Roadmap To Become Ethical Hacker

Suggested: 6 months (intensive) or 9–12 months (part-time).

Progression:

1. Foundations (OS, networking, scripting)

2. Core security concepts & tools

3. Hands-on labs, vuln assessment & exploitation

4. Specialization, certifications & real engagements

   
   

---

Month 1 — Foundations: Systems, Networking & Basics

Goal: Be super comfortable with Linux, Windows, networking, and basic programming.

Study topics

• Linux basics (file system, users, permissions, Bash shell)

• Windows fundamentals (PowerShell basics)

• Networking: TCP/IP, UDP, DNS, DHCP, ARP, subnets, ports, HTTP/HTTPS, SSL/TLS

• Basic OS internals (processes, services)

• Programming/scripting: Python (preferred), Bash, some PowerShell

Hands-on

• Set up dual VMs (Kali Linux + Ubuntu/Windows) locally or in cloud.

• Practice common commands, ssh, scp, netcat.

• Write small Python scripts to parse logs or scan ports.

  
  

---

Month 2 — Core Security Concepts & Reconnaissance

Goal: Learn how attackers think: recon, information gathering, vulnerability discovery.

Study topics

• Footprinting & OSINT techniques

• Active & passive reconnaissance

• Scanning & enumeration (nmap, masscan)

• Web fundamentals for hacking: HTML, JS, cookies, sessions

• Common vulnerabilities overview (OWASP Top 10 + network vulns)

Tools to learn

• nmap, netcat, whois, dig, theHarvester, Shodan, recon-ng

• Burp Suite (proxy/interceptor) — Community edition to start

• Nikto, Wappalyzer, Dirbuster/gobuster

Hands-on

• Map a target lab (like OWASP Juice Shop, DVWA, Metasploitable) and document findings.

• Perform reconnaissance reports for practice targets (in labs).

  
  

---

Month 3 — Web App Security & Exploitation

Goal: Master web vulnerabilities and exploitation workflows.

Study topics

• OWASP Top 10 in depth (SQLi, XSS, CSRF, Broken Auth, etc.)

• Manual testing + automated scanning

• Authentication & session attacks

• Input validation and logic flaws

Tools

• Burp Suite (intruder, repeater), SQLMap, ZAP, Postman

• Browser devtools, proxy chaining

Hands-on

• Solve challenges on PortSwigger Web Academy, HackTheBox (Web machines), DVWA, Juice Shop.

• Create detailed writeups for each exploit (steps, payloads, remediation).

  
  

---

Month 4 — Network, System & Privilege Escalation

Goal: Learn internal network attacks, exploitation, and post-exploitation.

Study topics

• Vulnerability scanning (Nessus/OpenVAS)

• Exploitation basics (Metasploit), manual exploitation

• Windows domain concepts, SMB, Kerberos, LDAP

• Lateral movement, privilege escalation, persistence

• Buffer overflow fundamentals (concepts)

Tools

• Metasploit, Empire, BloodHound (for AD), smbclient, impacket tools

• Privilege escalation checkers (Linux: LinPEAS, Windows: WinPEAS)

Hands-on

• Compromise intentionally vulnerable VMs and escalate to root/Administrator.

• Use BloodHound to map AD attack paths (in a lab AD environment).

  
  

---

Month 5 — Wireless, Mobile & Specialized Areas

Goal: Explore other attack surfaces and defensive evasion.

Study topics

• Wireless security (WEP/WPA/WPA2/WPA3 basics, cracking, evil twin)

• Mobile app security basics (Android/iOS common issues)

• API security, cloud misconfigurations (S3, IAM basics)

• Social engineering fundamentals (phishing awareness, pretexting) — ethical only

Tools

• aircrack-ng suite, Wireshark, mitmproxy, apktool, MobSF

• Cloud CLI tools (AWS CLI) to practice misconfig scenarios in safe lab

Hands-on

• Capture/analyze Wi-Fi traffic in lab.

• Test vulnerable mobile apps in emulator.

• Find and fix simple cloud misconfigs in a sandbox account.

  
  

---

Month 6 — Reporting, Certifications & Real Work

Goal: Polish reporting skills, legal/ethical practice, and get certified / start bug bounty or freelance work.

Study topics

• Writing professional penetration test reports (executive summary, technical findings, risk rating, remediation)

• Legal & compliance: rules of engagement, responsible disclosure, scope

• Soft skills: client communication, time estimation

Hands-on / Career

• Start on bug bounty platforms (HackerOne, Bugcrowd) — low-and-scope targets first

• Contribute writeups to GitHub/medium — build portfolio

• Apply to internships/entry roles: junior pentester, SOC analyst, red team intern

---

Continuous & Parallel Skills (do throughout)

• Version control: Git for scripts and reports.

• Documentation: Keep a lab notebook and publish at least 5 detailed writeups.

• Community: Join security Discords, Twitter/X researchers, local meetups, CTF teams.

• Capture The Flag (CTF): picoCTF, TryHackMe, HackTheBox — excellent reinforcement.

• Practice labs: TryHackMe, Offensive Security Proving Grounds, VulnHub.

---

Projects to include in your portfolio

1. -Recon & exploit writeup for an OWASP Juice Shop challenge.

2. -Full internal pentest report (scanning → exploit → privilege escalation → remediation).

3. -Cloud misconfiguration case — identify, exploit, provide remediation steps.

4. -Bug bounty public disclosure (sanitized) or vulnerability writeup.

5. -Automation scripts: e.g., Python tool that scans and summarizes vulnerabilities.

   
   

---

Tools checklist (start with these)

• -Kali Linux or Parrot OS

• -nmap, curl, netcat, Wireshark

• -Burp Suite, ZAP, SQLmap

• -Metasploit, Impacket, BloodHound

• -Docker (to run labs), VirtualBox/VMware

• -Python + pip, PowerShell

• -Git, VS Code

  
  

---

Ethics & Legal Reminder

• -Always test only on systems you own or have explicit permission to test.

• -Obtain written scope & permission before any engagement.

• -Follow responsible disclosure policies.