Summary

In this module, we cover the Academy as a platform and how to use it to train yourself!

Introduction

`Welcome to HTB Academy!`

HTB Academy's goal is to provide a highly interactive and streamlined learning process to allow users to have fun while learning. Content within Academy is based around the concept of "guided learning". Students are presented with material in digestible chunks with examples of commands and their output throughout, not just theory. Students are provided target hosts where they can reproduce the materials presented in each section for themselves, hands-on exercises that serve as "checkpoints", and skills assessments to test their understanding of the material.

The key component of the learning process in the Academy is the Module. You are actually following one right now. Academy modules are designed to serve as mini standalone courses with all of the knowledge needed to complete the hands-on exercises and skills assessments taught within the module. While modules are standalone, many are related or build on each other.

The structure of the Academy is as follows:

Academy Structure

Path
  ├── Module_1
  │     └── Sections
  │
  ├── Module_2
  │     └── Sections
  │
  ├── Module_3
  │     └── Sections
  │
  └── Module_4
        └── Section

A Module is split into Sections and a Path contains many modules. We will dive deeper into these meanings in the following sections.

Paths

Paths are collections of modules (i,e, a path named Basic Toolset may include modules on nmap, sqlmap, Hashcat, and other tools).

Modules

Modules always focus on specific topics or tools to help students enhance their skillset in a particular area. Many modules are scenario-based and make an effort to follow steps that would be taken in a real-world assessment to make the material extremely useful and relevant for students who are new to infosec or students looking to enhance their knowledge in a certain topic area.

Sections

Modules are broken down into sections. These sections are the "meat" of the modules and contain the subject matter being taught, relevant command output, and hands-on exercises.

Click Mark Complete and Next in order to proceed.

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Please Sign Up or Log In to unlock the module and access the rest of the sections.

Relevant Paths

This module progresses you towards the following Paths

Information Security Foundations

Information Security is a field with many specialized and highly technical disciplines. Job roles like Penetration Tester & Information Security Analyst require a solid technical foundational understanding of core IT & Information Security topics. This skill path is made up of modules that will assist learners in developing &/or strengthening a foundational understanding before proceeding with learning the more complex security topics. Every long-standing building first needs a solid foundation. Welcome to Information Security Foundations.

Easy

191 Sections

Required: 200

Reward: +120

12 Modules included

Introduction to Academy

Fundamental

8 Sections

Reward: +10

This module is recommended for new users. It allows users to become acquainted with the platform and the learning process.

Learning Process

Fundamental

20 Sections

Reward: +10

The learning process is one of the essential and most important components that is often overlooked. This module does not teach you techniques to learn but describes the process of learning adapted to the field of information security. You will learn to understand how and when we learn best and increase and improve your learning efficiency greatly.

Setting Up

Fundamental

9 Sections

Reward: +10

This module covers topics that will help us be better prepared before conducting penetration tests. Preparations before a penetration test can often take a lot of time and effort, and this module shows how to prepare efficiently.

Linux Fundamentals

Fundamental

30 Sections

Reward: +10 UPDATED

This module covers the fundamentals required to work comfortably with the Linux operating system and shell.

Windows Fundamentals

Fundamental

14 Sections

Reward: +10

This module covers the fundamentals required to work comfortably with the Windows operating system.

Introduction to Windows Command Line

Easy

23 Sections

Reward: +10

As administrators and Pentesters, we may not always be able to utilize a graphical user interface for the actions we need to perform. Introduction to Windows Command Line aims to introduce students to the wide range of uses for Command Prompt and PowerShell within a Windows environment. We will cover basic usage of both key executables for administration, useful PowerShell cmdlets and modules, and different ways to leverage these tools to our benefit.

Introduction to Bash Scripting

Easy

10 Sections

Reward: +10

This module covers the basics needed for working with Bash scripts to automate tasks on Linux systems. A strong grasp of Bash is a fundamental skill for anyone working in a technical information security role. Through the power of automation, we can unlock the Linux operating system's full potential and efficiently perform habitual tasks.

Introduction to Networking

Fundamental

21 Sections

Reward: +10 UPDATED

As an information security professional, a firm grasp of networking fundamentals and the required components is necessary. Without a strong foundation in networking, it will be tough to progress in any area of information security. Understanding how a network is structured and how the communication between the individual hosts and servers takes place using the various protocols allows us to understand the entire network structure and its network traffic in detail and how different communication standards are handled. This knowledge is essential to create our tools and to interact with the protocols.

Intro to Network Traffic Analysis

Medium

15 Sections

Reward: +10

Network traffic analysis is used by security teams to monitor network activity and look for anomalies that could indicate security and operational issues. Offensive security practitioners can use network traffic analysis to search for sensitive data such as credentials, hidden applications, reachable network segments, or other potentially sensitive information "on the wire." Network traffic analysis has many uses for attackers and defenders alike.

Introduction to Active Directory

Fundamental

16 Sections

Reward: +10

Active Directory (AD) is present in the majority of corporate environments. Due to its many features and complexity, it presents a vast attack surface. To be successful as penetration testers and information security professionals, we must have a firm understanding of Active Directory fundamentals, AD structures, functionality, common AD flaws, misconfigurations, and defensive measures.

Introduction to Web Applications

Fundamental

17 Sections

Reward: +10

In the Introduction to Web Applications module, you will learn all of the basics of how web applications work and begin to look at them from an information security perspective.

Web Requests

Fundamental

8 Sections

Reward: +10

This module introduces the topic of HTTP web requests and how different web applications utilize them to communicate with their backends.