[WSC SoCal WORKSHOP] Building Your First Home Lab:From Zero to Detecting Attacks

This is a hybrid workshop.

You MUST also register at this WSC website: https://womenscyberjutsu.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1953424

After you register at the WSC site, you will receive Zoom information.
A parking voucher (for on-site attendees) will be emailed a week prior to the workshop.

Title: Building Your First Home Lab: From Zero to Detecting Attacks

Location: Long Beach City College and zoom
Parking: $2 per day
Date: Saturday, May 31st, 2025
Time: 9 AM PT - 12 PM PT (Pacific Time)

Workshop Level: Beginner 101

Topic Details:
This course is designed to get those new to cybersecurity (and even computers) comfortable with building home labs for learning and practicing their skills. All a person needs is a computer/laptop and curiosity.

Objectives:

• 1. How to set up a basic virtual lab with 2 hosts - attacker and victim.
• 2. How to capture network traffic in Wireshark.
• 3. Attacking the victim with NMAP scans and Metasploit.
• 4. Identifying the attack in Wireshark packet captures.
• 5. Ways to use your home lab to learn. (Free resources.)
• 6. Leveraging your home lab to land your first cybersecurity job.

Prerequisites:
Very minimal computer or cybersecurity understanding is necessary, as every step of the lab can be followed even if one is the ultimate beginner. So, if you can follow instructions, you can enjoy this course!

Technical/Hardware Requirements:
A laptop/desktop with at least 8gb of RAM and at least 50gb of storage space. It is okay for people to share a computer and work together. 4gb of RAM may be sufficient, but functionality cannot be guaranteed. (The program may crash or run extremely slow.) https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/End-user_documentation

Agenda: (Times are in Pacific Time)
Instructions on downloading and setting up VirtualBox and the VMs will be sent prior to the class, but it is anticipated that time will be required to get everyone set up. I will be prepared to do extra exercises with the home lab in the event people come more prepared and we move into the exercises early.

• 9:00 - 10:00 Installing and configuring labs
• 10:00-10:30 Installing & introducing software (Wireshark & Metasploit) 10:30 - 11:00 Setting up Wireshark on the victim VM to capture network traffic.
• 11:00-11:30 Setting up Metasploit on the attacker VM and running NMAP scans and other modules.
• 11:30-12:00 Free resources and ways to use your home lab.

Instructor: Shaunna Hargrave
Bio: Shaunna Hargrave is an Industrial Incident Responder at Dragos, a cybersecurity company specializing in protecting industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology (OT) environments. She has worked in several other fields before finding her passion in cybersecurity midlife, and is on a mission to protect critical infrastructure.