Web Application Penetration Testing for Beginners 2026

Hands-on ethical hacking and bug bounty labs: recon, SQL injection, Burp Suite, WPScan, Kali Linux and DVWA

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Created byHassan Shafiq, Mavra Hassan

Last updated 7/2026

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What you'll learn

Set up a complete penetration testing lab with VMware, Kali Linux, Metasploitable and DVWA
Perform professional-grade reconnaissance and OSINT on any web target
Enumerate subdomains and virtual hosts using Gobuster, FFUF and certificate transparency
Find origin IP addresses hidden behind Cloudflare
Exploit SQL injection, command injection, CSRF, file inclusion and file upload vulnerabilities
Brute force web application logins with Burp Suite and Hydra
Enumerate and exploit WordPress sites with WPScan
Chain multiple vulnerabilities into a full compromise
Use automated scanners (WMAP, ZAP) effectively without relying on them
Apply a repeatable methodology to bug bounty programs and CTF challenges

Course content

9 sections • 41 lectures • 5h 6m total length

Introduction to Course1:20
WHO AM I - Meet the Instructor1:10

Website Basic OSINT20:43
Finding Technology Stack7:58
Manual Web Enumeration15:53
Master manual web reconnaissance with a browser to map a site, identify attack surfaces like login pages and forms, and extract osint from page source and headers.
Find Historical Links6:45
Website Monitoring14:01
Security Headers11:42
Finding Hidden Directories12:28
Website Information Aggregators5:00
Advanced Recon ASN and IP Address Enumeration19:53
Finding Acquisitions8:27
Finding IP Address behind Cloudflare12:09

Finding Subdomains16:38
Directory Busting and VHOST Enumeration with Gobuster & FFUF10:55
learn to perform directory busting and vhost enumeration using GoBuster and FFUF, explore wordlists, and practice brute-forcing directories and subdomains on web servers.
Passive Reconnaissance with Digital Certificates3:33
Explore how digital certificates enable passive reconnaissance by revealing subdomains, using search engines like search.sh and census to discover certificates across platforms.
Subdomain Enumeration Challenge - Takeover THM6:17
Enumerate linux subdomains with go buster and ff, update the host file, and retrieve the flag from blog and support subdomains to complete the takeover challenge on tryhackme.

Installing DVWA on Kali VM3:45
Install DVWA on Windows (Optional)4:10
Brute Forcing Web Applications Passwords with Burp and Hydra14:57
Brute Forcing Challenge (Brute it THM Free Room)10:36
Connect to TriHackMe via OpenVPN, enumerate with Nmap to find an admin directory, brute force login with Hydra, crack the RSA private key with John, then escalate to root.
Command Execution - Linux5:11
Demonstrate command injection and command execution on the DVWA platform by practicing various techniques, bypassing input sanitization, and achieving a reverse shell with Netcat.
Command Execution - Windows based servers2:24
Execute commands on Windows via dbwa for web apps, using Windows commands and command injection. Chain commands with pipes, inspect directories and files, and manage processes with tasklist and taskkill.
Practice Challenge (Pickle Rickle)6:21
Demonstrates solving a TriHackMe pickle rig command injection challenge, locating credentials in reports.txt, exploiting login.php, and using a python reverse shell to explore the server.
CSRF Basics and Exploitation3:07
File Inclusion Vulnerabilities2:17
SQL Injection Vulnerabilities -14:43
Explain SQL injection attacks that inject malicious SQL into input fields to access data, and demonstrate enumeration and data dump with Burp, sqlmap, and the DVWA app.
SQL Injection Vulnerabilities -23:29
This lecture covers medium- and high-difficulty sql injection challenges on the dvewa platform, illustrating bypass of real-escape string mitigation with a no-apostrophe payload to reveal user data.
SQL Injection Challenge (SQL Map THM)3:57
File Upload Vulnerabilities7:03
Chaining Multiple Vulnerabilities (Command Injection + File Upload)5:15

Requirements

A computer with at least 8GB RAM and 50GB free disk space
No prior hacking, Linux, or programming experience needed
Basic familiarity with using a computer and web browser
Willingness to set up virtual machines (fully guided in the course)
Free TryHackMe account for the optional practice challenges

Description

This course involves the use of artificial intelligence tools.

Learn practical web application penetration testing from scratch — no prior hacking experience required.

This course skips the theory dumps and puts you straight into a real Kali Linux lab. You'll build your own testing environment with VMware, Metasploitable and DVWA, then work through the exact reconnaissance and exploitation workflow professional penetration testers and bug bounty hunters use every day.

Most beginner courses spend twenty minutes on reconnaissance. This one spends an entire section on it — because in real engagements and bug bounty programs, recon is where findings actually come from. You'll learn OSINT, technology stack fingerprinting, historical link discovery, security header analysis, ASN and IP range enumeration, acquisition mapping, and how to find origin IP addresses hiding behind Cloudflare.

WHAT YOU'LL DO IN THIS COURSE

Build a complete pentesting lab (VMware, Kali Linux, Metasploitable, DVWA)
Run full reconnaissance: OSINT, tech stack, hidden directories, monitoring
Enumerate subdomains with Gobuster, FFUF, Amass and certificate transparency
Perform DNS enumeration and DNS bruteforcing
Run automated vulnerability scans with WMAP and OWASP ZAP
Brute force login forms with Burp Suite and Hydra
Exploit command injection on both Linux and Windows targets
Understand and exploit CSRF, file inclusion (LFI/RFI) and file upload flaws
Perform SQL injection at low, medium and high security levels
Attack WordPress with WPScan and exploit CMS Made Simple
Chain multiple vulnerabilities together for full compromise
Test your skills on real TryHackMe rooms after each major topic

Every technique is demonstrated live against legal, intentionally vulnerable targets you set up yourself. No hand-waving, no skipped steps.

By the end you'll have a working methodology you can apply to bug bounty programs, CTFs, or your first junior penetration testing role.

LEGAL & ETHICAL NOTICE

Every technique in this course is taught for ethical hacking and authorized penetration testing only. Use these tools exclusively on networks you own or have explicit written permission to test. Unauthorized wireless attacks are illegal in most countries and carry serious criminal penalties.

30-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE

Backed by Udemy's 30-day no-questions-asked refund policy. If you're not satisfied — get a full refund. Zero risk.

Who this course is for:

Complete beginners who want to break into web application security
Aspiring bug bounty hunters who need a reconnaissance methodology
IT professionals, developers and sysadmins who want to understand how their apps get attacked
Students preparing for eJPT, PNPT or CEH-style practical assessments
Anyone who has watched hacking tutorials but never built a real lab

Web Application Penetration Testing for Beginners 2026

What you'll learn

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Course content

Introduction2 lectures • 3min

Lab Setup4 lectures • 11min

Reconnaissance11 lectures • 2hr 15min

Subdomain Enumeration4 lectures • 37min

DNS Enumeration2 lectures • 17min

Vulnerability Scanning1 lecture • 11min

Introduction to practical Web Vulnerabilities and Exploits with DVWA14 lectures • 1hr 17min

Wordpress Enumeration and Exploitation2 lectures • 13min

Bonus Section1 lecture • 2min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: