CTU Students

Class modality link

This course teaches the fundamentals of cybersecurity through practical, hands-on experience in both attacking and defending. Students will perform penetration tests and learn to counter real attacks, alternating between offensive and defensive classes. Topics covered include reconnaissance, scanning, exploitation, privilege escalation, lateral movement, exfiltration, malware, network security forensics, binary reversing, log analysis, intrusion detection systems, honeypots, and basics of machine learning for security. By the end of the semester, students will be prepared for junior penetration tester roles or to continue as cybersecurity researchers and practitioners.

This course consists of weekly 3-hour blocks which combine both theory and practical exercises. Students can attend the tutorials in person in room KN:E-107 or online via the live stream and Matrix communication platform.

Communication channels link

In case you need to contact the teachers, there are two options:

1. Send an email to ALL teachers via 13136-bsy [at] fel.cvut.cz (this way, any of them can answer), and always reply to all
2. Contact us via class Matrix platform (Credentials are sent upon registration)

Passing requirements link

For successful class completion, students must complete a series of assignments (aka Zapocet) and the exam/bonus assignment.

• You have to be registered in KOS to take this class.
• You need 30 points (out of 50) from the assignments to get the Zápočet.
• Surplus over 40 points will improve your final grade after passing the exam/bonus assignment(up to 10 points).
• The bonus assignment is a special assignment given over Christmas that allows you to skip the exam if you have completed it.
• Both bonus assignments and exams include theoretical AND practical tasks
• Extra points can be awarded for:
  • Special Award for Services to the School - You can score extra points if you do something notable for the class or the class participants!

Assignments link

Several practical assignments are given during the course. Each assignment corresponds to a class and is designed to practice the content covered in the class. Each assignment is in the form of Capture the Flag and should be individually solved by submitting the flag to the course CTFd system. In total, there are 50 points available for the assignments. Students are required to collect at least 30 points to get the assessment (Zápočet). Any surplus of over 40 points can be used to boost the final grade in the exam.

• Each student is assigned a docker container in the class infrastructure at the beginning of the class.
• Docker containers run Linux and contain all the tools needed during the semester to solve all assignments.
• All assignments are to be done in the containers unless stated otherwise.

Starting dates and hard deadline dates are listed in the following table:

General rules link

You can NOT

1. Attack others on the Internet from the docker we are giving you.
2. Attack the assignment servers or CTFd servers
3. Attack other servers and services in the university network (outside of the IP range given to you)
4. Share your code or solution with other students

You CAN

1. Attack the given docker from the Internet.
2. Attack from the local docker network the dockers for other students (inside the local network)

Exam link

The exam takes place during the exam period in January/February. It consists of both theoretical and practical taks which are related to the content of the class and assignments. Students are required to collect at least 50 points (out of 100) to pass the exam.

Grading scale link

The final grade is computed using the standard CTU grading scale as follows:

Exam score + surplus from assignments + any additional points = Total points

Bonus assignment link

Bonus assignment will be announced before the winter break. Students who complete the bonus assignment can choose not to come to the final exam. More details and exact conditions for passing the bonus will be announced later in the semester.