OSI and TCP/IP Models

Understanding IP Addressing & Subnetting

DNS, DHCP, ARP, ICMP

VPNs, NAT, and Port Forwarding

Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)

Packet Analysis with Wireshark and Tcpdump

Basics of Routing and Switching

Network Topology & Segmentation

Kali Linux Setup and Configuration

Parrot OS & Other Pentesting Distros

Windows Command Line & PowerShell Basics

Linux Shell Scripting and Automation

File System & Permissions (Linux/Windows)

Privilege Management & User Enumeration

Passive and Active Reconnaissance

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)

WHOIS, DNS, and Google Dorking

Using Shodan and Maltego for Footprinting

Tools: TheHarvester, Recon-ng, Netcraft

Identifying Vulnerabilities through Information Gathering

Port Scanning with Nmap, Masscan

Banner Grabbing and Service Identification

Vulnerability Scanning Tools (Nessus, OpenVAS)

Network & Application Layer Enumeration

Service Enumeration (FTP, SSH, SMB, SNMP)

Web Server and Database Enumeration

Understanding Exploits & Common Vulnerabilities

Using Metasploit Framework for Exploitation

Exploiting Misconfigured Services & Weaknesses

Web Application Vulnerabilities (SQL Injection, XSS, CSRF, etc.)

Buffer Overflow Attacks and Stack Smashing

Web Shells, Reverse Shells, and Bind Shells

OWASP Top 10 Vulnerabilities

SQL Injection (SQLi) – Manual & Automated Exploits

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) – Reflected, Stored, DOM-based

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)

Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

Remote Code Execution (RCE)

XML External Entity (XXE) Injection

Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP for Web Application Testing

Web Application Firewalls (WAF) & Evasion Techniques

Cracking WPA2/WPA3 (Aircrack-ng, Wifite, Reaver)

Evil Twin & Rogue Access Point Attacks

Jamming and Deauthentication Attacks

Wireless Protocols & Bluetooth Hacking

Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) Exploits

MAC Address Spoofing & Honey Potting

Writing and Understanding Exploits

Memory Corruption (Buffer Overflows, Format String)

Return Oriented Programming (ROP)

Shellcode Development & Injection Techniques

Exploit Mitigation & Bypass (ASLR, DEP, Stack Canaries)

Reverse Engineering of Binary Applications

Debugging with GDB, Immunity Debugger, or OllyDbg

Hashing Algorithms and Hash Cracking (MD5, SHA1, etc.)

Using John the Ripper, Hashcat, and Aircrack-ng

Dictionary Attacks, Brute Force, and Rainbow Tables

Cracking Encrypted Passwords and File Systems

Credential Dumping (Mimikatz, LaZagne)

Password Policies & Cracking Tools

Escalating Privileges on Linux & Windows

Windows Privilege Escalation (WinPEAS, PowerUp)

Linux Privilege Escalation (LinPEAS, GTFOBins)

Kernel Exploits & Misconfigurations

File Permission Exploits & Sudo Misconfigurations

Escalating from Low to Root/Administrator

Static & Dynamic Analysis of Malware

Using Tools like IDA Pro, Ghidra, OllyDbg

Debugging & Patching Executables

Reverse Engineering of Packaged Malware

Understanding and Creating Malware (Trojan, Ransomware)

Rootkits and Bootkits

Reverse Engineering Fileless Malware

Analyzing Network Traffic Generated by Malware

Phishing (Email Phishing, Spear Phishing)

Crafting Phishing Emails and Fake Websites

Social Engineering Toolkit (SET)

Voice Phishing (Vishing) and SMS Phishing (Smishing)

Pretexting & Impersonation

Human Targeting & Manipulation Techniques

AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Security

Cloud Misconfigurations and Exploits

S3 Bucket Enumeration & Exploitation

Cloud API Security Testing

Serverless Hacking (Lambda, Functions)

Cloud Access Management (IAM) Exploits

Android & iOS Pentesting

APK Decompiling, Reverse Engineering, & Modifications

Exploiting Mobile APIs and Insecure Storage

Mobile Device Management (MDM) Bypass

Mobile Web App Security

Using Drozer & MobSF for Mobile Testing

Introduction to Digital Forensics

Evidence Collection & Chain of Custody

Forensic Analysis of Hard Drives & RAM

Memory Forensics with Volatility

Disk Forensics & Data Recovery Techniques

Network Forensics & Packet Analysis

Investigating Cyber Attacks & Incident Response Procedures

Red Team vs Blue Team Operations

Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) of APTs

Persistent Access & Lateral Movement Techniques

Tools: Cobalt Strike, Empire, and BloodHound

Social Engineering & Physical Penetration Testing

Exploiting Active Directory & Windows Domains

Maintaining Access & Clearing Tracks

Basics of Cryptography (Symmetric vs Asymmetric)

Common Cryptographic Algorithms (AES, RSA, ECC)

Weak Encryption, Padding Oracle Attacks, and Cipher Block Chaining

Hash Functions & Digital Signatures

SSL/TLS & Certificate Exploitation

Cryptanalysis and Brute Force of Encrypted Traffic

Cryptographic Key Management & Attacks

Setting up a CTF Environment (HackTheBox, TryHackMe, VulnHub)

Solving Web, Network, Reverse Engineering, and Crypto Challenges

Tools for CTFs: Burp Suite, Nmap, Hydra, Netcat, John the Ripper

Documenting Exploits and Writing Reports

Team Collaboration and Information Sharing in Red Team Operations

Preparing for CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker)

Preparing for OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional)

PenTest+ (CompTIA)

eJPT (eLearnSecurity Junior Penetration Tester)

OSWE (Offensive Security Web Expert)

Developing a Cybersecurity Portfolio & Resume

Participating in Bug Bounties & Capture The Flag (CTF) Events