Online Ethical Hacking Course
A live, instructor led ethical hacking course that takes you from no prior experience to finding and exploiting real vulnerabilities in a lab environment. Online, scheduled, and taught by practitioners who do this work outside the classroom.
See the full VAPT syllabus for the module breakdown, or start free on Hacklido before deciding anything.
What you will actually be able to do
Course outcomes in this industry are usually written as topic lists. Here is the capability version instead. By the end you should be able to:
- Map an unknown target's attack surface from nothing but a domain name
- Find and exploit the OWASP Top 10 by hand, without a scanner telling you where to look
- Escalate privileges on both Linux and Windows hosts
- Enumerate an Active Directory domain and identify a path to higher privilege
- Write a finding up so a developer can reproduce and fix it without asking you questions
That last one is the skill almost no course teaches and the one that decides whether you stay a junior.
Course structure
| Phase | Focus | Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations | Networking, Linux, Windows, HTTP | Wireshark, terminal, virtual lab |
| Reconnaissance | Enumeration, subdomain discovery, fingerprinting | Nmap, Gobuster, httpx |
| Web exploitation | Injection, XSS, access control, business logic | Burp Suite, SQLmap |
| Network exploitation | Service attacks, privilege escalation | Metasploit, Hydra |
| Active Directory | Domain enumeration, lateral movement | BloodHound, Impacket |
| Reporting | Findings, severity, remediation | Graded report submission |
Ethical means scoped and authorised
Worth being direct about, because a lot of content in this space is not. Testing a system you have no written authorisation to test is a criminal matter in India under the IT Act, regardless of intent and regardless of whether you report what you find.
We teach scoping and rules of engagement in the first module, before any exploitation. Every lab target we give you is ours. What you do outside that is your responsibility, and we will tell you clearly where the line is.
Prerequisites
None beyond basic computer familiarity. Networking and Linux are taught from scratch. If you can install software and are comfortable with a keyboard, you can start.
What helps but is not required: any exposure to programming, any exposure to command line, and genuine curiosity about how things break.
How the batches run
- Live sessions, Friday to Sunday, so working professionals can attend
- Recordings after each session with lifetime access for revision
- Seventy percent attendance required for certification
- One to one mentor access throughout, not a shared support inbox
- Limited seats per cohort so mentor access stays real
Start free first
Hacklido is our free CTF and lab platform. Anyone can use it, enrolled or not. Work the beginner track. If it clicks, come back and take the structured version. If it does not, you have saved your money and learned something useful about fit.
Frequently asked questions
Is ethical hacking legal in India?
Yes, when you have written authorisation for the system you are testing. Testing without authorisation is an offence under the IT Act regardless of intent, which is why scoping and rules of engagement are taught in the first module.
Can a beginner learn ethical hacking online?
Yes. This course assumes no prior security knowledge. Networking, Linux and web fundamentals are taught from scratch before any exploitation.
Do I need programming knowledge?
No. You need to read code more than write it. Basic Python helps and is covered at the level required, but you do not need to be a developer.
How long does the course take?
The live program runs over three months with sessions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Time to competence depends on practice hours outside class.
Is a certificate provided?
Yes, with a unique public verification ID. Certification requires seventy percent attendance and completion of the practical assessments.
What is the difference between ethical hacking and VAPT?
Ethical hacking is the broader discipline. VAPT is a specific scoped and contracted engagement with a defined deliverable, a report. All VAPT is ethical hacking, not all ethical hacking is VAPT.