CTS4321C // Matrix House
Matrix Hub
Matrix Hub
CTS4321C
Advanced Linux Administration
Your cell is your responsibility. The grid depends on you.
5
Weeks
24
Modules
12
Labs
32
Flags
Grid Status: Course Progress
Loading...
Mission Path
0
Cell Assignment: Foundations Refresher
WEEK 0 // REFRESHER
Week 0 Progress
0 / 5
WEEK 0 // REFRESHER
You have been assigned a new cell. It is bare metal. Familiarize yourself with its systems before we bring it online. These five modules are prerequisite calibration. If you know the material, move fast. If anything feels unfamiliar, slow down.
Refresher Modules
ALA-R1
ALA-R2
ALA-R3
ALA-R4
ALA-R5
Cell Navigation
Filesystem hierarchy, cd, ls, find, locate
Access Control
Users, groups, permissions, chmod, chown, ACLs
Process Authority
ps, kill, jobs, fg/bg, systemctl basics
Grid Basics
ifconfig/ip, ping, SSH, ports, /etc/hosts
Signal Processing
grep, sed, awk, pipes, redirection
1
Grid Connection: CLI Operations + Networking
WEEK 1 // OBJECTIVES 1, 2
Week 1 Progress
0 / 8
WEEK 1 // OBJECTIVES 1, 2
Your cell is online. Establish grid connectivity. This week you drill advanced CLI operations, take full ownership of the systemd layer, configure network interfaces at depth, and learn to read the noise coming off the wire. Three labs put you inside broken cells and hostile grids.
Presentations
CTF Labs
LAB 01
Dead Cell Recovery
A cell has gone dark. Restore service and extract your flags.
30 min
2 flags
LAB 02
Grid Handshake
Establish connectivity between two cells with misconfigured interfaces.
35 min
3 flags
LAB 03
Signal in the Noise
Parse live traffic. Extract the anomaly. Report the payload.
45 min
2 flags
Lecture Companion
2
Perimeter Defense: Hardening + Package Management
WEEK 2 // OBJECTIVES 3, 4
Week 2 Progress
0 / 10
WEEK 2 // OBJECTIVES 3, 4
Hostile traffic detected on the grid. Harden your cell before the next sync. This week you build firewall policy from scratch, lock down authentication, stand up antivirus scanning, and learn to compile and deploy packages from source. Three labs put your defenses under real pressure.
Presentations
CTF Labs
LAB 04
Lockdown Protocol
A cell with no firewall policy. Lock it down before the attacker returns.
35 min
2 flags
LAB 05
The Insider
A rogue account is operating inside your cell. Find it. Revoke it. Flag it.
45 min
3 flags
LAB 06
Field Assembly
No package manager. Compile and deploy from source under time pressure.
40 min
2 flags
Lecture Companion
In-class Activity
3
Sector Authority: DNS + Automation
WEEK 3 // OBJECTIVES 5, 6
Week 3 Progress
0 / 9
WEEK 3 // OBJECTIVES 5, 6
Your cell has been promoted to sector DNS authority. Other cells depend on you now. This week you deploy BIND from scratch, write zone files under operational conditions, build Bash automation pipelines, and schedule work across the grid with cron and systemd timers. Three labs test your authority and your ability to hold it under attack.
Presentations
CTF Labs
LAB 07
Name Authority
Stand up BIND. Populate zone files. Prove you own your sector.
45 min
3 flags
LAB 08
The Night Shift
Write and deploy a full Bash automation suite. Verify with timers.
40 min
3 flags
LAB 09
Poisoned Records
DNS zone files have been tampered with. Find the corruption. Restore truth.
45 min
2 flags
Lecture Companion
4
Integrity Verification: Filesystem + Performance
WEEK 4 // OBJECTIVES 6, 7
Week 4 Progress
0 / 8
WEEK 4 // OBJECTIVES 6, 7
An anomaly was detected in your cell's filesystem. Investigate, verify, and report. This week you establish integrity baselines with AIDE and auditd, monitor cell vitals in real time, centralize logging with rsyslog, and write a comprehensive audit report. The capstone lab requires full-spectrum cell analysis.
Presentations
CTF Labs
LAB 10
Ghost in the Cell
Something modified your filesystem after the last baseline. Find what changed.
45 min
3 flags
LAB 11
Flatline
Cell vitals are degraded. Diagnose the resource bottleneck. Restore normal function.
40 min
3 flags
LAB 12
Full Cell Audit: Capstone
Every skill. One cell. Audit, harden, document, and flag four critical findings.
45 min
4 flags
Lecture Companion
DOC
Operator Documentation
REFERENCE // OPERATOR LIBRARY
REFERENCE // OPERATOR LIBRARY
Downloadable field references for the cell. Keep a manual open while you work the labs; pull the scavenger-hunt worksheets for in-class team activities (PDF to print, DOCX to fill in). Your cell is your responsibility.
Operator Field Manuals
W1
Week 1 — CLI, systemd, Networking, Diagnostics
Quick reference · command tables · incident playbooks
W2
Week 2 — Authentication, Firewalls, Packages, Antivirus
Hardening references · iptables · SSH · package integrity
W3
Week 3 — DNS, BIND9, Bash Scripting, Automation
DNS records · zone files · rndc · bash · cron
W4
Week 4 — File Integrity, Performance, Log Management
AIDE / auditd · top / iostat / sar · journalctl / rsyslog
Exam Review
PT
Post-Test Review — Full Study Guide
25-question review · topic guide + answer index · legacy items flagged
Security Playbook
PB
Linux Security Playbook
Hardening & defensive operations walkthrough · video
Review Games
Scavenger Hunts
HUNT 1
The Website Is Down (Week 1)
systemd dependency-chain recovery — diagnose & restart grid-monitor
HUNT 2
The Perimeter Is Open (Week 2)
harden a breached cell — firewall, SSH, malware, package integrity
HUNT 3
Lost Authority (Week 3)
repair a poisoned BIND zone & remove attacker persistence
Hunt Walkthroughs
HUNT 1
The Website Is Down — Walkthrough
Step-by-step solution: systemd dependency-chain recovery
HUNT 2
The Perimeter Is Open — Walkthrough
Step-by-step solution: firewall, SSH, malware, package integrity
HUNT 3
Lost Authority — Walkthrough
Step-by-step solution: repair poisoned BIND zone + remove persistence
Course Objectives
- Operate the Linux CLI at an advanced level: pipes, process substitution, multiplexers, and shell scripting
- Manage and extend the systemd service layer including custom unit files and journal analysis
- Configure network interfaces, bonding, VLANs, and perform grid-level packet diagnostics
- Implement host-level defense: firewall policy, PAM hardening, fail2ban, and antivirus integration
- Deploy and administer a BIND DNS server as sector authority with correct zone file structure
- Write production-grade Bash scripts with error handling, scheduling, and log management integration
- Establish filesystem integrity baselines and detect unauthorized modifications with AIDE and auditd