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Ethical Hacker

A free, hands-on Cisco course on penetration testing, from scoping an engagement to exploitation and reporting.

Taught byCisco Networking Academy
Start free on Cisco Networking Academy

About this course

Ethical Hacker teaches the offensive side of security through a story-driven course with virtual labs. You learn to plan and scope a penetration test, gather information, exploit network, application, cloud and IoT weaknesses, carry out post-exploitation and write up findings with recommended fixes.

Best for: Learners with some IT background who want a free route into penetration testing.

What you will be able to do

  • Plan and scope a penetration testing engagement
  • Perform reconnaissance and vulnerability scanning
  • Exploit common network and application weaknesses in a lab
  • Report findings and recommend mitigations

Syllabus and your progress

Tick modules off as you finish them on Cisco Networking Academy.

0 of 8 modules done

Plan your pace

At 4 hours a week you would finish in about 18 weeks, using the course time estimate above.

Progress is saved in this browser only. No account needed.

Cost and certificate

Free certificate

The course is free; completing it and passing the final exam plus a Cisco U. Capture the Flag challenge earns the free Cisco Certificate in Ethical Hacking.

Before you start: Basic networking and Linux knowledge recommended

Cisco Networking Academy sets the terms and can change them. Check the course page before you commit serious time, and tell us if something changed.

Quick answers

Is Ethical Hacker really free?
Yes, the course material is free on Cisco Networking Academy. The course is free; completing it and passing the final exam plus a Cisco U. Capture the Flag challenge earns the free Cisco Certificate in Ethical Hacking.
How long does Ethical Hacker take?
Plan for about 70 hrs in total (Provider estimate (as reported by Cisco partners): about 70 hours). It is self-paced, so you can go faster or slower.
Do I need experience before Ethical Hacker?
It helps to have: Basic networking and Linux knowledge recommended.

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