Security Training

Introduction | Certification | Courses & Dates

Advanced Vulnerability Assessment & Penetration Testing (AVAPT)

A 5-day intensive hands-on course taking the student to the next level of penetration testing.  The course has been written by a penetration tester with real world experience in an industry leading information security organisation. 

The course has been focused on how to do the job and has been designed to follow the major phases of a penetration test against a simulated small business network.  Each module is followed by hands-on labs to reinforce the knowledge the student has just been taught.  Practical experience is what separates a theoretical student from a real penetration tester!

Who should attend?

• IT security professionals who wish to increase their knowledge of penetration testing
• IT professionals who have attended other penetration testing/ethical hacking courses and wish to learn how to perform a full penetration test

Please be aware that this course will not teach you everything needed to perform a full penetration test, the student should already have this knowledge.  This course completes the training required to be able to scope, conduct and report on penetration testing engagements in a commercial environment.

Course prerequisites:

• Attendance on the VAPT or similar course (CEH, OPST, CPTS etc)
• Knowledge of penetration testing tools and techniques
• Thorough understanding of Windows/Linux/Unix operating systems
• Solid understanding of networking protocols – TCP, UDP, IP etc
• Knowledge of networked devices is highly recommended (routers, switches, hubs etc)

Course outline:
The course has been designed to immerse the student in a simulated small business environment which requires a full penetration test.  This design allows for a more complete knowledge of how to conduct a penetration test from beginning to end, while focusing on a single target network.

During the course, the student will identify small pieces of information that, all together, will enable them to draw a conceptual diagram of the target network and produce a final report for grading.

Module 1:       Revision
Core concepts of penetration testing will be revised.  The student will be required to carry out a series of unsupervised tests against a number of target systems to assess the level of skill in the classroom.

Module 2:       The business of penetration testing
This module is primarily theoretical and deals with how to scope out penetration testing engagements.  This is the business element of professional penetration testing and is invaluable for students who wish to do this for a living.

Module 3:       Internet testing
The target is a simulated small business network with a typical DMZ setup.  This will require testing for vulnerabilities or other security flaws.  Subjects covered will include VPNs, business critical services (mail, web etc) and web application testing.

Module 4:       Web application testing
Web applications are business critical systems for today’s commercial environment and deserve an equal amount of attention as the network.  The AVAPT curriculum does not differ in subject to other courses, but in target.  The target has been secured against the easiest of attacks and students will need to be methodical to find all vulnerabilities and exploit the internal network.

Module 5:       Internal testing
Internal, LAN based testing requires a subtle touch as some internal devices react badly to automated scanning tools.  This module will also discuss network architecture and defensive solutions that will aid a penetration testing when consulting at a client site.

Module 6:       Writing buffer overflows
Expanding the knowledge of exploitation by analysing a well known vulnerability and writing a custom exploit to gain access.  This module has been written to continue the learning for students into more esoteric subjects.

Module 7:       Social Engineering
Social engineering has been defined as ‘hacking the human’.  This stands true in professional penetration testing.  The people of an organisation will most likely be the most successful entry point to the network.  Social engineering skills revolve around convincing someone of a need to know some piece of sensitive information, such as a password, but can also involve techniques such as piggy backing, shoulder surfing and dumpster diving.

Module 8:       Physical Security
The physical security for any organisation is often overlooked; however it is just as important as any firewall or IDS system.  This module covers all aspects of assessing the level of physical security including perimeter security, building security, server rooms and lock picking.  The hands on element of this module will introduce the student to the art of lock picking including padlocks, pin tumbler door locks, manual picking, electric lock picks and bump keys.

Module 9:       Reporting
All of the information gathered during the course will now be used to write a formal penetration test report based upon a template.  It is critical that the student retain all data as the report will be graded against the known security issues on the target network.

General Notes:
All delegates must be in full-time employment and will be required to provide proof of identity and proof of sponsorship for attending the course. All delegates will be required to formally sign off a legal document to ensure that the techniques learnt within the programme will not be used for malicious activity.

External Links: DNS

Top