Cybersecurity Learning Resources

Find essential cybersecurity resources including online courses, books, hands-on labs, communities, news sites, podcasts, and newsletters to boost your skills.

Dive into these resources to accelerate your learning journey in cybersecurity. Find materials suitable for beginners and experienced professionals alike.

Online Courses

  • AWS Skill Builder (Security)

    Official AWS training, including security-specific courses and certifications paths.

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  • Coursera Cybersecurity Specializations

    University-backed courses covering fundamentals to advanced topics (e.g., IBM, Google certs).

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  • Cybrary

    Free and paid courses, virtual labs, and practice tests covering IT, cybersecurity, and cloud.

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  • Google Cloud Skills Boost (Security)

    Official Google Cloud training including security pathways and certifications.

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  • INE (eLearnSecurity)

    Offers various cybersecurity training paths (pentesting, incident response, etc.) with hands-on labs.

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  • Microsoft Learn (Security)

    Official Microsoft training for Azure security, Microsoft 365 security, and SC certifications.

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  • Offensive Security (OSCP)

    Provider of the notoriously challenging Penetration Testing with Kali Linux course and OSCP certification.

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  • Pluralsight Cybersecurity Path

    Subscription service with structured paths and courses on various security domains.

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  • SANS Institute

    Industry-leading, in-depth training and certifications (GIAC) (expensive).

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  • TCM Security Academy

    Practical Ethical Hacking and other hands-on courses.

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  • Udemy Cybersecurity Courses

    Wide range of affordable courses on ethical hacking, network security, specific tools.

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  • edX Cybersecurity Programs

    Courses and MicroMasters programs from universities like RIT, HarvardX, etc.

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Books

  • Applied Network Security Monitoring

    Practical guide to NSM tools and techniques.

    (Search online retailers)
  • Blue Team Field Manual (BTFM)

    Concise reference guide for blue teamers and incident responders.

    (Search online retailers)
  • CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide

    Popular comprehensive guide for CISSP preparation.

    (Search online retailers)
  • CompTIA Security+ Study Guide

    Comprehensive guides for Security+ exam prep.

    (Search online retailers)
  • Cult of the Dead Cow

    History of a seminal hacking group and its impact.

    (Search online retailers)
  • Hacking: The Art of Exploitation, 2nd Edition

    Fundamentals of hacking techniques, exploit development, C programming.

    (Search online retailers)
  • Metasploit: The Penetration Tester's Guide

    Covers the Metasploit framework.

    (Search online retailers)
  • Practical Malware Analysis

    Essential for learning malware analysis.

    (Search online retailers)
  • Red Team Field Manual (RTFM)

    Quick reference guide for penetration testers and red teamers.

    (Search online retailers)
  • Sandworm

    Compelling narrative about nation-state cyber attacks.

    (Search online retailers)
  • Serious Cryptography

    Detailed guide to modern cryptography.

    (Search online retailers)
  • The Phoenix Project

    Essential reading for understanding DevOps/DevSecOps context.

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  • The Practice of Network Security Monitoring

    Focuses on building and running effective NSM operations.

    (Search online retailers)
  • The Web Application Hacker's Handbook

    The definitive guide to web app security testing.

    (Search online retailers)
  • Threat Modeling: Designing for Security

    Foundational text on threat modeling methodologies.

    (Search online retailers)

Hands-on Labs

  • CTFtime

    Aggregator for Capture The Flag events worldwide.

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  • CyberDefenders

    Blue-team focused challenges involving DFIR, threat hunting, and malware analysis.

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  • Hack The Box

    Popular platform offering vulnerable machines, challenges, and labs (CTF style).

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  • Immersive Labs

    Enterprise-focused platform with browser-based labs across various security domains.

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  • LetsDefend

    Blue team focused training platform with SOC simulation and incident response scenarios.

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  • Offensive Security Proving Grounds (PG)

    Practice labs from the creators of OSCP.

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  • PentesterLab

    Offers exercises focused specifically on web application penetration testing.

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  • PicoCTF

    Free CTF platform run by Carnegie Mellon University, great for beginners.

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  • RangeForce

    Cybersecurity training platform with interactive modules and simulations.

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  • TryHackMe

    Gamified learning platform with structured learning paths and labs.

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  • VulnHub

    Provides downloadable vulnerable VMs for offline practice.

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YouTube Channels

Twitter / X Accounts

Podcasts

Newsletters

  • Risky Biz News

    Newsletter accompanying the Risky Business podcast.

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  • SANS NewsBites

    Semi-weekly summary of important security news stories.

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  • TLDR Sec

    Daily newsletter summarizing top cybersecurity news and articles.

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  • Unsupervised Learning

    Daniel Miessler's newsletter on security, tech, and society.

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  • Zero Day (Kim Zetter)

    Newsletter from Kim Zetter, investigative cyber journalist.

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Communities

News Sites

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