Week 1: Onboarding and Cybersecurity Foundations
Onboarding
- Program roadmap and expectations
- Lab setup (VirtualBox/VMware, Linux VM, Windows VM)
- Documentation and reporting standards
- Responsible disclosure and ethics
- Cybersecurity career pathways
Foundations
- What is Cybersecurity?
- CIA Triad
- Threat landscape overview
- Security domains
- Introduction to enterprise security architecture
- Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) fundamentals
Lab
- Install Kali Linux
- Basic Linux security configuration
Week 2: Networking, Network & Perimeter Security
Core Networking
- OSI and TCP/IP models
- IP addressing and subnetting
- DNS, DHCP, HTTP/HTTPS
- Ports and protocols
Network & Perimeter Security
- Firewalls (stateful vs next-gen)
- Intrusion Detection & Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS)
- Network segmentation
- Demilitarized Zones (DMZ)
- Introduction to Network Access Control (NAC)
- VPN technologies
Tools
- Wireshark
- Nmap
Lab
- Capture and analyze network traffic
- Simulate firewall rule configuration
- Scan and enumerate open services
Week 3: Identity, Access & Authentication Security
Topics
- Authentication vs Authorization
- Identity and Access Management (IAM) fundamentals
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
- Privileged Access Management (PAM) concepts
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
- Active Directory security basics
- Zero Trust architecture overview
Lab
- Simulate IAM policies
- Implement MFA in lab environment
- Identify excessive privilege scenarios
Week 4: Risk Management, Compliance & GRC
Topics
- Risk assessment methodology
- Threat modeling basics
- Security policies and controls
- ISO 27001 and NIST frameworks
- Enterprise GRC structure
- Business continuity and disaster recovery
Project
- Conduct a structured risk assessment
- Draft security policy including MFA and IAM policies
PHASE 2 (Weeks 5–9): Ethical Hacking & Offensive Security
Week 5–6: Reconnaissance, Scanning & Vulnerability Assessment
Topics
- Passive and active reconnaissance
- OSINT
- Vulnerability scanning
- Service enumeration
- Exploit research
Tools
- Nessus
- Metasploit
Lab
- Conduct structured vulnerability assessment
- Document findings in professional format
Week 7: Exploitation & Privilege Escalation
Topics
- Exploit lifecycle
- Payloads and reverse shells
- Privilege escalation
- Lateral movement concepts
- Bypassing weak IAM controls
Lab
- Controlled exploitation in lab
- Privilege escalation scenario
Week 8: Web & Email Security
Web Security
- OWASP Top 10
- SQL Injection
- XSS
- Authentication flaws
- Session management
Email Security
- Phishing techniques
- Email spoofing
- Business Email Compromise (BEC)
- Email filtering and gateway protection
Tools
- Burp Suite
Lab
- Test vulnerable web app
- Simulate phishing awareness scenario
Week 9: Wireless & Social Engineering Security
Topics
- Wireless encryption fundamentals
- WPA2/WPA3
- Rogue access points
- Human factor exploitation
- Defensive awareness programs
PHASE 3 (Weeks 10–15): SOC Operations, EDR, XDR & Defensive Security
Week 10–11: SOC & SIEM Operations
Topics
- SOC architecture
- Log sources (endpoint, network, cloud)
- Alert triage
- Introduction to Splunk
- Incident categorization
Lab
- Investigate simulated alerts
- Log correlation exercises
Week 12: Endpoint Security – EDR & XDR
Topics
- Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR)
- Extended Detection & Response (XDR)
- Malware behavior analysis
- Endpoint hardening
- Response automation
Lab
- Analyze endpoint logs
- Detect simulated malicious activity
- Compare traditional antivirus vs EDR vs XDR
Week 13: Network Defense & NAC
Topics
- Advanced firewall configurations
- Intrusion detection tuning
- Network Access Control (NAC) deployment concepts
- Threat containment strategies
- Zero Trust enforcement at network level
Lab
- Simulate unauthorized device detection
- Apply segmentation rules
Week 14: Incident Response & Digital Forensics
Topics
- Incident response lifecycle
- Containment and eradication
- Evidence handling
- Root cause analysis
Lab
- Respond to simulated breach
- Produce incident report
Week 15: Red Team vs Blue Team Simulation
Team-based simulation:
- Offensive team conducts controlled attack
- Defensive team monitors using SIEM, EDR, and logs
- Post-incident debrief and report
PHASE 4 (Weeks 16–20): Cloud Security & Enterprise Security Engineering
Week 16–17: Cloud Security Fundamentals
Topics
- Shared responsibility model
- Cloud IAM
- Secure storage configuration
- Cloud logging and monitoring
- Cloud-native security controls
Platform
- Amazon Web Services
Lab
- Secure cloud object storage
- Identify misconfigured IAM roles
Week 18: Advanced Cloud Security & DevSecOps
Topics
- Cloud threat detection
- Identity federation
- Secrets management
- Container security basics
- DevSecOps integration
Week 19: Privileged Access & Enterprise Security Tools
Topics
- Enterprise PAM architecture
- Vaulting and session monitoring
- Just-in-time access
- Access reviews and auditing
- Enterprise MFA enforcement
Week 20: Enterprise Email, Endpoint & Network Protection Architecture
Topics
- Secure email gateways
- Endpoint policy enforcement
- XDR integration across network and cloud
- Security architecture design
- Enterprise Zero Trust strategy
PHASE 5 (Weeks 21–24): Professional Practice & Capstone
Week 21: Enterprise Security Governance & Audit
Topics
- Security audits
- Compliance assessments
- GRC lifecycle
- Risk treatment plans
- Board-level reporting
Week 22: Career & Certification Alignment
Topics
- Writing professional penetration testing reports
- SOC analyst reporting
- Certification roadmap:
- CompTIA Security+
- CEH
- CySA+
- CISSP (awareness level)
Weeks 23–24: Capstone Project
Students choose one:
1. Enterprise Penetration Test Simulation
- Full reconnaissance
- Exploitation
- Privilege escalation
- Professional reporting
2. SOC & XDR Simulation
- Monitor multi-layer logs
- Detect advanced threats
- Incident response
- Executive reporting
3. Enterprise Security Architecture Design
- IAM and PAM strategy
- MFA enforcement plan
- Network segmentation model
- Cloud security controls
- GRC compliance alignment
Graduate Outcomes
By the end of the program, students will be able to:
- Perform ethical hacking in controlled environments
- Conduct vulnerability assessments
- Monitor and analyze security events
- Operate SIEM, EDR and XDR systems
- Implement IAM, PAM and MFA strategies
- Secure networks, endpoints, email and cloud environments
- Apply GRC frameworks in enterprise contexts
- Produce professional security reports