$ man lab-guide
Lab Navigation Guide
Everything you need to know to get the most out of every hands-on lab — from launching your first terminal to earning your completion badge.
How Labs Work
LEFT PANEL
Objectives
What you need to demonstrate
Numbered Steps
Commands to run in order
Hints
3 contextual tips per lab
Completion Criteria
Exact pass condition
Mark Complete
Records your lab finish
RIGHT PANEL — TERMINAL
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║ Cyber Hacker Academy Lab ║
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Type commands below.
student@lab:~$ nmap -sV 192.168.1.1
Starting Nmap scan...
PORT STATE SERVICE VERSION
22/tcp open ssh OpenSSH
80/tcp open http Apache
student@lab:~$ ▌
Simulated environment — safe to experiment
Each lab is a guided, interactive exercise tied to a specific lesson. You'll see a split-screen environment: the left panel contains your objectives, numbered steps, hints, and a completion button — the right panel is a live terminal where you run commands and see simulated output.
Labs are designed to be completed in order within each course. You can always revisit a lab from your dashboard, and your progress is saved automatically as you run commands.
Quick Start
Enroll in a course
Head to the Courses page and click Enroll Free on any course. You'll be taken to your dashboard where all enrolled courses appear.
Open a lesson with a lab
From your dashboard, expand a course card and click any lesson. Lessons with a lab show a Launch Lab button in the lesson panel.
Read the objectives first
Before touching the terminal, read the Objectives section on the left panel. These tell you exactly what you need to demonstrate to complete the lab.
Follow the numbered steps
Work through each step in order. Steps with a command block show the exact command to run — click the command to copy it, then paste it into the terminal.
Use hints when stuck
Expand the Hints section at the bottom of the left panel for contextual tips. Each lab has 3 hints — use them freely, they don't affect your score.
Mark the lab complete
Once you've worked through all steps and met the completion criteria, click Mark Lab as Complete. Your progress is recorded and you can move to the next lesson.
Using the Terminal
The right-side terminal is a simulated environment — commands run safely without affecting any real system.
Built-in Commands
$ helpLists all available built-in commands and reminds you how to use the terminal.
$ hintDisplays a random hint from the current lab's hint pool. Run it multiple times for different hints.
$ stepsPrints the full list of lab steps directly in the terminal so you can reference them without scrolling.
$ clearClears all terminal output and gives you a fresh screen. Your command history is preserved.
Pro Tips
Use the Up arrow key to cycle through your command history — no need to retype long commands.
Press Tab to auto-complete commands. The terminal recognizes all commands from the current lab's steps.
Commands from the lab steps produce realistic simulated output. Commands not in the step list return a 'command not found' response.
A step's checkbox turns green automatically when you run its associated command — this tracks your progress toward completion.
Labs by Course
Each course contains multiple labs. Here's what to expect from each one.
Ethical Hacking Fundamentals
Labs in this course walk you through the full ethical hacking lifecycle — from reading a real bug bounty scope to setting up a Kali/Metasploitable lab environment, running OSINT, scanning networks, exploiting vulnerabilities, and writing a professional pentest report.
Key skills you'll practice
- ▸Bug bounty scope analysis
- ▸Kali Linux lab setup
- ▸OSINT with passive tools
- ▸Nmap port scanning
- ▸Metasploitable exploitation
- ▸Privilege escalation
- ▸Pentest report writing
Network Security Basics
These labs focus on network traffic analysis and defense. You'll capture live packets with Wireshark, extract credentials from unencrypted traffic, perform ARP spoofing, configure firewalls and IDS rules, and audit wireless security.
Key skills you'll practice
- ▸Wireshark packet capture
- ▸Credential extraction from traffic
- ▸TCP stream reconstruction
- ▸ARP spoofing / MITM
- ▸iptables firewall rules
- ▸Snort IDS alerts
- ▸WPA2 handshake capture
Web App Penetration Testing
The most lab-intensive course. You'll attack DVWA and WebGoat to exploit SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, broken access control, and API vulnerabilities. Later labs use Burp Suite and SQLmap professionally, and you'll write a full bug bounty report.
Key skills you'll practice
- ▸DVWA & WebGoat setup
- ▸SQL injection with SQLmap
- ▸XSS (reflected & stored)
- ▸CSRF exploitation
- ▸Burp Suite (Repeater, Intruder, Decoder)
- ▸API vulnerability testing
- ▸Bug bounty report writing
Linux for Hackers
Hands-on Linux labs covering everything a security professional needs at the command line — filesystem navigation, permissions, user management, bash scripting, networking commands, and process monitoring.
Key skills you'll practice
- ▸Filesystem navigation & grep
- ▸File permissions & SUID files
- ▸User/group management & sudo
- ▸Bash recon scripting
- ▸Network commands & DNS lookups
- ▸Process monitoring & kill
- ▸apt package management
Password Cracking & Defense
Labs cover the full password security spectrum — generating and identifying hash types, demonstrating salting, running dictionary and brute-force attacks with Hashcat, building rainbow tables, and hardening system password policies.
Key skills you'll practice
- ▸MD5, SHA-256 & bcrypt hashing
- ▸Salting & rainbow table defense
- ▸Hashcat dictionary attacks
- ▸Brute-force time estimation
- ▸Rainbow table generation
- ▸System password policy hardening
Cybersecurity Fundamentals
Concept-focused labs that build your analytical foundation. You'll map real attacks to the CIA triad, profile a real APT group using MITRE ATT&CK, assess an organization against the NIST CSF, and produce a full incident analysis report.
Key skills you'll practice
- ▸CIA triad attack mapping
- ▸MITRE ATT&CK threat profiling
- ▸NIST CSF gap assessment
- ▸Career path planning
- ▸Incident analysis reporting
Completing a Lab Successfully
Meet the completion criteria
Every lab has a specific completion criteria statement shown at the bottom of the left panel. Read it before you start — it tells you exactly what you need to demonstrate, not just which commands to run.
Run every command step
Steps with a command block auto-track your progress. A step only turns green when you run its exact command in the terminal. Don't skip steps — each one builds on the last.
Use all three hints
Hints are free and don't affect your score. If you're stuck, run the 'hint' command in the terminal or expand the Hints panel. Each lab has 3 targeted hints written specifically for its most common sticking points.
Take notes as you go
Many labs ask you to document findings, write summaries, or produce reports. Keep a text editor open alongside the lab and jot down outputs, CVEs, and observations as you work — you'll need them for the completion criteria.
Click Mark Lab as Complete
The completion button only becomes active once you've run the required commands. When it lights up, click it to record your lab completion — this updates your dashboard stats and leaderboard score.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I redo a lab after completing it?
Yes. Navigate back to any lesson from your dashboard and click Launch Lab. Your previous command history won't be there, but the lab reloads fresh and you can run through it again.
Do I need to install any software?
No. The terminal is fully browser-based and simulated. For real-world practice beyond the labs, the Ethical Hacking Fundamentals course guides you through setting up a local Kali Linux + Metasploitable environment.
Why isn't my step turning green?
Steps only auto-complete when you run the exact command shown in the step's command block. Check for typos, extra spaces, or missing flags. You can also type 'steps' in the terminal to see the full list.
What if the Mark Lab as Complete button is greyed out?
The button activates once you've run all the required commands in the lab. Work through each numbered step and run its associated command — the button will unlock automatically.
Does lab completion affect my leaderboard ranking?
Yes. Labs Completed is one of the three ranking metrics on the leaderboard. Each completed lab adds to your score, and you can filter the leaderboard by course to see how you rank within a specific subject.
Can I navigate between labs without going back to the dashboard?
Yes. Use the Prev and Next buttons in the top bar of the lab page to move directly between lessons in the same course without returning to the dashboard.
Ready to start hacking?
Pick a course, launch your first lab, and start building real skills today.