Azid's InfoSec Journey

I asked myself this question. Why am I doing the CCNA? Well, there are a couple of reasons. 1. Basics CCNA is one of the best entry-level Networking certificates out there. Cisco is a well-known company and their certifications have been done by thousands of people. I wanted to do an entry-level certification in Networking. I thought of the Comptia Network+, MSCE and others, but I came to the conclusion that the CCNA was the most vast and best certificate out of all these. Also, in India the CCNA holds a lot more value than the Network+. 2. Career Plan It is in my career plan to do the CCNA. I found out that to become an InfoSec Expert, my networking basics have to be really strong.  This is taking me towards my goal. 3. Motivation The CCNA is not an easy certification. It has a lot of topics to be perfected.  This gives me the opportunity to work hard to pass the exam. It will require 6-9 months of studying, so it will also ...

1. Udemy I am using this video COURSE to study for the CCNA. It has a lot of good reviews. 2. Books I am using their Official Cert-Guide to study. Also, Lammle . Also using some notes I found on Reddit and a local Library. 3. Reddit The subreddit r/ccna is a very active and helpful community. Here are few links I have saved: Studying for the CCNA? You'll want to read these articles and watch these videos   HUGE reference guide for CCNA. 17 years old, Passed ICND1 890/832!   Success story for anyone looking to get the CCNA   And so, I start my journey to become CCNA certified. Thanks for reading! AZID  

Writing down goals at the end of a month for the next month should probably motivate me to complete those goals! So, Here are my goals for August: 1. Start studying for CCNA My yearly goal is to become CCNA certified by the end of the next academic year of college. I need to start studying for CCNA. 2. Install Linux on my PC and remove Windows completely! Okay, this is the only way I can fully be immersed in learning how to use Linux like a pro. 3. Write at least 7-9 blogs this month. I want to maintain this blog and keep it active. Thanks for reading! AZID.

1. Hak5 This is one of the best channels out there which will teach you overall skill of how to hack! There are hundreds of videos of various topics which covers almost all skills including Linux , Webapps , Languages etc. Very active channel. 2. DEFCONConference , Christiaan008 , Black Hat You might know these as they are official channels of DEFCON and BlackHat Conferences. They have some great talks and you should definitely check out their popular uploads. These channels post only during a certain time. 3. LiveOverflow  This is a great channel if you want to dive into CTF's and penetration testing . This channel also has videos that will motivate you to pursue InfoSec. Very active channel. 4. John Hammond , IppSec , GynvaelEN These are CTF channels that post walk-throughs from well known websites. Very important if you're into CTF's. 5. JackkTutorials ,  DemmSec Jack has some brilliant tutorials on penetration testing.  DemmSec also has s...

Information security is a very broad field.  No one is an expert in everything (i.e., risk management, application security, security awareness, policy development, etc.)  How quickly one becomes an expert also depends deeply on how much of a background one has in computer science, information technology, business management, and other related fields.  So the title is 5 Year Path To Success in InfoSec: The Basics of Becoming an InfoSec Expert in 5 years! This amazing web cast (TL;DR below) shows you the basics of becoming an expert in 5 years, I recommend you to watch it. But, for the lazy: tl;dr: Year one: Focus on core concepts (OS, networking, etc) Networking: Simulators . Get some gear, etc. Learn bash. Learn Python . Year two: start projects, learn PowerShell Year three: year of web apps PHP and ASP.Net Develop something Year four: start hacking Learn IDA and Immunity Pick a protocol and dive into it Online c...

Programming has become essential to cyber security. IT security professional must efficiently write applications and scripts; often on short notice.  The Python language provides unmatched ease, flexibility, and functionality for both new and experienced coders. It has emerged as a top choice for cyber security professionals because it lessens development effort and the coder’s learning curve. Hackers, penetration testers, and other security experts need a language library that provides the entire spectrum of features to create powerful and often novel programs.  Python comes with modules to support Web activities such as parsing HTTP and XML and building clients. Django and other open-source Web frameworks are available from developers favoring the rapid application development methodology. Third-party modules offer robust features, such as optimized calculation handling, that make Python an increasingly solid language for data applications....

This is the first step I took in learning. I had to learn coding and my amazing Googling skills thought me this. Programming is not necessary for InfoSec, but knowing how to program definitely helps and makes your job easier. Let me make this simple: From what I have learned, you only need to know these: C/C++/Java Python JavaScript and PHP   Bash Scripting  Now let me explain. You need to learn any one of  C/C++/Java. Why? These languages teach you the "basics" of programming. C is pretty much used to build every OS.  It is an early language that will teach you the fundamentals of programming. C++ is big brother of C. It will teach you what you didn't learn in C. Java is a more modern version and is the most used fundamental programming language. It is easier to learn than the other two. If you learn learn C/C++ first and then move to Java it will be quite easy. But, if you learn Java first and then want to move to C/C++ it will be ve...