Certified Pentester Course Outline

Module 1: Introduction to Penetration Testing

• Overview of ethical hacking and penetration testing
• Legal, ethical, and regulatory considerations
• Types of penetration tests: black-box, white-box, gray-box
• Penetration testing lifecycle and methodology
• Introduction to penetration testing frameworks (OWASP, NIST, PTES)

Module 2: Reconnaissance & Information Gathering

• Active vs passive reconnaissance
• Open-source intelligence (OSINT) techniques
• Network scanning and enumeration (Nmap, Netdiscover)
• Social engineering basics
• Footprinting and mapping attack surfaces

Module 3: Vulnerability Assessment

• Understanding vulnerabilities and exploits
• Common vulnerability scanners (Nessus, OpenVAS)
• CVE, CVSS, and vulnerability reporting
• Manual vs automated scanning techniques
• Prioritizing vulnerabilities based on risk

Module 4: Network Penetration Testing

• TCP/IP, routing, and network protocols review
• Scanning and enumeration techniques
• Exploiting network services (SMB, FTP, SSH, HTTP)
• Man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks
• Network sniffing and packet analysis (Wireshark)
• Firewalls, IDS/IPS bypass techniques

Module 5: Web Application Penetration Testing

• Web application architecture review (front-end, back-end, APIs)
• OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities (SQLi, XSS, CSRF, etc.)
• Tools: Burp Suite, Nikto, OWASP ZAP
• Manual testing vs automated scanning
• Exploiting and reporting web vulnerabilities

Module 6: System & Host Exploitation

• Windows and Linux security fundamentals
• Password attacks and privilege escalation
• Exploit frameworks (Metasploit)
• Post-exploitation techniques
• Covering tracks and log analysis

Module 7: Wireless & Mobile Security Testing

• Wi-Fi security protocols and vulnerabilities
• Cracking Wi-Fi passwords (WPA/WPA2)
• Bluetooth and IoT security testing
• Mobile application testing techniques
• Mobile platform security models (iOS, Android)

Module 8: Cloud & API Security

• Cloud architecture and shared responsibility model
• Cloud-specific vulnerabilities and threats
• API security testing and exploitation techniques
• Tools for cloud and API pentesting

Module 9: Reporting & Documentation

• Writing professional pentest reports
• Risk scoring and prioritization
• Remediation recommendations
• Communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders

Module 10: Hands-On Labs & Capstone Project

• Simulated penetration testing exercises
• Red team vs blue team scenarios
• Capture the Flag (CTF) challenges
• Full penetration test from reconnaissance to reporting
• Capstone project: end-to-end real-world pen test

💡 Note: Each module should combine theory, tool demonstrations, and hands-on labs to ensure learners gain both conceptual understanding and practical skills.