The Uncomfortable Price Comparison
Before You Pay $199 for a Course on Udemy — Read This.
$199
22-hour video course · Recorded 2021 · Requires registration
Coursera Cybersecurity Specialisation
$49/mo
Subscription model · Certificate costs extra · Paywalled
SANS Institute SEC504 Course
$8,275
1 week in-person · Employer-funded usually · GPEN cert included
SecurityElites.com — 100-Day Course
$0
No registration · No paywall · Updated 2026 · Forever free
The SecurityElites.com course is not “free with hidden costs.” It is free because the founder believes quality cybersecurity education should be accessible to every person on earth regardless of their financial situation.
All 100 days. All topics. All screenshots. All practice tasks. Zero cost. Always.
02
There are exactly two types of people searching for a “free ethical hacking course for beginners” right now. The first type wants something free in the way a drug dealer’s first sample is free — a taster that locks you into a subscription, a teaser that paywalls the good parts, a “free tier” that makes everything beyond Module 3 unavailable. The second type wants something genuinely, completely, permanently free with no catch and no asterisk.
If you are the second type — you are in the right place. This is a 100-day ethical hacking course with no email capture, no free-trial countdown, no “upgrade to premium,” and no future price increase. It was free on Day 1, it is free today, and it will be free when you read this in 2027.
What follows is the complete breakdown of everything this course covers, why it is built the way it is, exactly how it compares to paid alternatives, and how to navigate from Day 1 to Day 100 as efficiently as possible. Day 1 is linked at the bottom. You can start in the next five minutes.
100
Days of structured daily lessons
5,000+
Words per article — avg 22 min read
500+
Screenshots across the course
8
Course phases from zero to advanced
$0
Cost. Today, tomorrow, and always.
📋 What This Article Covers
Why Is This Ethical Hacking Course Free? (And Why It Always Will Be)
I want to answer this before you spend time on it, because scepticism is rational. Every “free” course you have encountered before had a catch. Here is why this one does not.
SecurityElites.com is funded through the security consulting work the team does — not through course sales. The content exists to serve the cybersecurity community and to build SecurityElites.com as the definitive free resource in this field. Making it genuinely free — with no registration wall, no email capture, no free tier — is both a philosophy and a strategy. The most comprehensive, most accessible free resource in any field attracts the most people and earns the most trust. That trust is the foundation everything else is built on.
What “Free” Means at SecurityElites.com — Explicitly
✅ No email required to access any article
✅ No credit card at any point in the course
✅ No “Pro version” that unlocks hidden content
✅ No countdown timer to a price increase
✅ No affiliate links inside course articles
✅ No advertising within course content
✅ No data sold to third parties
✅ No “community membership” fee to ask questions
How This Free Ethical Hacking Course Compares to Paid Alternatives
The honest comparison matters because “free” sometimes means inferior. In this case, there are genuine trade-offs — and genuine advantages — over paid options. Here is the full picture:
securityelites.comFREE ETHICAL HACKING COURSE — FULL COMPARISON MATRIX 2026
| Feature | SecurityElites | Udemy | TryHackMe Pro | Cybrary |
|---|
| Cost | FREE | $12–$199 | $14/mo | $49/mo |
| Registration Required | None | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Updated for 2026 | Yes — ongoing | No (most 2019–2022) | Partial | Partial |
| Days / Depth | 100 full days | 20–40 hrs video | Paths (variable) | Courses (variable) |
| Practical Tasks Each Day | Yes — every day | Quizzes only | Yes (labs) | Some |
| Screenshots | 500+ across course | Video only | Some | Some |
| Format | Text + screenshots | Video | Interactive labs | Video + labs |
| 3 Companion Courses | Yes (340 days total) | No | No | No |
The one genuine advantage of video courses: some learners retain better from video than text. If you are a pure video learner, combine this course with complementary YouTube channels for visual reinforcement.
Course Comparison Matrix 2026 — SecurityElites.com is the only entry with zero cost, zero registration, daily practical tasks, 2026-updated content, and three companion courses (100-day hacking + 60-day bug bounty + 180-day Kali Linux). The text-with-screenshots format allows simultaneous reading and terminal practice — something video courses cannot offer.
Course Structure — How 100 Days Are Organised Into 8 Phases
The 100-day course is not a random collection of tutorials. It is a deliberately sequenced progression — each day builds on the previous, each phase unlocks understanding required for the next. The architecture mirrors how professional penetration testers actually think and work: reconnaissance first, vulnerability identification second, exploitation third, post-exploitation fourth.
securityelites.com100-DAY ETHICAL HACKING COURSE — 8-PHASE ARCHITECTURE
DAYS 1–10
Phase 1
Foundation — Ethical Hacking Fundamentals
Ethical hacking defined · Legal framework · Kali Linux setup · Networking basics · Information gathering · Google dorking · Shodan · Passive recon · Threat modelling · Hacker mindset
DAYS 11–20
Phase 2
Web Application Security
XSS (reflected, stored, DOM) ·
SQL Injection · IDOR · CSRF · Command Injection · File Inclusion · Directory Traversal · Broken Auth · SSRF intro · OWASP Top 10 applied
DAYS 21–30
Phase 3
Core Attack Techniques & Reporting
Metasploit framework · Payload generation · Meterpreter · Post-exploitation · Privilege escalation · Persistence · Data exfiltration · Professional report writing · CVE research · Vulnerability scoring (CVSS)
DAYS 31–40
Phase 4
Advanced Vulnerability Classes
SSRF deep dive · API security testing · Cloud attack vectors (AWS/GCP) · GraphQL injection · OAuth vulnerabilities · JWT attacks · XXE injection · Deserialization · AV evasion basics
DAYS 41–50
Phase 5
Specialised Domains
Active Directory attacks · Kerberoasting · Pass-the-Hash · ADCS abuse · Container security (Docker/K8s) · Mobile security testing (Android) · Network device exploitation · Wireless attacks · IoT basics
DAYS 51–65
Phase 6
Exploit Development
Buffer overflow fundamentals · Stack-based BOF · SEH overwrites · Egghunters · DEP bypass · ROP chains basics · Fuzzing with Boofuzz · Shellcode writing · CVE PoC analysis · Immunity Debugger
DAYS 66–85
Phase 7
Red Team Operations
Red team methodology · C2 frameworks intro (Cobalt Strike concepts) · Phishing campaigns · Physical security · Social engineering techniques · OPSEC · Detection evasion · Purple team basics · Threat intelligence
DAYS 86–100
Phase 8
Career, Certifications & Capstone
OSCP preparation · Bug bounty professional workflow · Penetration test methodology review · Building your portfolio · CTF strategy · Career path planning · Day 100 capstone challenge
100-Day Course — 8-Phase Architecture. Phase 1 (Days 1–10) requires no prior experience. Phase 8 (Days 86–100) prepares you for OSCP and professional certification. The phases mirror real penetration test methodology: recon → web attacks → exploitation → advanced techniques → specialised domains → exploit dev → red team → career.
PHASE 1
Days 1–10: Foundation — The Core Concepts That Make Everything Else Work
Phase 1 is where the course starts with zero assumed knowledge. By Day 10 you understand the ethical and legal framework, have Kali Linux running, know how to find information about targets without touching them, and have used your first real security tool (Nmap) against your own home network.
DAY 1
The legal line. Written authorisation. CEH vs black hat. Career overview.
DAY 2
Kali Linux Setup — Your Lab Environment
VirtualBox, Kali download, VM configuration, essential settings.
DAY 3
Networking Fundamentals for Hackers
TCP/IP, ports, protocols, DNS, HTTP — the technical foundation.
DAY 4
Passive Reconnaissance — OSINT
WHOIS, Shodan, Censys, LinkedIn, Google dorking, metadata.
DAY 6
Vulnerability Scanning — Nikto and OpenVAS
Automated web scanning. Reading scanner output. False positives.
DAY 7
Enumeration — Gobuster + Directory Fuzzing
Finding hidden paths, files, and endpoints the target doesn’t advertise.
DAY 8
Password Cracking — John the Ripper
Hash types, wordlists, rules, rainbow tables. rockyou.txt explained.
DAY 9
Brute Force — Hydra and Service Attacks
SSH, FTP, HTTP form brute force. Rate limiting. Default credentials.
DAY 10
Phase 1 Capstone — Full Recon on Metasploitable
Apply every Day 1–9 technique against a vulnerable practice VM. Document findings.
PHASE 2
Days 11–20: Web Application Security — Where Most Bug Bounty Money Lives
Phase 2 is the most directly applicable phase for bug bounty hunters. The ten vulnerability classes covered here account for approximately 70% of all paid bug bounty reports. Each day covers one vulnerability class from definition through detection through exploitation through remediation — the full cycle a professional needs to understand.
Phase 2 complements our 60-Day Bug Bounty Course: Days 11–14 (XSS, SQLi, Command Injection, SSRF) of the ethical hacking course align directly with the bug bounty course’s technique days. Students typically run both courses in parallel from this point — the ethical hacking course provides the deep technical understanding; the bug bounty course provides the platform workflow and reporting methodology.
DAY 11
XSS — Reflected, Stored & DOM
All three XSS types. Browser execution context. Cookie theft PoC. CSP bypass intro.
DAY 12
SQL Injection — Manual and SQLmap
UNION-based, blind, error-based. SQLmap flags. Data extraction methodology.
DAY 13
IDOR — Insecure Direct Object Reference
Object enumeration. Burp Intruder automation. Impact demonstration.
DAY 14
CSRF — Cross-Site Request Forgery
Token bypass. SameSite cookie attribute. HTML PoC construction.
DAY 15
Command Injection
OS command execution via web inputs. Blind command injection. RCE chains.
DAY 16
File Inclusion — LFI and RFI
Local/Remote File Inclusion. /etc/passwd read. PHP wrapper tricks. Log poisoning.
DAY 17
SSRF — Server-Side Request Forgery
Internal network access. AWS metadata endpoint. Blind SSRF with Burp Collaborator.
DAY 18
Authentication Flaws
Password reset logic. JWT attacks. Session management. OAuth misconfigurations.
DAY 19
Business Logic Flaws
Price manipulation. Workflow bypass. Race conditions. Insecure design testing.
DAY 20
Phase 2 Capstone — Full Web App Assessment
DVWA + OWASP Juice Shop full assessment. Professional report from scratch.
Phases 3–8 (Days 21–100) — From Core Attacks to Red Team Operations
The remaining six phases take you from competent web security tester to a practitioner who understands infrastructure attacks, exploit development, Active Directory compromise, red team methodology, and career preparation. Here is a condensed preview of what each covers — full detail is available on each day’s article page.
PHASE 3 — DAYS 21–30
Core Attacks & Metasploit
The most-used exploitation framework in professional security. msfconsole, search, use, set, run. Meterpreter sessions. Post-exploitation. Persistence. Complete penetration test workflow.
Day 21 available now →PHASE 4 — DAYS 31–40
Advanced Vulnerability Classes
SSRF to cloud RCE. API testing (GraphQL, REST, gRPC). JWT algorithm confusion. AWS metadata exploitation. XXE injection. Deserialization attacks. The vulnerability classes with the highest bug bounty payouts.
PHASE 5 — DAYS 41–50
Active Directory & Enterprise
Real enterprise environments run Active Directory. Kerberoasting. AS-REP Roasting. Pass-the-Hash. BloodHound. ADCS certificate abuse. 80% of corporate penetration tests involve AD at some point.
PHASE 6 — DAYS 51–65
Exploit Development
The OSCP-required skill. Buffer overflows step by step. No experience needed — Day 51 starts from the stack layout basics. The full 15-day exploit dev sequence takes you from theory to writing working shellcode. Also covers Day 41’s published buffer overflow tutorial.
PHASE 7 — DAYS 66–85
Red Team Operations
Red teaming is the most senior and highest-paid specialisation. This phase covers methodology, C2 framework concepts, phishing campaign construction, physical access techniques, OPSEC, and detection evasion. All within ethical and authorised frameworks.
PHASE 8 — DAYS 86–100
Career & Capstone
OSCP simulation exercises. Bug bounty professional workflow. Portfolio building. Day 100 capstone: a full penetration test engagement from reconnaissance to final report on a dedicated practice lab environment.
What Every Single Day Article Contains — The Format You Can Rely On
Every day article in this free ethical hacking course follows an identical format. This consistency is intentional — you know what to expect before you open any article, which eliminates navigation friction and lets you focus entirely on learning.
securityelites.comARTICLE ANATOMY — EVERY DAY CONTAINS ALL OF THESE
📊
Progress Bar
Shows exactly where Day X sits in the 100-day journey. Previous and next day links.
✅
Previous Day Check-In
Confirmation that Day N-1’s tasks were completed before proceeding. Keeps learning sequential.
🎯
Viral Hook Paragraph
Every article opens with the real-world significance of today’s topic — why this specific skill matters.
📝
Table of Contents
Jump to any section. Anchor links to every heading. Jump back to top easily.
💻
10+ Terminal Code Blocks
Every command shown in a dark-themed terminal block with colour-coded syntax and real output.
📸
Screenshots
Every tool interface, every important output, every configuration step shown visually. Watermarked.
💡
Mr Elite Insight Boxes
Professional context tips — what real penetration testers actually do in practice vs what tutorials show.
🔐
Legal & Ethical Notice
Every article with offensive techniques includes the legal framework — what authorisation means.
📋
4-Task Daily Checklist
Practical tasks + bonus challenge. Do not proceed to Day N+1 without completing Day N’s tasks.
❓
FAQ (5 Questions)
The five most common questions about the day’s topic — with comprehensive answers and FAQPage schema.
📚
Cheat Sheet
Every tool’s flags and commands in a visual reference card. Screenshot-able for personal reference.
🚀
Next Day Preview + CTA
What Day N+1 covers and why it builds on today. Direct link to the next article.
Article Anatomy — Every day article in the free ethical hacking course contains all 12 of these elements. The consistency means zero navigation overhead — you always know where the terminal blocks are, where the tasks are, and where the next article link is. This structure is the result of iterating across 40+ published articles.
How to Study This Course for Maximum Speed and Retention
Most people who start online security courses do not finish them. The dropout rate for free online courses across all platforms is over 90%. The three reasons are: no structure, no accountability, and no feedback loop. Here is how to engineer all three into your personal study approach for this free ethical hacking course:
1
Set a fixed daily time — 60–90 minutes, same time every day
Security skills are built through repetition, not marathon sessions. 60 minutes at 8pm every weekday beats a 6-hour Saturday session because the brain consolidates skill between sessions. Choose your time, protect it, and treat it as non-negotiable. “When I feel like it” never leads to Day 100.
2
Read with two windows open — article on the left, Kali terminal on the right
Every command shown in this course should be typed — not copy-pasted — into your terminal as you read it. Typing creates muscle memory. Copy-pasting creates the illusion of learning. The 10–20 extra seconds per command to type it produces dramatically better retention. Read one paragraph, execute the command, observe the output, continue.
3
Complete every task before advancing — without exception
Each day ends with 4 practical tasks. They are not optional extensions. They are the point. Reading about Nmap and running Nmap are different activities — the second is the one that builds the skill. If a task requires a lab environment you don’t have yet, pause and set up the lab. Do not skip forward. The capstone days (10, 20, 30…) will fail if the preceding days were read but not practised.
4
Start a personal notes document from Day 1
Create a Notion page, Obsidian vault, or even a simple text file. For each day: write 3 things you learned, the commands you ran and their output, and one thing that confused you. This document becomes your personal reference, your portfolio evidence, and the foundation of your future penetration test report template. Professionals call this a “security notebook” — it is the single most underrated habit in security education.
Your Free Ethical Hacking Course Starts Right Now — Not Monday, Not After Setup
Every hour you spend on this article is time you could have started Day 1. Day 1 requires nothing you don’t already have — a computer, an internet connection, and the ability to follow step-by-step instructions. Kali Linux setup is covered in the first week. You do not need it installed to read Day 1. You can start in the next five minutes.
securityelites.comTHREE FREE COURSES — ALL START AT DAY 1 RIGHT NOW
⚔️
100-Day Ethical Hacking
8 phases · Foundation to red team · OSCP preparation · Every major attack technique
Days available: 1–41 (published) · 42–100 (in progress)
Start Day 1 Now →
💰
60-Day Bug Bounty
Platform setup to first payout · Burp Suite mastery · OWASP Top 10 · Report writing
Days available: 1–5 (published) · 6–60 (in progress)
Start Day 1 Now →
🐉
180-Day Kali Linux
One tool per day · Nmap to advanced exploitation · Every major Kali tool covered
Days available: 1–2 (published) · 3–180 (in progress)
Start Day 1 Now →
Total free content: 340+ daily lessons published · 500+ screenshots · 0 paywalls · 0 registration required
Combined curriculum: ~1,700 hours of study material when all 340 days are complete
Three Free Courses Entry Points — All three courses can be started independently or run in parallel. The recommended approach for beginners: start the 100-Day Ethical Hacking course as your primary, run the 180-Day Kali course for the tool-specific depth, and begin the 60-Day Bug Bounty course when you reach Month 3 of the roadmap.
The Only Thing Left to Do
100 Days. Zero Cost. Zero Excuses.
Day 1 Is Waiting for You Right Now.
The most expensive thing about this free ethical hacking course is not the money you won’t spend. It is the time you spend reading about starting instead of starting. Close this article, open the Day 1 link, and type your first command in Kali Linux today.
→ Start Day 1 Right Now — It’s Free →
No registration · No credit card · No paywall · Just Day 1 · Right now
Frequently Asked Questions — Free Ethical Hacking Course
Is this ethical hacking course really free?
Yes — completely, permanently, unconditionally free. No email capture, no free tier, no “premium” upgrade, no credit card at any point. Every article is openly accessible with no login. The course is free because quality cybersecurity education should be accessible regardless of financial circumstance.
How does this free course compare to Udemy or Coursera?
SecurityElites.com’s course has zero cost vs $12–$199 on Udemy, is updated for 2026 vs most Udemy courses recorded 2019–2022, uses text-and-screenshots format allowing simultaneous terminal practice, and includes daily practical tasks. The one genuine advantage of video courses is visual learning — some learners retain better from watching than reading. If that is you, combine this course with free YouTube content for visual reinforcement.
Do I need any prior experience to start?
No prior experience required. Day 1 starts from the absolute beginning — what ethical hacking is, why it exists, and the legal framework — before moving into the first technical tool with step-by-step instructions from the first command. The course is specifically designed for beginners who have never opened a security tool.
What tools and topics does the course cover?
100 days covering: networking fundamentals, Kali Linux, Nmap, Metasploit, web attacks (XSS, SQLi, IDOR, CSRF, SSRF), Burp Suite, password cracking, wireless security, Active Directory attacks, exploit development (buffer overflows), cloud security testing, and red team techniques. Each day covers one topic in complete depth with working examples and practical lab tasks.
Can I get a job with this free ethical hacking course?
The course alone is not a job credential — employers want certifications, portfolio evidence, and demonstrated practical skill. However, the course provides the technical foundation that certifications (eJPT, OSCP) test, the hands-on skills that portfolios demonstrate, and the practical experience that separates learners from practitioners. Students who complete the full 100 days and pair it with an eJPT certification and a portfolio of CTF and bug bounty work consistently land junior penetration tester roles within 12–18 months.
ME
Mr Elite
Founder, SecurityElites.com | Security Educator | Course Author
The reason this course is free is simple: when I was learning, the quality content was paywalled and the free content was shallow. I spent hundreds of dollars on courses that were outdated before I purchased them. SecurityElites.com is the course I needed but could not find. Writing it took thousands of hours. Keeping it free costs us ongoing work without direct revenue from course content. We do it anyway because the alternative — letting financial barriers prevent talented people from entering cybersecurity — is worse than any revenue trade-off. Day 1 is waiting. The only remaining question is whether you start today or whether you find another article to read first.
