An Ethical Hacking & Cyber Security course from Zero to Hero should cover the following topics in a structured way:

1. Introduction to Ethical Hacking

What is Ethical Hacking?

Difference between Black Hat, White Hat & Gray Hat Hackers

Importance of Cybersecurity

Understanding Cyber Threats, Attacks, and Vulnerabilities

Legal Aspects & Cyber Laws

2. Networking Fundamentals

OSI & TCP/IP Models

IP Addressing, Subnetting, and MAC Address

Ports & Protocols (FTP, SSH, HTTP, HTTPS, DNS, etc.)

Network Devices (Router, Switch, Firewall, etc.)

VPNs & Proxy Servers

Packet Sniffing & Traffic Analysis (Wireshark)

3. Linux & Windows for Hackers

Linux Basics (Commands, File Systems, Permissions)

Shell Scripting for Automation

Windows Basics (CMD, PowerShell, Registry Editing)

Windows & Linux Security Features

4. Reconnaissance & Information Gathering

Passive & Active Reconnaissance

WHOIS Lookup, DNS Enumeration, Subdomain Enumeration

Google Dorking (Google Hacking)

OSINT (Open Source Intelligence)

Shodan & Maltego for Data Collection

5. Scanning & Enumeration

Network Scanning (Nmap, Angry IP Scanner)

Banner Grabbing & OS Fingerprinting

Vulnerability Scanning (Nessus, OpenVAS)

SNMP & SMB Enumeration

Identifying Open Ports & Services

6. System Hacking & Gaining Access

Password Cracking (Brute Force, Dictionary, Rainbow Tables)

Privilege Escalation Techniques

Windows & Linux Exploitation

Metasploit Framework Basics

Keyloggers & Remote Access Trojans (RATs)

7. Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering

Understanding Malware Types (Viruses, Worms, Trojans, Ransomware)

Static & Dynamic Analysis of Malware

Reverse Engineering with Ghidra & IDA Pro

Creating & Detecting Rootkits

8. Web Application Hacking

OWASP Top 10 Vulnerabilities

SQL Injection (SQLi)

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)

Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

Directory Traversal Attacks

Web Shells & Exploiting File Uploads

Burp Suite for Web Pentesting

9. Wireless & Network Hacking

Cracking Wi-Fi Networks (WEP, WPA, WPA2)

MITM (Man-in-the-Middle) Attacks

Rogue Access Points & Evil Twin Attacks

Bluetooth & RFID Hacking

10. Social Engineering Attacks

Phishing, Spear Phishing, and Whaling

Pretexting & Baiting Attacks

Creating Fake Login Pages

SMS & Call Spoofing

Deepfake & AI-Based Social Engineering

11. Cloud & IoT Hacking

Cloud Security Risks & Attacks

Hacking AWS, Azure, Google Cloud

IoT Device Vulnerabilities

Attacking Smart Home Devices

12. Mobile Hacking (Android & iOS)

Android Pentesting Basics

Reverse Engineering APKs

Exploiting Android Apps

iOS Jailbreaking & Exploits

13. Cryptography & Data Security

Basics of Encryption (AES, RSA, ECC)

Hashing (MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256)

Cracking Hashes

Steganography Techniques

14. Digital Forensics & Incident Response

Disk & Memory Forensics

Logs Analysis & SIEM Tools

Email & Network Forensics

Evidence Collection & Chain of Custody

15. Bug Bounty & Capture The Flag (CTF)

How to Find Security Vulnerabilities in Websites

Writing Bug Reports & Responsible Disclosure

Platforms for Bug Bounties (HackerOne, Bugcrowd)

CTF Challenges & Practical Labs

16. Cyber Security Career & Certifications

Building a Career in Cyber Security

Important Certifications (CEH, OSCP, CISSP, CISM)

Resume & Portfolio Building

Ethical Hacking Labs & Practice Platforms

Final Project

Conduct a Full Ethical Hacking Engagement on a Test Environment

Document & Present the Findings as a Professional Pentester