About this course
Learn what ethical hackers do and how penetration testing, red teams and blue teams contribute to defense. This short, free IBM video course introduces roles and testing concepts through explanations and practitioner examples. It is an orientation to authorized security work, not an offensive certification or a complete penetration-testing lab.
What you can learn
- Ethical hacking roles
- Penetration testing concepts
- Red and blue teams
- Testing scope
- Identity controls
- Defensive assessment
Course at a glance
| Provider | IBM |
|---|---|
| Platform | YouTube · IBM Technology |
| Access | Free Video |
| Level | Beginner — WikiFree audience assessment |
| Language | English |
| Selected lessons | 5 |
| Video duration | 1h 9m · allow extra time for reflection and practice |
| Details checked | 9 October 2026 |
Inside the course
Begin with ethical-hacking responsibilities, compare red teaming with penetration testing, and consider how defenders use exercises and lessons from real incidents. The final discussion connects testing with identity and zero-trust controls.
Try this learning exercise
Write a fictional test brief for a practice application: define permission, scope, excluded systems and reporting requirements. Add three defensive questions the exercise should answer. Any practical testing must stay within systems you own or are authorized to assess.
How to follow the course
Choose a lesson from the list or search for a specific topic. Use Previous and Next to continue, and mark lessons complete as you go. Progress is saved in this browser without a WikiFree account.
Each course retains its relevant lessons, including videos also used in another course. Numbered series follow their original lesson or part order. Only reviewed advertisements, unrelated items and identical repeated playlist entries are excluded. Source recordings may have been made at different times.
Free access, requirements and certificates
The selected public YouTube videos are free to watch. No paid subscription, payment card or examination is required for this video learning path. WikiFree independently organizes IBM Technology explainers and tutorials for self-paced study. This listing is not an official IBM qualification and does not include an IBM certificate, graded assignment or instructor feedback.
Basic networking knowledge is useful. No scanning, exploitation or access to a live target is required for the viewing path or written exercise.
Official IBM Technology playlist source ↗
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Intermediate
Compare course focus, level and study time
| Course | Level | Focus | Study time |
|---|---|---|---|
| This course — Free Ethical Hacking Course: Roles, Testing and Defense | Beginner | Ethical hacking roles · Penetration testing concepts · Red and blue teams | 1h 9m of video; practice time is additional |
| Free Simplilearn Course: Ethical Hacking and Cybersecurity Fundamentals | Beginner | Security Concepts · Attack Surfaces · Defensive Thinking | 32h 57m of video; practice time is additional |
| Free AI Red Teaming Course: Prompt Injection and PyRIT | Intermediate | Distinguish direct and indirect prompt injection · Understand single-turn and multi-turn test cases · Review mitigations and guardrails | 2h 36m of video; practice time is additional |
| Free IT Security Course: Networks and Access Control | Intermediate | Distinguish authentication, authorization, and accounting · Understand introductory cryptography and hashing concepts · Connect network hardening with layered defensive controls | 5h 18m of video; practice time is additional |
Provider: IBM. Videos play from the IBM Technology channel on YouTube.
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