Offensive Forging

CA-FORGE 501 • PENETRATION TESTING

CA501: Offensive Forging and Real-World Breach Tactics

Course authored by:

Heather Barnhart, Ovie Carroll, Mattia Epifani & Rob T. Lee

Advanced Data Science & ML (ADSM)

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40 Hours of Instruction

Includes lectures, guest speakers, and Q&A sessions

Live Online or On-Demand Access

Join weekly synchronous sessions or access all material and recorded lectures anytime

Intermediate to Expert Level

Designed for professionals comfortable with Python and statistical fundamentals

5 Capstone Projects

Apply cutting-edge models to real-world datasets and portfolio-ready challenges

Course Overview

The job market doesn't care about certificates you crammed for. It cares about competence. This six-week, intensive, instructor-led track is designed to eliminate your weaknesses and forge a skillset that is immediately verifiable and employable.

We don't teach "ethical hacking" like a textbook—we teach offensive combat like it's a real-world engagement. You will be exposed to realistic, multi-layered enterprise environments and forced to solve problems under pressure, often having to custom-craft solutions when standard tools fail. Expect long hours, high standards, and zero filler.

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What You’ll Learn

Master the full attack life cycle. You will be forced to solve real-world problems and adapt when tools fail.

  • Own the Kill Chain: Master reconnaissance, initial exploitation, and post-exploitation persistence.

  • Deep Access: Advanced Windows/Linux privilege escalation and credential harvesting.

  • Internal Warfare: Pivot across segmented enterprise networks and attack complex Active Directory environments.

  • Web & API Hacking: High-impact exploitation against modern web applications and APIs.

  • Evasion: Understand defensive mechanisms to ensure attacks land and stick.

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Business Takeaways

Hiring a CFP graduate means securing talent validated by pressure. They deliver immediate value.

  • Verified Competence: Graduates have proven skills in a multi-day practical exam, eliminating hiring risk.
  • Immediate Deployment: Ready for Red Team or consulting roles on Day One. No ramp-up required.

  • Risk Reduction: Deploy high-impact penetration testers capable of finding what others miss.

  • High-Grit Mindset: You gain a professional with the integrity, relentless work ethic, and confidence forged by Cyber Academy.

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Syllabus: Six Weeks to Transformation

The CA501 program is structured as a continuous combat simulation, escalating in difficulty each week. Expect 5-7 intense, hands-on labs per week. The output is competence.

syllabus overview

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Week /0.1

Reconnaissance: Eliminating Guesses

Week 1 eliminates guessing. You will learn to map targets using aggressive OSINT and customized stealth-scanning, moving beyond automated tools to identify critical entry points and circumvent initial perimeter defenses.

TOPICS COVERED

  • Advanced OSINT, metadata harvesting, and domain research.

  • Custom Nmap scripting and service fingerprinting.
  • Evading initial perimeter defenses and firewall testing.

LABS

  • Map a Fortune 500 company’s network topology using only passive and semi-active techniques.
  • Profile a web server’s vulnerabilities without triggering network alerts.

  • Customize reconnaissance tools to bypass basic security monitoring.

Week /0.2

Initial Exploitation: Achieving the Rupture Point

This week focuses on the rupture point. Master vulnerability research, custom payload creation, and advanced exploitation techniques to gain the first foothold—moving from discovery to immediate, stable command and control.

TOPICS COVERED

  • Buffer overflow exploitation (stack/heap) principles and practice.
  • Identifying and exploiting remote code execution (RCE) flaws.
  • Establishing a stable command-and-control (C2) channel.

LABS

  • Write a custom Python exploit for a service-side vulnerability to gain a low-privilege shell.
  • Craft a non-standard C2 payload to bypass generic antivirus/detection.

  • Exploit a vulnerable server and exfiltrate a small file without losing connection.

Week /0.3

Domination: Privilege Escalation to SYSTEM

Week 3 is about maximizing access once inside. You will learn to weaponize misconfigurations, kernel exploits, and advanced post-exploitation tactics on both hardened Windows and Linux hosts to achieve SYSTEM or Root privileges.

TOPICS COVERED

  • Linux privilege escalation via kernel exploits, SUID binaries, and weak permissions.


  • Windows privilege escalation via service misconfigurations and token stealing.
  • Dumping and cracking local credentials and password hashes.

LABS

  • Go from an unprivileged web shell to SYSTEM/Root access on a hardened server.
  • Exploit a local file inclusion (LFI) vulnerability to gain command execution.
  • Use post-exploitation frameworks to harvest credentials from memory.

Week /0.4

Internal Warfare: Horizontal Aggression

The focus shifts to horizontal aggression. Master Active Directory attacks, Kerberos exploitation, and the use of specialized tunneling and pivoting techniques to relentlessly move from one compromised host to the entire internal network.

TOPICS COVERED

  • Active Directory enumeration, mapping trust domains, and Kerberos attacks.
  • Lateral movement via PsExec, WMI, and RDP credential reuse.

  • Network pivoting using SOCKS tunneling and proxy chains.

LABS

  • Execute a Golden/Silver Ticket attack on a simulated AD environment.

  • Breach a segmented internal network from a single compromised DMZ host.
  • Configure and utilize a reverse shell for multi-host pivoting.

Week /0.5

Attack Surface: Modern Web & API Exploitation

This module targets the modern attack surface. You will move past basics, focusing on complex injection, advanced request forgery, and exploiting insecure API design to bypass authentication and compromise mission-critical web applications.

TOPICS COVERED

  • Advanced SQL Injection (blind/time-based) and XSS.
  • Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) and Deserialization attacks.
  • Attacking modern frameworks and bypassing input validation filters.

LABS

  • Exploit a critical API vulnerability to bypass multi-factor authentication.
  • Chain multiple vulnerabilities (e.g., LFI + SQLi) to compromise a live application.
  • Exploit a vulnerable web application to steal user session tokens.

Week /0.6

The Final Forge: Evasion and Validation

Week 6 integrates all combat skills with anti-forensics and EDR evasion. The module culminates with the CA Forged Penetrator (CFP) Practical Exam, a final, multi-day simulation designed to validate real-world readiness.

TOPICS COVERED

  • Anti-forensics and log clearing techniques.
  • EDR bypass methods and payload obfuscation.
  • Professional report writing and translating exploit success into business risk.

LABS

  • Bypass a simulated EDR solution with a customized payload.
  • CFP Practical Exam: A multi-day, real-world simulation to prove all skills mastered.
  • Present a full penetration test report detailing findings and remediation steps.

Course Schedule
& Pricing

Looking for Group Purchase Options? See below

Next Start Date

January 15, 2026

Duration

12 Weeks Intensive

Format

Remote

What's Included

299€

Seats Filling Fast for January 2026

Don't miss your chance to transform your career

Location

Start Date

Start Time

Virtual

March 20, 2026

10:30 AM (CEST)

Virtual

April 15, 2026

4:30 PM (CEST)

Virtual

May 10, 2026

11:00 AM (CEST)

Next Start Date

March 5, 2026

Duration

14 Weeks Intensive

Format

Live with Zoom Meeting

What's Included

499€

Seats Filling Fast for January 2026

Don't miss your chance to transform your career

Location

Start Date

Start Time

Prishtina, Kosovo

March 20, 2026

10:30 AM (CEST)

Prishtina, Kosovo

April 15, 2026

4:30 PM (CEST)

Prishtina, Kosovo

May 10, 2026

11:00 AM (CEST)

Next Start Date

February 25, 2026

Duration

9 Weeks Intensive

Format

On Demand

What's Included

199€

Seats Filling Fast for January 2026

Don't miss your chance to transform your career

Frequently Asked Questions

Mission-critical information for prospective operatives

How long is the program?

Protect vital IT resources. Review real exploits and master Windows/Linux security functionality.

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