Pentest Projects Skill

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name: pentest-projects
description: "Research and recommend hands-on ethical hacking and penetration testing projects for any sub-topic the user provides. Organizes projects into five progressive categories: Foundational, Tools & Technologies, Real-World, Advanced & Deep-Dive, and Open-Source & Industry-Grade. Always use web search to surface current tools, CVEs, frameworks, and industry practices. Trigger this skill whenever the user asks for project ideas, learning paths, practice labs, or hands-on exercises related to ethical hacking, penetration testing, red teaming, bug bounty, CTFs, offensive security, or any specific pentesting sub-domain (web, network, mobile, cloud, Active Directory, reverse engineering, etc.). Also trigger when the user says things like 'what should I build to learn X', 'give me projects for X', or 'how do I get hands-on with X' where X is a security topic."
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# Pentest Projects Skill

## Purpose

Given a specific ethical hacking or penetration testing topic, research and recommend a curated set of hands-on projects organized into five progressive categories. Projects should build real understanding — not tutorial-following — and progress from beginner to advanced within each category.

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## Workflow

### Step 1: Understand the Topic

Identify the specific sub-domain or topic from the user's request. Examples:
- Web application hacking, Active Directory attacks, network pentesting, mobile security, cloud pentesting, reverse engineering, malware analysis, exploit development, bug bounty, OSINT, cryptography attacks, wireless security, IoT hacking, etc.

If the topic is broad (e.g., "ethical hacking" with no sub-topic), ask the user to narrow it down OR pick the most foundational starting point and state your assumption.

### Step 2: Research

Use web search to find:
- **Current tools** actively used in the industry (not deprecated or rarely used ones)
- **Real CVEs, techniques, or attack patterns** relevant to the topic
- **Industry certifications or courses** that suggest what skills matter (OSCP, PNPT, CEH, BSCP, eJPT, etc.)
- **Active open-source projects** in the space worth contributing to
- **Current industry practices** — what do real pentesters do in this area?

Suggested search queries (adapt to topic):
- `"[topic] penetration testing projects 2024 2025"`
- `"[topic] ethical hacking hands-on lab"`
- `"[topic] CTF challenges techniques"`
- `"best tools for [topic] pentesting [current year]"`
- `"[topic] bug bounty real world techniques"`

Research should improve project quality. Don't include research output directly — synthesize it into better project ideas.

### Step 3: Generate Projects

Produce exactly **five categories** in this order. Each category should have **2–4 projects** (more if the topic warrants it). Projects within a category go beginner → advanced.

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## Output Format

Use this exact structure in your response:

```
# [Topic] — Hands-On Project Roadmap

Brief 2–3 sentence intro: what this roadmap covers and who it's for.

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## 1. Foundational Projects
> Master core concepts and fundamentals of [topic].

### [Project Title]
**Goal:** What to build and why it matters.
**Key Concepts & Skills:** Bullet list of what the learner will understand after completing this.
**Tools & Technologies:** Specific tools, frameworks, or environments to use.

[Repeat for each project in this category]

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## 2. Tools & Technologies
> Gain hands-on experience with the modern tooling used in real [topic] engagements.

[Same project structure]

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## 3. Real-World Projects
> Solve practical problems and simulate industry use cases.

[Same project structure]

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## 4. Advanced & Deep-Dive Projects
> Explore internals, complex attack chains, optimization, and advanced techniques.

[Same project structure]

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## 5. Open-Source & Industry-Grade Projects
> Build production-quality solutions and contribute to real projects.

[Same project structure]

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## Suggested Learning Path
One short paragraph summarizing the recommended order and what mastery looks like.
```

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## Quality Standards

- **No tutorial-following projects.** Every project should require the learner to think, adapt, or build something — not just follow a walkthrough.
- **No outdated tools.** Don't recommend tools that are deprecated, unmaintained, or replaced by better alternatives unless there's a specific historical/educational reason.
- **No generic filler.** "Set up a home lab" is not a project. "Build a segmented home lab simulating a corporate AD environment with a DC, workstation, and attacker machine, then enumerate and attack it" is.
- **Progressive difficulty.** Each category builds on the previous. A learner who finishes all five categories should be capable of real-world work in this area.
- **Tool specificity.** Name real tools — Burp Suite, Metasploit, Impacket, BloodHound, Nuclei, etc. — not generic categories like "a vulnerability scanner."
- **Realistic scope.** Projects should be completable by a motivated individual, not require a team or enterprise resources.

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## Notes

- This skill is scoped exclusively to **ethical hacking and penetration testing**. Do not generate project roadmaps for unrelated topics.
- If the user asks for a topic outside this scope, politely decline and ask them to specify a pentesting sub-domain.
- If the user asks for a specific difficulty level (e.g., "beginner only" or "advanced only"), filter the output accordingly but keep all five category headings for structure.