Red Team Foundations

Red Team Foundations

This is the starting line for offensive security at Purple Edge. It assumes zero prior experience and builds the core skills every attacker relies on, in the order you'll need them.

What you'll cover

1. Linux Command Line for Hackers — navigate the filesystem, read and search files, understand permissions, and hunt for secrets.
2. Networking & Protocols for Attackers — IP/subnets/ports, TCP vs UDP, the must-know protocols and default ports, and inspecting live connections.
3. Using the Purple Edge Lab — how the ephemeral, locked lab works, how to connect over the console and VPN, and how to find your box's lab IP.
4. Bash & Scripting Basics for Offense — variables, pipes, loops, and writing your first recon script to automate the work.

Who it's for

Anyone new to red teaming, CTFs, or penetration testing. By the end you'll have the command-line fluency, networking vocabulary, lab workflow, and automation basics needed to start the hands-on offensive content.

How it works

Work through the four Edges in order — each builds on the last. Every Edge has short reading and a few graded questions you can answer from the lesson. Hands-on labs are added to these lessons in a later phase.