🛡️ Cybersecurity Challenge

Welcome to the ultimate hands-on cybersecurity experience for students and beginners!
This repository hosts a multi-level challenge designed to sharpen your skills in:

• 🧠 Networking
• 🔍 Reconnaissance
• 💣 Exploitation
• 🛠️ Incident Response

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🚀 Challenge Overview

Each level increases in complexity and shifts from solo tasks to collaborative, team-based exercises.
Complete them in order for the full experience!

Level	Title	Mode	Skills
🧩 1	Network Foundations	🧑‍💻 Solo	🛠️ IP Addressing, Connectivity Testing
🧪 2	VM Lab & Nmap	🧑‍💻 Solo	🔍 Virtualization, Network Scanning
⚔️ 3	Attack & Defense Lifecycle	👥 Collaborative	💣 Exploitation, Remediation
🧠 4	Live Red vs. Blue	🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Team-Based	🧭 Strategic Thinking, DevSecOps

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📦 Level Details

🔹 Level 1: Network Foundations

• Task: Build a small office network in Cisco Packet Tracer.
• Skills: Basic networking, IP addressing, connectivity testing.

🔹 Level 2: VM Lab & Nmap

• Task: Set up an attacker/target virtual lab and perform reconnaissance with Nmap.
• Skills: Virtualization, network scanning, service identification.

🔹 Level 3: Attack & Defense Lifecycle

• Task: Document a full attack lifecycle on a simple application, from vulnerability to patch.
• Skills: Vulnerability analysis, exploitation, remediation, technical documentation.

🔹 Level 4: Live Red vs. Blue – The Data Heist

• Task: A competitive game where the Red Team tries to steal a secret file from a live application, and the Blue Team must patch the code in real-time to stop them.
• Skills: Incident response, strategic thinking, collaborative documentation, offensive/defensive tactics.

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🧭 How to Participate

🎯 Step-by-Step Guide

1. 📖 Read the Guidelines
   Start with the CONTRIBUTING.md file for rules and workflow.

2. 🗂️ Choose a Level
   Navigate to the folder for your chosen level (e.g., level1-foundations/).

3. 📝 Claim a Task
   Go to the Issues tab and create a new issue using the correct template.

4. 🌿 Fork, Branch, & Work
   Follow the contribution guidelines to complete your task.

5. 🚀 Submit a Pull Request
   Use the correct PR template to submit your work for review.

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🎉 Good Luck & Happy Hacking!

💡 Whether you're a curious beginner or a rising security star, this challenge is your playground.
Dive in, learn by doing, and contribute to a growing community of ethical hackers!