Learn Ethical Hacking with CTF Strategies

Scan targets with nmap to identify open tcp and udp ports, services, versions, and operating systems, then extend with the nmap scripting engine and nss scripts for deeper reconnaissance.

Enumerate services after port scanning by connecting to open ports and using banner grabbing to identify software versions and potential credentials or flags.

Learn to establish an SSH connection, use SSH tunneling and local port forwarding to access a localhost PostgreSQL service, and bypass firewall restrictions.

Enumerate windows file shares with the SMB client to identify accessible shares, including null sessions, then access the troubleshooting share to retrieve credentials and the flag.txt.

Explore NFS enumeration by mounting shared directories in Linux, and learn how spoofing user IDs can grant read and write access, potentially enabling code execution via a web server.

Enumerate SNMP services on the target via Nmap (port 161 UDP), then perform a dictionary attack to guess community strings and read SNMP values with snmpwalk and bulk walk.

Master dns enumeration using dig to resolve a records, quad a, txt, ns, ptr, and axfr, and apply hosts file tweaks and vhost testing with go-buster for ctf scenarios.

Learn web reconnaissance for ctfs by examining web apps behind nonstandard ports and using browser tools, curl, and directory fuzzing to uncover hidden entry points and APIs.

Learn to crack password hashes with John the Ripper on Kali Linux using wordlists and conversion tools, and run parallel cracking while exploring default credentials and shadow file concepts.

Learn to encode and decode data with base64 and url encoding, understand padding and formatting, and practice with Burp Suite and Cyber Chef in ethical hacking.

Learn to create, sign, and manage certificates with OpenSSL, including self-signed root CA certificates, private keys, CSRs, PKCS#12 exports, and PEM/DER formats within a practical PKI workflow.

Explore bind and reverse shells with netcat on Linux and Windows, using listener and client modes, ports like 443, and privilege considerations after initial access.

Identify vulnerabilities using CVE, CVE Details, and the NIST database, and explore exploit code from exploit databases to inform ethical pentesting and CTF strategies.

Leverage the Metasploit framework to access exploit modules, post exploitation payloads, and Meterpreter sessions, guiding practical lab practice with Metasploitable targets.

Master advanced Metasploit concepts, from updating the framework and database integration to MSF console workflows, including db_nmap scans, payloads, and reverse shells for post-exploitation and privilege escalation.

Explore practical Linux privilege escalation strategies after gaining a non-privileged shell, including searching for credentials, sudo abuse, suid programs, writable paths, and configuration flaws to reach root.

Learn how hackers and penetration testers use Windows cmd.exe and PowerShell to perform remote shells, run commands, work with text files, and leverage Active Directory cmdlets in assessments.

Connect to a Windows target via WinRM to open a remote PowerShell session using credentials or public keys on port 5986; run commands like get process.

Explore Windows privilege escalation using system services, including logging in with WinRM, inspecting privileges with whoami, and creating a reverse shell by modifying a service via sc.exe and running netcat.

Learn Windows privilege escalation with PowerShell scripts and toolkits like Empire and Sherlock PS1, exploring Ms16-032 on Windows Server 2012 R2 for post-exploitation.

Explore web hacking basics, focus on the OWASP top ten vulnerabilities and their 2017–2021 evolution, and practice with vulnerable web apps like DVWA, WebGoat, Mutillidae, and Juice Shop.

Master Burp Suite basics, including the proxy, intercept, and repeater, to test web applications, manipulate requests, and configure browser proxies and certificates.

Explore SQL injection basics on a vulnerable Mutillidae web app, testing login inputs, exploiting tautology and union queries to read data and reveal cookies and sessions.

Demonstrates automated vulnerability analysis with sqlmap, using burp suite to capture a login request and identify motility database. Illustrates blind and time-based SQL injection to reveal data from accounts table.

Expose a command injection vulnerability that lets web apps execute system commands via unchecked input, demonstrated with DVWA on Metasploitable and Kali, and explore secure sanitizing approaches.

Learn how web APIs enable machine-to-machine communication through RESTful and GraphQL interfaces, using HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT or PATCH, and data formats XML, JSON, or YAML.

Practice API hacking with Burp Suite and PortSwigger Web Security Academy by recon, locating endpoints, testing HTTP methods and data formats, and studying docs to exploit auth and pricing.

Explore cross-site scripting (XSS) as a client-side code injection that steals cookies and enables session hijacking. Identify reflective, stored, and DOM-based XSS types and apply http-only, secure, and same-site flags.