HackTheBox & TryHackMe- Cyber Security Upskilling Platforms

Welcome to the “HackTheBox & TryHackMe: Cyber Security Upskilling Platforms” course

Learn ethical hacking hands-on with Hack The Box, TryHackMe, Kali Linux, Nmap, and a full web application hacking section covering Burp Suite, SQL injection, XSS, and real-world vulnerabilities. Start with the fundamentals, practice in dedicated labs, and build your skills step by step—even if you’re new to cyber security.

Getting started with ethical hacking can feel overwhelming. You need to learn Linux, understand network scanning, figure out how lab platforms work, and make sense of web vulnerabilities—all while trying to decide which tools and tutorials to trust. This course brings those pieces together in one structured learning path, so you can spend less time wondering what to study next and more time understanding how security testing works.

First, you’ll learn how to navigate Hack The Box and TryHackMe, connect to their labs, and follow practical machine and room examples. You’ll build your foundations in Kali Linux, Linux commands, network scanning, and traffic analysis using tools such as Nmap, Wireshark, TCPDump, and Hping.

Then you’ll move beyond platform basics into hands-on web application security. You’ll explore how web applications work, intercept requests with Burp Suite, and study vulnerabilities including authentication and session weaknesses, SQL injection, XSS, command injection, XXE, and SSRF. You’ll also work through examples involving known vulnerabilities and learn how these weaknesses can be identified and tested in a controlled lab.

With over 12 hours of video and quizzes throughout the course, you’ll get a broad introduction to the platforms, tools, and web security techniques used in ethical hacking. No previous hacking experience is required, although the web application section moves quickly and benefits from repeated practice.

What Skills Will You Learn in This Course?

Hack The Box and Practice Machines: Understand the Hack The Box dashboard, labs, and HTB Academy, know what the free and subscription versions offer, and follow two worked practice machines, Devel and Knife.

TryHackMe Rooms and CTFs: Navigate TryHackMe’s dashboard, learning paths, rooms, CTFs, and walkthroughs, and understand the free and subscription versions.

Lab Access: Connect to the Hack The Box and TryHackMe VPN servers from Windows, macOS, and Linux, and use Kali Linux in your web browser.

Kali Linux and the Command Line: Use essential Linux commands like ls, cd, grep, find, and chown, plus output redirection, pipes, service configuration, and user management in Kali.

Network Scanning: Capture and analyze traffic with Wireshark and TCPDump, run active scans with Hping, and use Nmap for ping, SYN, port, TCP, and UDP scans, version and OS detection, and output management, plus Ettercap.

Web Application Testing Foundations: Set up a vulnerable BeeBox lab, understand how web apps work (HTTP, HTTPS, HTML, the DOM, JavaScript, cookies), intercept HTTP and HTTPS traffic with Burp Suite, and run reconnaissance with Whois, Fierce, theHarvester, crawling, and Google hacking.

Authentication, Session, and Injection Attacks: Attack insecure login, logout, password recovery, and CAPTCHA, path traversal and file inclusion, session fixation, and CSRF, then exploit reflected, stored, and DOM-based XSS, in-band, error-based, boolean-based, and time-based blind SQL injection (manually and with SQLmap), command injection with Commix, and XML, SMTP, and PHP injection.

Real-World Vulnerabilities: Test cryptographic weaknesses with Heartbleed and insecure HTML5 local storage, exploit known CVEs like Drupageddon (CVE-2014-3704) and SQLite Manager flaws, and bypass CORS, XXE, unrestricted file upload, and SSRF.

Who Is This Course For?

Beginners Who Don’t Know Where to Start: You want one clear path through the two best-known hacking practice platforms instead of piecing it together yourself.

TryHackMe Users Moving to Hack The Box (or the Reverse): You’ve used one platform and want to understand how the other works and how to connect to it.

Aspiring Ethical Hackers and Penetration Testers: You want practical experience with lab platforms and real web attack techniques, not only theory.

Bug Bounty Beginners: You want a hands-on introduction to the vulnerability types that programs pay for, starting with web applications.

IT Students and Career Changers: You’re moving toward security and want hands-on practice you can do at your own pace.

No hacking experience is required. The web section moves quickly, so plan to pause, rewatch, and repeat the labs yourself.

Why Practice Ethical Hacking on Hack The Box and TryHackMe?

Security employers look for practical skill, and working against real machines is one of the most direct ways to build and show it. Both platforms let you practice attacking in a legal, controlled environment.

The skills here are the starting point for junior penetration tester, web application tester, security analyst, and SOC analyst paths. Linux fluency, network scanning, and a methodical approach to web vulnerabilities carry over into deeper courses, bug bounty work, and certification study.

Why Choose This Course?

Two platforms, one path. You learn Hack The Box and TryHackMe together, so you can pick the style that suits you, or use both.

The first obstacle is solved. VPN setup is shown for Windows, macOS, and Linux on both platforms, and you also see how to use Kali in your browser.

More than a platform tour. A full web application hacking section turns the course into hands-on practice, from Burp Suite to blind SQL injection to SSRF.

Real examples, not only definitions. You watch practice machines worked through, and you exploit known CVEs against real version numbers.

The prerequisite skills are included. Linux commands, Kali basics, and Nmap are what beginner machines and rooms assume, and they are taught in the course.

Free and paid options explained. You see what each platform’s free version offers and what a subscription adds, so you can decide before you spend.

Check your progress. Quizzes after key sections help you see what has stuck.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Hack The Box?

Hack The Box (HTB) is an online cyber security training platform with gamified labs. You connect to hosted target machines and find weaknesses in them, in a legal and controlled environment.

What is TryHackMe?

TryHackMe is an online platform that teaches cyber security through short, gamified labs called rooms. Prebuilt machines run in the cloud, so you can practice without building your own lab.

Should I start with Hack The Box or TryHackMe?

Many beginners find TryHackMe’s guided rooms easier to start with, while Hack The Box gives less guidance and is generally considered more demanding. This course covers both, so you can start with the one that fits your level and move to the other when you’re ready.

Are Hack The Box and TryHackMe free?

Both have a free version and paid subscription plans. The course shows the differences so you know what to expect. Plans, prices, and which machines or rooms are free change over time, so check each website for current details.

Do I need a powerful computer?

Not for the platform sections. Both platforms host the targets, and the course shows how to use Kali Linux in your browser. For the web application section you set up a vulnerable virtual machine (BeeBox) on your own computer, so plan on a computer that can run a virtual machine.

Do I need to know Linux before I start?

No. The course teaches the Linux commands you need, along with Kali Linux basics, before it moves to the hacking tools.

Does the course cover web application hacking?

Yes, and it’s the largest section. It covers web technologies, Burp Suite, reconnaissance, authentication and session attacks, XSS, SQL injection (including blind and time-based), command injection, Heartbleed, known CVEs, CORS bypass, XXE, file upload, and SSRF.

Does the course cover SQL injection and XSS?

Yes. Reflected, stored, and DOM-based XSS, and in-band, error-based, boolean-based, and time-based blind SQL injection are each covered, with SQLmap used for automation.

What practice machines does the course use?

Two Hack The Box machines, Devel and Knife, worked through as walkthroughs, plus TryHackMe rooms and a CTF walkthrough. Access to specific machines can depend on your plan, so check which are available to your account.

How is this different from your other courses?

This course combines the Hack The Box and TryHackMe platform lessons with a full web application hacking section. If you only want one platform, my separate Hack The Box and TryHackMe courses are shorter. If you want a local Kali lab with a broader set of tools, my Kali Linux course covers that. If you already know the basics of XSS and SQL injection and want the web material alone, my advanced web application hacking course covers it in more depth. Some lessons overlap between courses, so choose by goal.

Will this course make me a certified ethical hacker?

No. It doesn’t prepare you for a certification exam. It builds practical foundations that you can take into certification study later.

Will this course get me a job?

No course or platform can guarantee a job. What it gives you is hands-on experience with real tools, lab platforms, and web vulnerabilities, which is what junior security roles and interviews look for.

Is it legal to practice these techniques?

Practicing on Hack The Box, TryHackMe, or your own lab is legal, because those targets exist for practice. Using these techniques against systems you don’t own or have permission to test is not legal.

Why Learn Ethical Hacking with Muharrem Aydın?

Muharrem Aydın brings years of teaching and real-world experience to this course, with a practical, no-fluff approach: clear explanations, real examples, and every topic in a logical order. You study at your own pace and always have a way to ask when something is unclear.

Clear Video and Audio: See clearly, hear clearly, and learn without distractions.

Lifetime Access: Come back to any lesson whenever you want to review a topic.

Fast, Friendly Q&A Support: Ask your questions in the course Q&A section.

Certificate of Completion: Download your Udemy certificate when you finish the course.

Go From Platform Tour to Real Web Hacking

Learn both platforms, connect to the labs, build your Kali and Nmap skills, and then practice the web attacks that real assessments and bug bounty programs are built on.

Enroll today in the HackTheBox & TryHackMe: Cyber Security Upskilling Platforms course and take your first step toward hands-on ethical hacking.

Important: This course is created for educational purposes. Use what you learn only on systems you are authorized to test.