PHASE 1 · ALL STUDENTS REQUIRED
Foundation Phase
3 Months · Weeks 1–12 · Build your cybersecurity fundamentals from the ground up with hands-on labs every single week.
VirtualBox
Wireshark
Nmap
DVWA
Python
PFSense
Burp Suite
PowerShell
Month 1: Systems, OS & Virtualization
Week 1
Linux Fundamentals & CLI Mastery
File system, permissions, bash scripting, cron jobs
Tools: Ubuntu, VirtualBox
Week 2
Windows Administration & Active Directory Basics
PowerShell, Event Viewer, Group Policy, domain basics
Tools: Windows Server, PowerShell
Week 3
OS Hardening & Posture
Securing Linux & Windows servers, CIS Benchmarks
Tools: Ansible, OpenSCAP
Week 4
Virtualization & Containers
Docker basics, hypervisor setup, lab infrastructure
Tools: Docker, KVM
Month 2: Networking, TCP/IP & Traffic Analysis
Week 5
Networking Fundamentals & OSI Model
TCP/IP stack, subnetting, DNS, DHCP, ARP
Tools: Packet Tracer
Week 6
Wireshark & Packet Capture Analysis
Display filters, TCP streams, protocol dissection
Tools: Wireshark, tcpdump
Week 7
Network Scanning & Enumeration
Host discovery, port scanning, service detection, NSE
Tools: Nmap, Masscan
Week 8
Web Application Basics & Vulnerability Intro
HTTP/HTTPS, OWASP Top 10 intro, DVWA labs
Tools: DVWA, Burp Suite (intro)
Month 3: Security Frameworks, Python & Capstone
Week 9
Cybersecurity Frameworks
NIST CSF, MITRE ATT&CK, Cyber Kill Chain
Tools: Documentation tools
Week 10
Python for Security
Scripting basics, requests library, building basic scanners
Tools: Python 3, Scapy
Week 11
Python Security Tools & API Integration
VirusTotal API, log parsers, automated recon scripts
Tools: Python, APIs
Week 12
Foundation Capstone — 48-Hour Security Audit
Full audit: scanning, analysis, report writing, presentation
Tools: All foundation tools
Foundation Deliverables
3-VM Lab Environment (Linux, Windows, Firewall)
PCAP Analysis Report
48-Hour Security Audit Capstone
Python Security Automation Scripts
Network Scanning Report