Full Report
We often get asked by students of our Hacking By Numbers courses if the course environments or at least the VMWare images are available after the training is over. As a result we’ve started to experiment with a model for offering our courses in an online environment. The idea would be to maintain the full numbers of labs and technical work, maintain the high standard of trainers and materials, but make the training available via the internet to people at various diverse locations. The approach we’ve been testing appears to show some promise, so we’re hoping to ask some of you for your input and opinions.
Analysis Summary
# Online Training Model Development Inquiry
## Key Points
- The core activity described is the experimentation with an online delivery model for the "Hacking By Numbers" training courses, driven by student requests for post-training access to lab environments (VMWare images).
- The proposed online model aims to maintain the full scope of labs, technical work, and high standard of trainers/materials while enabling remote access.
- Course materials are ported to Flash format with voice-overs and synchronized transcripts for flexible pacing.
- Labs are executed by students connecting to a dedicated Microsoft Terminal Server, providing pre-configured Windows and Linux toolsets, along with access to virtual network targets (web/DNS servers).
- The structure involves modules (slides followed by associated labs), with required completion timelines enforced through Skype briefings.
- Briefings occur at the start/end of modules, and daily (start/end), supplemented by email question handling.
- A two-day classroom course is envisioned to be spread over five to seven days in the online format.
- The initial course being ported is the "Cadet Edition" due to its smaller number of labs.
- The organization is soliciting community feedback on the viability, preferred features, and appropriate pricing for this remote training approach.
## Threat Actors
- No threat actors or malicious campaigns are mentioned. This content describes a commercial/educational service offering.
## TTPs
- No offensive Tactics, Techniques, or Procedures (TTPs) are described. The environment setup involves using Terminal Services for lab execution and Skype for virtual instruction/briefing.
## Affected Systems
- **Client Systems:** Students connecting remotely.
- **Delivery Infrastructure:** Microsoft Terminal Server (hosting student desktops and lab targets).
- **Content Delivery:** Course materials delivered via Flash format.
- **Communication:** Skype and email used for trainer interaction.
## Mitigations
- As this is a service development announcement, no security mitigations for an external threat are provided.
- The technical setup mitigates environmental persistence issues by providing clean, pre-configured lab desktops for each student.
## Conclusion
The document details an internal project to transition proprietary technical training ("Hacking By Numbers") into an online, remote-access format using Flash and Microsoft Terminal Services for lab execution. The primary objective is gathering external feedback on the proposed structure, pedagogy, and pricing benchmark before launching a free beta session in early 2009. No threat intelligence is present; the focus is organizational development and pedagogy.