffing Attacks

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) & OTP Mechanisms

OAuth 2.0 & OpenID Connect: Flow & Exploitation

JWT Tokens – Structure, Signature & Attacks (None Algo, Replay)

Session Fixation & Session Hijacking Attacks

Captcha Bypass Techniques

Login/Signup Security Best Practices

Tools: Hydra, Medusa, Burp Intruder, OWASP ZAP

Hands-on: Bruteforce Login Portal with Hydra

Case Study: GitHub Token Exposure Incident

Lab: Simulating Session Hijack & Implementing Secure Cookie Flags

File Upload Vulnerabilities & Bypass Techniques

MIME Type Misinterpretation & Content-Type Header

Local File Inclusion (LFI) & Remote File Inclusion (RFI)

Remote Code Execution (RCE) Overview

Log Poisoning to RCE

Uploading Web Shells (.php/.jsp/.aspx)

Unrestricted File Upload – Impact & Mitigation

Deserialization Vulnerabilities – PHP & Java

Exploiting Serialized Objects & POP Chains

Tools: ysoserial, Burp Suite Extenders

Lab: LFI to RCE Walkthrough in DVWA

Lab: Exploiting Unrestricted Upload to Gain Shell

CTF Scenario: LFI + Upload Chain

What is an API? REST vs SOAP

API Authentication Mechanisms (API Keys, JWT, OAuth2)

Common API Attacks (BOLA, Broken Auth, Excessive Data Exposure)

OWASP API Top 10 Overview

GraphQL vs REST Security Flaws

Postman/Burp Suite for API Testing

Mitigation Techniques & Security Best PracticesCopyCopy

Rate Limiting, Throttling & Replay Attack Mitigation

Token Manipulation & JWT Tampering

API Parameter Tampering & Mass Assignment

Tools: Postman, Burp Suite, Insomnia, Swagger Exploitation

Mobile API Testing Basics (Android/iOS APIs)

Practical: API Scanning with Burp Suite + Manual Testing

Hands-on: Token Forgery and Session Replay

Lab: Vulnerable API Simulation using DVWS or Juice Shop

Introduction to Mobile App Architecture (Android vs iOS)

Understanding APK Structure & Components (Activities, Services, etc.)

Static vs Dynamic Analysis in Mobile Pentesting

Tools: MobSF, JADX, APKTool, Frida, Drozer

Reverse Engineering APKs with JADX & APKTool

Identifying Insecure Data Storage (SharedPrefs, SQLite, etc.)

Analyzing Network Traffic (MITMProxy + Burp on Emulator)

Intercepting SSL Traffic – Certificate Pinning Bypass

Runtime Instrumentation with Frida

Testing Android Intents, Activities & Deep Links

OWASP Mobile Top 10 Deep Dive

Dynamic Analysis with Drozer

iOS App Security Basics & Jailbreaking Concepts

Hands-on: APK Decompile + Analyze for Hardcoded Secrets

Lab: Capturing & Modifying Traffic from Android App via Burp

Introduction to Cloud Computing & Cloud Service Models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)

Shared Responsibility Model

Overview of AWS, Azure, GCP Architecture

Identity & Access Management (IAM) Fundamentals

Public vs Private Buckets – S3 Misconfigurations

Tools: ScoutSuite, Prowler, Cloudsplaining

Enumeration of Cloud Assets

Credential Leaks & Misuse (Keys in GitHub, Hardcoded Tokens)

Attacking Cloud Metadata Services (IMDSv1 vs IMDSv2)

Hands-on: AWS CLI & IAM Policy Testing

Introduction to CloudTrail, CloudWatch & Logging

Case Study: Capital One AWS S3 Breach

Lab: Exploiting Public S3 Bucket & IAM Misconfigurations

Real-world Scenario: Attacking Cloud Dev Environment

Cloud Enumeration with Pacu (AWS Offensive Tool)

Lambda Function Exploits (Code Injection, SSRF)

Misconfigured Serverless Permissions

Azure Identity Services Exploits (AAD, RBAC)

Azure CLI & Portal Exploitation

GCP IAM & Storage Exploitation Overview

Cloud API Abuse & Access Escalation

Kubernetes Basics: Pods, Services, etc.

K8s Vulnerabilities (Exposed Dashboard, Secrets in Pods)

Tools: Kube-Hunter, Kube-Bench

Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) Concepts

Lab: SSRF to IAM Token Extraction via Metadata

Hands-on: Recon and Exploitation of AWS Misconfig with Pacu

Introduction to Digital Forensics: Process & Tools

Forensic Acquisition: Disk Imaging (dd, FTK Imager)

Memory Forensics with Volatility Framework

Email Header Analysis for Phishing Detection

Timeline Analysis & File System Forensics

Windows Artifacts: Registry, Prefetch, MFT

Linux Forensics: Logs, History, Bash Commands

Log Analysis & Triage (Syslog, Event Viewer, Apache Logs)

Identifying Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

Chain of Custody & Documentation Standards

Tools: Autopsy, Volatility, Redline, Sleuth Kit

Hands-on: RAM Dump Analysis Using Volatility

Lab: Log Analysis of Compromised Web Server

Case Study: Target POS Malware Breach

Deep Dive: Incident Response Lifecycle (Preparation to Lessons Learned)

Playbook Development for Incident Handling

Evidence Collection Techniques (Live vs Dead Box)

Triage & Prioritization in Real-Time Incidents

Threat Intelligence Integration in IR

Analyzing Malware Behavior from Logs

Host-Based Intrusion Detection (OSSEC, Wazuh)

Network-Based Intrusion Detection (Snort, Suricata)

SIEM Introduction (Splunk/ELK/Wazuh Dashboard)

IOC Correlation & Threat Attribution

Report Writing for Legal/Compliance

Insider Threat Detection Techniques

Case Study: SolarWinds Supply Chain Attack

Lab: IR Simulation – Compromise Detection + Report Writing

Introduction to Malware Types & Attack Vectors

Static vs Dynamic Malware Analysis

Setting up a Safe Malware Lab (VM, INetSim, Remnux)

Tools: PEStudio, CFF Explorer, Detect It Easy (DIE)

File Signature Analysis & PE File Structure

Strings Analysis & Obfuscation Techniques

Identifying Indicators from Suspicious Executables

Dynamic Tools: Process Monitor, Process Hacker, ProcDOT

API Call Tracing & Behavior Logging

Registry/Process/File System Artifacts

Malware Sandbox Overview (Cuckoo Sandbox)

Lab: Basic Static & Dynamic Analysis of Malware Sample

Case Study: WannaCry Malware Behavior

Introduction to Assembly Language Basics

Using x64dbg and Ghidra for Reverse Engineering

Understanding Function Calls, Stack Frames

Control Flow Graph (CFG) Navigation

Anti-Analysis & Anti-Debugging Techniques

Code Injection, DLL Hijacking Overview

Unpacking Obfuscated Binaries

Ransomware Behavior & Crypto-Malware Analysis

Threat Hunting Techniques in Memory & Disk

YARA Rules: Writing Signatures for Malware Detection

Advanced Cuckoo Configuration & Custom Modules

Lab: Analyze and Reverse a Packed Malware Sample

Task: Create IOC list & Detection Strategy

What is Threat Hunting? Role & Mindset

Hypothesis-Driven vs IOC-Driven Hunting

Data Sources: DNS, Proxy, Firewall, Host Logs

Sigma Rules: Writing Behavioral Detections

MITRE ATT&CK Integration in Hunting

Blue Team Tools: Velociraptor, GRR, Osquery

EDR Overview: CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Defender for Endpoint

Threat Hunting with Splunk Queries

Using Kibana Dashboards for Anomaly Detection

DNS Tunneling & Beaconing Detection

Case Study: Detecting APT via Sysmon Logs

Hunting Exercise: Detecting C2 via Proxy Logs

Purple Team Collaboration Concepts

Lab: Simulated Attack → Log Collection → Detection in SIEM

Introduction to Red Teaming vs Pentesting

Objectives: APT Simulation, Persistence Testing

Phases of Red Team Engagement

Initial Access Vectors: Phishing, Exploits, USB Drops

C2 Frameworks Overview: Cobalt Strike, Mythic, Sliver

Memory & Disk Forensics TechniquesCopyCopy

Payload Generation & AV Bypass (Veil, Shellter)

Obfuscation Techniques (Invoke-Obfuscation, NimPlant)

Enumeration Post Access (ADRecon, PowerView)

Lateral Movement Techniques: Pass-the-Hash, PS Remoting

Kerberoasting, Golden/Silver Ticket Attacks

Hands-on: Setup C2 + Establish Callback on Target VM

Case Study: Red Team Report Breakdown

Windows Event Log Evasion & Cleansing

Lab: Red Team Recon + Initial Foothold Simulation

Red Team Toolkit Review

Introduction to IP Tracking & Network Analysis

Identifying Malicious IPs &; Threat Intelligence Sources

Understanding IP Addressing & Geolocation

Tracing IPs Using OSINT Tools (Shodan, Maltego, etc.)

Network Traffic Analysis Fundamentals

Packet Capturing & Inspection Using Wireshark

Detecting Suspicious Traffic & Anomalies in Networks

Investigating DDoS Attacks & Malicious Network Activity

Forensic Analysis of Network Logs & Intrusions

Hands-on Lab: Real-World Network Traffic Analysis Scenarios

SOC Operations and Tier Roles (Tier 1/2/3 Analyst)

Log Analysis Practice (Windows, Linux, Firewall)

Threat Containment & Eradication Steps

Host-Based Artifact Analysis

Email Analysis: Header, Attachment, Link Analysis

Phishing Triage & User Awareness

Creating SOPs & Runbooks for Incidents

Effective Incident Communication Skills (Technical + Non-Tech)

Cybersecurity Report Communication (CISO, Stakeholders)

Resume Workshop: Tailoring for SOC Analyst, Red/Blue Team

Presentation Skills: Explaining a Breach to Management

Interview Body Language & Soft Skills Practice

Mock Interview: 1-on-1 Role-Play with Feedback

Introduction to Incident Response & Its Importance

Understanding the Incident Response Lifecycle (NIST Framework)

Investigating Security Incidents & Digital Forensics Techniques

Log Analysis & Threat Hunting in Incident Response

Simulating Phishing Attacks & Social Engineering Scenarios

Detecting & Mitigating Ransomware & Malware Attacks

Incident Containment, Eradication, and Recovery Strategies

Hands-on Threat Analysis Using SIEM Tools (Splunk, ELK, Wazuh)

Creating an Effective Incident Response Plan (IRP)

Final Lab Challenge: Real-World Cyber Attack Simulation & Response