Ethical Hacking

Ethical Hacking Mastery Roadmap

This detailed roadmap will take you from beginner to expert in Ethical Hacking, Penetration Testing, Bug Bounty, and Advanced Security Exploitation. It covers fundamentals, tools, attack techniques, security frameworks, real-world scenarios, and projects.

Phase 1: Fundamentals of Ethical Hacking

✅ Introduction to Ethical Hacking

  • What is Ethical Hacking? Legal Aspects & Ethics

  • White Hat, Black Hat, and Gray Hat Hackers

  • Cybersecurity Career Paths (Red Team, Blue Team, Purple Team)

✅ Basic Networking Concepts

  • OSI & TCP/IP Model

  • IP Addressing, Subnetting, DNS, DHCP

  • Protocols: HTTP(S), FTP, SSH, Telnet, ICMP

  • VPNs, Proxies, and Firewalls

✅ Linux & Windows for Hackers

  • Linux Fundamentals (CLI, Filesystem, Permissions)

  • Essential Bash Scripting for Automation

  • Windows Security (Registry, Powershell, Event Logs)

📌 Mini Projects:

  • Set up a Personal Ethical Hacking Lab (Virtual Machines, Kali Linux, Windows Sandbox)

  • Packet Sniffing with Wireshark

Phase 2: Information Gathering & Reconnaissance

✅ Passive Reconnaissance

  • Google Dorking & OSINT Techniques

  • Shodan, theHarvester, Recon-ng

  • Social Engineering & Phishing Techniques

✅ Active Reconnaissance

  • Subdomain Enumeration (Subfinder, Amass)

  • Port Scanning (Nmap, Masscan, Unicornscan)

  • Service Fingerprinting (Whatweb, Wappalyzer)

✅ Website Reconnaissance

  • Directory Bruteforcing (dirb, dirsearch, ffuf)

  • Web Application Fingerprinting (Burp Suite, Nikto)

  • Identifying Vulnerabilities (Nuclei, Arachni)

📌 Mini Projects:

  • Automate a Recon Process Using Python/Bash

  • Analyze a Target’s Attack Surface with OSINT Tools

Phase 3: Exploitation & Attack Techniques

✅ Web Application Exploitation

  • OWASP Top 10 Vulnerabilities

  • SQL Injection (SQLMap, Manual SQLi)

  • Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) (XSSer, BeEF)

  • File Inclusion (LFI/RFI) & Remote Code Execution

✅ Network Exploitation

  • Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attacks (Ettercap, Bettercap)

  • Sniffing & Spoofing (Wireshark, tcpdump)

  • DNS & ARP Poisoning

✅ Brute Force & Password Attacks

  • Dictionary & Hybrid Attacks (Hydra, Medusa, hashcat)

  • Credential Stuffing (Burp Suite, CeWL)

  • Cracking Hashes (John the Ripper, RainbowCrack)

📌 Mini Projects:

  • Exploit SQL Injection on a Test Website

  • Perform an MITM Attack on a Test Network

Phase 4: Privilege Escalation & Post-Exploitation

✅ Privilege Escalation Techniques

  • Windows Privilege Escalation (winPEAS, PowerUp)

  • Linux Privilege Escalation (linPEAS, GTFOBins)

  • Exploiting Misconfigurations & Weak Permissions

✅ Post-Exploitation & Lateral Movement

  • Maintaining Access (Backdoors, Web Shells)

  • Credential Dumping (Mimikatz, LaZagne)

  • Lateral Movement (Pass-the-Hash, Pass-the-Ticket)

📌 Mini Projects:

  • Escalate Privileges in a Virtual Lab (HackTheBox, TryHackMe)

  • Extract Credentials from a Compromised System

Phase 5: Wireless & IoT Hacking

✅ Wireless Network Exploitation

  • Wi-Fi Cracking (Aircrack-ng, Wifite, Reaver)

  • Rogue Access Points & Evil Twin Attacks

  • Bluetooth & RFID Hacking

✅ IoT & Hardware Hacking

  • Identifying Vulnerabilities in IoT Devices

  • Intercepting Traffic from IoT Networks

  • Firmware Extraction & Reverse Engineering

📌 Mini Projects:

  • Crack a WPA2 Wi-Fi Network (Test Environment)

  • Analyze IoT Device Traffic for Security Issues

Phase 6: Advanced Cyber Attacks & Red Teaming

✅ Advanced Web Attacks

  • HTTP Request Smuggling

  • API Security & JWT Token Exploits

  • Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI)

✅ Red Teaming & Social Engineering

  • Payload Generation (Empire, Evilginx, Cobalt Strike)

  • Evasion Techniques (Obfuscation, Antivirus Bypassing)

  • Physical Security & Social Engineering Exploits

📌 Mini Projects:

  • Develop an Advanced Phishing Attack Scenario

  • Bypass Modern Firewalls & Antivirus Using Custom Payloads

Phase 7: Bug Bounty Hunting & Security Certifications

✅ Bug Bounty Hunting Essentials

  • How to Find & Report Security Vulnerabilities

  • Tools for Bug Hunting (Burp Suite, Nuclei, Amass)

  • Creating a Responsible Disclosure Report

✅ Security Certifications (Optional but Recommended)

  • Beginner: CompTIA Security+, CEH

  • Advanced: OSCP, CISSP, GPEN

📌 Mini Projects:

  • Find & Report a Bug on a Bug Bounty Platform

  • Simulate a Red Team Attack in a Virtual Lab

Final Step: Real-World Testing & Practice

🔥 Platforms to Practice Ethical Hacking:

🚀 By mastering this roadmap, you’ll be able to: ✅ Conduct Ethical Hacking & Penetration Testing ✅ Hunt Bugs for Bug Bounty Platforms & Earn Rewards ✅ Perform Advanced Cyber Attacks & Exploit Web Applications ✅ Secure Networks, Systems, & Applications

🔥 Start hacking ethically now! 🛡️💻

PreviousTypeScript (Optional)NextBug Bounty Hunting

Last updated