P-325: Python Programming

Course Overview:

This is an introductory course into the Python scripting language.  This class uses a hands-on approach in teaching the Python language.  This course builds the prerequisite skills for TechNow's P-345: Python for Pentration Testers course.  Getting comfortable with Python is important to understanding how Python can be utilitized for offensive measures.

This course is hands-on with the instructor walking the students through many short examples to exemplify an objective.  Dexterity with the language comes through many small code examples to produce the desired result.  Students have fun acquiring points for all the code examples they get correct.  We must be having fun because TechNow is always amazed at how competitive students are in trying to acquire the most points!  

The instructor will focus on the level that each student is currently at, and ensure the student absorbs the subject matter.  Programming is not a daily tasking of administrators or offensive operators and TechNow understands that.  As an instructor led course TechNow is very successful in making Python accessible to those who do not live eat and breath programming.  If a student's ultimate goal is to attend a course like TechNow's P-345: Python for Pentration Testers course, then not being bogged down in the Python language is critical, and this course (P-325: Python Programming) meets that objective.

Recently we have introduced Raspberry Pi's and multiple sensors to the P-325: Python Programming course.  This enables the student to actually see productive results from their coding skills in the physical world!  Some examples that students create programs for are: Motion detectors, distance, temperature, cameras and keypads.

Attendees to P-325: Python Programming will receive TechNow approved course materials and expert instruction.

Dates/Locations:

No Events

Duration: 5 Days

Course Objectives:

  • How Python Runs Programs
  • Introducing Python Object Types
    • Numeric Types
    • Dynamic Typing
  • Variables
  • Regular Expressions
  • Strings
  • Conditionals
    • if Tests and Syntax Rules
  • Lists and Dictionaries
  • Tuples and Files
  • Introducing Python Statements
  • Assignments, Expressions, and Prints
  • while and for Loops
  • Iterations and Comprehensions
  • Documentation
  • Function Basics
  • Built-In Functions
  • Scopes
  • Arguments
  • Modules
  • Module Packages and Importing
  • Classes and OOP
  • Operator Overloading
  • Recursion
  • Exception Coding Details
  • Exception Objects
  • Unicode and Byte Strings
  • Working with Raspberry Pi
    • Writing code for sensors

Prerequisites:

  • Experience with some form of programming is preferred

 

Comments

Latest comments from students

User: slewis8435

Instructor comments: Very good instructor - he was excited about the material, very knowledgeable, and explained things clearly.

Facilities comments: The facilities were fine - plenty of room for each student to set up an extra computer and have room for note taking

User: nathan.karras

Instructor comments: Instructor was extremely knowledgeable in programming and scripting. He encouraged students to explore and ask questions. He would work with individuals to troubleshoot lab problems sets. Would highly recommend as an instructor.

Facilities comments: Room got a little warn. Instructor purchased fans to cool things off for the class. Projector had over scan.

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TN-963: Windows Security Automation with PowerShell

Course Overview:

PowerShell is made for Security Operations (SecOps) automation on Windows. SecOps requires automation in order to scale out security changes and monitoring beyond a handful of hosts. For example, when a vulnerability must be remediated but there is no patch for it yet, automation is needed to quickly and consistently enact the changes necessary. PowerShell “remoting” is encrypted remote command execution of PowerShell scripts in a way that can scale to thousands of endpoints and servers.

Imagine being able to hunt for indicators of compromise across thousands of machines with just a few lines of PowerShell code. Or imagine having the local Administrator account password reset every night on thousands of endpoints in a secure way, and being able to retrieve that password securely too.

We will show you to do these tasks and more. Transcription logging for forensics, strong encryption code signing, application whitelisting of scripts, IPSec port control, and Just Enough Admin (JEA).

As more and more of our systems are moved up to the cloud, PowerShell will become even more important. Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Office 365, Hyper-V and VMware already support PowerShell administration for many tasks.

Attendees to TN-963: Windows Security Automation with PowerShell will receive TechNow approved course materials and expert instruction.

Date/Locations:

No Events

Duration: 3 days

Course Objectives:

Day One
PowerShell Overview and Tips

    • Getting started running commands
    • Using and updating the built-in help
    • Execution policies
    • Fun tricks with the ISE graphical editor
    • Piping .NET and COM objects, not text
    • Using properties and methods of objects
    • Helping Linux admins feel more at home
    • Aliases, cmdlets, functions, modules, etc.
    • Customizing your profile script

What Can We Do With PowerShell

    • PowerShell remote command execution
    • Fan-out remoting and security
    • File copy via PowerShell remoting
    • Capturing the output of commands
    • Parsing text files and logs with regex patterns
    • Searching remote event logs faster with XPath
    • Mounting the registry as a drive
    • Exporting data to CSV, HTML and JSON files
    • Parsing and mining nmap port scanner XML output
    • Running scripts as scheduled jobs
    • Pushing out scripts through Group Policy
    • Importing modules and dot-sourcing functions
    • http://www.PowerShellGallery.com

Write your own scripts

    • Writing your own functions
    • Passing arguments into your scripts
    • Function parameters and returning output
    • Flow control: if-then, do-while, foreach, switch
    • The .NET Framework class library: a playground
    • How to pipe data in/out of your scripts

Day Two
Continuous Secure Configuration Enforcement

    • How to use Group Policy and PowerShell together
    • Automate with INF security templates
    • How to customize INF templates
    • Microsoft Security Compliance Manager (SCM)
    • SECEDIT.EXE scripting
    • Building an in-house security repository for SecOps/DevOps
    • NSA’s Secure Host Baseline GPOs

Group Policy Precision Targeting

    • Managing Group Policy Objects (GPOs) with PowerShell
    • LSDOU, Block Inheritance, Enforced GPOs
    • Group Policy permissions for targeting changes
    • ADMX templates for mass registry editing
    • Deploying PowerShell startup and logon scripts
    • WMI item-level targeting of GPO preferences
    • GPO scheduled tasks to run PowerShell scripts
    • Remote command execution via GPO (not remoting)
    • Empowering the Hunt Team to fight back!

Server Hardening for SecOps/DevOps

    • Server Manager scripting with PowerShell
    • Adding and removing roles and feature
    • Remotely inventory roles, features, and apps
    • Why Server Nano or Server Core
    • Running PowerShell automatically after service failure
    • Service account identities, passwords, and risks
    • Tools to reset service account passwords securely

Day Three
PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC)

    • DSC is Configuration Management built in for free
    • Using DSC for continuous reinforcement of settings
    • Writing your own DSC configuration scripts
    • Free DSC resource modules: www.PowerShellGallery.com
    • How to push DSC configurations to many targets
    • DSC background job processing in push mode
    • Examples: sync files, install roles, manage groups
    • Auditing a remote target against a DSC MOF template
    • “ApplyAndAutoCorrect” mode for continuous enforcement

PowerShell Just Enough Admin (JEA)

    • JEA is Windows sudo, like on Linux
    • JEA is Windows setuid root, like on Linux
    • Restricting commands and arguments
    • Verbose transcription logging
    • How to set up and configure JEA
    • Privilege Access Workstations (PAWs)

PowerShell and WMI

    • Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) service
    • What is WMI and why do hackers abuse it so much?
    • Using PowerShell to query WMI CIM classes
    • WMI authentication and traffic encryption
    • Inventory operating system versions and installed software
    • WMI remote command execution versus PowerShell remoting
    • PowerShell security best practices
    • PowerShell transcription logging to catch hackers

Prerequisites:

  • GSEC or equivalent experience
  • UNIX, Windows, Networking, and Security Experience
  • This is a hands-on skill course requiring comfort with command line interaction and network communications

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Specialized

TechNow provides an array of courses to meet our customer's requirements.  Courses that do not fit into our major course categories and custom or specialized courses appear here.  

Here are courses about specilaized Software or Hardware:

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CT-215: Cloud+

 

Course Overview:

This course covers the knowledge and skills required to understand standard Cloud terminologies/methodologies, to implement, maintain, and deliver cloud technologies and infrastructures (e.g. server, network, storage, and virtualization technologies), and to understand aspects of IT security and use of industry best practices related to cloud implementations and the application of virtualization.

TechNow has worked worldwide enterprise infrastructures for over 20 years and has developed demos and labs to exemplify the techniques required to demonstrate cloud technologies and to effectively manage security in the cloud environment.

TechNow is a CompTIA partner and uses official CompTIA Cloud+ curriculum.

Attendees to CT-215: Cloud+ will receive TechNow approved course materials and expert instruction.

Date/Locations:

Date/Time Event
01/06/2025 - 01/10/2025
08:00 -16:00 		CT-215: Cloud+
TechNow, Inc, San Antonio TX
04/21/2025 - 04/25/2025
08:00 -16:00 		CT-215: Cloud+
TechNow, Inc, San Antonio TX
07/28/2025 - 08/01/2025
08:00 -16:00 		CT-215: Cloud+
TechNow, Inc, San Antonio TX
11/03/2025 - 11/07/2025
08:00 -16:00 		CT-215: Cloud+
TechNow, Inc, San Antonio TX

Course Duration: 5 days

Course Objectives:

  • Prepare to deploy cloud solutions
  • Deploy a pilot project
  • Test a pilot project deployment
  • Design a secure network for cloud deployment
  • Determine CPU and memory sizing for cloud deployments
  • Plan Identity and Access Management for cloud deployments
  • Analyze workload characteristics to ensure successful migration to the cloud
  • Secure systems to meet access requirements
  • Maintain cloud systems
  • Implement backup, restore, and business continuity measures
  • Analyze cloud systems for required performance
  • Analyze cloud systems for anomalies and growth forecasting
  • Troubleshoot deployment, capacity, automation, and orchestration issues
  • Troubleshoot connectivity issues
  • Troubleshoot security issues

Course Prerequisites:

  • Security+, Network+, CASP or equivalent experience
  • Managing or administering at least one of UNIX, Windows, Databases, networking, or security

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CL-415: AWS System Operations

Course Overview:

AWS System Operations begins with a one day  introduction to AWS products, services, and common solutions. It provides you with fundamentals to become more proficient in identifying AWS services so that you can make informed decisions about IT solutions based on your business requirements and get started working on AWS.

The AWS course continues to flow with teaching those in a Systems Administrator or Developer Operations (DevOps) role how to create automatable and repeatable deployments of networks and systems on the AWS platform. The course covers the specific AWS features and tools related to configuration and deployment, as well as common techniques used throughout the industry for configuring and deploying systems.

To continue to learn more about AWS, TechNow has the following course:

CL-425: AWS Security Operations and Architecture 

Attendees to CL-415: AWS System Operations will receive TechNow approved course materials and expert instruction.

Duration: 5 Days

Audience:
This course is intended for:
• System Administrators
• Software Developers, especially those in a Developer Operations (DevOps) role

DoD 8140: Not Mandated

Course Prerequisites:
We recommend that attendees of this course have the following prerequisites:
• Background in either software development or systems administration
• Some experience with maintaining operating systems at the command line (shell scripting in Linux environments, cmd or PowerShell in Windows)
• Basic knowledge of networking protocols (TCP/IP, HTTP)

Course Objectives:
This course is designed to teach you how to:
• Understand basic data center design concepts.
• Recognize terminology and concepts as they relate to the AWS platform and navigate the AWS Management Console.
• Understand the foundational infrastructure services, including Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS), Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3), Auto Scaling, and Elastic Load Balancing (ELB).
• Understand the security measures AWS provides and key concepts of AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM).
• Understand AWS database services, including Amazon DynamoDB and Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS).
• Understand AWS management tools, including Amazon CloudWatch and AWS Trusted Advisor.
• Use standard AWS infrastructure features such as Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Elastic Load Balancing, and Auto Scaling from the command line
• Use AWS CloudFormation and other automation technologies to produce stacks of AWS resources that can be deployed in an automated, repeatable fashion
• Build functioning virtual private networks with Amazon VPC from the ground up using the AWS Management Console
• Deploy Amazon EC2 instances using command line calls and troubleshoot the most common problems with instances
• Monitor the health of Amazon EC2 instances and other AWS services
• Manage user identity, AWS permissions, and security in the cloud
• Manage resource consumption in an AWS account using tools such as Amazon CloudWatch, tagging, and Trusted Advisor
• Select and implement the best strategy for creating reusable Amazon EC2 instances
• Configure a set of Amazon EC2 instances that launch behind a load balancer, with the system scaling up and down in response to demand
• Edit and troubleshoot a basic AWS CloudFormation stack definition

Dates/Locations: No Events

Course Outline:

Day 1

• Introduction and History of AWS
• AWS Infrastructure: Compute, Storage, and Networking
• AWS Security, Identity, and Access Management
• AWS Databases
• AWS Management Tools

Day 2
• System Operations on AWS Overview
• Networking in the Cloud
• Computing in the Cloud
Day 3
• Storage and Archiving in the Cloud
• Monitoring in the Cloud
• Managing Resource Consumption in the Cloud
Day 4
• Configuration Management in the Cloud
• Creating Scalable Deployments in the Cloud
• Creating Automated and Repeatable Deployments
Day 5
Full Day Lab
• Select the appropriate AWS service based on compute, data, or security requirements
• Execute steps required to provision cloud resources for selected deployment
• Identify and implement data protection, encryption, and capacity planning
• Implement and manage security policies, access controls, and role
• Implement Automation

 

Next/Related Courses: