Introduction to Pentesting

Step into the world of ethical hacking and cybersecurity with this hands-on introduction to penetration testing. This course is designed for beginners who want to learn how security professionals identify, exploit, and help fix vulnerabilities in systems—using industry-standard tools and techniques.

You’ll start by getting familiar with penetration testing terminology, documentation, scoping and law. After that, you will dive in to Kali Linux, the leading penetration testing operating system, and build a solid foundation in networking, Linux basics, and security concepts. From there, you’ll dive into practical labs using Metasploitable, a deliberately vulnerable machine designed for safe, legal practice, and Windows 7, exploiting MS17-010, also known as EternalBlue, both from Metasploit, and manually using Proof of Concept (PoC) exploit code.

Throughout the course, you’ll learn how to:

• Set up your own virtual pentesting lab
• Perform information gathering and reconnaissance
• Scan and identify vulnerabilities using tools like Nmap and Nessus
• Exploit common security flaws with Metasploit
• Gain and maintain access to target systems
• Understand post-exploitation techniques and basic reporting

By the end, you’ll have real, hands-on experience simulating attacks in a controlled environment—giving you the confidence to continue your journey into cybersecurity, ethical hacking, or professional pentesting.

Who This Course is For

• Beginners with an interest in cybersecurity
• IT students or professionals wanting practical security skills
• Anyone curious about how hacking works (ethically and legally)

Prerequisites & Tools

What You Should Know

• Basic Python
• Basic Networking

Tools You Will Master

• Nmap
• Nessus
• Metasploit

Lab Environment

You will have access to:

• Metasploitable and Windows 7 VMs

• Attack machine (Kali Linux) preloaded with all necessary tools

• Isolated virtual network for safe, legal practice

A Note on Ethics

This course teaches offensive techniques for one purpose: defense. Understanding how these techniques work is the only way to effectively detect, prevent, and respond to them.

You are responsible for how you use this knowledge. Never apply these techniques against systems you do not own or have explicit written permission to test. The line between pentesting and malicious activity is authorization—and crossing it has real consequences.

What You Will Achieve

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Ethically and legally scope a penetration test
• Perform reconnaissance and enumeration against a target
• Navigate Kali Linux
• Manually create both bind and reverse shells using netcat
• Identify and exploit vulnerabilities in Metasploitable and Windows 7
• Use Searchsploit and other resources to find PoC exploit code
• Customise and execute exploit code
• Document findings and write a basic pentest report

Whether you are an aspiring penetration tester, a system administrator looking to defend your environment, or a red team operator sharpening your skills, this course will give you the practical knowledge to think like a professional ethical hacker.

Ready to Begin?

Lets get started!