The HIT Curriculum

9 months, three phases, three parallel tracks. Whichever track you apply for - Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced - you move through all three phases below, at your track's depth.

Phase 1: Foundations of Cybersecurity Phase 2: Offensive Security Phase 3: Defensive Security

Phase 1 · Months 1-3

Foundations of Cybersecurity

Understand cybersecurity principles, attack vectors, and defensive strategies.
Learn secure networking fundamentals, risk assessment, and security tools.
Conduct a security analysis of a mock system and propose mitigations.

Topic	Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
Networking Basics	TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP, VPN	Packet sniffing (Wireshark), network segmentation	Firewall rules, intrusion detection (Snort, Suricata)
Threat Modeling	Identifying threats using STRIDE	Risk assessment using MITRE ATT&CK	Secure system design & architecture
Security Tools	Nmap, Nessus basics	Advanced scanning techniques	Custom rule creation for IDS/IPS

Project 1: Security Risk Assessment Report

Objectives

Analyze a mock company's network and identify security risks.
Propose a risk mitigation strategy aligned with NIST/CIS standards.

Real-world application

This project simulates a security audit commonly done in organizations before implementing security controls.

Evaluation criteria

Accuracy of risk identification
Depth of security recommendations
Effective communication in both report & public write-up

beginner

Simple risk assessment checklist

Write-up: “My First Cybersecurity Risk Assessment: Lessons Learned.”

intermediate

Detailed security report

Write-up: “Breaking Down Threat Landscapes: How I Analyzed a Mock System’s Security.”

advanced

Compliance-based security framework recommendation

Write-up: “Applying NIST Standards to Secure a Network: A Hands-On Case Study.”

Phase 2 · Months 4-6

Offensive Security

Understand penetration testing methodologies and ethical hacking.
Identify and exploit vulnerabilities in web applications and networks.
Learn real-world exploitation techniques used in red teaming.

Topic	Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
Recon & Scanning	Basic Nmap & enumeration	Advanced scanning (Burp Suite, Gobuster)	OSINT & adversary emulation
Web Exploitation	OWASP Top 10 basics	SQLi, XSS, file inclusion	Zero-day exploitation, bug bounty methodologies
Privilege Escalation	Linux & Windows basics	Kernel exploits, token impersonation	Advanced privilege escalation (ROP, BOF)

Project 2: Penetration Test Report

Objectives

Perform a penetration test on a vulnerable web application or network.
Document vulnerabilities, prioritize risks (CVSS scoring), and provide remediation steps.

Real-world application

Penetration testers conduct security assessments for companies to identify weaknesses before attackers exploit them.

Evaluation criteria

Thoroughness in enumeration and exploitation
Clarity and detail in vulnerability reporting
Feasibility of remediation suggestions
Effective communication in both report & public write-up

beginner

Simple penetration testing report with screenshots

Write-up: “My First Penetration Test: Finding and Fixing Vulnerabilities.”

intermediate

Full pentesting report using industry-standard templates

Write-up: “Exploiting Web Application Vulnerabilities: A Step-by-Step Guide.”

advanced

Red team engagement report with adversarial simulation tactics

Write-up: “Advanced Red Teaming: Custom Exploitation and Evasion Tactics.”

Phase 3 · Months 7-9

Defensive Security

Develop SOC skills: threat detection, log analysis, and incident response.
Learn forensic techniques to analyze attacks and trace threats.
Simulate a real-world cyberattack and design a response plan.

Topic	Beginner	Intermediate	Advanced
SIEM & Log Analysis	Basics of logs (Splunk, Graylog)	Correlation rules, event detection	Threat hunting & attack simulation
Incident Response	Cyber kill chain, response planning	Hands-on incident handling	Automated detection, malware analysis
Forensic Investigations	Disk & memory forensics (Autopsy)	Network packet analysis	Reverse engineering malware

Project 3: Incident Response Report

Objectives

Investigate a simulated cyber breach using SIEM and forensic tools.
Document findings and propose a detailed incident response strategy.

Real-world application

Security teams respond to real cyberattacks daily, making forensic and incident response a critical cybersecurity skill.

Evaluation criteria

Accuracy of forensic analysis
Correctness of mitigation and response plan
Presentation quality of report

beginner

Basic log analysis and incident timeline

Write-up: “Investigating a Cyber Breach: My First Incident Response.”

intermediate

Full incident response plan with forensics report

Write-up: “Threat Hunting in Action: Analyzing Security Logs to Detect Intrusions.”

advanced

Threat intelligence report with attack attribution

Write-up: “Advanced Forensics: Reverse Engineering Malware for Threat Intelligence.”

Ready to pick a track and get started?

Apply to Join HIT