Practical Ethical Hacking 101

Get hands-on Practical Hacking Skills

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Build Real Practical Cyber Security Skills

If you’re new to hacking, this is the best place to start. Learn the foundations of ethical hacking, from how systems and networks work to common attack methods. Get hands-on with essential tools like Nmap, Metasploit, and more. Practice in a safe lab environment. By the end, you’ll be able to identify and exploit vulnerabilities, think like a hacker, and take your first confident step toward a career in cybersecurity.

Meet Your Course Instructor

Hello, my name is Peter H. Gblorso, and I am the creator and instructor of this course. I’m excited to share my knowledge and real-world experience with you as you explore the fascinating world of ethical hacking. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity and a Master’s degree in Ethical Hacking and Cybersecurity from Abertay University, United Kingdom — one of the world’s leading institutions in cybersecurity education.Professionally, I have worked as an Ethical Hacker with the Scottish Research and Business Centre (SRBC) in Scotland, where I conducted penetration testing and vulnerability assessments for a range of clients. I later joined MasterCard as a Cyber Threat Detection Analyst, focusing on identifying and mitigating emerging cyber threats across global systems.

In addition to my academic background and industry experience, I hold several professional cybersecurity certifications that strengthen my expertise in both offensive and defensive security practices.

My goal is to help you not only understand ethical hacking concepts but also apply them practically and responsibly in real-world environments.

What This Course Covers


  • Introduction
    Course goals & who this is for
    Legal & ethical rules for safe practice
    How to use the course (videos and labs, checkpoints)
    Course Overview
    What you’ll learn (outcomes)
    Structure: videos, hands-on labs, capstone
    Lab Setup
    Downloading/importing the Kali VM (From SharePoint to VirtualBox)
    Importing target VMs: SkyBlue (Win7) and DarkTrace (Win10)
    VirtualBox networking (Host-Only / NAT / Bridged)
    Ethical Hacking Methodology
    Reconnaissance → Scanning & Enumeration → Exploitation → Post-exploitation → Covering Tracks
    Reconnaissance & Scanning
    Ports/services discovery with Nmap
    Banner grabbing, version detection, and service mapping
    Web Application Discovery
    Directory brute-forcing (gobuster/dirb) and source code review
    Regex file searches and finding exposed config files
    Exploit Research & Selection
    Using Searchsploit and Exploit-DB
    Reading exploit codes and tailoring parameters
    Initial Access (Hands-on labs)
    SkyBlue (Win7): EternalBlue via Metasploit; HTTPFileServer exploit (exploit-db)
    DarkTrace (Win10): discovering Jenkins creds via directory brute force and using Jenkins Script Console
    Privilege Escalation (Hands-on labs)
    Windows escalation concepts and enumeration
    AlwaysInstalledElevated (SkyBlue)
    SeImpersonate & Unquoted Service Path (DarkTrace)
    Post-Exploitation & File Transfer
    Transferring payloads safely (python http server, certutil, msiexec)
    Web Vulnerabilities Demonstrated
    SQL injection, template injection, insecure file handling
    Practical demos from course walkthrough videos
    Tools Deep Dive
    Nmap, Metasploit, searchsploit, Gobuster, sqlmap (optional), netcat, Python, and more

Who this course is for and how can it help you?

This free, hands-on introduction to ethical hacking is ideal for university students, junior IT staff and career-changers, aspiring penetration testers, security-minded hobbyists, and instructors who need ready-made lab exercises. Through guided labs against purpose-built Windows targets (SkyBlue and DarkTrace) you’ll gain practical experience with real tools — Nmap, Metasploit, Gobuster, searchsploit and Python while following a full attack, escalation, post-exploit workflow. The course provides a safe, legal practice environment (isolated VMs), teaches how to discover and exploit common vulnerabilities (EternalBlue, HTTPFileServer, misconfigured Jenkins). By the end of this course, you’ll have completed hands-on exploit chains, and built the confidence to present these skills in interviews or on your CV.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes — this introductory course is completely free. It includes the guided videos, downloadable Kali VM and target VMs. A separate, more in-depth, in person course with extra labs and mentor support is provided for a fee.
The free course provides practical, hands-on intro labs and walkthrough videos. The paid course will include deeper modules, additional vulnerable targets, graded assessments, live or asynchronous mentor support, and a verified certificate.
No formal certificate is issued for the free intro course. If you need a certificate, you can enroll in the paid course where a verified certificate or digital badge will be available.
Basic familiarity with the command line (Windows/Linux) and core networking concepts (TCP/IP, ports) is recommended. No prior hacking experience is required.
Download links are hosted on the course page. Each VM comes with an importable OVA for VirtualBox. See the short setup video explaining the recommended VirtualBox network mode and snapshot instructions.
Yes — only when performed in the provided isolated lab environment on the supplied VMs. The course emphasizes legal and ethical boundaries; do not attempt these techniques on systems you do not own or have explicit permission to test.
For the free course, support is limited to community comments, WhatsApp group and the walkthrough videos. Paid students get prioritized support via email and WhatsApp group.
Free course materials are accessible indefinitely.
No, the VMs are isolated and designed to be safe when run in VirtualBox. Always run them in host-only or NAT network modes as instructed. Do not expose the vulnerable VMs to your production network.
The course teaches practical techniques and tool use that are useful for entry-level security roles and interview demonstrations. Completing the labs provides demonstrable hands-on experience you can describe during interviews.