What Are the Top Ethical Hacking Techniques for Beginners?
2025-2026 beginner-friendly list of the top 15 ethical hacking techniques every fresher must learn first. Easy-to-understand explanation of footprinting, scanning, SQL injection, XSS, password cracking, phishing, privilege escalation with real commands, tools, labs and how Ethical Hacking Training Institute makes you master all in 90 days with 500+ live targets.
Introduction
Every successful hacker started as a beginner. These 15 techniques are the most common, easiest to learn, and appear in 90% of CEH practical exams and real penetration tests. Master them and you’ll clear CEH with 90%+ marks and get junior pentester/SOC analyst jobs paying ₹6–15 LPA. At Ethical Hacking Training Institute we teach exactly these techniques first with 500+ live targets so even complete beginners become confident hackers in just 90 days.
Top 15 Ethical Hacking Techniques Every Beginner Must Learn
| Rank | Technique | Difficulty | CEH Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Google Dorks & OSINT | Very Easy | High |
| 2 | Nmap Scanning | Easy | Very High |
| 3 | SQL Injection | Easy | Very High |
| 4 | XSS Attacks | Easy | High |
Start with easy techniques.
Reconnaissance & OSINT Techniques
- Google dorks: site:target.com filetype:pdf
- WHOIS lookup, DNS enumeration
- theHarvester for emails & subdomains
- Shodan for exposed devices
- Maltego visual mapping
- Our lab has 200+ real domains for daily recon
Network Scanning Made Simple
Nmap is your first weapon. Learn nmap -sn (ping sweep), nmap -p- -sV (full port scan), nmap --script vuln (vulnerability scan). Combine with Masscan for speed. In CEH practical, scanning gives 4–6 flags. We teach Nmap with 100+ live targets from day 5.
Master Nmap scanning.
Web Application Attacks Every Beginner Can Do
- SQL Injection: ' OR 1=1 --
- XSS:
- Directory brute-force with Gobuster
- File upload bypass tricks
- IDOR: change user_id=123 to 456
- 200+ web apps in our lab
Password Attacks & Cracking
Online: Hydra for SSH/RDP brute-force. Offline: Hashcat/John the Ripper with rockyou.txt. Windows: ophcrack rainbow tables. Our GPU cloud rigs crack passwords in seconds — perfect for beginners.
Social Engineering & Phishing
- SET for fake login pages
- Gophish for email campaigns
- Evil twin Wi-Fi attacks
- Pretexting phone calls
- Our lab has 100+ phishing targets
Learn phishing safely.
Privilege Escalation Basics
- Linux: SUID binaries (vim, find)
- Windows: weak service permissions
- Kernel exploits (Dirty COW)
- linPEAS & winPEAS automation
- Practice on 100+ vulnerable boxes
Conclusion
These 15 techniques are enough for CEH and junior pentester jobs. Join Ethical Hacking Training Institute and get:
- 500+ live vulnerable targets
- All tools pre-installed
- Weekend & weekday batches
- 100% placement support
Book free demo — start hacking today!
Avoid beginner mistakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which technique is easiest for beginners?
Google dorks & OSINT — no tools needed.
How long to learn these 15 techniques?
90 days with our course.
Is coding required?
No — only basic commands.
Which technique gives most flags?
SQL injection & XSS.
Can freshers learn hacking?
Yes — 70% of our students are freshers.
Is Nmap hard?
No — we teach 20 commands only.
Do you provide labs?
Yes — 500+ live targets 24×7.
Weekend batch for beginners?
Yes — perfect for students & professionals.
Is phishing easy?
Yes — with SET in 10 minutes.
Is privilege escalation hard?
No — SUID is very easy.
Do you teach prevention too?
Yes — for complete understanding.
Is lab access unlimited?
Yes — never expires.
Can I get job after these techniques?
Yes — junior pentester roles.
Is CEH included?
Yes — full CEH course.
How to start today?
Book free demo — start hacking in 30 minutes!
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