THE ETHICAL HACKER'S QUEST: BUILDING CYBER SKILLS STEP-BY-STEP: Ever wondered how hackers find and exploit vulnerabilities in digital systems? This interactive, beginner friendly hands-on course will take high school students on an exciting trip to discover the complexities of ethical hacking and cybersecurity. This course, geared towards those new to the subject or wishing to expand on their core knowledge, will educate students on how ethical hackers find and fix system flaws and safeguard them against malicious attacks.
Students will learn about the structured phases of ethical hacking and how to perform web application and network security assessments with industry-standard tools. Through exciting Capture the Flag (CTF) challenges, they will actively learn the skills required to secure real-world applications and networks. Students will engage in a mini CTF competition at the end of each session, where they will submit answers to security tasks and gain points for completing them successfully. This task based rewarding approach would encourage students to engage in responsible disclosure of vulnerabilities and explore bug bounty platforms such as bugcrowd, hackerone etc.
Throughout the course, students will:
- Set up a dedicated penetration testing environment: Students will set up Kali Linux utilizing virtualization tools such as VirtualBox or VMware, resulting in a lab for safe ethical hacking activities.
- Understand the basic principles of ethical hacking: Understand the fundamental ideas and techniques of ethical hacking.
- Practice hands-on attacks: Participate in real-world hacking challenges by exploiting vulnerable machines like Metasploitable or DVWA and describe your findings in simple penetration testing reports.
- Master industry-standard tools: Learn how to dTHE ETHICAL HACKER'S QUEST: BUILDING CYBER SKILLS STEP-BY-STEPetect vulnerabilities and test online applications using tools such as Burp Suite and Nessus.
By the end of this course, students will have a thorough understanding of ethical hacking and the skills necessary to pursue a career in cybersecurity. The combination of structured learning, CTF competitions, and hands-on tasks provides a unique and rewarding experience.
Students are welcome to bring their own laptops, but if they cannot, a computer will be provided on campus.
LUNCH: Students staying for full day or for both morning and afternoon sessions can bring or buy their lunch. All students will eat lunch on Campus in The Commons, a small food court.
