Penetration Testing


🏫 Air University, COMSATS University Islamabad
📆 2024–2025
👨‍🎓 120

Introduction

The course on “Penetration Testing” (CYS‑243) equips students with hands‑on skills to identify, exploit, and remediate security vulnerabilities before adversaries do. Through a mix of lectures and lab work (2 + 1 credit hours), participants learn industry‑standard methodologies—from scoping and rules of engagement to advanced network, web, wireless, IoT, OT/SCADA, cloud, and binary exploitation techniques. Ethical hacking case studies and real‑world exercises reinforce practical mastery and prepare students to defend critical infrastructure against evolving cyber threats.

  • Course Code: CYS‑243
  • Credit Hours: 2 Lecture + 1 Lab
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Grading Policy: Relative grading; missed midterm/final retakes require committee approval.
  • Plagiarism Policy: Zero on quiz/assignment for plagiarism; F grade for project/exam plagiarism.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

  • CLO 1: Understand different types of penetration testing and the industry standards that regulate them.
  • CLO 2: Perform penetration tests on network infrastructures and analyze vulnerabilities using tools and techniques.
  • CLO 3: Execute Nmap Scripting Engine scripts to extract detailed information from target systems.
  • CLO 4: Develop rules of engagement for safe, ethical penetration testing.

Topics & Weekly Breakdown (15 wk, 1 hr lectures)

  1. Module 1: Introduction to Penetration Testing concepts, methodology, guidelines (1 wk) – CLO 1,2
  2. Module 2: Scoping & Engagement (proposal, legal handling, scope management) (1 wk) – CLO 1,2
  3. Module 3: Open‑Source Intelligence (OSINT) techniques & automation (1 wk) – CLO 1,2
  4. Module 4: Social Engineering attacks & countermeasures (1 wk) – CLO 1,2
  5. Module 5: External Network Pen Testing (port scanning, OS fingerprinting, vuln research) (1 wk) – CLO 1,2
  6. Module 6: Internal Network Pen Testing (enumeration, exploitation, post‑exploitation) (1 wk) – CLO 2
  7. Midterm Exam
  8. Module 7: Perimeter Device Testing (firewalls, IDS/IPS, routers, switches) (1 wk) – CLO 2
  9. Module 8: Web Application Pen Testing (SQLi, XSS, misconfig, logic flaws) (3 wk) – CLO 2,3
  10. Module 9: Wireless Pen Testing (WLAN, RFID, NFC) (1 wk) – CLO 2,3,4
  11. Module 10: IoT Pen Testing (IoT threats & exploits) (1 wk) – CLO 2,3,4
  12. Module 11: OT/SCADA Pen Testing (ICS protocols, Modbus) (1 wk) – CLO 2,3,4
  13. Module 12: Cloud Pen Testing (AWS, Azure, GCP) (1 wk) – CLO 2,3,4
  14. Module 13: Binary Analysis & Exploitation (1 wk) – CLO 1,2,3
  15. Module 14: Report Writing & Post‑Test Actions (1 wk) – CLO 1,2,3

Laboratory & Programming Projects

Hands‑on labs cover virtual lab setup (Kali, VMware/VirtualBox), information gathering, scanning/enumeration, exploitation, post‑exploitation, web/mobile pen testing, social engineering, IoT/SCADA, and report compilation.

Assessment & Grading Breakdown

  • Theory (100% of 2 lecture credits):
    • Quizzes: 4 × 2% = 8%
    • Assignments: 4 × 2% = 8%
    • Class Participation: 6%
    • Semester Project: 8%
    • Midterm Exam: 25%
    • Final Exam: 45%
  • Lab (1 credit):
    • Lab Assignments: 3
    • Lab Quizzes: 3
    • Sessional Assessment: 1
    • Lab Project: 1
    • Lab Tasks: 10
    • Final Lab Exam: comprehensive practical assessment