Ethical hacking is a process that is used to penetrate networks and computer systems to locate weaknesses and vulnerabilities (real and potential) that stand a chance to be exploited by malicious hackers. This page will cover the top 6 Ethical Hacking Courses that you can watch for free and learn to hack quickly and cost-effectively. Any information that is obtained is used to improvise the system’s security and plug loopholes. If you seem to find this interesting then the online ethical hacking course is all you need.
Ethical hacking is also known as penetration testing, red teaming, or intrusion testing. Today we can find different types of hackers that are referred to as white hat hackers. This skill is very high in demand and a course in this can jumpstart your career in cybersecurity
If you are going to search for an online ethical hacking course then you are going to find out many results but all of them won’t be worth it. We are going to reveal more to you. Following is the list of top picks for the best ethical hacking course to learn how to hack:
- StationX – The Complete Ethical Hacking Course Bundle
- Udemy – Learn Ethical Hacking From Scratch
- Cybrary – The Art of Exploitation
- EH Academy – The Complete Cyber Security & Hacking Course
- Offensive Security – Metasploit Unleashed
- Coursera – Cryptography
READ: Top 9 Microsoft Windows CMD Hacking Commands for 2022.
Contents
Why these Free Hacking Courses are the best choice
In our list, we have included for you a different range of courses but the following are the things you need to decide before opting anyone
- You need to consider the minimum requirements. Keep in mind that specific software’s are going to be required to follow certain courses so you need to be prepared to gather some resources if required
- You do not need to go in over your head. You need to opt for a course that at the right level as some courses require some background knowledge whereas some are for beginners
- You need to look for special offers. Although paid courses carry good quality still they can be very expensive. But still, you need to find courses with special offers and you can be lucky to get the same in less price
- You need to watch out for scammers. Be very careful when you are signing up for a course as there are chances you end up with an unethical hacker who promises to teach you the ropes. Keep in mind that unethical hackers usually prey on amateurs.
READ: How to Hack An Instagram Account – Best Hacking Method.
6 Best Ethical Hacking Courses for White Hat Hackers
Learn Ethical Hacking From Scratch (Udemy Course)
A very comprehensive ethical hacking course that is available online. It is for beginners who do not have any background knowledge of hacking or penetration. It focuses more on the practical side but however does not neglect the theory. In this course you are going to learn:
- How to install the Kali Linux OS
- How to set up a testing lab on your own device/machine
You do not need to worry if you do not know about Linux as you will learn quickly regarding the basic demands that you need to interact with the Kali Linux terminal
Cost
The course is going to cost you around $150 though Udemy offers regular specials. The best part of this course is included as a part of StationX Ethical Hacking.
Covers
It is going to cover the following things for you
- Network penetration testing
- Gaining access
- Post exploitation
- Web application penetration testing
Course Duration
- 5 hours of on-demand video (about 120 videos)
Requirements
- It requires basic IT skills
- It requires a wireless adapter
It offers both free and paid courses. Over a search of 800 matches, 40 of them come in free.
READ:Â How to Track and Trace an IP Address and Its Location.
Kali Linux Course for Beginners (Paid and Free)
It focuses on Kali Linux OS required to build up Linux targets from scratch to hack. For this, you do not require any background knowledge of Linux. Still, you are required to have a basic understanding of networking concepts and ethical concepts like vulnerability scanning, port scanning, and much more
It offers a complete tutorial on how to install the virtual box. Includes Windows 8.1 and can run Kali Linux in any environment. For this, you need a good and fast internet connection. You will be able to learn how to create a virtual environment and the basics of the Linux terminal.
READ: Top 4 Best IP Address Grabbers/Loggers (Free Download).
The Complete Ethical Hacking Course Bundle from StationX
This course is considered the top choice for the best ethical hacking. It is best for white-hat hacker training. This course was made by keeping beginners in mind, therefore, carries all the information you require for ethical hacking and how to protect the system against attacks
It begins with how to install the required software and set up a penetration testing lab. You will also learn about hacking and testing for websites and networks, social engineering, and testing computer security using android.
Zaid Al Quraishi is going to be your instructor throughout this course. He is a computer scientist and an ethical hacker.
Cost
This is going to cost around $500 but if you are a Comparitech reader you can get 87% off and benefit from 5 courses for just $65.
Courses
You are going to get the following courses
- Ethical hacking from scratch
- Website hacking from scratch
- Network hacking from scratch
- Social engineering from scratch
- Hacking using Android
Requirements
- Basic IT skills
- Wireless adapter
READ: Hacking Cheat Sheet for Professional Hackers and Security Researchers.
The Complete Cyber Security & Hacking Course (EH Academy)
This course covers the basics of white hat hacking. It also included a detailed video on how to set up the lab. You will learn basic Linux and Windows commands and also get an introduction to Nmap and Metasploit. The best part is that you can comment on your queries under the video and the instructor will know about it.
Covers:
- Computer basics and introduction
- Setting up your lab
- Information gathering
- System hacking
- Web server (site) hacking
Course Duration:
- 5 days
Requirements:
- A reliable internet connection
EH academy offers a huge range of courses for advanced hackers. Some of them are paid ($50- $200). Like for example using Metasploit training for Penetration tests & Ethical hacking, and VoIP Hacking & Penetration Testing Training, Python for Offensive Penetration Testing, Advanced Mobile Application Penetration Testing, iOS Application Penetration Testing Training.
READ: How to Hack SQL Database Server Passwords (Tutorial).
The Art of Exploitation – Free Course from Cybrary
In this course, you are going to learn how to write a python script and then use it to hack a system that is affected by the buffer overflow. Now buffer overflow is something that occurs when a program during writing data to a buffer, overruns the boundary of buffer and overwrites adjacent memory locations thus creating a potential security vulnerability.
Covers
- Vulnerability and exploit
- Buffer overflow
Course Duration
- 3 hours of on-demand video
Requirements
- You need prior coding experience
Such courses come in free and cover a large range of subjects but if you need a certificate or access assessment and exams then you have to pay for it. It will cost you around $99 per month. It comes with an organized website where you have options to select ethical hacking courses that best suit you. The best part is that you can even create your syllabus as well.
READ: Cybersecurity and Ethical Hacking Terms – (Lingo, Acronym, Slang).
Metasploit Unleashed from Offensive Security
This ethical hacking online course is available for offensive security. The aim behind this is to increase awareness among children in East Africa who are underprivileged. The basic aim of the course is for you to understand certain fundamentals like command-line interface and scripts.
Covers
- Everything you require to get started with Metasploit
- Hands-on practice from information gathering to writing a simple fuzzer. It has it all
Course Duration
- It is Self-paced, can be completed whenever you want.
Requirements
- You need a reliable internet connection
- You need a virtual machine (aka Hypervisor) to host your labs
- A minimum of 10 gigabytes of storage space
- Some sufficient RAM (check under Requirementsin the Introduction section to calculate how much you will need)
- The minimum requirement for VMware Player is a 400 MHz or faster processor (500MHz recommended)
- A Kali Linux (download under requirements in the Introduction section)
- You need a vulnerable VMware virtual machine to scan and attack.
READ: The Best Ethical Hacking Books To Learn Hacking and Pentesting in 2022.
Cryptography Course from Coursera
By the end of the ethical hacking courses that are being provided to you by the University of Maryland through Coursera. You will have a grip on cryptographic primitives that are used widely today. You will learn how to combine these two for secured communication
Covers
- Foundations and practical applications of modern cryptography
Duration
- It is for 7 weeks
Requirements
- You need some experience in covering discrete mathematics and basic probability
- You must have prior exposure to algorithms as it shall be helpful
- You need to be familiar with programming in a C-like language
- You must have mathematical maturity
The massive open online courses come in free. They are college-level classes open for all. These have a lot of popularity among users. They do not count for degree credits but are surely appreciated by future employers as degree-level training
They use different videos to make you learn but it is on the instructor’s end as he can include chat sessions as much more. You will be given different assignments during the course. Some courses come in with fixed schedules and take 6-8 weeks to complete.
READ: How to Hack Wireless Network (WPA3) Passwords.
Certified Ethical Hacker v11 – EC Council
CEH is one of the most advanced courses yet many miss it as an opportunity. There are other alternatives like GIAC but the Certified Ethical Hacker v11 study guide provides hands-on training and labs. You cannot go wrong with these as it teaches basic brute-forcing, DNS leaks, RCE exploitation, 0-days, Network scanning, and Phishing techniques.
Is ethical hacking legal? – Why you should learn Hacking in 2022
For ethical hacking, you need to keep the following things in your mind
- You need to have written permission to penetrate an organization’s system.
- You must be respectful of all the company’s rules and policies.
- You need to inform the company of all weaknesses and vulnerabilities that are found
- You need to leave the system in the way it was found,
- You need to have a written record of what is done on the system.
- You are not allowed to violate the laws of a country.
Note: Mostly all of the above courses will require you to use Linux. I will highly recommend Kali Linux to download and install for a penetration testing OS.
Which Ethical Hacking Course are you doing?
White Hat Hacking and the IT security market are growing very fast. Every company needs a hacker to keep its systems and servers secure. If you are interested in learning to hack and making a lucrative career out of it then we have listed the 6 best ethical hacking courses. Some of the courses are free to watch and some require you to buy them but they are very cheap.
