Week 0HP-000
Onboarding, lab readiness, ethics and evidence
Employee Onboarding & Lab Verification
- The question
- Can you safely and reliably enter the training environment?
- You produce
- Lab verification and signed ethics agreement
Cohort 01 · 8-week cybersecurity foundations
Learn cybersecurity by working inside a simulated company.
An 8-week foundations programme where you join the security team of a simulated Nigerian fintech and investigate a new security case every week, before you work for a real one.
No previous cybersecurity experience needed. Applications for Cohort 01 are now open.
Learn security by doing security.
Most beginner courses teach topics. We give you a security team to work in.
Instead of jumping between disconnected lessons, you join the security function of a simulated Nigerian fintech as a Security Trainee. Each week a new business or technical problem lands on your desk, and you learn the concepts you need to investigate it, gather evidence and explain what you found.
- Learn
- Apply live
- Investigate
- Submit
- Get assessed
- Build your portfolio
How each week works
Short recorded lessons.
Focused lessons on the week's concepts.
About 2 to 2.5 hours.
A weekly live class.
Applied work, not a repeat of the recordings: case debriefs, troubleshooting, unseen mini-cases and Q&A.
About 1.5 to 2 hours.
Independent practical work.
Hands-on practice in your own lab with free or low-cost tools.
About 1 to 2 hours.
The weekly case.
You investigate the company's problem, submit your evidence and reasoning, and get it assessed.
About 1 to 2 hours.
Plan for about 7 to 8 hours a week. Weeks 4 and 8 are heavier because they are the two major assessments.
Your workplace for eight weeks
The company is a growing Lagos fintech of about 40 people, offering transfers and merchant payouts. It is a legitimate, working business, but its security has not kept pace with its growth. You join as a Security Trainee and work through progressively harder cases, from a first risk review to a full incident investigation.
Week 0, then eight cases
Every week has one central question and produces one piece of your portfolio.
- Week 1HP-001
Cybersecurity foundations and risk
Initial Security Review
- The question
- What are we protecting, what could go wrong, and what matters first?
- You produce
- A living risk register
- Week 2HP-002
Networking for security
Unusual Network Communication
- The question
- What is communicating across the network?
- You produce
- A network investigation worksheet
- Week 3HP-003
Operating systems and Linux security
Linux Security Review
- The question
- What is happening on the Linux system?
- You produce
- A Linux findings table and evidence from your own lab
- Week 4HP-004Major assessment
Threats, vulnerabilities and attack surface
External Exposure & Vulnerability Assessment
- The question
- What can an attacker discover, and what exposure matters?
- You produce
- A vulnerability assessment report
- Week 5HP-005
Identity and access security
Identity & Access Review
- The question
- Who has access, and should they?
- You produce
- An access matrix and least-privilege redesign
- Week 6HP-006
Security controls and cryptography
Data Protection Review
- The question
- How should the company protect sensitive data?
- You produce
- Cryptography proofs and protection recommendations
- Week 7HP-007
Cloud security foundations
Cloud Security Review
- The question
- How should the company secure its move to the cloud?
- You produce
- Before and after architecture and a remediation table
- Week 8HP-008Major assessment
Security operations and incident capstone
Security Incident Investigation
- The question
- Has the company been compromised, and what can the evidence prove?
- You produce
- An incident report and an oral briefing
Week 4 and Week 8 are the two major assessments.
You finish with one connected portfolio, not a folder of screenshots
Your eight case files tell one continuous story: a single company, investigated over eight weeks, with your evidence and reasoning at every step. It is work you can walk an interviewer through.
- Initial security review and living risk register
- Network investigation
- Linux security review
- Vulnerability assessment
- Access-control review
- Data-protection review
- Cloud security review
- Final incident investigation
Built for complete beginners
You do not need any previous cybersecurity experience. You do need curiosity, about 7 to 8 hours a week, a laptop you can install free tools on, and a reliable internet connection for the live class.
A good fit if you
- are new to cybersecurity and want a serious foundation
- learn best by doing
- can commit time every week for eight weeks
- want work you can show, not just a certificate
Probably not the right fit if you
- already work in security and want advanced training
- are looking for a quick course with no weekly work
- expect a job guarantee
What you leave with
- Practical security foundations
- An evidence-first way of reasoning about security problems
- Experience doing structured case work
- Eight connected portfolio case files
- A HackSchool Africa Certificate of Completion
- A foundation for deeper training
What eight weeks can and cannot do
This programme builds a serious foundation. It will not turn a beginner into a senior security professional in eight weeks, and we will never promise you a job or a salary.
By the end you should be able to:
- explain core concepts such as risk, the CIA triad, least privilege, MFA and encryption
- use Linux commands, Wireshark filters, basic Nmap scans and simple OpenSSL workflows
- read a small access policy and cloud audit logs
- tell an event from an alert from an incident
- reason from evidence and write up what you found
You will not yet be ready to:
- run a SIEM or a SOC shift on your own
- write production detections
- lead a real incident response
- do penetration testing or malware analysis
- secure cloud environments at professional depth
Phase 1 is the foundation. Deeper programmes are in development and are not yet open for applications.
Your instructors
Live classes are led by the HackSchool Africa instructor team.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need any experience?
No. Phase 1 is designed for complete beginners. You should be comfortable using a computer and willing to learn new tools.
How many hours a week will it take?
About 7 to 8 hours. Weeks 4 and 8 take more because they are the major assessments.
What do I need for the lab?
Your own laptop that you can install free software on, and a stable internet connection. You set up your own practice lab with free or low-cost tools, and we guide you through it in Week 0. HackSchool Africa does not provide hosted lab machines. If your local setup has problems, standard evidence packs mean you can still complete every graded case.
When is the live class?
The live class schedule is shared with accepted applicants.
How am I assessed?
On the work you submit for each case, not on watching videos. We assess whether your findings are supported by evidence, not how many problems you can list.
Can I use AI tools?
Yes, within clear rules that you agree to in Week 0. You must disclose how you used them, your conclusions must be based on evidence, and you remain responsible for your work.
What certificate will I get?
Learners who meet the completion standard receive a HackSchool Africa Certificate of Completion, awarded for practical, assessed security work. It is a private training certificate issued by HackSchool Africa Limited rather than a government-accredited qualification, and it pairs with the portfolio you build during the programme. The completion standard is shared with accepted applicants before the cohort starts.
When does Cohort 01 start?
Cohort dates and programme details are shared with accepted applicants.
How much does it cost?
Programme fees and payment details are shared with accepted applicants.
What happens after I apply?
We review every application and reply within 5 business days. We may invite you to a short conversation. If you are accepted, we will send you the cohort dates, programme fee and payment information.
Is the company real?
No. It is a simulated Nigerian fintech created for training. The cases are realistic, but the company, its people and its data are fictional.
How can I contact you?
Email info@hackschoolafrica.com.
Applications for Cohort 01 are open
After you apply, we will review your application and contact you within 5 business days with the next steps, including cohort dates, programme fee and payment information.
Apply for Cohort 01