Hacking Taster - Your First Step

Assessment Prep

This course is your first step into the world of ethical hacking — built specifically for beginners who want to get hands-on and see what hacking is really like.

There’s a lot of noise out there — complicated tutorials, expensive certifications, and challenge platforms that assume you already know the basics.

This course cuts through all of that.

It’s designed to take you from zero to confidently exploring and attacking your first systems, without needing any prior experience. No jargon overload. No gatekeeping. Just clear guidance, practical exercises, and a safe space to learn.

Why we made this course

This is the course we wish existed when we were starting out.

Not every course out there is beginner-friendly — this one is. It’s designed to guide you step-by-step and give you a safe place to learn and experiment.

Ethical hacking is a fascinating, challenging, and fast-moving industry — but getting started shouldn’t feel impossible.

This course gives you a taste of what it’s like to work in cybersecurity, explore real tools, and understand real-world hacking techniques — all in a structured, supportive environment.

What’s covered at a high level

You’ll start with the core fundamentals to get you comfortable with the tools and mindset of an ethical hacker, then move into practical network and web hacking exercises.

Topics include:

  • Core hacking methodology — how hackers think and approach problems
  • A beginner-friendly introduction to Linux and the Kali Linux operating system
  • Networking basics — what networks are, how devices communicate, and how to find your targets
  • Scanning networks for systems and services
  • Exploiting common network services (FTP, SSH, SNMP, HTTP)
  • Introduction to web application hacking using Burp Suite
  • Performing attacks such as password guessing, username enumeration, and SQL Injection
  • Learning to approach hacking problems methodically and safely

By the end of this course, you’ll have:

  • Confidence using common hacking tools and environments
  • A solid understanding of key hacking techniques and concepts
  • Practical experience scanning, discovering, and attacking systems
  • A clear idea of whether cybersecurity and ethical hacking is something you want to pursue further
  • Resources and guidance for what to learn next

This course won’t turn you into an expert overnight — but it will give you that critical first step, remove the fear of getting started, and help you build the skills to keep learning.

Course Pre-requisites

This course is built for absolute beginners.

All you need is:

  • A laptop or computer with a web browser
  • An interest in learning something new
  • That’s it.

We’ll guide you through setting everything else up — no prior experience needed.

Buy Now

Please follow the link below to make a purchase of the course. You’ll be redirected to Lemon Squeezy – our payment provider. Once your payment is processed, you’ll receive an email from our platform provider, CourseStack, to create an account and complete your course enrolment.

Early Bird Pricing!
Base Price: $14.99 — Total: $17.99 (inc. VAT)
Base Price: $29.99 — Total: $35.99 (inc. VAT)

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Hacking Taster
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Course Breakdown

Intro

This introduction gives you a quick overview of what the course covers and introduces CourseStack — the platform you’ll use to access the lessons and the systems you’ll be attacking throughout the course.

Lessons:

  • Who am I
  • Agenda
  • CourseStack & Other Notes

Hacking & Cybersecurity

This chapter gives a high-level overview of what hacking is like, some examples of different sorts of ethical hacking out there and some needed warning about hacking and the law. Remember, with great power comes great responability!

Lessons:

  • What is hacking like?
  • Cybersecurity is Vast
  • Hacking and the Law

Theory Basics

Here we dive into the fundamental basics of how to approach problems with a hacker’s mindset. You’ll learn the typical stages of an attack — from reconnaissance to exploitation — and start building the mental framework that underpins most hacking activities. It’s all about thinking critically, being curious, and knowing where to look (and poke) next.

Lessons:

  • Hacking Approach
  • Reconnaissance
  • Enumeration
  • Exploitation
  • Post-Exploitation
  • Vulnerability Categories

Linux

This short chapter introduces you to Linux — an operating system commonly used by hackers, but also one that powers much of the modern world. From servers to security tools, Linux is everywhere. In this course, we’ll be using a Linux-based operating system called Kali Linux — a popular choice for ethical hackers and security professionals.

Lessons:

  • What’s Linux?
  • Kali Linux

Networking 101

This is where the fun begins. In this chapter, you’ll get your first real taste of network-based hacking — scanning for hosts, discovering services, gathering information, and exploiting what you find. We’ll cover the fundamentals of how networks work, along with some common protocols you’ll encounter, including TCP, UDP, FTP, SNMP, SSH, and HTTP. This is all about getting hands-on and building confidence with real tools in real environments.

Lessons:

  • What is a network?
  • Network Ranges, IP Addresses and Ports
  • Approach
  • Finding Network Targets
  • Service Discovery & Network Protocols
  • TCP Services
  • Scan for TCP Services
  • UDP Services
  • Scan for UDP Services
  • Service Enumeration & Exploitation
  • FTP - Part 1
  • FTP - Part 2
  • SNMP
  • SSH
  • HTTP - Part 1
  • HTTP - Part 2
  • Summary

Web 101

This chapter picks up where the networking section left off and moves into the world of web application hacking. You’ll work through attacking a fictional web application — analysing what’s running, figuring out how it works, and using an industry-standard tool (Burp Suite) to help along the way. We’ll cover several common web vulnerabilities, including username enumeration, broken access controls, insecure direct object reference (IDOR), password cracking, and SQL Injection — giving you a practical introduction to real-world web hacking techniques.

Lessons:

  • Intro to Web
  • HTTP
  • Intercepting Web Proxy
  • Burp Suite Intro
  • Proxy Setup
  • Approach
  • Target, Scope & Filtering
  • Information Gathering
  • Information Gathering - Front-end
  • Information Gathering - Back-end
  • Content Discovery
  • Password Guessing Attacks
  • Username Enumeration
  • Broken Access Controls
  • Admin Dashboard - Visual Inspection
  • Admin Dashboard - HTTP Inspection
  • Recap
  • Object Enumeration - Part 1
  • Object Enumeration - Part 2
  • Password Cracking
  • Access Check
  • Re-visiting the Login Form
  • SQL
  • SQL Injection
  • Summary

What next?

Finally, we wrap up the course with some guidance on where you can go next to continue your learning journey. We’ll cover some important advice around staying safe and responsible as you practice your skills, share free resources to help you keep learning, and point you towards other courses and communities you might find useful. This is just the beginning — there’s a whole world of hacking and cybersecurity out there waiting for you.

Lessons:

  • Well done!
  • Safety First
  • Free resources
  • AI
  • More Courses?

Any questions?

If you have any questions about the course or need additional support, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can visit our support page for more information, or join our Discord community server where you can connect with other learners and get assistance. Click here to join the community!