Ethical HackingLaajuus (5 cr)

Objectives

The digital landscape is evolving at an unprecedented rate with unknown threats lurking around every corner. Cybersecurity resilience in the modern world cannot be just an addon - it's a necessity. Organizations must build cybersecurity resilience, and offensive security professionals like Ethical Hackers and Penetration Testers can help proactively discover unknown threats and address them before cybercriminals do.

This course is designed to prepare learners with the Ethical Hacker skillset. By doing real-world inspired hands-on practice labs, learners develop essential workforce readiness skills to lay a solid foundation in offensive security.

After completing the course, the students will be able to:
- Understand the mindset and tactics of threat actors
- Use several offensive security tools in proficient way
- Scope, execute and report vulnerability assessments
- Recommend mitigation strategies
- Understand the ethical aspect of hacking

By the end of the course, students have learned how to use ethical hacking tools to find, assess, and exploit vulnerabilities in a range of simulated and real-world targets.

Content

- Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing
- Testing tools and environments
- Planning and Scoping a Test
- Information Gathering
- Exploiting Vulnerabilities
- Post-exploitation
- Analysis and Reporting

Prerequisites

- Basic knowledge of cybersecurity
- Strong computer usage skills and understanding of how a computer operates
- Fundamentals of the Windows operating system
- Basic proficiency with Linux commands
- Introductory knowledge of programming
- Solid understanding of computer networks and their functionality

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

The student:
- Understands the basic principles of ethical hacking and penetration testing and explains their relevance to cybersecurity.
- Performs fundamental steps in offensive testing in simulated environments following instructions.
- Uses hacking tools at a basic level.

Assessment criteria, good (3-4)

The student:
- Applies ethical hacking methods in practical scenarios.
- Uses hacking tools effectively, documents findings, and critically analyzes them.
- Creates a basic proof-of-concept to demonstrate a discovered vulnerability and its impact in a simulated environment.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student:
- Has the necessary skills to participate in a planned penetration test as an active tester, following the plan and demonstrating an understanding of its details and objectives.
- Effectively utilizes tools and techniques as part of the testing process and interprets findings accurately.
- Prepares professional summaries detailing findings, risks, and relevant recommendations.