Mini-Certifications

Quick skill tests with real security flavour.

Mini-certifications are short, focused assessments (60–90 minutes) that help you validate specific skills: SQL injection, XSS, Linux CLI, Kubernetes basics, AI prompt injection, and recon.

Browse mini-certifications See mini-badges

How mini-certs work

✔ Choose a topic-based mini-cert (e.g., SQLi, XSS, AI, k8s).
✔ Complete 1 small lab or scenario + quiz.
✔ Get an instant score and feedback.
✔ On passing, receive a small VEXA mini-badge.

Mini-certification catalogue

Use mini-certifications to quickly test and showcase specific skills. Great for students preparing for interviews, bug bounty hunters, and professionals refreshing fundamentals.

VEXA-MC-SQL · 60–90 mins

SQL Injection Basics

Format: Online quiz + 1 lab

Best for: Students and beginners learning web vulnerabilities.

What you will do:

Learn how basic SQL injection works in login forms.
Solve a walkthrough-style lab on a demo application.
Answer a short MCQ quiz on payloads and safe coding.

Outcome: Understand classic SQLi patterns and how to avoid them as a developer or tester.

Mini digital badge on completion

VEXA-MC-XSS · 60–90 mins

XSS Payloads Starter

Format: Hands-on lab + short report

Best for: Bug bounty beginners and web pentest learners.

What you will do:

Identify reflected XSS on a sample target.
Craft proof-of-concept payloads safely.
Write a short bug report based on the lab.

Outcome: Confident to recognise and document basic XSS issues in forms and parameters.

Mini digital badge on completion

VEXA-MC-LINUX · 60 mins

Linux & CLI Essentials

Format: Command-line challenge + quiz

Best for: Students new to Linux and terminal usage.

What you will do:

Practice navigation, file operations, permissions.
Solve a small scenario-based CLI challenge.
Complete a fundamentals quiz.

Outcome: Comfortable using Linux terminal for basic tasks required in security labs.

Mini digital badge on completion

VEXA-MC-K8S · 60–90 mins

Kubernetes Security Basics

Format: Scenario + questions

Best for: Cloud/k8s beginners and security engineers.

What you will do:

Review a simple cluster configuration scenario.
Identify risky settings (hostPath, privileged, etc.).
Answer short questions on secure alternatives.

Outcome: Recognise common insecure k8s pod and workload configurations.

Mini digital badge on completion

VEXA-MC-AI1 · 60–90 mins

Prompt Injection Level 1

Format: Prompt lab + MCQ

Best for: Anyone testing or building with LLMs.

What you will do:

Experiment with prompt injection against a safe demo.
See how instructions can override system prompts.
Answer questions on safe prompt design.

Outcome: Awareness of prompt injection risks and basic testing approaches.

Mini digital badge on completion

VEXA-MC-RECON · 60–90 mins

Bug Bounty Recon Mini

Format: Practical task + checklist

Best for: Students starting bug bounty and external recon.

What you will do:

Perform basic recon on a sample scope (passive only).
Use a small set of common tools / techniques.
Document findings in a recon notes template.

Outcome: Able to run a simple, structured recon flow for a given domain or scope.

Mini digital badge on completion

At a glance

Summary of mini-certs with format and estimated time. You can decide later which ones to run as free or paid.

Code	Mini-certification	Estimated time	Format
VEXA-MC-SQL	SQL Injection Basics	60–90 mins	Online quiz + 1 lab
VEXA-MC-XSS	XSS Payloads Starter	60–90 mins	Hands-on lab + short report
VEXA-MC-LINUX	Linux & CLI Essentials	60 mins	Command-line challenge + quiz
VEXA-MC-K8S	Kubernetes Security Basics	60–90 mins	Scenario + questions
VEXA-MC-AI1	Prompt Injection Level 1	60–90 mins	Prompt lab + MCQ
VEXA-MC-RECON	Bug Bounty Recon Mini	60–90 mins	Practical task + checklist

Mini-badge designs

Each mini-certification issues a compact badge that highlights one focused skill area. These work nicely in LinkedIn featured sections, GitHub READMEs, or personal portfolios.

SQL Injection Basics

Foundation mini-badge for understanding classic SQL injection attacks.

XSS Payloads Starter

Mini-badge focused on recognising and documenting basic XSS issues.

Linux & CLI Essentials

Mini-badge for comfort with the terminal in security labs.

Kubernetes Security Basics

Mini-badge for identifying insecure Kubernetes workload settings.

Prompt Injection L1

Mini-badge for understanding basic prompt injection concepts.

Bug Bounty Recon Mini

Mini-badge for structured passive recon skills.

Implementation ideas

This explains how you can run mini-certs technically later. For now it is content for students.

You can implement these mini-certifications using simple tools you already know:

🧪 Quiz platform: Google Forms, Typeform, or any LMS that supports quizzes.
🖥️ Labs: Your existing CVE lab, DVWA, or a small guided VM / container.
📧 Badges: Auto-send a small PNG/SVG badge via email to those who pass.
📝 Tracking: Maintain a simple spreadsheet or later build a verification page.