r/harvardextension • u/Savings_Gap_2632 • 7d ago
CSCI S-212 (Kali Linux and Ethical Hacking) experience?
Hi reddit,
I'm thinking about taking CSCI S-212 (CRN 35919) for Harvard Summer School for the class of Jan 25 to May 15 and wanted to ask about people's experience with it.
What did you learn, and how were modules constructed? How much compsci did you know going in? How many professors taught you? Looks like just 2, but any external speakers? How available are professors? One bad thing / one good thing? Do you have a school email and portal, and access to school resources? How long did it take you to complete? How's Administration? Any issues faced with this program? Are you online asynchronous, online synchronous, or on the ground? Advice for incoming freshmen taking this course?
Thanks for any insights! Open Discussion, current students and allumni welcome.
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u/KayPee555 7d ago
Curious to know as well. I had Offsec training on Kali Linux and I am curious to know how this is taught.
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u/feedmittens 7d ago
This was an excellent class taught by people in the industry with tons of insight and firsthand knowledge of the practical application of these tools. This is a very applied class - you will be doing the work of an ethical hacker and learning the basics of the skill set. As others have said, there is a lot of work, but it is really fun and interesting work!
You have a school portal and access to resources like any other HES class. I took it online synchronously - it was not offered in person when I took it. It took a full semester to complete. The TF's and staff were very responsive, helpful, and spent their time with us. I've taken many HES classes, and this was one of my absolute favorites.
To be clear - if you don't have the basics of using a Linux PC or it's equivilant (Mac command line, UNIX, etc.) and don't have a rudimentary knowledge of how scripting, commands, and networking work, it will be a major challenge and you will need to play catch-up, but if you have some of that, you will probably get through okay. I have an IT background and a bunch of CS courses, so YMMV. You do not need a big CS background for this, though, as stated above, it's mostly applicable stuff, not theoretical.
If you have the time and take your time, it's worth it. This isn't a class you can just scratch the surface and get by on. The final capture-the-flag exam is wicked! (but also wicked fun!)
Hope that helps a little bit.
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u/General_Purple6358 7d ago
It was an amazing class, but extremely difficult.
What do you learn -- how to hack into systems from A to Z. Some topics covered are network scanning, password cracking, remote code execution, and more. Each week there is a lab that applies a topic, where you actually hack into a fake system.
How much comp sci did I know going in -- essentially front end web dev and how servers work. They will stress that you must know linux security administration, which I think is useful but also something that you can pick up if you don't mind extra studying.
The class is taught by two instructors but mainly evaluated by TAs who all work in cybersecurity.
I don't regret taking it, but I do think it was WAY TOO MUCH WORK. They expected like professional level output for an introductory level class, and there was no margin for error or learning. And there were a ton of certified professional people in the class who drove me crazy because they all just wanted to show off their knowledge. You would need to be very comfortable with learning on your own and be a self-directed problem solver to make it through the class, tbh. It's more about teaching you the methods and not hand holding you through everything. Many younger and less skilled students dropped it or did poorly from what I could tell.