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Pentesting 101: The Ultimate Hacking Guide Start To Finish (Udemy.com)

Pentest like a Pro. Hack like a Pro. This hacking course is created by an experienced hacker and business leader.

4.4
275 reviews

Created by: Experts with David Bombal

Last updated January 2023

Our take

Based on the ratings of 275 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in January 2023. No course pays to be reviewed.

Pentesting 101 is a 10-module walkthrough of penetration testing built by Wesley Thijs, hosted through David Bombal's platform. Across 196 lectures and roughly 7.8 hours of video, it covers network, web application, and API pentesting, plus the parts most courses skip: writing a report, handling clients, and picking a methodology. Each module ends with a capstone assignment, so students practice something closer to a real engagement than a string of isolated tool demos. It only asks for basic networking knowledge going in, despite the Intermediate label.

Reviewers mostly like the structure. Several call it beginner-friendly and say it explains the reasoning behind a test, not just the steps, and one reviewer says the assignments prepare you to work independently or with a team. The complaints cluster around delivery: a couple of one-star reviews say the first stretch is mostly slides read aloud with no live hacking, and other reviewers ask for more interactive quizzes, bundled lab materials, and fewer short, choppy videos that jump around between topics.

At 4.4 stars across 275 reviews, it holds up, though the content hasn't been refreshed since January 2023, so it's worth checking whether the lab tools still match current versions. Next to more hands-on courses in the Hacking category, this one leans toward process and documentation as much as exploitation. Good pick for someone who wants the full pentest workflow from planning to report, less so for someone who just wants to hack along with an instructor on screen.

Best forPeople who want the full pentest workflow, planning through reporting, not just tool tutorials.
Skip it ifYou want to hack along live with an instructor instead of sitting through slide-heavy lecture.

Pros

  • Capstone assignments in every module, not just isolated tool demos
  • Covers network, web app, and API pentesting plus client handling and methodology
  • Reviewers call it a solid, beginner-friendly start to a cybersecurity career
  • Explains the reasoning behind each test, not just which buttons to click

Cons

  • Some reviewers say the first half leans on slides read aloud with little live hacking
  • No quizzes or coding exercises, and videos are split into short, choppy segments
  • Last updated in January 2023, so some lab tooling may be behind current versions
If you want to know how to do a penetration test, regardless of the type of test it is this is what you need to get the project done properly!
Keith Byers, a student

Listed as Intermediate but only requires basic networking knowledge, so newcomers can follow along.

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What you will learn

  • Report, document and properly index pentests
  • Handle clients and unexpected situations during/after testing
  • Web application pentesting
  • Network petesting
  • API pentesting

Course content

22 sections · 196 lectures · 7.9 hours of video 105 articles

  1. 1000 - Introduction 1 free preview4 lectures · 1.5 hours
  2. 2001. Defining what a pentest is? 1 free preview4 lectures · 49 min
  3. 3Getting help1 lecture · 2 min
  4. 4001 - 2 The deliverables of pentesting5 lectures · 12 min
  5. 5001 - 3 ASSIGNMENT The deliverables of pentesting 1 free preview4 lectures · 1 min
  6. 6001 - 4 The pentest plan6 lectures · 9 min
  7. 7001 - 5 ASSIGNMENT Make a test plan for hackxpert.com2 lectures
  8. 8001 - 6 The pentesting report3 lectures · 7 min
  9. 9001 - 7 The debriefing2 lectures · 3 min
  10. 10001 - Extra's6 lectures · 16 min

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • Hackers wanting to get into pentesting
  • Pentesters wanting to start a company

What you need before you start

  • An understanding of basic networking concepts such as IP addresses and port numbers

How it compares

Against the other 523 rated Udemy courses in Hacking on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.4 out of 5higher than 33% of them
  • Reviews275#359 of 524 by number of reviews
  • Length7.8 hourslonger than 63% of them
  • Last updatedJanuary 2023earlier than 69% of them

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Course Description

Why you want to take this course

I am not one to keep my company secrets a secret, which kind of defeats the point of the word, but I strongly believe in sharing knowledge. That's why I have created a guide that I think comprehensively covers this whole process. Pentesting is an art form and I'd like to teach how to do it.

What is this course?

This course takes you through 10 modules, each having it's own objective with a capstone assignment that will guide you through network pen-testing, web, and even API pen-testing. I've created practical labs to guide you through the process so you are not just theoretically richer after completing this course.

Who am I? 

Let's start with the obligated section about who I am first. My name is Wesley Thijs and i have been an instructor and public figure for about 4 years, garnering 100 000+ students in my time doing it. Recently, however, I wanted to expand my business and I included pen testing as a service we offer. This means we also sometimes get requests for hundreds of hours of testing and this is impossible to do alone. I manage a team of several highly skilled cybersecurity professionals I have been able to pick out over the years I have been training.

My team needed a standard way of testing and a standard education however so I created this plan to teach them how to pentest, how to handle clients, and everything involved in successfully completing an assignment from start to finish.
Read More Intermediate Intermediate Level product length iconTime: 7.8h

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Instructor Details

Experts with David Bombal

David Bombal, together with some of the best minds in the industry is offering courses on a wide range of topics including networking, programming and software development. Our team has decades of experience teaching students from all over the world. 

Together we can do more!

David Bombal (CCIE #11023 Emeritus) passed his Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert Routing and Switching exam in January 2003 and is one of a small percentage of Cisco Engineers that pass their CCIE labs on their first attempt.

David qualified as a Cisco Certified Systems Instructor (CCSI #22787) many years ago! He has been training Cisco courses for over 15 years and has delivered instructor led courses in various countries around the world covering a wide range of Cisco topics from CCNA to CCIE.

He has also personally developed Cisco engineer utilities such as the VPN Config Generator, software, training materials, EBooks, videos and other products which are used throughout the world.

David has designed, implemented and managed networks ranging from single sites to those that span 50 countries.



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Reviews

4.4

275 ratings on Udemy

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By MOINE Arnaud on 2/16/2026

Experience with Rat XSS is very pleasant. Many mind, many real explanations. Some ideas in my mind were validated here when I watch this course because I already know (nice to hear a review for these classical themes). And new ideas, very great to improve mind and understand step by step.

By Aman Thapa on 7/15/2025

Thanks, xssrat! Pentesting 101 made hacking way easier to understand and actually fun to learn. Perfect for beginners who want to get their hands dirty without the headache. Highly recommend!

By Simon Benkert on 2/20/2025

Alle Materialen Gebündelt Pro Abschnitt in einem Archiv gesamt anbieten. Auch würde ich mehr interation mit einbauen (z.B. Quiz) und auch Übungsaufgaben stellen Außerdem das hin und her springen mit so kurzen Videos kommt nicht so gut rüber

By Shirshak Roy on 9/7/2024

Good Content just updating the Labs and answers to the questions asked in Udemy platform helps in a lot of ways to save time.

By Jonas Bird on 6/19/2023

I have not gone that far with the course. So far the material is very relevant , and covers areas that don't get enough attention. The rating will probably be higher once I have gone past the intro and first topic.

By Keith Byers on 11/20/2022

If you want to know how to do a penetration test, regardless of the type of test it is this is what you need to get the project done properly! You learn not just about parts of a test, but you learn the reasons why you are doing the test and the different methodologies that best suit each type of testing. There are many assignments to help you learn what you need to learn to be a professional. Whether you work with the XSSRat, for another company, or choose to be an independant.

By Jerry Huey on 10/19/2022

Just watching module#3, I have learned a whole lot. Wesley clearly communicates and demonstrates in real time what and why this pentest can make a busines site very vurnerable.

By Tunmise Isaiah Fagoroye on 10/11/2022

Superb Course Uncle RAT. I would Rate Double If Possible. Lots of love. Thanks For all you do.

By Rodolpho Barbosa on 10/10/2022

Amazing learning path, showing techniques, presentation tips, and how to get a possible customer.

By Jorge David Quezada Calel on 10/2/2022

Information was great, but the order of it and comments made the information confusing in some cases.

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Overall Score : 88 / 100

Pentesting 101: The Ultimate Hacking Guide Start To Finish
Visit course on Udemy Write a review
  • Video Duration: icon 7.8h
  • Price: $74.99
  • Provider: icon Udemy
  • Updated: icon January 2023
  • Level: Intermediate Intermediate
  • Language: icon English
  • Certificate: icon Yes
  • Lectures:196 in 22 sections
  • Students:21,700
  • Subtitles:3 languages
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