Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Assessment

This course provides hands-on training in offensive cybersecurity, focusing on ethical hacking, red teaming, and infrastructure penetration testing. Students learn to assess, exploit, and report vulnerabilities across networks, web applications, cloud systems, and wireless environments. Weekly labs cover key domains such as reconnaissance, vulnerability scanning, password cracking, privilege escalation, exploitation frameworks (e.g., Metasploit), web application security (e.g., OWASP Top 10), and automation scripting. Students deploy Raspberry Pi 4B or Pi 5 devices as portable testing platforms, using Kali Linux to simulate real-world scenarios like Wi-Fi cracking, rogue access points, and USB-based attacks. The course includes modules on social engineering, cloud penetration (e.g., AWS misconfigurations), and remediation techniques. A capstone project simulates a full engagement, from scoping and exploitation to reporting. Aligned with certifications such as CompTIA PenTest+, OSCP, and CEH, this course prepares students for careers in penetration testing, red teaming, vulnerability assessment, and cybersecurity operations, emphasizing both technical skill and ethical practice.