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Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Scanning

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Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Scanning

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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

9 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

9 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Analyze attack surfaces through reconnaissance, host discovery, and network scanning techniques.

  • Evaluate identified vulnerabilities using risk scoring models and contextual business impact.

  • Apply network and web scanning tools such as Nmap and Nikto to assess exposure.

  • Design structured vulnerability management and remediation workflows for enterprise systems.

Details to know

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Recently updated!

February 2026

Assessments

12 assignmentsΒΉ

AI Graded see disclaimer
Taught in English

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Cybersecurity Analyst Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
  • Learn new concepts from industry experts
  • Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
  • Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
  • Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 4 modules in this course

This program equips aspiring penetration testers, security analysts, vulnerability management professionals, and IT security practitioners with the structured methodologies and practical skills required to identify, validate, and remediate security weaknesses in enterprise environments. You will begin by exploring the principles of ethical hacking, understanding the phases of penetration testing, and applying reconnaissance techniques to map attack surfaces responsibly. Through controlled demonstrations and structured analysis, you will learn how to identify exposed services, interpret vulnerability findings, and differentiate true risk from scanner noise.

Building on this foundation, you will apply host discovery, port scanning, and service enumeration techniques using tools such as Nmap. You will analyze vulnerability assessment lifecycles, translate technical findings into contextual risk decisions, and apply industry scoring concepts to prioritize remediation effectively. The course emphasizes responsible testing practices aligned with legal and compliance standards. Next, the program advances into network and web application security testing. You will evaluate web server configurations, assess TLS and HTTP headers, and simulate controlled vulnerability detection aligned with OWASP standards. Through structured exposure analysis using tools such as Nikto, you will understand how attackers identify weaknesses and how security professionals validate them ethically. The course then transitions into vulnerability management and governance. You will design remediation workflows, implement patch management strategies, automate validation processes, and construct reporting dashboards to communicate risk posture effectively. Emphasis is placed on translating technical vulnerabilities into measurable business risk reduction. Finally, you will integrate these capabilities in a structured practice project where you conduct a simulated assessment, validate vulnerabilities, prioritize remediation actions, and develop a governance-driven vulnerability management strategy aligned with enterprise security best practices. By the end of this program, you will be able to: -Explain ethical hacking methodologies and penetration testing phases. -Conduct reconnaissance, host discovery, and service enumeration responsibly. -Interpret and validate vulnerability scan results. -Prioritize risk using scoring models and contextual analysis. -Assess network and web application exposure using structured techniques. -Design patch management and remediation workflows. -Develop vulnerability governance dashboards and reporting strategies. -Implement a risk-based vulnerability management framework. This course is designed for penetration testing beginners, vulnerability analysts, SOC professionals transitioning into offensive security roles, IT administrators, and cybersecurity practitioners seeking structured assessment and remediation skills. Join us to build the technical discipline, analytical rigor, and governance mindset required to identify and reduce enterprise security risk responsibly.

Build a strong foundation in ethical hacking and vulnerability assessment by understanding how attackers discover and exploit system weaknesses. Learn to apply structured penetration testing methodologies, perform reconnaissance and scanning to map attack surfaces, and evaluate vulnerabilities using industry scoring models and contextual risk factors. Through hands-on practice, you will analyze assessment results, distinguish real risks from scanner noise, and conduct responsible, standards-aligned security testing.

What's included

17 videos8 readings4 assignments

17 videosβ€’Total 66 minutes
  • Specialization Introductionβ€’2 minutes
  • Course Introductionβ€’2 minutes
  • Establishing the Foundations of Ethical Hackingβ€’3 minutes
  • Analyzing the Phases of Ethical Hackingβ€’3 minutes
  • Demonstration: Ethical Reconnaissance and Attack Surface Mappingβ€’5 minutes
  • Principles of Penetration Testing Practicesβ€’6 minutes
  • Security Standards, Regulations, and Legal Complianceβ€’5 minutes
  • Demonstration: Validating Penetration Testing Discipline Through System Evidenceβ€’4 minutes
  • Demonstration: Executing an External Penetration Testing Assessmentβ€’5 minutes
  • Examining Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities and Their Impactβ€’3 minutes
  • Mapping the Vulnerability Assessment Lifecycleβ€’4 minutes
  • Conducting Vulnerability Research into Risk Evaluationβ€’3 minutes
  • Demonstration: Performing Host Discovery and Port Scanning with Nmapβ€’4 minutes
  • Evaluating Vulnerability Assessment Toolsβ€’5 minutes
  • Applying Network and Web Scanning Techniquesβ€’5 minutes
  • Interpreting Vulnerability Scanner Reportsβ€’4 minutes
  • Demonstration: Evaluating Web Exposure Using Niktoβ€’4 minutes
8 readingsβ€’Total 75 minutes
  • Course Overviewβ€’5 minutes
  • Ethical Hacking as a Structured Security Practiceβ€’10 minutes
  • Responsible Penetration Testing in Practiceβ€’10 minutes
  • Translating Vulnerabilities into Risk Decisionsβ€’10 minutes
  • Interpreting Attack Surface Exposureβ€’10 minutes
  • Selecting Right Techniques for Exposure Analysisβ€’10 minutes
  • Separating Real Risk from Scanner Noiseβ€’10 minutes
  • Module Summary: Ethical Hacking, Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Assessmentβ€’10 minutes
4 assignmentsβ€’Total 48 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Ethical Hacking, Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Assessmentβ€’30 minutes
  • Test Your Knowledge: Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing Fundamentalsβ€’6 minutes
  • Test Your Knowledge: Vulnerability Assessment Methodologyβ€’6 minutes
  • Test Your Knowledge: Assessment Tools and Ethical Hacking Techniquesβ€’6 minutes

Advance your ethical hacking skills by performing controlled network and web exploitation simulations to validate real security risks. Learn to analyze service enumeration results, identify protocol weaknesses, and map attack paths across network infrastructures. Apply OWASP-aligned testing techniques to assess web application defenses, validate vulnerabilities through hands-on exploitation, and distinguish exploitable findings from false positives.

What's included

10 videos4 readings3 assignments

10 videosβ€’Total 39 minutes
  • Conducting Network Scanning and Service Enumerationβ€’5 minutes
  • Comparing ICMP, TCP and UDP Scanning Techniquesβ€’4 minutes
  • Analyzing Intrusion Surfaces and Possible Attack Pathsβ€’4 minutes
  • Demonstration: Enumerating Services and Versions with Nmapβ€’3 minutes
  • Demonstration: Simulating Exploitation through Network Enumerationβ€’3 minutes
  • Web Application Architecture and Security Fundamentalsβ€’3 minutes
  • Securing Applications with HTTPS, SSL and TLS and WAFβ€’5 minutes
  • Web Application Security through OWASP Standardsβ€’4 minutes
  • Demonstration: Assessing TLS, Headers and OWASP Controlsβ€’4 minutes
  • Demonstration: Simulating SQL Injection and Reflected XSSβ€’4 minutes
4 readingsβ€’Total 40 minutes
  • Understanding Network Exposure and Attack Pathsβ€’10 minutes
  • Designing Secure Web Applications in Practiceβ€’10 minutes
  • Validating Web Defenses Through Controlled Attacksβ€’10 minutes
  • Module Summary: Ethical Hacking Techniques and Advanced Vulnerability Assessmentβ€’10 minutes
3 assignmentsβ€’Total 42 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Ethical Hacking Techniques and Advanced Vulnerability Assessmentβ€’30 minutes
  • Test Your Knowledge: Network Ethical Hacking and Vulnerability Assessmentβ€’6 minutes
  • Test Your Knowledge: Web Application Ethical Hacking and Security Testingβ€’6 minutes

Implement from vulnerability discovery to structured risk reduction by designing and operating effective vulnerability management programs. Learn how to automate patching and remediation workflows, validate fixes through logging and controls, and govern vulnerabilities using policies, metrics, and SLAs. Build dashboards and reports that clearly communicate risk posture, remediation progress, and security improvements to stakeholders.

What's included

10 videos4 readings3 assignments

10 videosβ€’Total 35 minutes
  • Managing the Vulnerability Lifecycleβ€’4 minutes
  • Applying Configuration Hardening and Change Controlβ€’3 minutes
  • Automating Patch Deployment and Validationβ€’3 minutes
  • Demonstration: Deploying Security Patches Using Automationβ€’3 minutes
  • Demonstration: Validating Post-Patch Status Using Logsβ€’3 minutes
  • Establishing Security Policies and Governanceβ€’3 minutes
  • Defining Metrics, SLAs and Scoring Systemsβ€’5 minutes
  • Managing Risk Acceptance and Exceptionsβ€’4 minutes
  • Demonstration: Consolidating Scan Reports with Bashβ€’4 minutes
  • Demonstration: Creating a CSV-Based Governance Dashboardβ€’4 minutes
4 readingsβ€’Total 40 minutes
  • Controlling Risk Through Structured Remediationβ€’10 minutes
  • Ensuring Trust After Automated Remediationβ€’10 minutes
  • Transforming Security Data into Governance Insightβ€’10 minutes
  • Module Summary: Vulnerability Management and Security Improvementβ€’10 minutes
3 assignmentsβ€’Total 42 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Vulnerability Management and Security Improvementβ€’30 minutes
  • Test Your Knowledge: Patch Management and Automationβ€’6 minutes
  • Test Your Knowledge: Designing Vulnerability Management Programsβ€’6 minutes

This module is designed to assess an individual on the various concepts and teachings covered in this course. Evaluate your knowledge with a comprehensive graded quiz.

What's included

1 video1 reading2 assignments1 discussion prompt

1 videoβ€’Total 3 minutes
  • Course Summaryβ€’3 minutes
1 readingβ€’Total 30 minutes
  • Practice Project: Ethical Hacking and Vulnerability Management Strategyβ€’30 minutes
2 assignmentsβ€’Total 60 minutes
  • End Course Knowledge Check: Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Scanningβ€’30 minutes
  • Designing a Structured Ethical Hacking and Vulnerability Management Frameworkβ€’30 minutes
1 discussion promptβ€’Total 5 minutes
  • Describe Your Learning Journeyβ€’5 minutes

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Instructor

Edureka
211 Coursesβ€’190,189 learners

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Frequently asked questions

This course is ideal for aspiring penetration testers, vulnerability analysts, SOC professionals, and IT security practitioners.

No. Foundational cybersecurity knowledge is helpful, but the course builds structured ethical hacking skills step by step.

Yes. You will perform host discovery, service enumeration, and web exposure analysis using industry-standard tools.

Yes. You will follow structured assessment lifecycles, risk scoring models, and remediation practices used in enterprises.

Controlled simulations are demonstrated to validate exposure, always within safe and ethical lab environments.

Yes. The course teaches how to separate real risk from false positives and prioritize remediation.

Yes. You will design patch management workflows, SLAs, and vulnerability management dashboards.

It prepares you for roles in penetration testing, vulnerability management, and security assessment teams.

Yes. After completing all modules and assessments, you will receive a certificate of completion.

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Financial aid available,

ΒΉ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.