Top 5 Free Websites to Learn Hacking / Cyber-Security
Here are our personal favorite websites to learn hacking and security:
1. Cybrary
Cybrary is a rather new site that offers a wide range of courses and classes spanning everything from basic networking to advanced penetration testing. The website has dozens of detailed courses all taught by leading professionals in the industry. Cybrary even offers certification classes that can prepare you before applying for security certifications in a certain field, ensuring your ready for course material.
Cybrary covers a wide range of hacking topics including:
- Ethical Hacking
- Penetration Testing
- Cryptography
- Forensics
- Social Engineering
- Post Exploitation
- Malware Analysis and Reverse Engineering
- Dozens of certification courses
Alongside their vast range of classes they also offer material specific to certifications including, A+, Linux+, Network+, Security+ and can also prepare you for MCSA, CCNA, CISA, CASP, CISSP and several other certifications.
Cybrary is a great free tool for learning and can help any newbie just starting or help advanced hackers take their skills to the next level.
2. SecurityTube
Starting all the way back in 2008, SecurityTube was created by fellow security researcher Vivek Ramachandran, a trusted professional in the security industry.
As the name suggests, SecurityTube is virtually the YouTube for ethical hackingand information security. Containing everything from basic penetration testing in a variety of fields to full hacking tool rundowns, SecurityTube is jam packed with dozens of security courses.
With its community style layout, SecurityTube offers various collections of courses taught by Vivek himself alongside several hundred other security researchers. The site offers hundreds of hours of security, vulnerability, and hacking related content.
After providing free information security courses for nearly eight years, Vivek started to offer additional in-depth security classes at his premium site, pentesteracademy. However, all courses on SecurityTube are 100% free of charge and will remain free for their lifetime.
SecurityTube has been created a reliable crowd-sourced information security network that can’t be found elsewhere!
3. Harvard/EDX
You read that right! Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be accepted into a prestigious college to be able to enroll in a number of their classes. That’s where EDX comes in, compiling a large catalog of free college-level courses you can sign up for. Among everything from Business to agriculture, EDX has you covered with college courses.
EDX complies college-level courses from top institutions that make them publicly available online, allowing you to freely signup and enroll in the class. If you want a certified form of completion for your college course, you can grab most certificates in the $100-$200+ range on EDX. This can show employers that you are properly certified and have taken the college level course and successfully completed it along with its online tasks.
Among our completed favorites is Harvard’s introduction to computer science. The course is great and jam packed with hours of content, lab activities and fun exercises. These aren’t your typical college courses, you’re learning hacking!
4. SANS Cyber Aces
The SANS Institute is a company that specializes in information security and cybersecurity training. The SANS Institute is among the top information security trainers in the world, offering dozens of high-priced classes touring the world every year.
Among their dozens of high-value classes comes SANS Cyber Aces, a free information security initiative developed by the SANS Institute. While SANS understands not everyone can afford $5,000 for a four-day cyber-security course, they birthed Cyber Aces.
Cyber Aces offers a great way for both teachers and students to learn hacking and information security from true experts. As SANS continues to grow and develop Cyber Aces, more information is being added all the time!
For true cyber-security training by the professionals, be sure to check out the SANS Institute and Cyber Aces.
5. LEAP
LEAP (site defunct, will be updated shortly), the last free website to learn hacking on the list is another great website with several free cyber-security courses spanning a variety of subjects. Various topics consist of cyber security fundamentals, cyber forensics fundamentals, cyber law and even countering cyber attacks.
LEAP offers various great courses for beginners, our favorite being cyber security fundamentals, a well-structured course that can get you on your way to learning hacking and security basics from the ground up.
Alongside all their great and updating course catalog, LEAP also offers certifications, meaning if you complete a course and want to be certified, you can pay a small fee upfront and take the test.
LEAP is a great introduction resource on your road towards learning cyber-security.
Conclusion
There is no reason you shouldn’t be getting started on your cyber-security career this 2020! With millions of free resources available online, cyber-security professionals have made it easier than ever to become a certified ethical hacker.
Whether you’re looking to hack commercially or for fun, getting a start on the basics of Internet security is crucial. Hacking is not only a fun skill to develop, but can prove to be useful when evaluating and working out complex or critical situations.
These are just five sites of the hundreds that exist online. Be sure to comment below with your favorite sites to learn cyber-security and hacking-related material from!
Go on, use our list of the best five free websites to learn hacking and get your hack on this 2020!
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