Schedule, syllabus and examination date

Course content

Ethical hacking covers vulnerability and penetration testing, which are essential elements in modern cybersecurity. Ethical hacking consists of testing the security of IT systems by trying to find and exploit security vulnerabilities.

Learning outcome

After completing this course you will

  • have knowledge about the theoretical basis for security testing
  • have the ability to protect systems against modern cyber attacks
  • have information on the legal aspects of performing ethical hacking and to judge what is within and outside permitted activities
  • be able to perform practical penetration testing using up-to-date tools and techniques
  • be able to evaluate the security status of systems and suggest solutions for removing security vulnerabilities
  • be able to use publicly available resources for verifying the status of vulnerabilities and for applying patches

Admission to the course

Students admitted at UiO must apply for courses in Studentweb. Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

Nordic citizens and applicants residing in the Nordic countries may apply to take this course as a single course student.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

General knowledge about information security,

IN2120 – Information Security

Overlapping courses

Teaching

4 hours of lectures and practice per week

Examination

The home exam constitutes 40% of the final grade, while the final written exam constitutes 60% of the final grade.

Both exams must be passed in the same semester.

Examination support material

No examination support material is allowed.

Language of examination

The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

Resit an examination

Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester. Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass the original examination.

More about examinations at UiO

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.

Last updated from FS (Felles studentsystem) Oct. 14, 2026 11:17:38 PM

Facts about this course

Level
Master
Credits
10
Teaching
Autumn
Examination
Autumn
Teaching language
English

Contact

Department of Informatics