This project developed an Ethical Hacking lab to support hands-on cybersecurity education, enabling students to gain practical experience with penetration testing tools and techniques. Housed in an isolated network environment, the lab integrates both physical and virtual resources, including a server, switch, and workstations managed by Proxmox VE. Key components include Kali Linux for testing and Metasploitable 2 as a vulnerable virtual machine, allowing students to practice a range of attacks and assess various vulnerabilities. The lab exercises follow the typical penetration testing workflow—reconnaissance, network scanning, vulnerability assessment, and exploitation—guiding students through structured tasks while fostering independent problem-solving skills. Additionally, Proxmox’s snapshot feature enables easy resetting, ensuring a consistent testing environment across users.

Recommended Citation: Nikolov P., Stoker G., Alamleh H., Clark U., (2024). Developing an Isolated Network Environment for Ethical Hacking Education. UNCW MS CSIS Proceedings. V. 18 , N. 17 .