Key Skills for Offensive Cyber Operations

Think like an attacker to build stronger defences in your organisation

Want to understand how cyber attackers really think? The best way to defend your organisation is to understand how attacks actually work.

This course takes you inside the world of offensive cyber operations, combining hands-on technical skills with the psychology behind real attacks.

Over two weeks, you’ll explore the complete cyber attack lifecycle, from initial reconnaissance through to impact analysis. You’ll learn the core offensive techniques that red teams and threat actors use, so you can anticipate and counter them effectively.

Understand how attackers think and why they target you

Get inside the mindset of cyber attackers. You’ll explore what motivates them, learn about different attacker profiles, and use frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK to understand how defenders can anticipate and disrupt adversaries before damage is done.

Get hands-on with offensive techniques and tools

Learn key offensive methods including network exploration, exploitation tactics, and social engineering strategies.

Through practical exercises, you’ll build your skills using industry tools safely and ethically—giving you real experience you can apply to defence.

Prepare for AI-driven and emerging cyber threats

Examine what’s coming next in offensive cyber operations, including automated attacks and the use of large language models. You’ll develop strategies to defend against these advanced and evolving threats, keeping your organisation one step ahead.

You’ll finish with a practical project where you apply reconnaissance, vulnerability assessment, and social engineering analysis to real-world scenarios—building a blueprint for understanding offensive operations grounded in current threats.

This course is ideal for IT professionals, junior security analysts, business leaders, and students interested in red teaming or penetration testing—especially in high-stakes sectors like finance, telecoms, and healthcare.

Basic computer skills and IT concepts (networks, systems). Access to: - Draw.io (free online diagramming tool at app.diagrams.net) - ChatGPT (free version for cybersecurity analysis) - Web browser for accessing security analysis websites: - MITRE ATT&CK Navigator (https://mitre-attack.github.io/attack-navigator/) - Archive.org - WHOIS lookup tools - Netcraft.com All tools are free and web-based - no software installation required.

This course is ideal for IT professionals, junior security analysts, business leaders, and students interested in red teaming or penetration testing—especially in high-stakes sectors like finance, telecoms, and healthcare.

• Deconstruct offensive cyber architectures and adversarial mindsets, exploring motivations and frameworks to strengthen system defense.
• Analyze the cyber-attack lifecycle from reconnaissance through post-exploitation and impact analysis.
• Implement core offensive techniques and tools, including human-centric social engineering aspects.
• Navigate AI-driven offensive techniques and emerging threats, including automated attack systems and the use of large language models.