Beginner Guide To Getting Into Cybersecurity
A while ago, I was invited by a local Google Developer Students’ Club to speak about the beginner’s journey into cybersecurity. Every time I come across the slides, I am reminded to turn them into a blog post, so here it is, finally! Please note that the content I share in this article is a copy-paste of the slides, hence the brevity. Each section also includes learning resources and materials.
Summary of My Journey in Cybersecurity
- Started while focusing on the defensive information security path. (digital forensics)
- Dealt with a lot of theoretical work (think of your lectures 😁😁)
- Dealt with a lot of self doubt, thinking I didn’t have proper skills to jump into the technical security side.
- After trying to get these ‘proper skills’ , finally ,made the shift to ethical hacking.
- Actively started working on technical skills in ethical hacking
Issues You Might Deal With In Your Cybersecurity Journey
- Self Doubt
- Imposter Syndrome
- Learning path unclarity and information overload
- Career path unclarity
- Information security opinions and misconceptions (gatekeepers)
- Burn Out
The Learning Path For A Security Career
- You will be constantly learning.
- Ensure you are passionate about cybersecurity.
- Some of the training may be focused on certifications, but you don’t need to take one. However, it is a great addition to landing a job.
Different security fields may have different paths but these are common in almost all fields:
LEVEL 1: FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS
- Think of helpdesk IT skills
- Troubleshooting and fixing IT issues
- Many of the skills required are in the compTIA A+ certification.
- Study course work related to such certifications.
2. Networking
- Different networking ports and protocols.
- OSI Model
- Routing and switching
- Network Addressing
- Network topologies
- Wireless technologies
- Network services
2. Networking Infrastructure
3. Network operations
4. Network security
5. Network troubleshooting and tools
3. Linux Skills
- Linux skills are important for ethical hacking
- Debian distribution (kali/parrot)
- Use any other distribution or build you like
- Learn through practice. Don’t depend on tutorials entirely
- You can use Linux for some few days as your primary OS to build on consistency.
- You can install it as a VM using VB/ VMware etc..
4. Coding and Scripting Skills
- Ensure you are able to read code.
- Different levels of developing may be needed for different areas of cybersecurity. The basic requirement is that you are able to read code.
- Most guys in security don’t like coding, in fact some of us fear it 👀
- Start with python programming since its easier then move to any other language of your choice.
- Heath Adams recommends that you learn Python3 instead of Python2.
- Use FreeCodeCamp, Codecademy or 30daysofpython on GitHub for this.
LEVEL 2: FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS
*Note that from here; the learning path will be focused towards the ethical hacking career path <worry not>
- During my learning, I saw the need to start from an offensive learning path before switching to a defensive path.
- During the offensive learning, you will have picked up some hacker methodologies you can use to counter attackers.
- Look for a great ethical hacking course (TCM Security on YouTube, look for vouchers on Udemy)
***ensure you gain proper report writing skills.
LEVEL 3:PRACTICING
- Tryhackme (follow the beginner learning path which has free rooms),
- Hackthebox
- VulnHub
- Pentester Lab
- Portswigger labs
(this is the comprehensive learning path for becoming an ethical hacker by Heath Adams)
LEVEL 4: COMMUNITY SUPPORT
- YouTube (Nahamsec, CyberMentor, John Hammond, David Bombal)
- Blogs and Write-ups
- Discord channels
- Join local security whatsapp Channels/form yours
Additional steps for those who want to focus on other fields apart from ethical hacking
LEVEL 5:PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING
This is not TCP networking lol
- Create a twitter & a LinkedIn Account
- Connect with friends who are in security.
- Form CTF teams and practice. (ctftime)
- Join security discord channels
LEVEL 6: PERSONAL BRANDING
You <insert name> are a brand!
- Create a blog e.g. for writeups
- Start a security related YouTube Channel.
- Be active on Twitter
- Be active on LinkedIn
- Offer to speak in webinars and conferences
- Work on your presentation skills
- Work on your interpersonal skills.
YOU HAVE THE BASICS!
Now that you have gained a proper foundation of the basics of hacking, you can familiarize yourself with different areas;
- Active directory (important since most companies utilize it)
- Web Application Hacking
- Wireless hacking
- Chase for certifications (optional)
- Exploit development
- Privilege escalation
Additional information and resources on these areas can be found here
I always joke that all my presentations must have a meme and it’s now starting to become a thing haha!
REFERENCES TO ALL RESOURCES MENTIONED
- Basic IT Skills
- Networking Courses
- Linux Skills
- Tryhackme beginner learning path which has free rooms.
- Comprehensive learning path for becoming an ethical hacker by Heath Adams
- Additional information and resources on all areas. (for links of all resources, twitter profiles to follow, youtube and discord channels
Some of the resources above have 2 links. Also, that’s all for now. Feel free to leave a comment on other reliable resources.
Margaret Kamau is a tech student, Information Security researcher passionate about everything in tech, especially cybersecurity. You can connect with her on twitter and LinkedIn
