Ethical Hacking Course For Beginners Jun 2026

Ethical Hacking Course for Beginners Course overview A practical, hands-on beginner course to teach foundational cybersecurity and ethical hacking skills. Duration: 8 weeks (recommended pace: 4–6 hours/week). Goal: understand core security concepts, perform basic assessments, and follow legal/ethical guidelines. Week-by-week syllabus | Week | Topics | Learning objectives | Labs / Tools | |------|--------|---------------------|--------------| | 1 | Introduction & ethics | Understand what ethical hacking is, legal/ethical rules, responsible disclosure, scope and authorization. | Read code of ethics; case studies. | | 2 | Networking fundamentals | Learn TCP/IP, OSI model, IP addressing, ports, DNS, common protocols. | Wireshark capture and analysis. | | 3 | Linux & command line | Gain comfort with Linux, Bash, file permissions, processes, networking commands. | Kali/Parrot VM; basic shell tasks. | | 4 | Reconnaissance & scanning | Perform passive and active reconnaissance, footprinting, port/service scanning. | Nmap, Netcat, whois, OSINT techniques. | | 5 | Vulnerability assessment | Identify vulnerabilities, CVE basics, common misconfigurations. | OpenVAS, Nikto, Nessus (trial), manual checks. | | 6 | Web application basics | Understand HTTP, common web vulnerabilities (OWASP Top 10) and simple exploitation. | Burp Suite (Community), OWASP Juice Shop, sqlmap. | | 7 | Exploitation fundamentals | Learn basics of exploitation, payloads, simple buffer overflow concepts, post-exploitation safety. | Metasploit framework (learning mode), safe VMs. | | 8 | Wireless, social engineering & reporting | Explore Wi‑Fi security, phishing/social engineering concepts, and how to write professional reports. | Aircrack-ng basics (passive demos), phishing simulation (educational), report template. Recommended learning resources

Hands-on: Kali Linux or Parrot OS in VMs (VirtualBox/VMware) Labs: TryHackMe, Hack The Box (Beginner boxes), OWASP Juice Shop Books: “The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook” (select chapters), “Practical Malware Analysis” (intro sections), “Metasploit: The Penetration Tester’s Guide” References: OWASP Top 10, MITRE ATT&CK, CVE database

Tools cheat sheet (starter)

Recon: whois, theHarvester, Shodan (OSINT) Scanning: nmap, masscan Web testing: Burp Suite (Community), sqlmap, curl Exploitation/learning: Metasploit (framework), msfconsole Forensics & packets: Wireshark, tcpdump Automation & scripting: Python (requests, pwntools), Bash ethical hacking course for beginners

Lab setup & safety

Use isolated lab environment (local VMs, disconnected networks) — never test on systems without explicit, written permission. Snapshot VMs before experiments; restore after malware or risky tests. Prefer intentionally vulnerable targets (OWASP Juice Shop, Metasploitable, VulnHub VMs, TryHackMe boxes).

Assessment & projects

Weekly practical tasks (scan a VM, exploit a lab vuln, write findings). Final capstone: full scoped pentest on an isolated lab network — include reconnaissance, scanning, exploitation, remediation suggestions, and a professional report.

Learning path & timeline (example)

Weeks 1–2: theory + networking basics Weeks 3–5: tool skills, Linux, scanning, vuln assessment Weeks 6–8: web security, exploitation, reporting, capstone Ethical Hacking Course for Beginners Course overview A

Tips for beginners

Master fundamentals (Linux, networking, HTTP) before advanced tools. Practice consistently on legal platforms. Keep notes and build a lab notebook of commands and findings. Learn to write clear, concise reports — communication is as important as technical skill. Follow responsible disclosure and legal boundaries at all times.