Getting into Cyber Security

Two things I get asked regularly are ‘What is the best way to get into Cyber Security?’ and ‘What sites and resources would I recommend?’.

Firstly, you need to understand why you want to get into Cyber Security and what in particular peaked your interest? This will help you to be able to understand what is needed and will also likely be the first question in interviews for junior positions, so it’s always good to have an answer ready.

This is by no means a fully comprehensive training document, however it is what I have been recommended in the marketplace and what clients tend ask me to check for. Plus, I focus on free or very low-cost courses as these are achievable for anyone who puts their mind to it. YOU DO NOT NEED LOADS OF CERTS TO GET A POSITION!

For people that have little to no understanding of Cyber Security or general IT, I would always suggest getting to know the basics. The Open University do a free Introduction to Cyber Security . This consists of around 7 hours of training and it is suggested to complete an hour a week, so is suitable even if you have a full-time job already. There is no rigid schedule, so you could even do 10 minutes a day if you find it hard to set aside an hour block.

For all technical positions within Cyber Security, you will need to have a basic understanding of how a network works. Courses such as a CompTIA A+, CompTIA N+ and CompTIA S+ will give you that understanding. You can get all of the content from these courses for free from a multitude of different websites, depending on how you learn best. There are 100s of videos on YouTube of people going through the full course (pick who you find most engaging and remember to pause the video and go away and put what you have learnt to practice). Having the certifications for these isn’t the be all and end all, so if you can't find them at a reasonable price then I wouldn’t bother, providing you’ve retained the knowledge. Sites such as Free Cybersecurity Training and Career Development | Cybrary OR Online Courses - Learn Anything, On Your Schedule | Udemy also offer this content for free (depending on the time of year – they tend to do limited time offerings).

All companies will ask what tools you have had exposure to. I understand this can result in a ‘Catch 22’, where you can’t get the experience without being in a job and you can’t get the job without the experience. Luckily, there are now multiple platforms with ‘labs’ on that enable you play around with most of the tools used in the industry! Here are a few worth looking into:

TryHackMe | Cyber Security Training

Hack The Box: Hacking Training For The Best | Individuals & Companies

CyberSecLabs | Home – Free beginner labs – subscription service after

Blue Team Labs Online - Cyber Range – There are free labs and challenges. Once completed you can pay monthly to get access to the other labs (also very cheap)

Cybersecurity Training To Face Evolving Threats - Immersive Labs (If you are a veteran or currently serving you can get access to this for free via TechVets)

One of the biggest pros in cyber is that the community is very supportive. If you reach out, most people would be willing to point you in the right direction providing you show your passion. Below are some communities on Discord which I would recommend joining:

Discord | Your Place to Talk and Hang Out

TryHackMe

Hackthebox

TheCyberMentor

These are only some of the resources I recommend, so please feel free to get in touch as I am always happy to provide any advice or guidance. Also, if you know of another group or site that could be added to this, please do let me know. I hope this helps.