COURSE OVERVIEW

This intensive 6-week program equips learners with the skills to maintain, secure, and monitor web applications against evolving cyber threats. You'll learn to apply security patches, harden server configurations, detect vulnerabilities, and respond to incidents efficiently. The curriculum blends theory with hands-on exercises in a controlled environment, preparing you to defend web applications in real-world scenarios.

Duration

6 Weeks • 45 Hours

Level

Intermediate • Web development experience required

Certification

AstralGuard Web Security Specialist

Format

Hands-on labs • Real-world simulations

COURSE CURRICULUM

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6

Week 1: Introduction to Web Maintenance & Threat Landscape

Learning Objectives

Understand modern web architectures and components
Analyze the evolving cyber threat landscape
Identify common web attack vectors
Establish secure staging environments

Topics Covered

Modern web architectures (front-end, back-end, database, cloud)
Current cyber threat landscape analysis
Common attack vectors (SQLi, XSS, CSRF, RCE)
Web security best practices overview
Secure environment setup procedures

                            # Secure server setup checklist
                            1. Update all system packages
                            2. Configure firewall (UFW/iptables)
                            3. Create limited privilege user accounts
                            4. Disable root SSH login
                            5. Install and configure fail2ban
                            6. Set up automatic security updates
                        

Practical Lab

Setting up a secure local web server for testing
Analyzing recent web security breaches
Basic vulnerability scanning exercise

Week 2: Web Application Patching & Version Control

Learning Objectives

Interpret CVE reports and vulnerability databases
Apply security patches without service disruption
Manage dependencies securely across platforms
Implement version control best practices

Topics Covered

Software vulnerabilities and CVE reports
Patch management strategies
Dependency management (npm, pip, composer)
Version control security (Git branching, secure commits)
Rollback strategies for failed updates

                            # Secure package update example
                            npm audit fix --force
                            pip list --outdated | cut -d' ' -f1 | xargs -n1 pip install -U
                            composer update --dry-run
                            
                            # Safe rollback with Git
                            git revert [commit-hash]
                            git reset --hard HEAD~1
                        

Hands-on Labs

Applying real-world patches to vulnerable applications
Secure dependency update workflow
Git security configuration exercise

Week 3: Server & Application Hardening

Learning Objectives

Configure web servers securely (Apache, Nginx, IIS)
Harden database systems against attacks
Implement HTTPS and TLS best practices
Configure security headers effectively

Topics Covered

Web server secure configuration
Database hardening techniques
TLS implementation and optimization
Security headers (CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options)
File and directory permission management

                            # Nginx security headers example
                            add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN";
                            add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block";
                            add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff";
                            add_header Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'";
                            add_header Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=63072000; includeSubdomains";
                        

Practical Exercises

Hardening an Nginx/Apache server against common attacks
MySQL/PostgreSQL security configuration
Security header implementation challenge

Week 4: Monitoring & Vulnerability Detection

Learning Objectives

Deploy and configure monitoring tools
Analyze logs for security anomalies
Conduct automated vulnerability scans
Integrate security into CI/CD pipelines

Topics Covered

Web application monitoring tools (WAFs, SIEM, IDS/IPS)
Log analysis and anomaly detection
Automated vulnerability scanning (OWASP ZAP, Nikto)
Real-time alerting systems
CI/CD security integration

                            # OWASP ZAP baseline scan example
                            docker run -v $(pwd):/zap/wrk/:rw \
                              -t owasp/zap2docker-stable zap-baseline.py \
                              -t https://example.com \
                              -g gen.conf \
                              -r testreport.html
                            
                            # Automated security scan in CI
                            - name: Security Scan
                              uses: owasp/zap-full-scan@v1
                              with:
                                target: 'https://your-website.com'
                                rules: 'rules.ruleset'
                        

Security Labs

Deploying and configuring a Web Application Firewall
Log analysis challenge
Automated vulnerability scanning pipeline

Week 5: Incident Response & Recovery

Learning Objectives

Execute the incident response lifecycle
Handle data breaches according to best practices
Implement backup and disaster recovery plans
Collect forensic data for post-incident analysis

Topics Covered

Incident response lifecycle (Preparation, Detection, Containment, Eradication, Recovery)
Data breach handling and reporting
Backup strategies and disaster recovery
Forensic data collection
Stakeholder coordination during incidents

                            # Incident response checklist
                            1. Identify and confirm the incident
                            2. Activate response team
                            3. Contain the breach (network segmentation, account lockdown)
                            4. Preserve evidence (memory dumps, logs, disk images)
                            5. Eradicate threat (malware removal, patch vulnerabilities)
                            6. Recover systems (from clean backups)
                            7. Post-incident review and reporting
                        

Simulation Labs

Simulating a breach and executing response plan
Forensic data collection exercise
Disaster recovery scenario

Week 6: Final Project & Security Audit

Learning Objectives

Conduct comprehensive security audits
Identify vulnerabilities and recommend remediation
Communicate findings to technical and non-technical audiences
Apply all learned skills to secure a vulnerable application

Project Requirements

Full security audit of a provided web application
Vulnerability assessment report with remediation plan
Presentation of findings to simulated stakeholders
Implementation of security improvements

Final Assessment

Complete security audit of a live lab application
Remediation implementation challenge
Executive briefing simulation

SECURITY RESOURCES

COURSE OUTCOME

Graduates will be able to proactively maintain and secure web applications, implement security patches, harden infrastructure, monitor for threats in real-time, execute incident response plans, and conduct comprehensive security audits. These skills are essential for web administrators, DevOps engineers, and security professionals.

WEB MAINTENANCE & SECURITY CRITICAL

COURSE OVERVIEW

Duration

Level

Certification

Format

COURSE CURRICULUM

Week 1: Introduction to Web Maintenance & Threat Landscape

Learning Objectives

Topics Covered

Practical Lab

Week 2: Web Application Patching & Version Control

Learning Objectives

Topics Covered

Hands-on Labs

Week 3: Server & Application Hardening

Learning Objectives

Topics Covered

Practical Exercises

Week 4: Monitoring & Vulnerability Detection

Learning Objectives

Topics Covered

Security Labs

Week 5: Incident Response & Recovery

Learning Objectives

Topics Covered

Simulation Labs

Week 6: Final Project & Security Audit

Learning Objectives

Project Requirements

Final Assessment

SECURITY RESOURCES

COURSE OUTCOME

READY TO SECURE YOUR WEB APPLICATIONS?