Cyberbits

  • Completing Security Engineer on THM – Part II

    Introduction Part 1 covered the foundations, the risk math, and the hardening module of TryHackMe’s Security Engineer path. This half covers the three modules I enjoyed most: software security, incident management, and the OWASP wrap-up. It is also the half with the most terminal output, which is not a coincidence. Where security meets shipping Let’s…

  • Completing Security Engineer on THM – Part I

    Introduction Security Engineer is TryHackMe’s role path for the building side of security: 31 rooms across six modules, from cryptography and governance to hardening, secure development, and incident response. I finished it this week, a few months after passing SEC1, working through it in parallel with the offensive rooms I keep writing up here, most…

  • Passing TryHackMe SEC1

    Introduction TryHackMe’s Cyber Security 101 (SEC1) is the platform’s foundational certificate; the step up from the SEC0 (Pre Security) path. One learning path, six domains, covering both sides of the fence: operating system skills, network traffic analysis, web application security, security operations, password attacks, and malware analysis fundamentals. The exam is scenario-based and fully hands-on,…

  • Passing the CompTIA Security+ exam

    Introduction After a couple of weeks of studying, which I covered in the last few posts, I passed CompTIA Security+ last June (I schedule my posts, so dates don’t line up). Going by exam day alone, I’m not sure how. Checking in About a decade ago, I studied for quite a few CompTIA exams, and…

  • Security+ Governance, Risk, and Compliance

    Introduction Last in this series! As you know by now, I’ve been working through the CompTIA Security+ curriculum these last few weeks. It has a lot of overlap with the Google Cybersecurity series I did earlier this year, but it’s all interesting interesting nevertheless. Here’s what module 4 (Cybersecurity Governance and Compliance) covers, distilled into…

  • Security+ Cybersecurity operations and controls

    Introduction I spent a chunk of this week working through the operations and controls section of my CompTIA Security+ studies, and although the AI voice-over is annoying the f#ck out of me, it has some interesting material. Quick disclaimer: it has a lot of overlap with the Google Cybersecurity series I did earlier this year,…

  • Security+ Cybersecurity threats and defense

    Introduction I’ve been working through the CompTIA Security+ curriculum and the second module, Cybersecurity Threats and Defense, covers more ground than I expected. It starts with the attack landscape and works its way through malware, physical intrusions, network exploitation, application vulnerabilities, detection techniques, defense architecture, and data security. Although it has a lot of overlap…

  • Security+ Information security foundations

    Introduction I’ve been working through the CompTIA Security+ curriculum lately, starting with the information security foundations module. It covers a lot of ground, from the basics of the CIA triad all the way through to zero-day vulnerabilities and defensive monitoring. Rather than let those notes rot in a folder, I figured I’d write them up…

  • TryHackMe SEC0 quick win

    Introduction I’ll be honest. I didn’t need to do this one. The TryHackMe SEC0 (Pre Security) certification is entry-level by design. It covers the basics: how the web works, networking fundamentals, Linux essentials, and a gentle intro to how attackers think. Nothing that was going to surprise someone who’s already spent years in platform engineering…

  • Google’s AI course and certification

    Introduction My cybersecurity adventure is still my number one priority, but since I think it would be foolish to ignore AI during this quest, I will take the occasional detour. I recently worked through Google’s AI Professional course, which was recommended at a couple of places to be a must have. A nice, professional certification…