Cybersecurity Quest: Hackers, Heroes, and the Billion-Dollar Breaches
Created by Suchit Mishra • March 16, 2025
10 months • 160 hours/month
Intermediate to Advanced
"Hack the Breach" Certificate
Course Overview
This course is designed to teach engineering students and industry professionals about cybersecurity through the lens of real-world data breaches. Each week focuses on a different high-profile breach, combining theory, hands-on labs, and gamified challenges to make learning fun and engaging. By the end of the course, students will have a deep understanding of how breaches happen, how to exploit vulnerabilities (ethically), and how to defend against them. Let's hack the breach! 🔥💻
Course Features
Interactive Lectures
Data breach case studies, storytelling and visuals to explain complex concepts.
Hands-On Labs
Step-by-step guides for practical exercises.
Gamified Challenges
Highly engaging with competitions and rewards.
Guest Speakers
Cybersecurity luminaries from industry to share real-world experiences.
Certification
Award a "Hack the Breach" certificate to students who complete the course.
Course Assessment
Weekly Quizzes
Fun, interactive quizzes that unlock secret "Hacker Badges".
Hands-on Challenges
Capture The Flag (CTF) challenges, hacking simulations, and team missions that provide immediate feedback.
Final Hackathon
A team-based competition that mimics a real-world cybersecurity breach scenario. Winning teams receive awards like Cybersecurity Champion certificates and Tech Prizes.
Course Timeline
Months 1 & 2: Foundations & Reconnaissance - The Spy Games
Yahoo 2013-2016
Impact: 3B accounts exposed, $350M settlement
Lesson: Delayed breach disclosure and cookie theft via Russian APTs
Lab: Use Shodan to identify exposed servers mimicking Yahoo's outdated infrastructure - "Spy vs. Spy"
National Public Data 2024
Impact: 2.9B records stolen from a data broker
Lesson: Risks of unsecured data broker APIs
Lab: Harvest exposed PII from a mock data broker portal using OSINT tools - "Data Heist"
Months 3 & 4: Network & System Exploitation - The Hackathon
Equifax 2017
Impact: 143M records stolen, $1.4B in penalties
Lesson: Unpatched Apache Struts vulnerability (CVE-2017-5638)
Lab: Exploit a vulnerable Struts instance to dump credit reports - "Patch Me If You Can"
Heartland Payment Systems 2008
Impact: 100M credit cards stolen, $200M losses
Lesson: SQL injection leading to counterfeit card fraud
Lab: Perform SQLi attacks on a mock POS system - "SQL Showdown"
Months 5 & 6: Web Apps, Cloud & Modern Stacks - The Cloud Caper
MOVEit Breach 2023-2024
Impact: 77M records, $12B losses (Cl0p ransomware)
Lesson: Zero-day exploits in file transfer systems
Lab: Simulate a MOVEit SQL injection attack on a Windows Server VM - "Cloud Chaos"
Dell 2024
Impact: 49M records via brute-force attacks
Lesson: Weak rate-limiting on partner portals
Lab: Script a brute-force attack on a mock API with Python - "Brute Force Frenzy"
Months 7 & 8: Advanced Topics & Capstone - The Cybersecurity Olympics
SolarWinds 2020
Impact: $90M losses, 18K govt/corp victims
Lesson: APTs hiding in software updates
Lab: Analyze malicious DLLs in a SolarWinds-like codebase - "Malware Maze"
Colonial Pipeline 2021
Impact: $4.4M ransom paid, fuel shortages
Lesson: Ransomware targeting OT systems
Lab: Simulate a DarkSide-style attack on a SCADA system - "Ransomware Relay"
Months 9 & 10: Capstone Project: "Cybersecurity Challenge"
Final Project
Impact: Comprehensive assessment
Lesson: Breach a mock bank using techniques from Equifax and MOVEit
Lab: Present findings in a mock boardroom setting and convince the CEOs of your plan's effectiveness
Interactive Tools
Virtual Labs
Create immersive, hands-on experiences for students
- TryHackMe
- Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate
- Cybrary
- Root Me
Simulated Attacks
Simulate real-world attacks in a controlled environment
- Metasploit
- Burp Suite
- Cobalt Strike
- Shodan
Capture The Flag
Students solve cybersecurity challenges to win flags
- picoCTF from CMU
Meet Your Instructors
Suchit Mishra
Cybersecurity Expert & Course Creator
15+ years experience
Ethical Hacking, Penetration Testing, Incident Response
Dr. Priya Sharma
Security Researcher & Guest Instructor
12+ years experience
Malware Analysis, Digital Forensics
Pricing & Enrollment
Flexible Payment Options
50% discount for qualified students highly recommended by faculty
Course Flexibility
- Students can join and drop off the course on a monthly basis any time by paying ₹10,000
- Each month (160 hours) will cover 1 case study with theory and practice