Ethical Hacking &

Penetration Testing Course

Chapter#1 – Introduction
Content

Introduction

1. Course Introduction and Walkthrough

2. A Day in a life of an Security Engineer

3. Hackers and Types of Hackers

4. General Terminologies used in Hackerspace

5. Industry Experience and Expectations

Lab Setup
1. Course Introduction and Walkthrough

Detailed Course Syllabus

2. A Day in a life of an Security Engineer
5. Industry Experience and Expectations
2. A Day in a life of an Security Engineer
3. Hackers and Types of Hackers

Type of Hackers

Hacker
3. Hackers and Types of Hackers
3. Hackers and Types of Hackers
4. General Terminologies used in Hackerspace

4.1 What is Security?

4.2 CIA Triad

4.3 Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

4.4 What is Functional Testing? Vs What is Security Testing?

4.5 What is Network Security? What is Application Security?

4.6 Cybersecurity Vs Ethical Hacker

4.7 Security Testing Lifecycle

4.8 General Terminologies

4.1 What is Security?

Security, in a general sense, refers to the state of being protected against harm,
damage, loss, or unauthorized access.

In the context of information technology and computer systems, security involves

measures taken to protect digital assets, data, and information from
unauthorized access, attacks, and damage.

 Unauthorized access

 Unauthorized use

 Disclosure of information (information should be accessible to only authorized parties)

 Disruption of information (Interrupt in access of information system)

 Modification of information

 Destruction of information
4.2 CIA Triad

The CIA Triad is a fundamental framework in information security,

representing the three core principles that contribute to the overall
security of information and data within a system. The CIA Triad stands for
Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.

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 Confidentiality focuses on keeping information private and accessible

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 Integrity centers around maintaining the accuracy and trustworthiness
of information, preventing unauthorized or accidental modifications. Integrity
 Availability emphasizes ensuring that information and resources are
accessible and usable when needed.
 4.2 Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
1.Planning:
1. Objective: Define the project scope, requirements, budget, and timeline.
2. Tasks: Gather information, conduct feasibility studies, and create a project plan.
2.Feasibility Study:
1. Objective: Assess the technical and economic feasibility of the project.
2. Tasks: Evaluate potential risks, analyze costs and benefits, and determine if
the project is viable.
3.Design:
1. Objective: Create a detailed blueprint for the software to be developed.
2. Tasks: Architectural design, database design, user interface design, and
define system specifications.
4.Implementation (Coding):
1. Objective: Transform the design into actual code.
2. Tasks: Write code, perform unit testing, and integrate code into a functioning system.
5.Testing:
1. Objective: Identify and fix defects to ensure the software meets requirements.
2. Tasks: Conduct various types of testing (unit, integration, system, and acceptance testing),
and address issues found.
6.Deployment:
1. Objective: Release the software to users or the production environment.
2. Tasks: Plan and execute deployment, monitor performance, and address any issues during the
rollout.
7.Maintenance:
1. Objective: Ensure the continued functionality and improvement of the software.
2. Tasks: Address bugs, implement updates, and make enhancements based on user feedback.
4.3 What is Functional Testing? Vs What is Security Testing?

Functional Testing:
The primary goal of functional testing is to ensure that the software performs its intended functions
correctly. This type of testing evaluates the software's features, capabilities, and user interactions.

Security Testing: is a type of software testing that focuses on identifying vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and
potential threats in a software application's security mechanisms. The primary goal of security testing is to
ensure that the system is resistant to unauthorized access, attacks, and misuse of data. It helps identify and
address potential security risks before the software is deployed, reducing the likelihood of security breaches
and ensuring the protection of sensitive information.

Functional Testing Security Testing

Focus of testing is on functionality Focus of testing is on security aspects of application

Testing is done based on SRS (Software Requirement Testing is based on security standard e.g., OWASP Top 10,
Specification) SANS 25 etc.
 4.4 What is Network Security? Vs What is Application Security?

Network testing is a process of evaluating the performance, reliability, and security of a computer network. The goal is to
identify and address potential issues, ensure optimal network functionality, and validate that the network meets the
specified requirements.

Application security refers to the measures and practices implemented to protect software applications from security
threats and vulnerabilities throughout their entire lifecycle. The primary goal of application security is to ensure that
applications are designed, developed, tested, and deployed with robust security mechanisms in place to prevent
unauthorized access, data breaches, and other malicious activities.

Network Security Application Security

Focus is more on breaking Firewalls, IDS, VPNs; security Focus is more on breaking software design and code

Network Security specialists should be familiar with routers
and data flow through it
Goal is to design secure network
Easy to implement and define process
e.g. spam, viruses, and spyware etc.
Application Security specialists should familiar with
programming concepts
Goal is to design secure application
Hard to implement and ongoing process
e.g. Injection, XSS, CSRF etc.
4.5 General Terminologies used in Hackerspace

Cyber Security Ethical Hacking

Cybersecurity is a broad domain that includes a range of

Ethical hacking is a subpart of cybersecurity.
security techniques.
It involves safeguarding the system and data from malicious It involves finding vulnerabilities and reporting them to the
activities by identifying and resolving security issues. system’s owner.

The focus is on how to protect the system. It is focused on how to attack the system.

Cybersecurity experts protect the system by regularly Ethical hackers hack into the system to find the flaws in the
updating it and implementing all potential safeguards. system and keep it safe.

It is a defensive task. Ethical hacking is an offensive strategy.

Regular maintenance is performed to ensure that the security Testing is performed regularly to identify flaws and resolve
system is up to date. them.
Popular cybersecurity job roles include security analyst and Popular ethical hacking job roles include penetration tester
SOC engineer. and security manager.
4.6 Security Testing Lifecycle
The security testing life cycle typically follows a series of stages to systematically identify, assess, and address security
issues.

Here's an outline of the common stages in a security testing life cycle:

Step 1: Threat Modeling (Understanding/Analysis)

Step 2: Vulnerability Assessment

Step 3: Application Security Testing

Step 4: Penetration Testing

Step 5: Test Report generation

4.7 Other common security terminologies

• Vulnerability: A weakness or flaw in a system's design, implementation, or configuration that could be exploited.

• Exploit: A piece of software, code, or technique that takes advantage of a vulnerability to carry out an attack.

• Penetration Testing: The process of simulating a real-world cyberattack on a system, network, or application to
identify vulnerabilities.

• Payload: The part of an exploit that performs the malicious action, such as delivering malware or gaining
unauthorized access.

• Zero-Day Exploit: An exploit that takes advantage of a software vulnerability on the same day that the vulnerability
becomes publicly known or is discovered.

• Social Engineering: The manipulation of individuals to trick them into divulging confidential information or
performing actions that may compromise security.

• Phishing: A type of social engineering attack where attackers masquerade as a trustworthy entity to deceive
individuals into providing sensitive information.
Lab Setup