Certificate in Penetration Testing

To stand out and excel in your career as professional in the offensive security field, you will need more than just technical capabilities to succeed. The aim of the Fundamentals of Penetration Testing course is to introduce students to key considerations and activities professional penetration testers must plan for throughout an offensive security engagement. Starting with legal and ethical considerations, and adapting industry testing and risk assessment frameworks to varying requirements, students will learn to apply knowledge gained to successfully develop test plans, and develop and acquire resources required to accomplish engagement objectives. This course is focused on the planning, reconnaissance, and resource development stages of an offensive security engagement. It will include a mix of theoretical work introducing and adapting key concepts, and hands-on assignments practicing reconnaissance activities required to identify areas of vulnerability, and planning the path for successful exploitation.

9 Classes

39 Hours

Schedule

January 19 to March 15, 2026

Classes Mon 6:30 PM-9:30 PM (19 Jan 2026 to 09 Mar 2026); Tue 6:30 PM-9:00 PM (20 Jan 2026)

This course provides hands-on training in advanced reconnaissance and exploitation techniques used in penetration testing and ethical hacking. Students will learn to conduct stealthy infrastructure reconnaissance, actively probe network and cloud systems, and analyze traffic to map attack surfaces. They will develop scripting skills in Bash, Python, and PowerShell to automate enumeration tasks, perform vulnerability scanning, and prioritize targets for exploitation. The course also covers file transfer techniques, exploit development, password cracking, and attacks on Active Directory. Participants will practice network pivoting, privilege escalation, and lateral movement across Windows and Linux environments while exploring threats against specialized systems, including mobile, AI, and operational technology (OT).

9 Classes

39 Hours

Schedule

March 16 to May 10, 2026

Classes Mon 6:30 PM-9:30 PM (16 Mar 2026 to 04 May 2026)

This course provides in-depth training on web application and cloud penetration testing, equipping students with the skills to identify, exploit, and mitigate security vulnerabilities. Participants will analyze core security concepts, attack surfaces, and common web vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, XSS, and session hijacking. They will perform advanced penetration testing techniques, including privilege escalation, lateral movement, and reverse shell exploitation, using tools like Nmap, SQLMap, and Burp Suite. The course also explores cloud security risks, including misconfigurations, weak access controls, and container escape attacks, with hands-on exercises leveraging tools like ScoutSuite and Pacu. Through a full web application penetration test, students will gain experience in assessing risks, exploiting vulnerabilities, and providing actionable security recommendations to protect modern web and cloud infrastructures.

9 Classes

39 Hours

Schedule

May 11 to July 05, 2026

Classes Mon 6:30 PM-9:30 PM (11 May 2026 to 29 Jun 2026); Tue 6:30 PM-9:00 PM (12 May 2026)