Cloud Security Course Syllabus

Cloud security testing and hardening across the three major providers. Security qualified, which means this is not a cloud computing course with a security chapter bolted on.

Module 1: Cloud Fundamentals for Security

• The shared responsibility model and what it means for scope
• Core service categories across AWS, Azure and GCP
• Identity as the new perimeter
• Regions, availability zones and data residency

Module 2: Identity and Access Management

Where most real cloud breaches begin.

• IAM policy structure and evaluation logic
• Over permissive grants and wildcard abuse
• Role assumption and privilege escalation paths
• Service accounts and machine identity
• Cross account and cross tenant access risk
• Auditing effective permissions rather than assigned ones

Module 3: Storage and Data Exposure

• Public bucket and blob exposure
• Bucket policy and ACL misconfiguration
• Unencrypted volumes and snapshots
• Snapshot and backup exposure
• Database exposure to the public internet

Module 4: Network and Compute

• Security group and firewall rule review
• Instance metadata service abuse and its mitigations
• Container and orchestration security basics
• Serverless function security
• Exposed management interfaces

Module 5: Cloud Penetration Testing

• What is in scope and what the providers prohibit
• Enumeration from credentials and from outside
• Escalation chains from a single leaked key
• Lateral movement in cloud environments
• Combining SSRF with metadata access

Module 6: Logging, Monitoring and Response

• Native logging services and what they do and do not capture
• Detecting credential abuse
• Cloud incident response and evidence collection
• Containment when the attacker holds valid credentials

Module 7: Hardening and Compliance

• Benchmark based hardening
• Infrastructure as code security review
• Secrets management done properly
• Mapping cloud controls to ISO 27001 and Indian regulatory requirements

Tools covered

Enrol in the Cloud Security program

Verify every module against your actual delivered curriculum before publishing.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need cloud experience before this course?

Basic familiarity with at least one provider helps. Module 1 covers the fundamentals from a security perspective, but this is not an introduction to cloud computing.

Which cloud provider does the course focus on?

AWS primarily, with Azure and GCP equivalents covered so the concepts transfer. IAM logic differs by provider but the attack patterns do not.

Is cloud penetration testing legal?

Testing your own or your client's configuration is legal with authorisation. Testing the provider's underlying infrastructure is generally prohibited. Module 5 covers exactly where that line sits.

What causes most real cloud breaches?

Identity misconfiguration and public storage exposure, not exotic exploits. That is why IAM gets a full module.

Is cloud security a good specialisation?

Yes. The talent supply in India is thin relative to demand and the pay premium over general infrastructure roles is real.

Does this prepare me for a cloud certification?

It covers overlapping ground but is built around doing the work rather than passing a specific vendor exam.