My goal is to provide cybersecurity resources
that will keep you better equipped to face evolving cyber threats!
Below are some of the best free learning platforms and guides available to anyone interested in cybersecurity:
Understanding the many regulatory standards is essential for cybersecurity professionals, as these rules guide how security practices should be implemented. Here are some key resources to get acquainted with regulations:
To truly master cybersecurity skills, practical experience is essential. These platforms provide hands-on labs, challenges, and real-world simulations to practice your knowledge:
Cybersecurity certifications are essential for professionals to validate their knowledge and skills. Below are some of the top certification organizations and their key certificates:
Virtualization is a critical aspect of cybersecurity, allowing professionals to create isolated environments to test malware, perform penetration testing, or set up secure development environments. Below are some of the top platforms:
Vulnerability scanning tools help identify weaknesses in systems, networks, or applications that could be exploited by attackers. These tools are crucial in both defensive and offensive cybersecurity strategies:
Scripting and programming are essential skills in cybersecurity, allowing professionals to automate tasks, develop tools, and exploit vulnerabilities. Below are platforms that provide free resources for learning key languages like Python, Bash, and more:
Cyber threat intelligence platforms help track, analyze, and defend against cyber threats. Below are some top resources for gathering threat intelligence, both for proactive defense and response to incidents:
Wireshark is a powerful network protocol analyzer used to capture and inspect packets in real-time. It is used to analyze packets at a very granular level which enables penetration testers to pick up on issues such as poor encryption, unencrypted data, and even signs of malicious activity associated with man-in-the middle (MITM) attacks.
Wireshark Download||Wireshark Guide
Nmap is an incredibly dynamic tools that is entirely free and open-source. It is a utility used for network discovery and security audits. Nmap can identify live hosts, open ports, services, operating systems, and firewall configuration. The tools itself supports a vast number of scanning techniques such as TCP connect scans, SYN scans, UDP scans. There is an emmense built in library tailored to idenitying critical vulnerabilities and more.
Nmap Download||Nmap Guide
Burp Suite is a web application security testing tool used to find vulnerabilities and includes powerful tooling for intercepting traffic, scanning for vulnerabilities, and exploiting security flaws in web apps. Key features boasted by this tool include automated vuln scnning, a proxy for traffic intercept and modification, and manual tesing tools (such as intruder and repeater).
Community Edition Download||Burp suite Documents
Metasploit is an incredibly comprehensive exploitation tools for launching and managing attacks. It is considered the most widely used tool for developing, testing, and executing exploits against target systems. It enables security professionals to uncover vulnerabilities and execute attacks like buffer overflow, SQL injection, and code execution. It has a vast built in library with pre-built exploitations, payloads, and aux modules simplifying the process of exploitating systems and verifying security flaws.
Metasploit Download||Metasploit Documents
OWASP ZAP is a proxy used for finding vulnerabilities in web applications and is completely open-source. It is used for automated vulnerability scanning of web applications with it's primary power resting in the proxy capabilities that allow for security testers to intercept, manipulate, and inspect traffic between browsers and the appication being tested.
OWASP Download||Getting Started Guide
John the Ripper is a widely used password cracking tool for Unix-based systems. It is open-source and can be leveraged to test the strength of passwords by running various attack types such as dictionary attacks, brute force, and rainbow table attacks. It is incredibly customizable which allows users to optimize attacks based on specific rules or even masking attacks to crack hashed passwords.
John the Ripper Download||John the Ripper Guide
Aircrack-ng is a combination of tools designed to assess the security of Wi-Fi networks. It includes functionality to capture Wi-Fi traffic, crack WEP and WPA-PSK keys, and performing deauthenticaiton attacks. It is used in testing the overall security of wireless networks and root out weak encryption configurations.
Aircrack-ng Download||Aircrack-ng Guide
Nikto is a web server scanning tool that tests for thousands of vulnerabilities including outdated software, poor configuration, insecure files, and default scripts. It can be used to identify web application flaws such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and HTTP header issues. Detailed outputs provide security testers with potential security risks to address.
Nikto Github Repo
Hydra is a tool used for brute-forcing login credentials over a wide range of protocols. It is a parallelized password-cracking tools that supports several protocols such as FTP, SSH, Telnet, HTTP, and more. It functions to perform brute-force password attacks on remote authentication services attempting username and password combinations fast and is incredibly effective at determining weak passwords across various services.
THC-Hydra Github Repo
Nessus is a popular vulnerability assessment tool used to conduct scans for known vulnerabilities in operating systems, applications, and network devices. It checks for improper configuration, missing patches, and potential risks like open ports or outdated software. Nessus provides back detailed reports and suggestions for remediation procedures making incredibly important to proactive security management.
Tenable Nessus Download||Tenable Nessus Documentation
SQLmap is designed to automate the detection and exploitation of SQL injection vulnerability testing in web applications. It detects different types of SQL injection flaws and exploits them to extract data from databases, execute various commands, and attempt privilege escalation within MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server.
SQLmap Website
Maltego is both a data mining and OSINT tool leveraged to gather and visualize information about a target such as individuals, companies, websites, IP addresses, and email addresses. It is a powerful reconnaissance tool used in penetration testing to map out entity relationships and collect intelligence from public sources.
Maltego Download||Popular User Guides
Ettercap is a comprehensive suite designed for man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks. It functions to intercept, monitor, and manipulate traffic between two entities in a network. It is useful for sniffing out sensitive data such as passwords and session cookies. It has both active and passive attacks and is particular useful for DNS spoofing and ARP poisoning.
Ettercap Download||Ettercap Cheatsheet
BeEF, AKA Browser Exploitation Framework, is built to exploit web browser vulnerabilities. After a browser is compromised through phishing or malicious websites this tool allows testers to control the target's browser and perform keylogging, gathering credentials, or fingerprinting internal networks. This is a powerful tool for security testers to assess risks of vulnerable browsers and client-side cyber attacks
BeEF Github Repo
Fierce is a DNS recon tools used to locate IP addresses and map out subdomains of a target domain. It is often used for finding hosts in the same IP range, misconfigured DNS servers, and vulnerable domain configurations. This is a practical tool testesr use to discover hidden services that can be further targeted in penetration tests.
Fiercce Github Repo
Autopsy is an open-source digital forensics tools used for performing forensic investigations on various digital technology including hard drives, smart phones, and other storage systems. It can provide security testers the ability to analyze file systems, recover deleted files, review browser history, and extract metadata from files.
Autopsy Download||User Guide
Netcat is like a swiss army knife for networking with its versatility in reading and writing data across network connections. It is used for port scanning, banner grabbing, network debugging, and creating reverse shells. This tool enables security testers with capability to perform firewall testing and setting up backdoor access.
Ncat User Guide
SpiderFoot is an automated reconnaissance tool built for penetration testers, ethical hackers, and security researchers. It can gather and analyze a range of information from public sources such as IP addresses, domain names, email addresses, and other line data point sources. It is incredibly powerful in performing OSINT gathering to uncover vulnerabilites, data leaks, and exposed information on targets.
Spiderfoot Github Repo
SET is an open-source tool created to perform social engineering attacks like phishing, spear-phishing, and credential harvesting. It enables testers with the capability to simulate real-world and practical social engineering attacks on users and organizations to test their susceptibility to the most widely used cyber attack techniques used to date.
SET Github Repo
WPScan is a unique and specialized security scanning tools designed to assess the security of WordPress websites. it is open-source and provides security researchers and penetration testers with the ability to detect issues such as outdated plugins, themes, weak passwords, and exposed configuration files that make WordPress sites susceptible to attacks.
WPScan Github Repo
Cloud security refers to the technology, policies, controls, and services that protect cloud computing environments from threats. It includes managing identity access, encryption, and security posture monitoring.
Mobile security refers to protecting mobile devices from data breaches, malware, and phishing attacks. It involves encryption, app security, and secure access management.
A robust cybersecurity architecture is essential for protecting sensitive data, ensuring the availability and integrity of critical systems, and defending against emerging cyber threats. Below is a table that outlines key components of a well-rounded cybersecurity architecture, detailing their purpose and the crucial role they play in safeguarding systems.
| Security Tool | Purpose | Why It's Crucial |
|---|---|---|
| Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR/XDR) | EDR provides continuous monitoring and response to advanced threats that target various endpoints (e.g., laptops, desktops), while XDR integrates data across numerous vectors (network, server, cloud, etc.) for a more broad defense mechanism. Both of these are instrumental in creating a holistic defense mechanism that correlates dta from multiple security layers. | EDR/XDR are essential for detecting and responding to sophisticated, persistent threats, allowing organizations to quickly detect threats before damage occurs. With XDR, security teams gain an extended visibility across all critical areas of infrastructure within an organization. |
| Antivirus (AV) Software | Traditional antivirus software scans for known malware signatures and prevents unauthorized programs from executing on endpoints. Many more robust AV solutions include behavior analysis to pick up on unknown malware variants which are more challenging to address. | While considered more traditional and less capable than EDR/XDR technology, antivirus is still a fundamental and foundational layer of protection, especially when integrated into other security mechanisms, catching many common malware and phishing attacks before it is too late. |
| Firewalls | Firewalls monitor incoming and outgoing network traffic and decide whether to allow or block specific traffic based on predefined or user-defined security rules. These can be physical or vitual technologies while some routers are manufactured with built-in firewall capabilities. | Firewalls create a barrier between trusted and untrusted networks, filtering traffic and preventing malicious actors from infiltrating internal systems. They can be configured to enable or disable incoming or outgoing traffic as needed to ensure your connection is managed effectively. |
| Intrusion Detection & Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS) | IDS monitors network or system activities for malicious activities or violations of policies. IPS, on the other hand, detects and prevents intrusions by automatically taking action. | IDS/IPS are crucial for detecting and blocking malicious activities in real-time, reducing the risk of exploitation and data breaches. Examples of attacks IDS/IPS technologies are vital for protecting against include brute-force attempts and malware propagation. These help organizations respond without delay to stop attacks before they cause significant harm to vital systems. |
| Data Loss Prevention (DLP) | DLP software ensures that sensitive information does not leave the organization in an unauthorized manner, monitoring and controlling data flow across endpoints, networks, and emails. | DLP is critical in preventing data breaches and ensuring regulatory compliance by ensuring confidential data, like financial or personal information, is secure. There are costly fines and penalties associated with unauthorized access to data across many sectors and this is fundamental for ensuring organizations maintain integrity and confidentiality of their data. |
| Encryption Tools | Encryption tools protect data at rest and in transit by converting sensitive information into unreadable code that can only be decrypted with the appropriate key. | Encryption is vital in safeguarding sensitive information from unauthorized access, particularly when data is transmitted over insecure networks or stored in cloud environments. |
| Identity & Access Management (IAM) | IAM controls user access to critical information and systems. It ensures that only authorized users have access to necessary data and systems, based on their roles. This is often associated with a Zero Trust Maturity Model ensuring appropriate access control mechanisms are in place and routinely audited for compliance. | By enforcing strict user authentication and authorization policies, IAM reduces the risk of insider threats and unauthorized access to sensitive systems. Insider threats are a growing concern across the cyber threat landscape in addition social engineering attacks where threat actors tirelesly attempt to steal valuable access credentials for additional cyber attacks. |
| Security Information & Event Management (SIEM) & Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) | SIEM systems collect, analyze, and correlate security data from across the infrastructure, providing real-time threat monitoring and generating alerts for security incidents. SOAR enhances SIEM by further automating and orchestrating security responses based on the data derived from SIEM systems. This streamlines incident response and reduces the time to respond effectively to cyber threats. | Together these technologies are vital to providing a comprehensive approach to security management. While SIEM provides the visibility and detection of threats, SOAR automates the remedation and response process, reducing manual effort. This cultivates a faster and more accurate overall response to incidents. |
| Vulnerability Management Tools | Vulnerability management tools, such as Nessus and OpenVAS, scan systems and networks for known vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, providing remediation suggestions. These tools are built to prioritize vulnerabilities based on their severity and provide further details on how to remediate. | These tools help prevent cyber incidents by ensuring that systems are up-to-date with the latest patches and reduce the overall exploitable vulnerabilities before it is too late. This is vital to proactively assessing risks while ensuring systems are compliant with security standards helping remain protected against known threats. |
| Cloud Security Platforms | Cloud security platforms provide continuous security monitoring and controls over cloud environments, ensuring data integrity, privacy, and regulatory compliance. They offer features like data encryption, identity management, compliance monitoring, and threat detection mechanisms. | As more organizations transition their data and applications to the cloud these cloud security tools ensure that data stored in or transmitted through the cloud is protected from unauthorized access and breaches. Given the growing reliance on cloud services, these tools are critical for building a cloud environment that is secure and protected from threat actors. |