Welcome to CyberCode Academy — your audio classroom for Programming and Cybersecurity. 🎧 Each course is divided into a series of short, focused episodes that take you from beginner to advanced level — one lesson at a time. From Python and web development to ethical hacking and digital defense, our content transforms complex concepts into simple, engaging audio learning. Study anywhere, anytime — and level up your skills with CyberCode Academy. 🚀 Learn. Code. Secure.
All content for CyberCode Academy is the property of CyberCode Academy and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Welcome to CyberCode Academy — your audio classroom for Programming and Cybersecurity. 🎧 Each course is divided into a series of short, focused episodes that take you from beginner to advanced level — one lesson at a time. From Python and web development to ethical hacking and digital defense, our content transforms complex concepts into simple, engaging audio learning. Study anywhere, anytime — and level up your skills with CyberCode Academy. 🚀 Learn. Code. Secure.
In this lesson, you’ll learn about: Managing Recon-ng Data and Generating Stakeholder Reports This episode provides a complete guide to organizing, reporting, and analyzing the large amounts of data collected in a Recon-ng workspace. The emphasis is on converting raw terminal output into structured reports for stakeholders, and performing the necessary strategic analysis before moving forward with later stages of a penetration test. 1. Generating Organized Reports The first priority is exporting Recon-ng data into formats that can be easily consumed by company administrators, security teams, or management. While the internal show dashboard is useful for the tester’s own overview, it is not suitable for stakeholders. Recon-ng offers several reporting modules to solve this: • CSV Reporting
The reporting/csv module generates spreadsheet-style output (compatible with Excel, LibreOffice, etc.).
By default, this module exports data from the hosts table.
• JSON and XML Reporting
The reporting/json and reporting/xml modules allow exporting data in structured formats.
Multiple database tables can be included as needed.
These formats are ideal for automated pipelines, dashboards, or integrating with other tools.
• HTML Reporting
The reporting/html module creates a ready-to-share HTML report.
It includes:
An overall summary
Sections for all database tables that contain data
Optional customization using set creator (your company/organization) and set customer (client name, e.g., “BBC”)
This format is suitable for emailing or presenting to non-technical stakeholders.
• Lists
The reporting/lists module outputs a single-column list from a selected table.
The default column is IP address, but it can be changed (e.g., region, email addresses, etc.).
Useful for feeding data into other tools or scripts.
• Pushpin (Geolocation Viewer)
A more visual reporting option.
When latitude, longitude, and radius are set, this module generates HTML files showing pushpins on a Google Maps interface.
Useful for mapping physically geolocated server infrastructure.
All reports reflect the contents of the currently active workspace, so organizing your data beforehand is important. The Python source files defining each reporting module can be inspected within the Recon-ng home directory if needed for customization or learning. 2. Strategic Post-Scan Analysis (Critical Thinking Phase) After exporting the collected data, the episode stresses that a deliberate analytical stage is absolutely essential. Without it, the reconnaissance effort “is pretty much useless.” This stage involves interpreting the findings and evaluating their security implications. Key analysis areas include: • Infrastructure Weakness Identification
Reviewing BuiltWith data and other technical findings.
Understanding the technologies, frameworks, CMS versions, and hosting setups being used.
Assessing how an attacker could target these components.
In this lesson, you’ll learn about: Conducting a Multi‑Stage OSINT Campaign Using Recon‑ng 1. Initial Data Harvesting & Database Population The OSINT campaign begins by creating a dedicated workspace and planning the stages of information gathering. The first objective is to populate core database tables—contacts and hosts. Contact Gathering
PGP search modules identify additional contacts by searching for PGP keys associated with the target domain.
Host Discovery
bing_domain_web module scans the domain to enumerate subdomains and hostnames.
brute_hosts module brute‑forces common hostnames to uncover additional active hosts not found through search engines.
File Analysis
Once the hosts table is filled, the interesting_files module scans discovered hosts for publicly accessible files such as:
sitemap.xml
phpinfo.php
Test files These files may contain operational details useful for further analysis.
2. Contact Optimization & Breach Assessment This phase enhances collected contact data and checks whether employees or organizational accounts have been compromised. Email Construction Using Mangle
The mangle module builds complete email addresses using partial names and organizational naming patterns.
It combines first/last names with the domain to produce likely valid addresses.
Breach Monitoring Using HIBP
hibp_breach module checks if collected or constructed emails were exposed in known credential leaks.
hibp_paste module searches paste sites for leaked emails or credentials.
Any hits are stored in the credentials table for responsible reporting and remediation.
3. Geolocation of Target Servers This stage identifies the physical locations of the target’s online infrastructure. IP Resolution
The resolve module converts hostnames into IP addresses and updates host entries.
Geolocation
The free_geoip module geolocates IPs, revealing the server’s approximate city, region, and country.
Location details are appended to the host’s database record.
Shodan Integration (Optional)
When a Shodan API key is available:
Latitude/longitude data is used by the shodan module to gather additional OSINT such as services, banners, and exposed ports.
4. Comprehensive Software Stack Profiling The final stage performs a deep analysis of the technologies behind the target website. BuiltWith Technology Scan
The BuiltWith module identifies:
Web technologies (e.g., Apache, Nginx, Ubuntu)
Infrastructure providers (e.g., AWS)
Associated tools (jQuery, New Relic, Analytics services)
For large domains, the scan may return hundreds of data points, greatly enriching the OSINT profile.
Additional Discoveries
Administrative contacts
Social media integrations
CDN details
Heat‑mapping and analytics tools (e.g., Mouseflow)
Optimization platforms (e.g., Optimizely)
Summary By the end of this lesson, students understand how to conduct a complete OSINT workflow using Recon‑ng:
Populate key database tables
Form accurate contact and host profiles
Identify data breaches ethically
Geolocate infrastructure
Profile the full technology stack of a target domain
This staged approach reflects real-world ethical OSINT methodology and supports responsible security...
In this lesson, you’ll learn about: Mastering Recon-ng Module Operations, Data Flow, Naming Structure, API Integration & Session Automation 1. Understanding Module Functionality To operate any module correctly, analysts must inspect its requirements using:
show info — displays the module’s:
Name
Description
Required and optional inputs
Source and destination database tables
This command is essential before running any module because it defines what data the module needs and what data it will produce. 2. Data Flow and Interaction Recon-ng modules depend heavily on structured input/output flows:
Modules read from specific database tables (e.g., domains, hosts)
Then write results to other tables (e.g., contacts, repositories)
Understanding this flow is critical for chaining modules efficiently. 3. Module Chaining and Dependency Modules are often dependent on data gathered by earlier modules. Examples:
Use a domain enumeration module (e.g., google_site_web) → populates the hosts table
Then run a discovery module (e.g., interesting_files) → requires the hosts table to be populated to search for files
This process is known as module chaining, forming a structured intelligence pipeline. 4. Database Querying Recon-ng allows advanced database searches:
query command → perform SQL-like lookups
run + SQL syntax → filter large datasets
Example use case: Retrieve contacts belonging to one domain instead of dumping the entire contacts table. This improves workflow efficiency when processing large OSINT datasets. 5. Module Configuration Modules can be customized using:
set → assign a value (e.g., limit results, pick target subdomains)
unset → remove the assigned value
Modules also store collected artifacts (such as downloaded files) inside the workspace directory under the .recon-ng path. 6. Module Naming Structure Recon-ng organizes modules into logical categories such as:
Reconnaissance
Reporting
Import
Discovery
The naming scheme for Reconnaissance modules is especially important:
Each module name reflects the source → destination flow
Example: domains-hosts means “take domains and discover hosts”
Common tables used include:
companies
contacts
domains
hosts
netblocks
profiles
repositories
This structure makes it easy to understand what each module does simply from its name. 7. API Key Management Some modules rely on external APIs (e.g., BuiltWith, Jigsaw). Key commands:
keys add → configure an API key
show keys → list all installed keys
Without keys, these modules will fail or return limited data. 8. Session Scripting & Automation Recon-ng supports automation to streamline repetitive assessments. Tools covered include: a. Command Recording
record start → begin recording commands
record stop → stop recording
Run recorded script using: recon-ng -r
This allows you to reproduce actions automatically. b. Full Session Logging
spool → log everything output in the session Useful for audits, reporting, and compliance documentation.
Summary This lesson teaches students how to:
Understand module requirements (show info)
Chain modules effectively using database-driven workflows
In this lesson, you’ll learn about: Recon-ng Installation, Shell Navigation, and Data Management for Penetration Testing 1. Installation and Environment Setup Recon-ng is a powerful OSINT framework designed for information gathering in penetration testing. Installation options:
Linux (Kali Linux): Pre-installed, straightforward to use.
Other Linux (Ubuntu): Clone the repository using Git from Bitbucket; requires Python 2 (Python 3 not supported).
Windows or Mac: Run via Docker or a VirtualBox VM.
Dependencies: Install Python packages via pip install -r requirements.
API Credentials: Initial launch may show errors; these are addressed when configuring modules later.
2. Exploring the Special Shell and Data Management After launching, Recon-ng opens a custom shell (not Bash). Key elements: a. Commands
View top-level commands using: help
b. Workspaces
Projects are organized into workspaces.
Default workspace is created automatically.
Manage workspaces with:
workspaces add → create new workspace
workspaces select → switch workspace
Each workspace contains a hidden folder with:
data.db → project database
Generated report documents
The active workspace is shown in the prompt.
c. Database Structure
Around 20 tables, including:
domains
companies
credentials
Tables store critical project data used by modules.
d. Adding and Viewing Data
Add data using add :
Example: add domains bbc.com
Example: add companies ExampleCorpView data using:show domainsshow companiesNote: Creating a workspace uses workspaces add instead of add workspaces.3. Modules and Running Scans Modules are scripts that perform specific reconnaissance tasks. Recon-ng currently has around 90 modules. Workflow:Select module: use Review info: show info → check required settings and usage instructions.Run module: run → uses database data (e.g., domains) for scans.Modules can perform actions like web scans, domain enumeration, or credential searches. 4. Viewing Database via Web Interface Recon-ng provides a web interface via recon-web:Start the server from the Recon-ng directory.Access via: http://localhost:5000 or 127.0.0.1:5000Features: Click a workspace → view database tables and content.5. SummaryRecon-ng organizes projects using workspaces and database tables, enabling structured information gathering.Modules automate reconnaissance tasks using stored data.The custom shell and optional web interface provide flexible ways to manage projects.Understanding workspaces, database tables, and module workflows is critical for effective OSINT and penetration testing.
In this lesson, you’ll learn about: Phase 8 — Collaborative Model & Continuous Security Improvement 1. Overview Phase Eight of the Secure SDLC emphasizes the Collaborative Model, which focuses on addressing security challenges in distributed and enterprise environments. Collaboration strengthens security by bridging gaps between security, IT, and operations teams, breaking down silos, and integrating defense-in-depth strategies. Key success factors include strong stakeholder support for integration, budgeting, and cross-functional alignment. 2. Team Composition and Benefits Security is an ecosystem involving:
Macro-level players: Governments, regulators, and standards organizations.
Micro-level players: End-users, corporations, and security professionals.
Benefits of strong team collaboration:
Builds confidence in security programs.
Encourages shared responsibility, reducing “it’s not my job” attitudes.
Leverages automation (e.g., SOAR) to improve efficiency.
Ensures security is user-friendly and effective.
Strengthens defense-in-depth strategies.
3. Feedback Model Continuous improvement depends on effective feedback, which should be:
Timely: Delivered close to the event using real-time metrics.
Specific: Concrete, measurable, and aligned with security goals.
Action-Oriented: Includes clear instructions for remediation.
Constant: Repeated and recurring for ongoing improvement.
Collaborative: Employees contribute solutions and insights.
4. Secure Maturity Model (SMM) The SMM measures an organization’s security capability and progress through five levels:
Initial: Processes are ad hoc, informal, reactive, and inconsistent.
Repeatable: Some processes are established and documented but lack discipline.
Managed: Security processes are measured, refined, and optimized for efficiency.
Optimizing: Processes are automated, continuously analyzed, and fully integrated into organizational culture.
5. OWASP Software Assurance Maturity Model (SAM) SAM is an open framework helping organizations:
Evaluate current software security practices.
Build balanced, iterative security programs.
Define and measure security-related activities across teams.
It provides a structured path to improve security capabilities in alignment with business objectives. 6. Secure Road Map Developing a security road map ensures security is aligned with business goals and continuously improved. Key principles:
Iterative: Security is a continuous program, regularly reassessing risks and strategies.
Inclusive: Involves all stakeholders—IT, HR, legal, and business units—for alignment.
Measure Success: Success is measured by milestones, deliverables, and clear security metrics to demonstrate value.
7. Summary
Phase Eight emphasizes collaboration and continuous improvement in enterprise security.
Security is integrated across all SDLC stages, from requirements to testing.
Effective collaboration, feedback, maturity assessment, and road mapping ensure resilient security practices that adapt to evolving threats.
This phase is critical because applications are increasingly targeted by cyberattacks, making integrated security essential for organizational defense.
In this lesson, you’ll learn about: Secure Response — SDLC Phase 7 1. Overview Secure Response is Phase Seven of the Secure Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), focusing on managing security incidents, breaches, cyber threats, and vulnerabilities after software deployment. This phase represents the blue team operations, encompassing monitoring, threat hunting, threat intelligence, and reactive defense measures. The goal is to protect, monitor, and react effectively in a production environment. 2. Incident Management and Response Process A robust Incident Response Plan (IRP) is critical for minimizing damage, reducing costs, and maintaining organizational resilience. The response process is structured in six main steps:
Prepare
Verify and isolate suspected intrusions.
Assign risk ratings.
Develop policies and procedures for incident handling.
Explore
Perform detailed impact assessments.
Detect incidents by correlating alerts, often using Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools.
Gather digital evidence.
Organize
Execute communication plans to update stakeholders.
Monitor security events using firewalls, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and other defensive tools.
Create/Generate (Remediate)
Apply software patches and fixes.
Update cloud-based services.
Implement secure configuration changes.
Notify
Inform customers and stakeholders if a breach involves personal data.
Follow legal and regulatory notification requirements.
Feedback
Capture lessons learned.
Maintain incident records.
Perform gap analysis and document improvements to prevent similar future incidents.
3. Security Operations and Automation Operational defenses are typically managed by a Security Operations Center (SOC) or Critical Incident Response Center (CIRC). Core SOC functions include:
Identify incidents.
Analyze results (eliminate false positives).
Communicate findings to team members.
Report outcomes for documentation and compliance.
Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) enhances efficiency by:
Automating routine security operations.
Connecting multiple security tools for streamlined workflows.
Saving time and resources while enabling flexible, repeatable processes.
4. Investigation and Compliance Forensic Analysis is used to investigate and document incidents, often producing evidence for legal proceedings:
Digital Forensics: Recovering evidence from computers.
Mobile Device Forensics: Examining phones, tablets, and other portable devices.
Software Forensics: Analyzing code to detect intellectual property theft.
Memory Forensics: Investigating RAM for artifacts not stored on disk.
Data Lifecycle Management ensures compliance:
Data Disposal: Securely destroy data to prevent unauthorized access. Methods include physical shredding, secure digital erasure, and crypto shredding.
Data Retention: Define how long data is kept to comply with regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and SOX. Steps include creating retention teams, defining data types, and building formal policies with employee awareness.
In this lesson, you’ll learn about: Secure Validation — SDLC Phase 6 1. Overview Secure Validation tests software from a hacker’s perspective (ethical hacking) to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses before attackers can exploit them. Unlike standard QA, which ensures functional correctness, secure validation focuses on negative scenarios and attack simulations, targeting vulnerabilities like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and insecure configurations. 2. Key Testing Methodologies Secure validation can be performed manually, automatically, or using a hybrid approach. The main methodologies are: A. Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
Type: White-box testing
Purpose: Identify vulnerabilities in source code before runtime.
Method: Analyze internal code lines and application logic.
Tools: Can scan manually, via network import, or by connecting to code repositories like TFS, SVN, Git.
Focus: Detect issues such as hard-coded passwords, insecure function usage, and injection points.
B. Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST)
Type: Gray-box testing
Purpose: Continuous monitoring of running applications to detect vulnerabilities and API weaknesses.
Features:
Tracks data flow from untrusted sources (chain tracing) to identify injection flaws.
Runs throughout the development lifecycle.
Faster and more accurate than legacy static or dynamic tools.
C. Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)
Type: Black-box testing
Purpose: Simulate attacks on running software to observe responses.
Focus Areas:
SQL Injection
Cross-site scripting (XSS)
Misconfigured servers
Goal: Test behavior of deployed applications under attack conditions.
D. Fuzzing
Type: Black-box testing
Purpose: Identify bugs or vulnerabilities by injecting invalid, random, or malformed data.
Applications: Protocols, file formats, APIs, or applications.
Goal: Detect errors that could lead to denial of service or remote code execution.
Reconnaissance: Gather information about the target.
Scanning: Identify open ports, services, and potential attack surfaces.
Gaining Access: Exploit vulnerabilities to enter the system.
Maintaining Access: Test persistence mechanisms.
Covering Tracks: Evaluate if an attacker could erase traces.
F. Open Source Security Analysis (OSA/SCA)
Purpose: Identify vulnerabilities in open-source components used by the application.
Process:
Create an inventory of open-source components.
Check for known vulnerabilities (CVEs).
Update components to patch vulnerabilities.
Manage the security response to reported issues.
3. Manual vs. Automated ValidationAspectManual ValidationAutomated ValidationExpertiseRequires high domain expertiseEasier for non-expertsSpeedSlow and time-consumingFast and scalableCoverageCan be very thoroughLimited by supported languagesAccuracyAccurate, less false positivesMay generate false positivesBest UseComplex logic, new attacksRoutine checks, high-volume scans
Recommendation: Use a hybrid approach, combining both manual expertise and automated tools for comprehensive...
In this lesson, you’ll learn about: Secure Deploy — SDLC Phase 5 1. Overview Secure Deployment focuses on hardening the environment to protect systems from attacks and data breaches. The objective is to develop, deploy, and release software with continuous security and automation. 2. Secure Deployment and Infrastructure Hardening Key practices for secure deployment include:
Infrastructure Hardening: Follow CIS benchmarks to reduce risk across hardware and software.
Principle of Least Privilege: Grant only necessary access and revoke unnecessary permissions.
Access Control: Enforce strong authentication, restrict network access via firewalls, and monitor system access and network IP addresses.
Patching and Logging: Apply security patches based on CVE tracking, and implement auditing and logging policies.
Secure Connections: Enable TLS 1.2/1.3, use strong ciphers and secure cookies, and implement SSO or MFA as needed.
3. Secure DevOps (DevSecOps) DevSecOps integrates security throughout the DevOps pipeline. Key considerations:
Automation: Increases efficiency, reduces human error, and ensures consistent security checks.
Tool Integration: Combine SAST/IAST and WAFs with issue tracking (e.g., Jira) for continuous monitoring.
Compliance Automation: Identify applicable controls and automate compliance measurement within the SDLC.
Monitoring Metrics: Track deployment frequency, patch timelines, and the percentage of code tested automatically.
Security Test Results Review: Address vulnerabilities from SAST, IAST, WAF prior to release.
Certify the Release: Document and control software releases using a formal approval process.
7. Continuous Vulnerability Management (CVM) CVM ensures ongoing risk reduction by identifying and remediating vulnerabilities continuously:
Scanning and Patching: Use SCAP-compliant tools like Nessus, Rapid7, or Qualys; apply updates via automated tools (e.g., SolarWinds Patch Manager, SCCM).
Vulnerability Tools: Schedule recurring network scans, define targets, and manage scan plugins to optimize performance.
In this lesson, you’ll learn about: Secure Build — SDLC Phase 4 1. Overview Secure Build is the practice of applying secure requirements and design principles during the development phase. Its goal is to ensure that applications used by the organization are secure from threats. Key Participants:
Software developers
Desktop teams
Database teams
Infrastructure teams
2. Core Development Practices Secure Coding Guidelines
Developers follow standardized rules to ensure threat-resistant code.
Security libraries in frameworks are used for critical tasks, such as:
Input validation
Authentication
Data access
Secure Code Review
Involves manual and automated review of source code to uncover security weaknesses.
Essential checks include:
Proper logging of security events
Authentication bypass prevention
Validation of user input
Formal Code Review Steps:
Source Code Access: Obtain access to the codebase.
In this lesson, you’ll learn about: Secure Requirements — SDLC Phase 2 1. Overview of Secure Requirements Definition and Purpose:
Secure requirements are functional and non-functional security features that a system must meet to protect its users, ensure trust, and maintain compliance.
They define security expectations during the planning and analysis stage, and are documented in product or business requirements.
Timing and Integration:
Security requirements should be defined early in planning and design.
Early integration reduces costly late-stage changes and ensures that security is embedded throughout the SDLC.
Requirements must be continuously updated to reflect functional changes, compliance needs, and evolving threat landscapes.
Collaboration:
Requires coordination between business developers, system architects, and security specialists.
Early risk analysis prevents security flaws from propagating through subsequent stages.
2. The 20 Secure Recommendations The course details 20 key recommendations, each tied to mitigation of common application security risks. These cover input validation, authentication, cryptography, and more. Input and Data Validation
Input Validation: Server-side validation using whitelists to prevent injection attacks and XSS.
Database Security Controls: Use parameterized queries and minimal privilege accounts to prevent SQL injection and XSS.
File Upload Validation: Require authentication for uploads, validate file type and headers, and scan for malware to prevent injection or XML external entity attacks.
Authentication and Session Management 4–11. Authentication & Session Management:
Strong password policies
Secure failure handling
Single Sign-On (SSO) and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
HTTP security headers
Proper session invalidation and reverification Goal: Prevent broken authentication and session hijacking.
Output Handling and Data Protection
Output Encoding: Encode all responses to display untrusted input as data rather than code, mitigating XSS attacks.
Data Protection: Validate user roles for CRUD operations to prevent insecure deserialization and unauthorized access.
Memory, Error, and System Management
Secure Memory Management: Use safe functions and integrity checks (like digital signatures) to reduce buffer overflow and insecure deserialization risks.
Error Handling and Logging: Avoid exposing sensitive information in logs (SSN, credit cards) and ensure auditing is in place to prevent security misconfiguration.
System Configuration Hardening: Patch all software, lock down servers, and isolate development from production environments.
Transport and Access Control
Transport Security: Use strong TLS (1.2/1.3), trusted CAs, and robust ciphers to protect data in transit.
Access Control: Enforce Role-Based or Policy-Based Access Control, apply least privilege, and verify authorization on every request.
General Coding Practices and Cryptography
Secure Coding Practices: Protect against CSRF, enforce safe URL redirects, and prevent privilege escalation or phishing attacks.
Cryptography: Apply strong, standard-compliant encryption (symmetric/asymmetric) and avoid using vulnerable components.
3. Mitigation Strategy
Each of the 20 recommendations is directly linked to OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities.
Following these recommendations ensures that security is embedded into the SDLC rather than added as an afterthought.
In this lesson, you’ll learn about: The complete toolkit and techniques for analyzing network traffic using Connection Analysis, Statistical Analysis, and Event-Based (signature-focused) Analysis. 1. Data Analysis Toolkit General-Purpose Tools These are foundational command-line utilities used to search, filter, and reshape data:
grep → pattern searching
awk → field extraction and manipulation
cut → selecting specific columns Used together, they form powerful pipelines for rapid, custom analysis.
Scripting Languages Python
Most important language for packet analysis.
Scapy allows:
Parsing PCAPs
Inspecting packet structure
Accessing fields (IP, ports)
Filtering traffic (e.g., HTTP GET requests)
Deobfuscating malware traffic
Example: Extracting useful strings from compressed Ghostrat C2 payloads.
R
Useful for statistical modeling and clustering of network data.
2. The Three Core Data Analysis Techniques A. Connection Analysis Purpose: High-level visibility into which systems are connecting to which. Ideal for:
Detecting unauthorized servers or suspicious programs
Spotting lateral movement (e.g., odd SSH usage)
Identifying database misuse
Ensuring compliance across security zones
Primary Tool: Netstat
Shows all active connections + states (LISTENING, ESTABLISHED, TIME_WAIT, etc.)
Example Uses:
Spotting malware opening a hidden port
Identifying unauthorized remote access
Finding systems connecting to suspicious IPs
B. Statistical Analysis A macro-level technique designed to spot deviations from normal behavior. Techniques: 1. Clustering Group similar traffic together to identify families or variants.
Demonstrated by clustering Ghostrat variants through similarities in their C2 protocol.
2. Stack Counting Sort traffic by count of activity on:
Destination ports
Host connections
Packet types
Used to find anomalies:
Single visits to rare ports (2266, 3333)
Unexpected FTP traffic (port 21)
3. Wireshark Statistics Using built-in metrics:
Packet lengths (large packets → possible exfiltration or malware downloads)
Endpoints
Protocol hierarchy
Specialized Tool: Silk
Designed for massive enterprise networks
Supports both command line & Python (Pysilk)
Ideal for flow-level analysis, anomaly detection, and trend discovery.
C. Event-Based Analysis (Signature Focused) A micro-level technique used to identify known threats via rules and signatures. 1. Yara Signatures
Rules match known binary or text patterns.
Example uses:
Detecting Ghostrat via identifying strings like "lurk zero" or "v2010"
Multi-string matching to detect multi-stage malware
In this lesson, you’ll learn about: Advanced Malware Traffic Analysis — how to detect, decode, and investigate RATs, fileless exploits, worms, and multi-stage infections using real network captures. 1. Remote Access Trojans (RATs) WSH RAT
Uses plaintext beaconing for C2 → very easy to identify.
Key data exfiltrated in HTTP requests:
Unique device ID
Computer name
Username (“admin”)
RAT version (often hidden in the User-Agent field)
NJRAT
Shows extensive data exfiltration:
Windows XP build info
CPU type (Intel Core i7)
Username (“Laura”)
Contains custom data blocks:
Likely a proprietary C2 format
Example: 4-byte value representing payload length (e.g., 16 bytes)
In this lesson, you’ll learn about: Network Threat Analysis — understanding how common attacks and advanced malware appear in real traffic captures, and how to extract intelligence from them. Part 1 — Analysis of Common Network Threats 1. Network Scanning Techniques Attackers scan networks to discover targets, services, and vulnerabilities. Demonstrations cover several scanning styles: SYN / Half-Open Scan
Sends SYN packets without completing the handshake.
Target responses reveal open vs. closed ports.
Full Connect Scan
Completes the full TCP three-way handshake.
More noticeable but highly accurate.
Xmas Tree Scan
Uses abnormal TCP flags: FIN + PUSH + URG.
Leveraged to probe how systems respond to malformed packets.
Zombie / Idle Scan
Uses an unwitting third-party host (“zombie”) to hide attacker identity.
Tracks incremental IP ID numbers to infer open ports.
Network Worm Scanning (e.g., WannaCry)
Worms scan many IPs for a single vulnerable port, such as SMB 445.
High-volume, repetitive traffic is a key signature.
2. Data Exfiltration (Covert Channels) Focus: understanding how attackers hide stolen data inside legitimate-appearing traffic. Covert SMB Channel
Data leaked one byte at a time inside SMB packets.
Requires:
Reviewing thousands of similar packets,
Extracting embedded data,
Base64 decoding,
Reversing the result,
Revealing hidden Morse code.
ICMP Abuse
Attackers embed data into ICMP type fields, reconstructing files (e.g., a GIF).
Difficult to detect because ICMP is normally used for diagnostics, not data transfer.
3. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks Explains why DDoS attacks remain common—cheap cloud resources, insecure IoT devices, accessible botnets. Volumetric SYN Flood
Floods a port (like HTTP 80) with incomplete handshakes.
Exhausts server connection capacity.
HTTP Flood
Sends massive amounts of GET/POST requests.
Harder to distinguish from normal traffic.
Amplification / Reflection Attacks
Small spoofed request → massive response to victim.
In this lesson, you’ll learn about: Intelligence Collection from Network Traffic Captures — focusing on anomalies, attacker behavior, and extracting actionable intelligence. 1. Network Mapping & Visualization
Humans struggle with long lists → visualizing traffic helps you feel the environment.
Tools like pcap viz generate maps at different OSI layers:
Layer 3 (IP Addresses)
Shows which machines talk to each other.
Helps detect unusual communication paths.
Layer 4 (TCP/UDP Ports)
Shows communication between applications.
Unusual ports (e.g., 900) may indicate custom or C2 protocols.
2. Content Deobfuscation Attackers often hide traffic with simple encodings (not strong encryption). Goal → recover the original content, often a payload or second-stage executable. XOR Encoding
Common in malware traffic.
Repeated patterns in streams (especially when encoding zeros) reveal the key.
Example: fixed-length 4-byte key like MLVR.
Base64 (B64)
Seen in C2 frameworks like Onion Duke.
Recognizable by:
A–Z, a–z, 0–9, “+”, “/”
Ends with “=” padding
Easy to decode using built-in libraries or online tools.
3. Credential Capture from Insecure Protocols Focus: credentials leaking in plaintext protocols. Telnet & IMAP
Send usernames/passwords in clear text.
Easy to extract directly from the TCP stream.
SMTP
Encodes credentials in Base64 → trivial to decode.
Python or online decoders reveal username + password.
Reinforces the need for TLS encryption.
4. SSL/TLS Decryption in Wireshark Encrypted traffic looks like random “gibberish” unless you have the right keys. Using RSA Private Keys
If the RSA private key is available, Wireshark can decrypt sessions directly.
Ephemeral Keys (ECDHE)
Cannot be decrypted using the server’s private key.
Must capture the session keys using a pre-master secret log file:
Often done by setting an SSL key log file environment variable in browsers.
Without that log, the sessions are not recoverable.
5. Web Proxy Interception (Deep Packet Inspection) Enterprise method for inspecting encrypted HTTPS traffic. How it works
A corporate proxy (e.g., Burp Suite) intercepts connections:
Breaks the client → server TLS session.
Decrypts → inspects → re-encrypts all traffic.
Requirements
Clients must install the proxy’s self-signed root certificate.
Needed to bypass controls like HSTS.
Risks
Proxy becomes a single high-value target for attackers.
Raises privacy concerns, especially when employees do personal browsing (banking, etc.).
The core networking concepts required before beginning any network traffic analysis.
The relationship between the OSI model, low-level protocols, and application-level protocols, and how they shape the behaviour of traffic you’ll examine in a tool like Wireshark.
How to recognize common protocol behaviours at a high level so you can later understand patterns, anomalies, and security-related findings during analysis.
1. The OSI Model and the Network Stack (high-level foundation)
The OSI model divides networking functionality into structured layers.
Hardware-oriented layers:
Physical → bits on the wire
Data Link → frames within a local network
Software-oriented layers relevant for analysis:
Network (Layer 3) → packets, routing
Transport (Layer 4) → reliability, ports
Session / Presentation / Application (Layers 5–7) → how applications encode, manage, and interpret network data
Students should understand the distinctions between bits → frames → packets, because these appear in captures.
Manages connections using ports and a handshake mechanism.
UDP (User Datagram Protocol):
Connectionless and faster but offers no delivery guarantees.
Used when speed and low latency matter more than reliability.
ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol):
Sends diagnostic and control messages.
Used by tools like ping and traceroute.
3. Common Higher-Level Protocols & Security Wrappers (conceptual behaviour)ProtocolPurpose (High-Level)Security-Relevant Behaviours (Conceptual Only)ARPResolves IP → MAC within a LAN.Can be abused conceptually for redirecting traffic.DNSTranslates domain names to IP addresses.Commonly targeted for redirection or misdirection attacks.FTPTransfers files using ports 20/21.Weak configurations may allow unauthorized file movement.HTTP / HTTPSWeb communication.Frequently analysed due to large volume of traffic and vulnerabilities.IRCText-based group chat channels.Historically used in automation and remote coordination systems.SMTPSends email.High-volume traffic channel; relevant for filtering and monitoring.SNMPNetwork device management.Misconfigurations can lead to information disclosure.SSHSecure, encrypted remote terminal access.Important for secure administration.TFTPLightweight file transfer on port 69.Seen in simple or automated device configurations.TLSProvides authentication and encryption for other protocols.Masks traffic contents in both legitimate and illegitimate uses.
Key Takeaways
Understanding how protocols behave at each OSI layer is essential for interpreting traffic captures.
Familiarity with the normal patterns of protocols (IP, TCP/UDP, DNS, TLS, etc.) helps analysts later identify unusual or suspicious activity.
This theoretical module prepares students for the practical phase using tools like Wireshark, where they will analyse real traffic captures in a controlled, educational setting.
Goal — verifying if an Android device is compromised (conceptual):
How investigators look for Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) on a device by inspecting network activity and running processes; emphasis on performing all checks only with explicit authorization and on isolated lab devices.
Network‑level indicators:
Look for unexpected outbound or long‑lived connections to remote IPs or uncommon ports (examples of suspicious patterns, not how‑to).
High‑risk signals include connections to unknown foreign IPs, repeated reconnect attempts, or traffic to ports commonly associated with remote shells/listeners.
Correlate network findings with timing (when the connection started) and with other telemetry (battery spikes, data usage) to prioritize investigation.
Process & runtime indicators:
Unusual processes or services running on the device (unexpected shells, daemons, or package names) are strong red flags.
Signs include processes that appear to be interactive shells, packages with strange or obfuscated names, or processes that persist after reboots.
Correlate process names with installed package lists and binary locations to determine provenance (signed store app vs. side‑loaded package).
Behavioral symptoms to watch for:
Sudden battery drain, unexplained data usage, spikes in CPU, or device sluggishness.
Unexpected prompts for permissions, new apps appearing without user consent, or developer options/USB debugging enabled unexpectedly.
Forensic collection & triage (high level):
Capture volatile telemetry (network connections, running processes, recent logs) and preserve evidence with careful documentation (timestamps, commands run, who authorized the collection).
Preserve a copy/snapshot of the device state (emulator/VM snapshot or filesystem image) before further analysis to avoid contaminating evidence.
Export logs and network captures to an isolated analyst workstation for deeper correlation and timeline building.
Cross‑reference suspicious outbound connections with running processes and installed packages to identify likely malicious artifacts.
Use process metadata (package name, signing certificate, install time) and network metadata (destination domain, ASN, geolocation) to assess intent and scope.
Prioritize containment (isolate device/network) if active exfiltration or ongoing C2 is suspected.
Containment & remediation guidance:
Isolate the device from networks (airplane mode / disconnect) and, where appropriate, block suspicious destinations at the network perimeter.
Preserve evidence, then follow a remediation plan: revoke credentials, wipe/restore from a known‑good image, reinstall OS from trusted media, and rotate any secrets that may have been exposed.
Report incidents per organizational policy and involve legal/compliance if sensitive data was involved.
Safe lab & teaching suggestions:
Demonstrate IoCs using emulators or instructor‑controlled devices in an isolated lab network; never create or deploy real malicious payloads.
Provide students with sanitized capture files and pre‑built scenarios so they can practice correlation and investigation without touching live systems.
Key takeaway:
Detecting device compromise relies on correlating suspicious network activity with anomalous processes and device behavior. Always investigate within legal/ethical bounds, preserve evidence, and prioritize...
Welcome to CyberCode Academy — your audio classroom for Programming and Cybersecurity. 🎧 Each course is divided into a series of short, focused episodes that take you from beginner to advanced level — one lesson at a time. From Python and web development to ethical hacking and digital defense, our content transforms complex concepts into simple, engaging audio learning. Study anywhere, anytime — and level up your skills with CyberCode Academy. 🚀 Learn. Code. Secure.
