Before you touch a single tool, learn what cyber security actually is, how attackers and defenders think, and where the ethical line sits.

• 0.1 Cyber Security Fundamentals & The CIA Triad
• 0.2 Hacker Mindset, Ethics & Legal Boundaries
• 0.3 Lab Setup & Career Roadmap

You cannot defend a network you do not understand. Build layer-by-layer knowledge of how data moves — and where each layer can be attacked.

• 1.1 What is a Network? — PAN, LAN, MAN, WAN
• 1.2 The Role of an ISP
• 1.3 Network Topologies
• 1.4 The OSI Model & TCP/IP Stack
• 1.5 Data Packets & The TCP 3-Way Handshake
• 1.6 MAC Addresses
• 1.7 IP Addresses (IPv4 / IPv6)
• 1.8 ARP — Address Resolution Protocol
• 1.9 DHCP — Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
• 1.10 DNS — Domain Name System
• 1.11 Ports & Protocols
• 1.12 HTTP & HTTPS
• 1.13 Subnetting & NAT
• 1.14 VPN & Firewall

Cryptography is the mathematics of trust. Learn how we keep secrets secret, verify integrity, and prove identity.

• 2.1 CIA Triad Applied & Encryption Fundamentals
• 2.2 Symmetric vs Asymmetric Encryption (AES & RSA)
• 2.3 Hashing, Salting, Peppering & Password Security
• 2.4 2FA / MFA, IAM & Zero Trust
• 2.5 PKI, Digital Signatures & Certificates

Malware is the attacker's tool of the trade. Catalog each family — how they spread, what they do, and how defenders spot them.

• 3.1 Virus, Worm & Trojan Horse
• 3.2 Ransomware, Spyware & Adware
• 3.3 Rootkit, Keylogger & Botnet
• 3.4 Session Hijacking
• 3.5 Malware Analysis in a Safe Lab

To defend like a professional, think like an attacker. Every technique here is performed only in isolated, owned labs.

• 4.1 SQL Injection
• 4.2 Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
• 4.3 Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
• 4.4 MITM, ARP Spoofing & DNS Spoofing
• 4.5 Port Scanning & Nmap Fundamentals
• 4.6 Device & IoT Hacking — A Defensive View
• 4.7 The Dark Web & OSINT
• 4.8 Phishing, Spear Phishing & Whaling
• 4.9 Social Engineering
• 4.10 Brute Force & Dictionary Attacks

The defender's playbook. Spot threats before they hit, secure the systems that hold your data, and respond when something goes wrong.

• 5.1 Threat Detection & Threat Hunting
• 5.2 Securing Systems & Data
• 5.3 Monitoring, SOC & SIEM
• 5.4 Incident Response Lifecycle

A practitioner's toolkit. Each chapter introduces one tool — what it does, when to use it, and how to read its output safely.

• 6.1 Nmap
• 6.2 Wireshark
• 6.3 VirusTotal, HxD, Google Dorks, Wappalyzer, HIBP & CLI

Everything you've learned, put to work. These projects prove your skills to employers — and to yourself.

• 7.1 Home Lab Capstone Projects
• 7.2 Career Paths & Next Steps