How to Start in Cybersecurity

To start a career in this field and become an expert you have to start learning on your own. You learn from your mistakes and gain more and more knowledge in this field while studying on your own.

You have to start with networking basics if you want to enter into this field. Topics of that include TCP/IP, Subnets, Ports, IP address, Mac address, switches, hubs, network layers, etc. After achieving basic knowledge of all this you can start your way into basic cybersecurity topics which include basics of Linux, basics of python or ruby programming, viruses, worms, trojans, phishing, securing system, information gathering, reconnaissance, etc.

You can easily learn all this online, you don’t need to do any kind of training for this. There is a website where you can learn all this and that too free of cost. Cybrary . It’s the best site for starting a career in cybersecurity.

There are a huge amount of topics containing video lectures. The topics are also arranged according to skill level i.e. beginner, intermediate and advance.

There are some good websites where you can learn cybersecurity:-

• Udemy - Here you will find courses that are really lengthy but will make your concepts really clear.
• edX - There are many courses related to Cyber Security like Cryptography, Information Security, Cyber Forensics, etc.

Other than these you can search online about the topics you don’t get by yourself. Google will give you everything but you should know the keyword to search the right thing.

For further study in this field, you can take up challenges that are available online like capture the flag challenges, bug bounty programs. Few websites for that are BugCrowd, HackerOne, CTF challenges.

You can also earn globally recognized certificates in this field and showcase your talent to the world and the companies. Some of the certificates are CompTIA Security+, CCNA, CISA, CASP, Microsoft Security Essentials, ECSA, OSCP, etc.

There are two options to get the certificates, first is that you can take training programs to prepare for exams which will cost some amount of money and then pay for exam vouchers to give the exam. This was a costly option. Another option is that you study on your own and prepare for the exam and only give money to purchase the exam voucher. Its a better way and I find it economical. You have to purchase some books that you can easily get on Amazon and prepare for exams which you choose to give.