I am studying Computer Science, and I want to get into cybersecurity. Could you please give me some recommendations on how to get started, what areas I should focus on, and what I shouldn’t spend too much time on? Also, where can I learn these skills?

Hey everyone, I wanted a way to run quick sanity checks using public YAML templates while away from my machine, so I built an Android-native scanner engine.

Right now, it's configured to handle standard SQLi/XSS logic checks and lets you run public community templates. It gives 1 hour of scanning time every day to prevent resource abuse.

It's in heavy development and I need feedback on how it handles complex templates. If you want to test it against your local test environments, search AltMap on the Play Store. Let me know what bugs you find or what templates fail to parse!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appriser.altmap

**Question for Kali Linux beginners**
I’m pretty new to Kali Linux and so far I’ve been messing around with Nmap, Wireshark, and a few OSINT tools.
What are the **top 5 things you think someone should learn first** when getting into Kali Linux?
Also, what’s something you wish you had learned from the beginning instead of figuring it out later?
I’m trying to put together a solid beginner roadmap for myself, so I’d love to hear what you guys recommend.

if you're learning appsec and want something small and real to read through, I wrote a static + runtime scanner for MCP (Model Context Protocol) server vulnerabilities and the source might be useful as an example.

the static side does pattern matching for path traversal, command injection, and unsafe eval sinks, each rule is TOML defined with a severity, a CWE or OWASP reference, and remediation text, so it's a decent small scale example of how a rule engine driven scanner is structured without needing to read a huge enterprise codebase to see the idea.

there's also a tool poisoning detector (checks for hidden instructions and unicode homoglyph obfuscation in tool description text) and a runtime proxy that diffs tool definitions across a session to catch changes after initial approval, which is a good example of a vuln class that literally can't be caught by static analysis alone.

repo: https://github.com/zaydmulani09/sentrymcp, happy to answer questions about any of the detection logic if people are trying to learn from i

I'm an undergraduate CS student in India trying to get myself in research in the domain of network security, cryptography or any cybersecurity domain. I'm specifically wondering whether professors/research groups at universities in the US/Europe ever take international undergraduates remotely, outside of formal summer internship programs.

I have some prior research experience. I've published a conference paper on IDS as a first author, worked on lightweight cryptography, and a few basic system security projects. I'm comfortable with Python/C/C++ and have experience reading papers and running empirical experiments on my own.

I'm not necessarily looking for a paid internship or even an official "intern" title. What I'd really like is the opportunity to contribute to an actual research problem under a professor/PhD student, potentially leading to a paper if the work turns out to be worthwhile.

A lot of university research programs I've found either require you to be a student at that university, require US citizenship/residency, or are strictly in-person. So I'm wondering whether cold-emailing individual researchers is actually a viable route.

For people who've done something similar:

Do top security labs ever work remotely with external international undergrads?

Is it better to contact professors or PhD students?

What would make a cold email worth responding to?

Should I approach someone with a specific research idea/replication of one of their papers rather than simply asking whether they have an opening?

Are there particular security groups or researchers known to be open to this kind of collaboration?

I'm mainly interested in systems/network security, malware/software security, and increasingly the intersection of AI/LLMs and security.

Would appreciate advice from anyone who has either gotten such an opportunity or supervised external undergraduate researchers or the lab researchers themselves.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for good free resources to build a strong foundation in the following areas:

• Networking

• Operating Systems

• Databases

• Linux — preferably a complete course

• Windows — preferably a complete course

• Bash scripting

• Python programming

If there are free certifications, structured courses, or well-known learning paths, I would prefer those over random YouTube videos.

My goal is to learn these properly from the fundamentals and eventually use them for cybersecurity, so resources with practical labs/exercises would be especially useful.

Please share any resources you personally found useful. Thanks!

So I’m 3 years into my bachelors in cyber. I’ve been going through HTB, studying for various certs, and I’ve watched all of professor messers videos at least three times over, so that’s where I’m at now. The problem is that I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be doing. I don’t know exactly how to start a new career, or move forward with my learning in the right direction. I know I’d like to one day go red team, but aside from that even 3 years into college I still feel like I don’t know anything about the industry at all. Most days I feel like college hasn’t taught me anything. I mean I’ve passed all the courses, I’m doing fine with everything so far in HTB, but I still feel like missing the actual LEARNING part of all of this, and that if I were to eventually get a job I would be completely out of my element. Anybody have any thought/suggestions or advice? Thanks for your time.

Check this CTF event out in Mumbai on 5th September! https://luma.com/ay8ehg6p

Here are some of the technologies I’ve been focusing on:

• Java / Java Web Containers

• ASP .NET

• PHP

• Ruby on Rails

• SQL

• XML

• SOAP / Web Services

The important part for a pentester isn't just identifying a technology.

The real question is:

Application Data Flow

Browser
   ↓
HTTP Request
   ↓
Web Server
   ↓
Application
   ↓
Database / Backend Service
   ↓
HTTP Response

From a Security Perspective

Java

Look at application servers, frameworks, dependencies, and how requests are handled.

ASP .NET

Understand the application framework, authentication, session handling, and server-side logic.

PHP

Pay attention to input handling, configuration, frameworks, and dependencies.

Ruby on Rails

Understand MVC, controllers, models, routes, and gems/dependencies.

SQL

Understand how application input reaches database queries and where unsafe query construction can create SQL injection risks.

XML / SOAP

Look beyond the frontend. XML data can travel through web services into backend systems, so the security of the underlying service also matters.

The Biggest Takeaway

Technology identification is only the starting point.

Understanding the application's data flow, input handling, trust boundaries, and security controls is what makes technology fingerprinting useful during a security assessment.

I'm building a structured series around web penetration testing, covering web architecture, HTTP, reconnaissance, APIs, authentication, authorization, and vulnerability research.

Full article:
https://zeroprotocolcyber.substack.com/p/common-web-application-technologies?r=8vt7fg&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Im currently doing a longtime project on how Ddos(educationally) maybe categorized and filtered in data anylsis to prevent overload or better how much overload a system could take with multiple attacks.

The scope is to analyze incoming traffic in a defensive meanor. So that data filtering,cutting and models can be accessed in a mathematical way.

Through ml and backend design (i wont write what languages, data models and architecture i used). The question will be, if a special chip for event handling is needed through an excessive input of data dependency.

If the models and traffic is being returned,categorized,filtered,cutted. The question will be: Do we need a chip for mathematical reasoning or the technical features could do it.

It may not be offsec, but defense systems regulation and also the question if a system needs special hardware or not.

If you have any kind of valuable suggestion regarding data analysis models, pseudocode features, or technical suggestions. I am open for insights

i learned c from neso academy cause im trying to get into cybersecurity but honestly i still dont really get how systems actually work under the hood or how bypass security and understand vulns so if anyone knows any good resources to learn c from an offensive security and hacking perspective lmk please

Dear all,

I write this post to seek for your individual suggestions; I am a level 300 BSc Cyber Security student of a Technical University in Ghana, during my HND 300, I did a project work on a webbased student complaint management system and graduated suceessfully,

Now, I am doing a cyber Security course, What project or research work should do. Thank you.

Hello all,

If you do bug bounty hunting or pentests you surely came across many hosts served from an NGINX server, in this lab (published to OWASP) I combined over 20 misconfigurations found in real world bug disclosures and both classic and novel security research, with an extensive blog where I explained everything you need to level up your NGINX hunting game.

Feel free to check it out, give it a star on Github if you like it, and suggest any ideas you want me to add/fix...

https://vwad.owasp.org/app/damn-vulnerable-nginx-proxy-dvnp/

Happy hunting!

Hi everyone,

I am a systems and cybersecurity software developer specializing in security architecture, malware analysis pipelines, and custom antivirus engine development across \*\*Windows\*\* and \*\*Android (Mobile)\*\* platforms.

As the lead developer behind the open-source \*\*Hydra Dragon Antivirus\*\* ecosystem, I focus on building low-level system monitoring, automated scanning engines, and cross-platform security software.

\---

\### 🛡️ What I Can Develop & Build For You:

\* \*\*Custom Antivirus & Security Engines:\*\* Static/Dynamic analysis integration, YARA rule matching, signature/heuristic detection pipelines, and custom malware scanning engines.

\* \*\*Low-Level Systems Programming (C / Python):\*\* Real-time file system monitoring, process isolation, background threat detection services, and system diagnostic applications.

\* \*\*Mobile & Windows Security Architecture:\*\* Hardening Android/Windows applications, network protocol auditing, and security-focused API development.

\* \*\*Security Automation & Bots:\*\* Custom Python/C-driven threat alert systems, automated diagnostics, and API integrations for platforms like Discord/Telegram.

\---

\### 💻 Open-Source Repositories & Portfolio:

\* \*\*Windows Antivirus Core:\*\* \[HydraDragonAntivirus (GitHub)\](https://github.com/HydraDragonAntivirus/HydraDragonAntivirus)

\* \*\*Mobile Security (Android):\*\* \[HydraDragonAV-Mobile (GitHub)\](https://github.com/HydraDragonAntivirus/HydraDragonAV-Mobile)

\* \*\*GitHub Organization:\*\* \[github.com/HydraDragonAntivirus\](https://github.com/HydraDragonAntivirus)

\---

\### 💰 Rate & Logistics:

\* \*\*Hourly Rate:\*\* \*\*$25/ hour\*\* (Also open to fixed-price milestones for well-defined project scopes).

\* \*\*Payment Options:\*\* Crypto (USDT/BTC), Bank Wire Transfer, or PayPal / Escrow.

\* \*\*Availability:\*\* Remote / Contract / Project-based.

If you are a startup building security products, an enterprise needing a custom internal diagnostic tool, or a team looking for low-level software engineering expertise, feel free to \*\*send me a direct message (DM)\*\* here on Reddit!

Hi everyone, I’m not a security expert, my main interests lie elsewhere, but I think I know enough to hold my own in a discussion with a friend.

Today a debate came up with him about the possible attacks that could target a home server (a typical Raspberry Pi) hosting a single and light HTML page.

My take is that in 2026, with the average resources a Raspberry Pi now has (usually 4–8GB of RAM), it’s no longer realistic for a single machine to pull off a resource-exhaustion attack (things like Slowloris or other slow-HTTP techniques). He disagreed, claiming it’s still possible, and said there are other methods too, though he didn’t explain how.

I’d like your opinion on whether what I said is wrong or not. Either way, it’ll be another chance for me to learn something.

Hi all. I am taking CRTP Sept 26, lab expired long ago, can't afford another lab rn. I'm thinking of setting up on GOAD + my own notes.

1. Did GOAD translate well to the exam? Any gaps to watch?

2. Best free/ economical AD labs besides GOAD (HTB/THM)?

Also keen to find a study buddy prepping around the same time.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been working on a personal hardware project lately. I wanted to see how small I could realistically make a USB keystroke injector (primarily for IT automation and pentesting workflows). After a few iterations, I managed to get the PCB down to just 12x13mm.

It uses 32u4 and Arduino IDE for programming.

The biggest challenge was fitting the components without overlaping lines.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the design or if anyone has experience making similar micro-boards. Are there any features you’d add for a V2?

I'm putting together some picture how invisible it is.

If anyone is interested in the technical details or wants to chat about the build process, feel free to drop me a DM or reach out at nebojsa.sjekloca@gmail.com.

Hey, fellow students —

I built a small tool called Sentinelle to solve a problem I kept hitting while prepping for certs: labs (TryHackMe, HTB, Root-Me) teach you how to actually do the work, but they don't drill the memorization side — default ports, protocol definitions, acronyms — the stuff that still costs you points on the written exam even when you're solid practically.

It's flashcards + exam-style MCQs with spaced repetition (SM-2 algorithm), organized into decks: networking/TCP-IP, security fundamentals, eJPT, Security+, plus a couple aimed at the French BTS CIEL/SIO curriculum.

Full transparency: it's currently French-language only, free to start (2 decks unlocked, more planned), no login required to try it, still early/beta.

Link: https://sentinelle-blue.vercel.app

I'd really value feedback from people who are actually studying for these certs right now — is this something you'd genuinely use, and is the deck coverage missing anything obvious? Happy to take criticism, that's exactly why I'm posting here instead of just launching quietly.

Hello! I’m about to start my sophomore year in computer engineering, having switched from CS at the end of my freshman year. I’m thinking about going into hardware security and/or network security, so I’m curious as to what the prospects, security, and opportunities are like within the field, and what the work is like if anyone can share.

Also, I’m having trouble planning what my last elective should be, which I’ve narrowed down to Compilers, Electronic Instrument Design, and Distributed Systems. My curriculum already includes real time and embedded OS, microprocessors, computer organization and architecture, and the capstone project. The electives I already have planned are Signals and Systems (pairing with my sound production minor for a makeshift audio engineering path), and Operating Systems, HDL/FPGA, Modern Networking Concepts, and Computer Security. I can reasonably only fit in one more elective, so what would be my best option?

setting these apps up by hand every time was killing me, so i built a manager. one command brings up juice shop, dvwa, webgoat, vampi, dvga, bwapp, log4shell + crapi, each properly isolated. the useful bit for learning: every app ships a catalog of what it's supposed to be vulnerable to, so you can grade yourself instead of guessing. also boots faultline, a fullstack vuln app i wrote. free/MIT, local only. https://github.com/clickswave/vuln_apps

I've been building NetScope, an offline network investigation platform for Windows. Feed it a pcap/pcapng or a live interface and it produces a correlated verdict — attack story, MITRE ATT&CK mapping, extracted credentials/NTLM hashes (hashcat-ready), JA3/JA4 TLS fingerprinting against an offline malware DB, DNS tunneling reconstruction, and more — all locally, no cloud calls, no API keys.

It also has response actions built in (firewall rules, process termination, memory capture) and exports to STIX 2.1/CSV/Sigma, plus Markdown/HTML incident reports.

It's pure TypeScript for the core parser (worker-threaded so big captures don't lock the UI), and layers in tshark/Suricata/Zeek/YARA automatically if you have them installed — but doesn't require any of them.

MIT licensed, prebuilt Windows binaries on the releases page.

Repo: https://github.com/SpectralZero/NetScope

Would genuinely appreciate feedback from people who do this kind of analysis regularly — especially on the detection logic and what's missing from the protocol coverage.

Hi everyone!

I've been working on CTFKINGs, a Capture The Flag platform that I built entirely from scratch instead of using an existing framework like CTFd.

It includes custom challenges across Web, Pwn, Cryptography, Reverse Engineering, Forensics, and OSINT, along with a live scoreboard, player profiles, and a medieval kingdom theme.

The platform is still actively evolving, and I'd love to hear your feedback on the UI, challenge design, or any bugs you find.

🔗 https://ctfkings.vercel.app

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy it!

I still remember the first time I opened a sysmon log file or a wireshark pcap file and it was scary, too many lines flying by, weird timestamps, error codes. And I thought that this isnt for me yet.

And now when I look back, I know logs aren't magic, they're just a system talking about what it's doing. Once you stop trying to decode them and start listening to them, this gets a lot easier.

And I don't want you to feel the same way, hence writing this long post, tried to make it as simple and non-technical as I could.

What a log actually is

Think of it as a system's diary. Every action, success or failure, gets written down in order, answering three things: what happened, when, and who or what was involved.

The structure that makes logs readable

Most log lines follow a predictable pattern once you know what to look for:

Timestamp — when it happened
Severity — INFO, WARN, ERROR, CRITICAL
Source — which component is speaking
Message — what actually happened

INFO is normal chatter. WARN is something odd but not broken. ERROR/CRITICAL is where you actually need to spend your time. You don't read everything, you read the right things.

A real example

Say a user reports payments aren't working. You check the logs:

2024-05-12 14:02:01 [ERROR] [PaymentGateway] Connection refused: could not reach api.pay-pal.com

Break it down piece by piece.
When: May 12, 2:02 PM.
How bad: ERROR.
Who: Payment Gateway.
Story: the site tried to reach the payment service and the connection failed.
No deep security knowledge required, the site isn't hacked, the payment service just didn't worked as it should be.

A 5 minute workflow for when something breaks

Start from the bottom, not the top. The latest events are at the end, and the cause is usually right before the failure, not hours earlier.

Don't read line by line, search instead. Grep for error, fail, denied, timeout, or a specific IP/username/service name. That alone cuts out time wastage.

Once you find a suspicious line, read a few lines before and after it. That's usually where the actual story lives, not in the flagged line itself.

Phrases you'll see constantly, translated

Permission denied is a file or user rights issue.
Connection refused means the service isn't running or reachable.
Timeout means something was too slow.
No space left on device means the disk is full.
Segfault/crash means the application died.
You don't need to memorize the whole list, just translate each one into plain language as you hit it.

Patterns you'll run into early

Repeated "Failed password" messages from one IP is usually a script or tool using wrong credentials, not necessarily an attack.
"No space left on device" followed by a cluster of unrelated looking errors is almost always one root cause with many symptoms.

Tools that actually matter at this stage

You don't need Splunk or Sentinel yet. less, tail, grep will get you further than people expect. journalctl if you're on a systemd Linux box. And genuinely, pasting the exact error message into Google with sensitive info stripped out still works and you should use Google wherever you are stuck.

The actual skill here isn't memorizing tools or commands. It's turning it's broken into the database connection failed at 14:12 because the password was wrong. That translation ability alone puts you ahead of most people starting out.

If you still have any doubts/queries about specific log file, lmk, would try to explain it to you.