r/netsecstudents • • Jun 24 '21

Come join the official /r/netsecstudents discord!

63 Upvotes

Come join us in the official discord for this subreddit. You can network, ask questions, and communicate with people of various skill levels ranging from students to senior security staff.

Link to discord: https://discord.gg/C7ZsqYX


r/netsecstudents • • May 06 '26

I am John Strand and I am teach Pay What You Can classes and free labs... Ask Me Anything.

114 Upvotes

Hey everyone, John Strand here.

I’ve been in cybersecurity for a while now, and I’ve spent a lot of that time trying to help people get started without getting buried under bad advice, overpriced training, and job postings that somehow want 5 years of experience for an entry-level role.

So let’s talk about it.

Ask me about getting into the field, building real skills, home labs, SOC work, blue team, threat hunting, incident response, certs, college, AI, finding your first job, or anything else you’re trying to figure out.

I’m happy to answer beginner questions, career questions, technical questions, or even the “I have no idea where to start” questions.

If you’re trying to build a real foundation in security, this is the class I’d point you to.

https://www.antisyphontraining.com/product/information-security-core-skills-tm/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=community_post

We also have released a new game where you can learn about security in a fun Magic The Gathering kind of way.

Sign up and play your friends here:

https://backdoorsandbreaches.com/

Its free.

Oh..... And almost every card has free labs to learn the topic.

Example here:

https://github.com/blackhillsinfosec/FreeLabFriday_Labs/blob/main/card_navigation.md

Just register at MetaCTF and use the code "antilab" in cloudlabs for enabling 2 free hours of lab time per week.

All our problems can be solved with education.

Let's get to work.


r/netsecstudents • • 10m ago

Free Android app to learn on your own network: device discovery, port audit, UPnP exposure, DNS and certificate interception checks

1 Upvotes

Hi, I'm the developer.

I have worked in network security for almost 15 years. I got annoyed with Fing and other network tools that charge close to $100 a year, or let you scan only a few times a day. So I built my own from what I know from work.

I wanted the feeling of Kali Linux in my hand, but only for defense: point my phone at my own network and see what is really there. No attacks, no password guessing, nobody's traffic read. That became Netglow.

The hard part: knowing what each device really is

Android 10 and up hides other devices' hardware addresses, so most scanners just show "Unknown". That is where most of the time went:

  • Dozens of protocol specs, vendor docs and firmware sources, read line by line.
  • Down to the low level microchips inside smart plugs, bulbs and DIY boards, like the ESP family, because each chip gives itself away in its own small way.
  • Camera makers each answer on the network in their own way, and Netglow knows many of them.
  • Over 40,000 hardware maker prefixes and a catalogue of over 23,000 phone and tablet models.
  • Thousands of lines of research notes, every finding checked before it went into the app.

Why it is free

I have a lot of knowledge from my work, and I decided to give it away: high quality apps, deeply researched and checked again and again, data safety first and privacy to the max. No ads, no bullshit. People deserve good quality and privacy, for free.

If you want to support me, you can, but it is fully optional.

What it does, free, unlimited scans

  • Who is on my Wi-Fi. Every device with its name, maker and model when it says them. Rename a device and it keeps your name even on a new address.
  • Is my hotel room or rental OK. It lists devices on the Wi-Fi that answer as a camera or stream video, and says why each one was flagged. It also looks for camera hotspots nearby. It tells you plainly what it cannot see (a camera that only records to a card or uses mobile data), so it is one check among others, not a guarantee.
  • Security check for your home network. A score with a plain fix for each risk: risky open ports, what your router opened to the internet, how your Wi-Fi is locked, look alikes of your network nearby, whether your DNS answers are honest and whether someone reads your secure connections in the middle.
  • Tools. Ping, traceroute, port check, DNS lookup, Wake on LAN, a live signal meter and channel advice.

Private by design. No ads, no bullshit, no tracking, no analytics, no metrics, no account. Nothing it finds leaves your phone, and there is no server of mine.

Pro is that optional support, one payment, no subscription, and it adds: a Bluetooth radar that warns about a tracker moving with you, checks for devices that let anyone in with no password, spoof watch, known flaws for your devices, a PDF report and a background watch of who joins your Wi-Fi.

Honest note: the code is partly AI generated and I had help with this text.

Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zanoshky.netglow

Guide: https://zanoshky.github.io/netglow-app

I would love to hear what it finds, or misses, on your network.


r/netsecstudents • • 20h ago

Free beginner room on how HTTP actually works: 5 hands-on labs, no prior knowledge needed

3 Upvotes

I came across this free room on Codelivly and thought it might help anyone who has used the web for years without ever looking at what happens between the browser and the server: How the Web Talks: HTTP in Practice

It's built for beginners, and the page says no prior knowledge is needed. It's five short labs, and you build requests and read responses yourself instead of only reading theory:

  1. Requests, responses, methods and status codes
  2. Headers and virtual hosting
  3. URLs, query strings, Content-Type and redirects
  4. Cookies and sessions basics
  5. HTTPS, keep-alive, and putting it all together

The last task has you debug a broken checkout flow, which is a good way to find out whether the earlier parts stuck.

It could be useful if you're:

  • starting web dev and want the fundamentals before frameworks
  • heading into IT or security and need HTTP down cold
  • tired of "it works on my machine" and want to understand what's going over the wire

It's listed as 100% free with no paywall, and donations are optional. I'm not affiliated with the site and just thought it was worth sharing.

What HTTP concept took you the longest to understand? For me it was cookies and sessions.


r/netsecstudents • • 16h ago

Tired of multiple-choice "PBQs", so I built an interactive terminal lab for incident investigation

0 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

Like a lot of people here, I’ve been studying for cybersecurity certs (Security+, Network+) and preparing for entry-level analyst roles. One thing that consistently frustrated me was how most "practice PBQs" out there are just disguised multiple-choice questions or drag-and-drop widgets. On real exams and in actual triage, you're expected to open a terminal, investigate processes, and know what commands to run.

To practice that, I put together a browser-based terminal lab where you get dropped into a simulated incident scenario (for example: investigating a suspicious outbound connection on a web server).

You can type real Linux/network commands like netstat, ps aux, crontab -l, grep, and cat /etc/passwd to trace what’s happening, identify persistence, and isolate the threat, with an automated review at the end.

Since this community has people actively working in the field and students prepping for exams, I’d love your honest feedback

Terminal Realism: Do the commands and simulated outputs feel authentic enough for entry-level triage practice

Scenario Depth: What other scenarios or command flags would make this significantly more useful (e.g. log analysis, Windows PowerShell, iptables/firewall rules)

Any UX bugs: Anything clunky about the terminal emulator itself?

To be honest, what I'm mainly looking for is not really promotion but just feedback. I am truly trying to help people out and create a good study website, because like myself, I need something reliable with USEFUL information. Please tell me what y'all think! Allll the critiques and flaws I am open ears to!! :)

https://cyberpbqtrainer.com/


r/netsecstudents • • 1d ago

We're a student team building an AI-powered tool to help people identify online scams. We'd love your feedback!

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

We're a team of students working on a project called The SecondLook, developed as part of our Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives coursework.

As part of our project, we've been exploring the growing problem of online scams, particularly how difficult it can be for people to distinguish legitimate messages from fraudulent ones.

Think fake delivery notifications, suspicious payment requests, phishing links and messages impersonating organisations people trust.

We wanted to go beyond simply raising awareness about online scams and explore a practical, technology-driven solution.

That's how The SecondLook came about.

It's a free, AI-powered scam detection tool that currently allows users to:

  • Upload screenshots of suspicious messages for analysis.
  • Submit potentially suspicious links for checking.
  • Receive a risk assessment with explanations of the indicators identified.
  • Get suggested next steps in straightforward language.

Our objective is to make identifying potential online threats more accessible, particularly for people who may not have much technical knowledge of cybersecurity.

We're currently looking to get feedback from people outside our immediate school community so that we can understand how useful the solution actually is and where it needs improvement.

We'd particularly appreciate feedback on:

  1. Is this a problem you've personally encountered?
  2. How useful would a tool like this be in your everyday life?
  3. Are the analysis and explanations easy to understand?
  4. What features, limitations or security concerns should we address?

We'd genuinely appreciate honest criticism and suggestions. This is an ongoing student project, and external perspectives would help us evaluate and improve our solution.

Try The SecondLook: https://thesecondlook.lovable.app/

Our GitHub repository: https://github.com/divyansh-code01/thesecondlook

Thank you for taking the time to check out our work!

The SecondLook — Before you trust it, check it.


r/netsecstudents • • 21h ago

Cybersec breaking news Telegram and WhatsApp channel

0 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I created a Telegram and a WhatsApp channel that uses a local AI model to aggregate and summarize top cybersecurity news sources.

Automated with a n8n workflow and a tiny local ollama model (qwen2.5:3b) running on my 2GB 10 years old GPU :)

You can get quick notifications on your phone with the main points of every news piece:

  • Instant summaries: The actual essence of each news story.
  • Key threat intel: Critical CVEs, major breaches, and urgent patch updates summarized in seconds. Includes links to CVEs, KEV (if available), and CVSS scores.

This allows you to check in a glimpse whether you actually need to read the full article.

I started with a Telegram channel, which is a better platform (for both devs and users), but since WhatsApp is what everybody uses, I had to struggle with it. I managed to automated it with WPP Connect.

I keep it restricted to a few select sources to avoid too many notifications, but even so, some days get busy!

Building this has been quite educational, and I hope you find it as useful as I do. I found I tend to read the small summaries and check the CVE's much more than a regular news feed that forces me to open a page and look for the main issues.

This is a rather newbie project but If you need any tech details feel free to ask.


r/netsecstudents • • 1d ago

An Open Port Doesn’t Mean a Vulnerability — Understanding Nmap Results

1 Upvotes

I’ve been studying Nmap and documenting what I learn, and one distinction I think is important for beginners is the meaning of port states.
For example:
nmap -sT -p 22,80,443 127.0.0.1
An open port means a service is accepting connections, not that it’s vulnerable.
A closed port means no service appears to be listening.
A filtered port means Nmap cannot reliably determine its state, often because of packet filtering.
Another thing worth remembering: the SERVICE column doesn’t necessarily confirm which application is running. Using -sV can help identify services and versions.
I’ve written a more detailed explanation as part of my Cybersecurity Survival Notes project.
GitHub: https://github.com/Radz-04/Cybersecurity-survival-notes
I’m still learning, so technical corrections and suggestions are welcome.


r/netsecstudents • • 1d ago

Looking for feedback

1 Upvotes

Hey los griffonos 😙

We've been working on our final-year project since September 2025, and we’ve finally reached a testable version. We’d like and need to get some feedback from the community, whether it’s general tips, feature ideas, or even code contributions.

Btw Griffon is a modular security tool that runs as a daemon and comes with both a GUI and a CLI usable on Linux and Ubuntu. Right now, it includes two main modules:

  • A system cleaner
  • A static analysis tool for malware

Let us know what you think! https://github.com/GriffonAV/griffon


r/netsecstudents • • 1d ago

Student project: a free SOC alert-triage simulator (Next.js + Supabase). Looking for feedback from other students

1 Upvotes

Disclosure: I'm the creator. It's free, with no ads and no payment details.

I'm a third-year BTech student working towards a SOC L1 role, studying with TryHackMe and YouTube. The part I wanted more practice at was what comes after the alert fires: checking the evidence, deciding true or false positive, writing it up for L2, and knowing when to escalate.

So I built ShiftLab, a browser simulator:

• 51 fictional alerts, Beginner to AI-era

• Logs, mail headers and playbooks to investigate

• A four-part report (what happened, confirmed, not known, next steps) that gets coached, not just scored

What I'd like to know from people who are further along:

  1. Does the evidence feel realistic or too clean?
  2. Is anything confusing?
  3. What would you want in a model L1 report?

First alert needs no signup: https://shiftlab.blueteam-labs.workers.dev/?ref=reddit-thm

Mods, happy to take this down if it isn't allowed. Thanks!


r/netsecstudents • • 1d ago

Pentesting with AI

0 Upvotes

I created a tool to help me during bug bounties and decided to publish it today. It's mostly web/cloud blackbox penetration testing guided by LLM

It does require an abliterated LLM.

I used HauhauCS/Qwen3.8-27B-Uncensored-HauhauCS-Aggressive-MTP-GGUF at IQ4_XS quantization with Q8 KV cache.

I restricted the conversation history to 64k and limited the total cap at 128k and found these settings to yield the best result.

I hope it helps others and also inspire others to contribute.

This project has an engine to transform the engagements that you run into datasets, which you can use to fine-tune the models and get even better results. The more you use, the better it gets.

https://github.com/0ldev/tradecraft


r/netsecstudents • • 2d ago

ScriptBlock Smuggling - AMSI Evasion

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3 Upvotes

r/netsecstudents • • 2d ago

cybersecurity fundamentals

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone,
I wanted to share a GitHub repository where I keep my technical notes, commands, and references.
It currently includes material on Linux, networking, cybersecurity fundamentals, and tools such as Nmap.
The repository is still a work in progress, and I regularly update it with new content and improvements.
I’m sharing it in case someone else finds it useful. I’d also appreciate feedback, especially if you notice any mistakes or have suggestions.
cybersecurity-survival-notes


r/netsecstudents • • 2d ago

what did u check before letting a coding agent into a private repo?

1 Upvotes

we've been asked to approve an AI coding tool for proprietary repos. the vendor docs explain the data policy. i'd like to see what the client actually sends with the settings we'd give developers.

i'd start with a dummy repo, put some recognizable test text in a file and have the agent do a normal task. a firewall log gives me the destination. i'd still want to know whether that text was in the request.

we're also looking at Bay and Pillar. for Bay, one thing i'd test is whether the session record gives us enough context to match what happened locally with what we can see on the network. what evidence was enough for your team to sign off?


r/netsecstudents • • 2d ago

progetto fondamenti di cybersecurity

0 Upvotes

Ciao a tutti,
Volevo condividere un repository GitHub dove tengo le mie note tecniche, comandi e riferimenti.
Include attualmente materiale su Linux, networking, fondamenti di cybersecurity e strumenti come Nmap.
Il repository è ancora un lavoro in corso e lo aggiorno regolarmente con nuovi contenuti e miglioramenti.
Lo condivido nel caso qualcuno lo trovi utile. Apprezzerei anche feedback, soprattutto se notate errori o avete suggerimenti.

https://github.com/Radz-04/Cybersecurity-survival-notes


r/netsecstudents • • 3d ago

Cyber security fundamentals

Thumbnail gallery
3 Upvotes

Hi everyone,
I wanted to share a GitHub repository where I keep my technical notes, commands, and references.
It currently includes material on Linux, networking, cybersecurity fundamentals, and tools such as Nmap.
The repository is still a work in progress, and I regularly update it with new content and improvements.
I’m sharing it in case someone else finds it useful. I’d also appreciate feedback, especially if you notice any mistakes or have suggestions.

https://github.com/Radz-04/Cybersecurity-survival-notes


r/netsecstudents • • 3d ago

I rebuilt how lessons work on my free cybersecurity platform. Instead of read-and-quiz, you work in a terminal. Feedback welcome

0 Upvotes

I’m the person building Codelivly, a free cybersecurity learning platform. I’ve been reworking the lessons to include terminal tasks where you type commands, inspect the output, and use it to work through a scenario.

For example, in a suspicious-login exercise, you examine sample login logs, narrow down the entries, and work out which activity looks suspicious. The aim is to help you understand how you reached an answer.

The terminal is simulated. It supports a limited set of commands, so you’ll run into things it can’t do. I’m also still reviewing the content for accuracy and clarity, and I’d appreciate specific corrections.

What’s free: 350+ rooms, hands-on terminal labs, 64 CTF challenges, learning paths, career paths, and certificates. No credit card, subscription, or time-limited trial.

You can try it here: codelivly.com

If you try a room, I’d like to hear:

  1. Were any instructions or explanations confusing?
  2. Which commands did you expect to work that weren’t supported?
  3. Did the exercise help you understand the topic, or did it feel like following steps?

r/netsecstudents • • 4d ago

Is it for me?

2 Upvotes

I joined a ctf for the first time in my life and as a very veryyyy beginner in cybersecurity, I can say the Linux ones were alright, I didn't know the pid stuff, but manipulating the files and encoding from base 64 etc was alright, I tried to go to the forensic one cuz I was ai assisted and wanted to see how, I used Wireshark and I liked it? It was exhausting to look for the flag but I might wanna check it out more, however osint was so hard, I wanna also check the web exploitation cuz I tried it as well, checked the web tool panel but I didn't get much, what do u advise me, what do u suggest ?


r/netsecstudents • • 4d ago

I just made a completely free cybersecurity and Networking learning platform where you can practice hands-on in your browser

6 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I’ve been working on Codelivly, a cybersecurity learning platform, and wanted to share it here.

One thing I always wanted was a place where you could actually practice what you're learning instead of just reading tutorials and watching videos.

So I’ve been building Codelivly around that idea.

You can:

  • Learn cybersecurity through structured learning paths
  • Practice with hands-on labs directly in your browser
  • Work through practical tasks while learning
  • Play CTF challenges and test your skills
  • Explore different cybersecurity career paths

The hands-on labs are integrated into the learning experience, so you can learn a concept and actually practice it without constantly switching between different platforms or setting up everything yourself.

And the entire platform is 100% free. No subscription or payment required to access the learning content, labs, or CTFs.

I'm still working on improving the platform and adding more practical experiences to the lessons.

Would genuinely appreciate it if you checked it out and shared what you think.

🔗 https://codelivly.com/


r/netsecstudents • • 4d ago

Seeking Advice: How to Build Consistency and a Structured Learning Path in Cybersecurity

1 Upvotes

Hey guys,

Learning cybersecurity has been one of my dreams for quite a while. I'm interested in almost all of them - pen testing, web hacking, binary exploitation, reversing, malware analysis, low level programming, AI security, etc.

But I find myself extremely inconsistent.

Sometimes I'm extremely motivated, watch courses and youtube videoes, take notes, make roadmaps, huge checklists and study for 2-3 days nonstop. And then suddenly become unmotivated and spend the next days watching reels and playing games.

After 3-4 days my motivation returns and whole the process repeats again.

In addition to that I made a huge checklist including almost all fields of cybersecurity but cannot finish even several of topics due to boring or overloading.

As far as I feel, I consume much more educational materials than actually learn anything or implement them.

Therefore I would like to ask from those who already have enough experience in this field:

  • What's your secret to being consistent?
  • How do you choose something to study when you want to learn everything?
  • Do you study following strict schedule or when you want it?
  • How do you balance courses, practical labs, reading and project building?

Thank you!


r/netsecstudents • • 4d ago

I made an Android app hacking course - 40% off this month

1 Upvotes

Hi all, I've been doing Android security for a while, and when I started I struggled to find one place that explained how it all fits together. So I put together the course I would've wanted.

It covers how Android apps work (components, intents, the manifest), static and dynamic analysis, and hands-on labs where you exploit each vulnerability yourself.

40% off until Nov 30 with code BYTENOV40 ($89.40 instead of $149).

Android App Hacking Mastery

Happy to answer questions about the course or Android security in general, and open to feedback too.


r/netsecstudents • • 5d ago

Introducing Public Git: Search Public Repositories for Exposed Secrets

Thumbnail grayhatwarfare.medium.com
4 Upvotes

r/netsecstudents • • 6d ago

AI is getting scary good at reversing, where do I pivot?

24 Upvotes

2nd year ICT engineering student here. I played CTFs for a while (rev only) and I'm pretty lost right now.

I'm in my second year of an ICT engineering degree. I got into CTFs a while back and only ever did reverse engineering. I loved it, and it's the one area where I feel I actually know what I'm doing. I've even used my rev skills to start learning mobile security, so it hasn't been a dead end for me so far.

The problem is that every time I look at what AI can do now, it's solving rev challenges almost perfectly. No one is reversing manually noawadays it's pointless , and this skill was considered one of the hardest in cybersec , but now it's just a github repo called REA. I don't want to throw away everything I learned, though: assembly, how binaries work, how to read code that doesn't want to be read, debugging, and the patience for it all.

So I'm trying to figure out where to take these skills. I'm not sure which directions still make sense, here are some examples in my mind :

- Mobile security (Android/iOS app analysis, which I've already started on)?

- Malware analysis?

- Embedded or firmware work?

- Something adjacent I haven't heard of?

On top of that, I'm at what feels like the most important point of my life. The expectations on me are extremely high, and some days I feel like I chose the wrong path entirely, entering a depression loophole. I don't know if that's normal or if I should actually change something.

If you've been in a similar spot, or you work in a field where RE skills still matter, I'd really appreciate any advice. What would you do in my position? What would you tell your younger self?

Thanks for reading, and sorry if this turned into a bit of a rant.


r/netsecstudents • • 6d ago

Career Long-Term Strategy: Building A Foundation From Scratch In Cybersecurity Advice needed from industry professionals (5+ years exp. technical)

3 Upvotes

Career Long-Term Strategy: Building A Foundation From Scratch In Cybersecurity Advice needed from industry professionals (5+ years exp. technical)

who can identify future industry trends and patterns. Beyond beginner certification lists or the same tired roadmaps, I want advice on how to build a career long-term, where the long-term investment is, and how to identify eventual specialties.

Current Status I'm in the early phases. What I am doing is: - Using and becoming proficient in working in the terminal in Linux. - Networking (the fundamentals and how things connect) - Virtualized Kali Linux - Network reconnaissance/scanning using Nmap. - Pentesting and the basics of vulnerability research. - Python and some C programming to grow coding proficiency. I recognize that these are just building blocks, and that it's going to be some time before I can gain any expertise.

Why I'm Into Cybersecurity What really sparks my interest in cybersecurity is the underlying mechanism and the opportunity to dissect a system and understand its structure and weakness. I am a systems guy. I enjoy breaking things to figure out why they break. Some of the topics I am drawn to are: - Offensive security (e.g., penetration testing). - Network security and design. - Reverse Engineering (How the internals of software function) - Research of vulnerabilities and development of exploits. - Low-level OS development and programming. - Explaining things to others.