Windows Setup

The lab instructions are written with macOS/Linux commands. If you’re on Windows, you have three good ways to follow along. The short version: install WSL2 and almost everything “just works.”

The 30-second answer

• Most labs → install WSL2 (a real Ubuntu Linux inside Windows) and run every Linux command in this course as-is.
• The Bluetooth lab → use native Windows Python instead — WSL can’t see your Bluetooth radio.
• The browser labs (Spot the Phish, SOC Analyst) → nothing to install, they run in any browser.

Option A — WSL2 (recommended)

WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux 2) runs a genuine Ubuntu Linux environment inside Windows. Once it’s set up, every macOS/Linux command in these labs works exactly as written.

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

   wsl --install

   This installs WSL2 and Ubuntu by default. Reboot if prompted.

2. Launch Ubuntu from the Start menu and create your Linux username/password when asked.

3. Update the package list and you’re ready:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

4. From here, follow the Linux instructions in every lab — apt install, nmap, python3, unzip, and so on all behave normally.

Two WSL limitations to know

• Bluetooth / USB are not exposed to WSL by default, so the Bluetooth lab should be run with native Windows Python (see Option C).
• Network scanning (the home-network lab) works best when WSL is in mirrored networking mode, or simply run Nmap natively on Windows. More on that in the lab.

Option B — Docker Desktop

Docker Desktop (which itself uses a small Linux VM via WSL2) is the simplest path for anything that ships as a container — most importantly the vulnerable web app target.

• The Web App lab Juice Shop command is identical on Windows:

  docker run --rm -p 127.0.0.1:3000:3000 bkimminich/juice-shop

• You can also run Linux tools ad-hoc, e.g. a throwaway Ubuntu shell:

  docker run --rm -it ubuntu bash

Note

Docker Desktop on Windows runs containers inside a VM, so scanning your real home network from a container is unreliable (the container sees the VM’s network, not your LAN). For the home-network lab, prefer WSL2 or native Nmap.

Option C — Native Windows tools

Every lab tool also has a native Windows option. Use this table:

Lab	Native Windows route
Spot the Phish, SOC Analyst	Nothing to install — they run in your browser.
Web App (Juice Shop)	Docker Desktop — same command as above.
Mobile RE (jadx)	Install jadx with winget install jadx (or download the release and run jadx-gui.bat). Unzip an APK with tar -xf app.apk or 7-Zip.
Home Network (nmap)	Install Nmap for Windows (includes Npcap). Find your IP/gateway with ipconfig. Nmap commands are identical.
Bluetooth (bleak)	Install Python for Windows, then pip install bleak. It works natively via Windows’ Bluetooth stack — do this on Windows, not in WSL. Grant Bluetooth permission if prompted.

Handy Windows command equivalents

macOS / Linux	Windows (PowerShell)
ip addr / ipconfig getifaddr en0	ipconfig (read IPv4 Address and Default Gateway)
unzip -l file.zip	tar -tf file.zip
unzip file.zip	tar -xf file.zip or Expand-Archive file.zip
brew install X / apt install X	winget install X (or choco / scoop)

Which should I pick?

Just getting started

Install WSL2 (Option A). It’s the closest match to the instructions and the least friction for the whole course — only switch to native Windows for the Bluetooth lab.

I only want the web lab

Install Docker Desktop (Option B). The Juice Shop command is identical and you’re done.

I prefer native Windows

Use Option C — install each tool with winget/installers. Everything has a Windows build; just remember ipconfig instead of ip addr.

Once you’ve picked a route, head to the Labs Overview and the Windows note at the top of each tool lab will point you to the right command.