Python Programming for Security Professionals

Geared for experienced security professionals, this class is an introductory, practical, hands-on Python training course that leads the student from the basics of writing and running Python scripts to more advanced features such as file operations, regular expressions, working with binary data, and using the extensive functionality of Python modules. Extra emphasis is placed on features unique to Python, such as tuples, array slices, and output formatting.  This comprehensive, practical course provides an in-depth exploration of working with the programming language, not an academic overview of syntax and grammar. This course is tailored specifically for Security Analysts and others who wish to use Python functionality for security-related tasks such as log manipulation or forensics. This course, which addresses secure coding practices, is essential for security professionals that are performing security reviews and audits of Python applications or are supporting development teams in implementing better defenses in Python.

Throughout the course, students will be led through a series of progressively advanced topics, where each topic consists of lecture, group discussion, comprehensive hands-on lab exercises, and lab review. This course is “skills-centric”, designed to train attendees in core Python and web development skills beyond an intermediate level, coupling the most current, effective techniques with best practices.

• Create working Python scripts following best practices
• Use python data types appropriately
• Read and write files with both text and binary data
• Search and replace text with regular expressions
• Get familiar with the standard library and its work-saving modules
• Use lesser-known but powerful Python data types
• Create "real-world", professional Python applications
• Work with dates, times, and calendars
• Know when to use collections such as lists, dictionaries, and sets
• Understand Pythonic features such as comprehensions and iterators
• Write robust code using exception handling