Hacktivity Cybersecurity Labs: A Free Course of Hands-On Labs

This free cybersecurity course offers a series of practical, hands-on labs designed to develop real-world security skills. As a free sample of the learning experience available on Hacktivity, these labs provide an opportunity to gain valuable, industry-relevant expertise through interactive challenges.

Course Overview

The course consists of seven comprehensive labs:

1. Introduction to Linux and Security - Master essential Linux command-line skills, file system navigation, and secure shell protocols. Learn to perform basic security operations in a Linux environment.

2. Information Gathering: Scanning - Develop network scanning techniques using tools like Nmap. Create custom ping sweep and port scanning scripts while learning essential reconnaissance methods for both offensive and defensive security.

3. Integrity Protection - Explore file permissions, attributes, and read-only filesystems to protect data integrity. Features interactive Hackerbot challenges that test your ability to secure systems.

4. Introduction to Malware Analysis - Learn both static and dynamic analysis techniques using tools like hexdump, readelf, strings, strace, and ltrace. Solve reverse engineering challenges to extract passwords and obtain flags.

5. Access Controls - Master Unix file permissions, user management, and access control models. Understand inodes, file links, and permission management through practical Hackerbot-guided tasks.

6. Introducing Web Security - Explore HTTP fundamentals, client-server architecture, and web security testing. Learn to use ZAP proxy to intercept and modify web traffic, and complete challenges related to web vulnerabilities.

7. Understanding Software Vulnerabilities - Identify and exploit command injection flaws, race conditions, and format string vulnerabilities. Learn patch management and security mitigation techniques.

Each lab includes practical CTF-style challenges where you'll need to apply your knowledge to obtain flags. Many labs feature supplementary resources including lecture slides, and instructional videos aligned with the CyBOK (Cyber Security Body of Knowledge) framework.