1. Introduction & Legal/Ethical Framework

• What is Ethical Hacking vs Malicious Hacking
• Laws, Regulations & Compliance (local laws, GDPR basics, breach reporting)
• Responsible Disclosure & Code of Conduct
• Career paths and certifications (CEH, OSCP, CompTIA Security+, etc.)

2. Fundamentals of Networks & Systems

• OSI and TCP/IP models (conceptual understanding)
• Common network services and ports (HTTP, HTTPS, DNS, SMTP, SSH)
• Basics of routers, switches, firewalls, and proxies
• Introduction to operating systems: Windows, Linux fundamentals

3. Security Concepts & Cryptography Basics

• Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability (CIA triad)
• Authentication, Authorization, Accounting (AAA)
• Overview of hashing, symmetric/asymmetric encryption, digital signatures
• Secure protocols and certificate basics (TLS/SSL overview)

4. Reconnaissance & Information Gathering (Conceptual)

• Open-source intelligence (OSINT) principles and legal boundaries
• Footprinting vs. fingerprinting — what to document and why
• Interpreting public data to prioritize security assessments

Note: The course covers how to plan and document information gathering ethically; it does not teach or provide instructions for unlawful intrusion.

5. Scanning & Vulnerability Assessment (Non-Exploitative)

• Scanning concepts: discovery, port scanning, service identification (overview)
• Vulnerability assessment workflows and risk rating (CVSS concepts)
• Safe use of scanners in lab/test environments and interpreting reports
• Prioritizing remediation recommendations

6. Web Application Security (OWASP Top 10 — Conceptual & Defensive)

• Understanding common web risks: injection, XSS, CSRF, broken auth, insecure deserialization (what they are and how to prevent them)
• Secure coding principles and input validation best practices
• Web app testing methodology (focus on finding issues and reporting fixes)

7. Network & Infrastructure Security

• Securing servers, endpoint hardening, and patch management concepts
• Firewall rules, segmentation, VPN fundamentals, and secure remote access patterns
• Detection basics: logs, IDS/IPS concepts, and alerting

8. Wireless & Mobile Security (Overview)

• Wireless security risks and secure Wi-Fi configuration principles (WPA2/3, SSID segmentation)
• Mobile security considerations and secure app deployment guidelines

9. Tools Overview & Safe Lab Practices

• Introduction to commonly used security tools at a conceptual level (network mappers, vulnerability scanners, proxy tools, forensic toolkits)
• Building and using isolated lab environments (VMs, containers, intentionally vulnerable apps)
• Risk management and avoiding misuse — always test only on systems you own or are authorized to test

10. Exploitation Concepts & Post-Exploitation (High-Level)

• Exploitation lifecycle explained conceptually (why it matters for defenders)
• Privilege escalation, persistence, and lateral movement — understanding the indicators
• Emphasis on remediation: patching, configuration, and monitoring

Note: The course will not provide step-by-step exploitation instructions or payload creation that could be used for wrongdoing. Hands-on exercises remain within controlled, legal lab environments.

11. Incident Response & Digital Forensics (Foundations)

• Incident response lifecycle: prepare, identify, contain, eradicate, recover, lessons learned
• Collecting and preserving digital evidence (chain of custody basics)
• Log analysis fundamentals and common forensic artifacts

12. Security Assessment Reporting & Communication

• Writing professional vulnerability assessment and penetration test reports
• Risk articulation: technical findings → business impact → prioritized remediation
• Client communication, briefings, and remediation tracking

13. Soft Skills & Job Readiness

• Ethics and client confidentiality
• Interview preparation, resume guidance, and portfolio tips
• Mock assessments and peer reviews

14. Capstone Project & Labs

• Build and document an end-to-end security assessment in a lab environment (scoping, reconnaissance, assessment, report)
• Practical exercises using intentionally vulnerable VMs/apps (capture-the-flag style) under supervision
• Final presentation and graded security assessment report