Cybersecurity Resources

Best Cybersecurity Online Courses

There are many cybersecurity courses available online to help you understand the basics and start building a foundation. Some excellent courses to get you started are:

• The Beginner’s Guide to Practical Cyber Security Skills (Udemy)
• Introduction to Cyber Security (Future Learn)
• Cybrary Introduction to IT & Cybersecurity
• Cybersecurity: Managing Risk in the Information Age (Harvard Online Short Course)
• Introduction to Cyber Security Specialization (Coursera)
• SANS Institute Cyber Aces Online courses

Cybersecurity is a broad field with many specializations. Once you’ve taken a general cybersecurity course, you may want to narrow your resources down to specific topics, such as penetration testing, malware analysis, network security, or others.

Important Cybersecurity Certifications and Degrees

In the field of cybersecurity, certifications and continuing education are vital to advancing your career. This list provides certification courses and examinations you can take to gain recognition as a cybersecurity practitioner.

• CompTIA Security+: The Security+ certification is one of the most widely recognized in the cybersecurity and information technology fields. It’s an exam you have to take, and there are tons of resources, courses, and books available to help you study. Try this Udemy course to get started.
• Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) from EC-Council
• Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
• Certified Penetration Tester (CPENT) from EC-Council
• GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN)

You can also seek an online degree in cybersecurity or obtain a professional certificate from a university, through institutions such as the UK’s Open University or platforms like Coursera and edX:

• Open University online degree in cybersecurity
• Professional Certificate in Essentials of Cybersecurity from the University of Washington (edX)

Best Cybersecurity Books & Ebooks

Online courses aren’t the only place to go to learn about cybersecurity. There are also many books and ebooks you can read as part of your cybersecurity education:

• The Art of Invisibility by Kevin Mitnick
• Hacking: The Art of Exploitation by Jon Erickson
• Social Engineering: The Science of Human Hacking by Christopher Hadnagy
• Practical Malware Analysis by Michael Sikorski
• The Hacker Playbook 3: Red Team Edition by Peter Kim
• Serious Cryptography: An Introduction to Modern Encryption by Jean-Philippe Aumasson
• Hacking Exposed 7 by Stuart McClure, Joel Scambray, and George Klutz
• Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World’s First Digital Weapon by Kim Zetter
• The Cyber Effect by Mary Aiken

Masterminds and Influencers in Cybersecurity to Follow

Who should you follow in the cybersecurity space? These masterminds, influencers, and industry experts regularly share their insights and are good people to follow on social media:

• Bruce Schneier: Author, security technologist, special advisor to IBM Security, lecturer at Harvard’s Kennedy School, and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) board member.
• Brian Krebs: Cybercrime investigative journalist with blog KrebsonSecurity and New York Times bestseller Spam Nation.
• Dr. Eric Cole: World-renowned cybersecurity expert, keynote speaker, former professional hacker for the CIA, and founder and CEO of cybersecurity firm Secure Anchor Consulting. Dr. Cole appeared as a guest on our Easy Prey podcast.
• Shira Rubinoff: Cybersecurity influencer, advisor, and executive on the board of the Executive Women’s Forum for Information Security and is President of New York-based incubator Prime Tech Partners.
• Graham Cluley: Keynote speaker and head of InfoSec World, inducted into the InfoSecurity Hall of Fame in Europe in 2011, and has worked with the biggest names in cybersecurity since the early 1990s. Graham appeared as a guest on our Easy Prey podcast.

• Kevin Mitnick: Reformed hacker turned public speaker, author, and consultant for the InfoSec community.
• Katie Moussouris: Industry leader on hacking, bug bounties, and vulnerability disclosures and created Microsoft’s Bug Bounty Program.
• Brian Honan: Internationally renowned expert in cyber and InfoSec, blogger, author, founder and head of Ireland’ Computer Security Incident Response Team, former Special Advisor on Cybersecurity to Europol.
• Eleanor Dallaway: Editorial Director of Infosecurity Magazine who regularly interviews experts in the field, attends events, and shares many updates on Twitter. Eleanor appeared as a guest on our Easy Prey podcast.

You can also read some of our interviews with experts about cybersecurity issues.

Best Cybersecurity Subscriptions and Platforms

Several platforms exist with activities, courses, articles, and other resources to improve your cybersecurity skills. You usually have to make an account with the platform to access their materials, and in some cases you have to pay for a subscription.

• Try Hack Me: Platform offering hands-on, scenario-based cybersecurity training.
• StationX: Subscription platform with almost 100 courses related to various cybersecurity topics.
• Hack The Box: Platform that lets you test your skills in penetration testing.

Best Cybersecurity Podcasts

Podcasts are a popular medium in many verticals, including tech and cybersecurity. Keep up with the industry, listen to interviews with experts, or just learn something you didn’t know by listening to one of these podcasts:

• The Easy Prey Podcast
• Darknet Diaries (host Jack Rhysider also appeared on our Easy Prey podcast!)
• Smashing Security
• Risky Business
• Unsupervised Learning
• Malicious Life
• The Cyberwire Daily
• The Privacy, Security, & OSNIT Show
• Security Now
• Sophos Naked Security
• Hacking Humans
• Shared Security

Best Cybersecurity YouTube Channels

Several cybersecurity organizations and experts produce YouTube videos regularly. Books and podcasts are excellent tools for getting a foundational understanding of cybersecurity or keeping up with trends, but videos demonstrate how to complete certain tasks or processes, which is an engaging way to learn about cybersecurity. Check out these channels for tips, tricks, and more:

• LiveOverflow: General videos covering a wide range of topics.
• HackerSploit: Free InfoSec and cybersecurity training.
• The Cyber Mentor: Ethical hacking.
• STÖK: Bug bounties.
• 13Cubed: Digital forensics.
• Computerphile: Cybersecurity and computer science.
• OALabs: Malware analysis.
• The PC Security Channel: General cybersecurity.
• Null Byte: Tools and equipment for hacking and penetration testing.
• Nahamsec: Educational hacking videos.