Learn Path Pre-Security-TryHackMe
Hello Everyone, this is Miki Vieedy, and this post is going to introduce TryHackMe’s Pre-Security learning path, a new learning path for beginners.
I’m happy to share with you all that Try Hack Me has launched a new and FREE learning path called Pre-Security. TryHackMe is known for creating opportunities to learn and practice skills that include, but are not limited to pentesting, operating system fundamentals, scripting, web fundamentals, network security and so much more. (Click Read More if you want to read more)
Pre-Security Learning Path Introduction
The Pre-Security Learning Path will guide you through the fundamentals that you’ll need to know before diving into cybersecurity; each room focuses on particular corners of technology that will help you stack the building blocks of your knowledge. Though we covered a little bit before, the pre-security learning path of TryHackMe is a learning path to teach beginners the basic technical knowledge to get started in cybersecurity. It covers a wide range of topics which we can see in the screenshot below:
As we can see, the Pre-Security learning path includes modules like an introduction to the Cyber Security field, Network Fundamentals, the Web, Linux, and Windows Fundamentals, all of which are necessary skills to get started in cybersecurity.
The Cyber Security Introduction room is exactly as described: Understand why learning the technical fundamentals is important to succeed in your cybersecurity learning journey.
Cyber Security Introduction
This module is the first module that introduces us to the world of cybersecurity.
It has just one room, Learning Cyber Security. This room will cover why it is important to learn about web application security and network security. It also gives you a chance to see on an extremely high level, a fun method to hack a hypothetical user’s account on a fake website(see below)! It also introduces you to other learning paths that you can enroll in on TryHackMe, including the Complete Beginner, Offensive Pentesting, and Cyber Defense paths.
Network Fundamentals:
In this section, you will learn about the core concepts of how computers communicate with each other and types of network weaknesses. You can find the concept of Networking, Basic intro to LAN, OSI Model, Packet, and Frames.
This module covers the fundamentals of computer networks. It is imperative for anyone interested in security to have really strong networking fundamentals.
This module goes in breadth as well as solid depth covering topics starting from what actually networking is, provides an introduction to the Internet, Ping, LAN, ARP and DHCP protocols, Subnetting, OSI Model, and then goes in-depth into the Network and Transport layer of the OSI Model with discussions on IP Addresses and how they work, and the TCP and UDP protocols. (Screenshot Simulation Below)
How the WebWorks:
So, before breaking things, of course, you need to understand how it works. This section helps to understand the underlying functions of the world wide web and what makes it work. You can find content like DNS, HTTP, and basically all about how the web works.
This module goes into more depth about how the web works. It starts off with going into detail about DNS, then goes into the language of the web, HTTP. Further, it explains how websites work and introduces to HTML and JavaScript, and gives an example of an HTML Injection attack that users can perform as a task on the exercise webpage. In the end, it goes into more detail about how different components like DNS, Web browsers, Web servers, load balancers, and firewalls work together to allow browsers to communicate with the web servers. Finally, we get the chance to reinforce our knowledge of what happens behind the scenes when we request a website until we see it load up on our screen. (screenshot simulation below)
Linux Fundamentals:
As many Many servers and security tools use Linux. This section teaches us how to use the Linux operating system, a critical skill in cybersecurity. You will get familiar with Linux Terminal Commands by the end of this section.
Many security-related tools which are useful in different areas of security work well with Linux. Also, a lot of the different types of servers, like web servers and even embedded systems are powered by Linux, so it is extremely beneficial to be well-versed in Linux. This module has 3 rooms that cover the Linux fundamentals in parts.
Linux Fundamentals Part 1
This room covers a lot in breadth about Linux, starting from the Linux background and history and then you get to deploy our own In-Browser Linux Machine! You can execute commands on that Linux machine and work through the tasks, of which there a lot.
You will get to learn how to interact with the filesystem, listing the contents of files, changing directories, etc. You will also learn how to search for files, and work with the common operators in the Linux command line.
(ScreenShot Simulation below)
Linux Fundamentals Part 2
In this Room, You will learn how to actually connect to the Linux machine using SSH remotely from your own computer. You will get familiar with flags and switches in Linux commands, how to create, copy, move and rename files and folders. Further, you will learn how file and folder permissions work in Linux and introduce how users and groups are maintained in Linux. Another important part is the common directories in Linux, where you will get to learn about the common directories in Linux and their uses.
(Screenshot Simulation below)
Linux Fundamentals Part 3
in this Room, you will be using as you get more familiar with Linux, like text editors, how to download files from the web, how to transfer files across the network using SCP, serving files from your host using Python3, and then introduces you to processes in Linux and how they work, and how to start and stop processes/services, foregrounding and backgrounding processes. Further, it talks about cron jobs that are used for automating tedious tasks in Linux, which can be scheduled at any time you like. It also explores package management and introduces packages and software repositories from where you can install new software on your Linux system. It also discusses how to manage the repositories where you get your packages from. Finally, it goes into more depth on log files and has an exercise to work with an apache2 log file, useful applications, and utilities. (ScreenShot Simulation below)
Windows Fundamentals:
Windows is an operating system designed by Microsoft. The operating system is what allows you to use a computer. Windows comes preloaded on most new personal computers (PCs), which helps to make it the most popular operating system in the world.
Windows makes it possible to complete all types of everyday tasks on your computer. For example, you can use Windows to browse the Internet, check your email, edit digital photos, listen to music, play games, and do much more. This section gives us hands-on access to Windows and its security controls. These basics will help you in identifying, exploiting, and defending Windows. The Windows modules are divided into 2 rooms:
1. Windows Fundamentals 1
in the first room, this module provides an introduction to Windows and gives an opportunity to deploy a Windows machine in-browser, RDP client to connect to the Windows machine remotely. It also provides a history of the various Windows editions, and then dives into different components of the Operating System, starting with the Desktop (the Graphical User Interface part), the Start Menu, and Taskbar. It then covers the NTFS file system used by Windows, file and folder permissions, and Alternate Data Streams(ADS). It also covers the Windows\System32 folder, user accounts, profiles, and user/group permissions for files and folders. Then it goes over the UAC(User Account Control) feature and covers Settings, Control Panel, and the Task Manager. All these utilities are useful on a day-to-day basis and it is helpful to get familiar with these utilities. (ScreenShot Simulation below)
Windows Fundamentals Part 2
in this second room, introduces the Computer Management utility and how we can use it to schedule tasks, view and manage event logs, manage folder sharing options, monitor system performance, manage hardware devices attached to the system, manage drives and partitions and work with services. Then it goes on to cover the System Information tool available through the System Configuration panel, which can display a comprehensive view of hardware, system components, and software environment which we can use to diagnose computer issues. Then it covers the Resource Monitor utility, which provides a graphical view of CPU, disk, network, and memory resource usage. This can help in diagnosing issues related to resource availability and performance.
Then it dives into the Windows Command Prompt, which is the Windows command-line tool similar to the Linux terminal. It covers basic commands like hostname and whoami , ipconfig , how to get help with commands, the netstat the command for viewing network connections, net the command for managing network resources and their options.
Finally, it covers the Registry Editor and Windows registry, which is an important part of the OS for controlling the behavior of the system and applications. (ScreenShot Simulation Below)
PRE-PATH SECURITY EVENT
Until July 15th, 2021, you’ll also have the chance to win some prizes! Each time you complete a room, you’ll earn 2 tickets if you’re a subscribed user, or 1 ticket if you’re a free user, which can result in stickers, discounts, subscriptions, and even exam vouchers. I have completed all the rooms and was lucky to win some prizes. (ScreenShot prize below)
Certification
With that said, we’ve reached the end of the path! I am happy to say that if you’ve also reached its end, you will receive your very own certificate complete with your full name (or otherwise, whatever it says on your TryHackMe profile!) when you complete one of TryHackMe’s learning paths:
(ScreenShot Certification below)
Conclusion
It’s not too late for you to join in on the fun and start your journey in learning the technology fundamentals around cybersecurity, and earn some sweet prizes! To join, you can sign up via Try Hack Me or use my referral link to redeem it, and also thanks to TryHackMe for creating this path, and in general, for providing the platform that beginners and seasoned people alike can use to improve their cybersecurity skills. In the end, keep learning, keep trying and keep hacking.
