Labs

Throughout this course, I completed a series of progressively advanced assignments designed to build my technical foundation in penetration testing, vulnerability analysis, and secure system evaluation. Each assignment introduced a new phase of the offensive security lifecycle and expanded my familiarity with industry-standard tools and methodologies.

Assignment 1: Vulnerability Scanning & Linux Network Discovery
The first assignment focused on the fundamentals of vulnerability scanning and basic network enumeration on Linux systems. I learned how to collect key network information, interpret system details, and establish a baseline understanding of target environments.

Assignment 2: Reconnaissance & Advanced Scanning Techniques
Building upon the first assignment, I explored the reconnaissance phase of penetration testing using both Linux command-line utilities and Nmap. This included host discovery, basic script utilization, and the analysis of service and port data to create an early attack profile.

Assignment 3: Malware Analysis Fundamentals
This assignment introduced the core workflow of malware analysis. I studied how cybersecurity professionals dissect malicious files, analyze behavior, and document the impact and functionality of malware in a formal technical report.

Assignment 4: Steganography & Hidden Data Extraction
Using steghide on Kali Linux, I learned how to embed and extract hidden information within images and other file types. This provided hands-on experience with covert data transfer techniques and detection methods relevant to forensic investigations.

Assignment 5: SQL Injection & Database Exploitation
The final assignment focused on SQL injection vulnerabilities within a purposely weak virtual machine. I practiced crafting malicious SQL queries to enumerate database contents, extract sensitive information, and escalate to administrative access—demonstrating how real-world application flaws can be exploited.