ICO ITSec FND

You cannot defend a system you do not know how to attack. Most security training explains policies; this one starts from the attacker's side, because that is where the useful understanding comes from. By the end of it you know how a target is mapped, how the common attacks work, and why the countermeasures you have heard about exist.

This foundation course runs over three instructor led days, online, with practical work throughout. You cover the terminology and method of a penetration test, spend the largest block on information gathering and attack techniques, then close with the cryptography and the forensic principles that sit underneath every serious security discussion. You leave able to follow a security conversation as a participant rather than an observer.

Who this course is for

• IT staff and administrators who want to understand the attacks they are defending against
• Developers who keep meeting security requirements and want to know what is behind them
• Security newcomers preparing for a first role in the field
• Anyone heading for the ICO ITSec Penetration Testing Professional certification, for whom this is the first step

What you will learn

• Use the vocabulary of offensive security precisely, and describe how a penetration test is structured from scoping to reporting
• Tell a penetration test and an ISMS audit apart, and know when each is the right instrument
• Gather information about a target the way an attacker does, and see how much is available before anything is touched
• Recognise the common attack classes, including denial of service, and understand the mechanism rather than the label
• Explain symmetric, asymmetric and hybrid encryption, hash functions and where each belongs
• Apply the principles of IT forensics: what evidence is, how it is preserved and what destroys it

Course outline

Day one, method and attack

• Prerequisites and the ground the course assumes
• Procedure and important terms, how a penetration test is run
• Information gathering and attack, the largest block of the course, worked hands on

Day two, cryptology

• Cryptography and cryptanalysis, and why the distinction matters
• Kerckhoffs's principle, symmetric, asymmetric and hybrid encryption
• Cryptographic hash functions and their practical use

Day three, forensics

• Principles of IT forensics and the handling of evidence
• Exam preparation and sample questions

Prerequisites

None that are formally required. General IT knowledge, in particular a working understanding of networks and operating systems, will let you get considerably more out of the practical parts.

Exam and certification

The course prepares you for the ICO ITSec Penetration Testing FND examination, awarded by ICO International Certification Organization GmbH. It is an accredited certification exam, not a certificate of attendance.

• 30 multiple choice questions, where one, several or all options may be correct
• 45 minutes, closed book
• Pass mark of 60 percent
• Taken online, at a time and place you choose

The exam is available as an optional add on to the course. Full details are published by the awarding body at ico-cert.org.

What is included

• Three days, 24 hours, of live instructor led online training in English
• Small groups, never more than 22 participants
• Complete course materials, exercises and sample exam questions
• Hands on work in every block, against prepared targets in a safe environment
• Certificate of attendance, with the ICO ITSec Penetration Testing FND exam as an optional add on