Updated in May 2025.
This course now features Coursera Coach!
A smarter way to learn with interactive, real-time conversations that help you test your knowledge, challenge assumptions, and deepen your understanding as you progress through the course.
This course takes you on a journey through ethical hacking, starting with penetration testing fundamentals, setting up a lab with VirtualBox and Kali Linux. You'll learn essential Linux skills, networking tools, and terminology for hacking. Intermediate topics cover passive and active information gathering using tools like Nmap, Google hacking, and DNS zone transfers.
You'll explore web application testing with OWASP tools, BurpSuite, and injection attacks. Advanced stages tackle wireless testing, system hacking, and exploitation with Metasploit. You'll also cover MITM attacks, Python basics, and creating tools like backdoors and brute force attackers.
Designed for aspiring ethical hackers and cybersecurity professionals, the course is suitable for beginners and experienced learners alike, with foundational modules for newcomers and advanced challenges for seasoned individuals.
Applied Learning Project
Learners will engage in hands-on projects such as setting up a pentesting lab, performing web application penetration testing, and developing backdoors and keyloggers. These projects enable them to apply their skills to real-world scenarios, solving authentic cybersecurity problems.
