Hello!
This is intended as a Christmas Gift to Jad. However i see no reason as to why it should not be public. At the end of the day, It is just my own ramblings. However i do think i am qualified to offer some sound advice on the topic of security. After all, i have been working in IT.
You need to understand that this field will be a life long of learning. You will have to grow/expand your technical toolkit to understand basic things. Sometimes it will be very frustrating. Fall in love with the process, not the end result.
You have to be technical.
- In basic terms, you need to understand how the internet works.
- you will need to understand basic routing.
- You will need to understand how user authentication works.
- You will need to understand how programs and computers work.
And even then, there is no guarantee you will get into Security. But you will have a good chance at getting into IT at the least. So that is a start. Getting online Certificates increases your chances of getting into IT. CCNA is one example that will help you understand networks.
I remember when we had dinner in Canberra i said to you “You should learn Linux” to which you replied “Yeah, everyone has told me to use Linux”. But it seems like you don’t know how to start. I think for your first Linux Distro, you should use Ubuntu: https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop. It is also easy to install into a machine. Any YouTube tutorial will do.
You could go for Kali Linux, but that is just like any other Linux with a bunch of OpSec tools.
I also hope you enjoy the book i got you (Permanent Record by Edward Snowden). I know i will be purchasing another copy for myself to read through.
Free Resources you can find on YouTube:
- The Hated one: https://www.youtube.com/@TheHatedOne This one is a personal favourite of mine. He is not that technical at all and focuses on Privacy.
- LiveOverflow: https://www.youtube.com/@LiveOverflow This channel is a bit technical but it is also very fun.
- John Hammond: https://www.youtube.com/@_JohnHammond He is very technical and the videos are very long, but he will show you every step.
- Null Byte: https://www.youtube.com/@NullByteWHT Another technical channel but focuses more on tutorial videos.
- PwnFunction: https://www.youtube.com/@PwnFunction Is also tutorial based and focuses on Web security
- NetworkChuck: https://www.youtube.com/@NetworkChuck Not really a 100% hacking/security channel but he does have a few videos on the topic. This channel focuses on Networks.
- DEFCONConference: https://www.youtube.com/@DEFCONConference A Conference on a bunch of hacking talks. They are very enjoyable to watch.
- Mental Outlaw: https://www.youtube.com/@MentalOutlaw This guy always covers Online trends in the world. He is also a Linux User.
CTFs:
- OverTheWire: https://overthewire.org/wargames/ Start with Bandit and work through the challenges. (All solutions are online and you will learn just by reading through the solutions).
If you want a more complete list. I found a pretty good resource online: https://github.com/vitalysim/Awesome-Hacking-Resources