Cybersecurity is often considered to be one of the most rewarding and exciting fields. Cybersecurity is a vast domain where it has many specialization roles like SOC Analyst, Penetration Tester, Security Engineer, DevSecOps Engineer, Network Security Engineer, etc., That\u2019s why you can see so many people are interested in this field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Honestly that\u2019s true, and we should also remember this is one of the highly challenging field as well and that\u2019s been said. So, now you have decided to enter the world of cybersecurity. You must have started your research through YouTube videos, blogs and sites on how to enter into this field. Probably Ethical Hacker\/Penetration tester role seems to be right fit for you as you like to \u201chack things\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After spending further more time on YouTube or blogs, you now chose to do certifications to boost your resume. You started reviewing each certification one by one what\u2019s going to be right for you, but the problem is now number of certification companies are getting higher day by day, but not everyone can provide you the quality they promise and no can promise you a job as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, we cannot ignore the fact that these certifications are not that budget friendly, especially if you are a beginner. So, what should a beginner focus now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Foundations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of diving straight into certification, you should focus on your foundations using the free resources that are already available to you. Being in cybersecurity, you should really have the idea of how everything in IT works. Yes everything. For now, just pick any sub domain that seems to be interesting for you. For example, you can take Network security. To configure and secure your networks, first you need to have good understanding on how network works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are lots of free videos and resources available in YouTube for you to start with the basics. Do not spend so much on any particular domain as you are not going to be Network Architect with CCIE level. So, remember that you are learning only the basics. Once you get the confidence you can move to next domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Building your own content<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I would strongly suggest to build your own content<\/p>\n\n\n\n After hours of research, you may have concluded that earning certifications is the way to boost your resume. Now you\u2019re exploring the best certifications out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But is that it? No, these are just a few examples of certifications specifically for penetration testing. While these certifications can certainly help, they often come with high price tags, and many of them aren\u2019t easy to clear on the first attempt, especially for beginners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Hands-On Dilemma<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve probably grown tired just reading about these certifications. You might even be asking yourself: \u201cWhy spend so much money on certifications when I can focus on hands-on practice?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s a great question. However, as you dive into hands-on practice, you\u2019ll encounter another challenge\u2014choosing the right platform. Platforms like Hack The Box<\/strong>, TryHackMe<\/strong>, VulnHub<\/strong>, PentesterLab<\/strong>, and OverTheWire<\/strong> are excellent resources for building real-world skills, but each comes with its own pros and cons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This creates a dilemma: Should you invest in certifications, hands-on practice, or both? The answer depends on your goals and current knowledge level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start Small and Build Your Knowledge<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of diving straight into certifications or expensive training platforms, consider building a solid foundation on your own. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n\n\n\n How One Simple Question Can Uncover Big Concepts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a basic example: Imagine you ask yourself, \u201cHow does the internet work?\u201d<\/em> At first, it seems like a simple question, but as you dig deeper, you\u2019ll realize it leads to an intricate web of concepts, each building on the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This single question, \u201cHow does the internet work?\u201d<\/em>, becomes the foundation for exploring topics critical to cybersecurity. Each layer you uncover not only enhances your technical knowledge but also gives you insight into how attackers exploit vulnerabilities and how to secure systems effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This process of asking basic questions and peeling back the layers is what drives true understanding. As you tackle these fundamental concepts, you\u2019ll build a strong base for more advanced topics in penetration testing, network security, and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take the Next Step<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you feel confident with the basics and have gained hands-on experience, consider enrolling in one of the certifications or training platforms mentioned earlier. Certifications aren\u2019t just resume boosters\u2014they also provide structured learning paths and help validate your skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember, the journey in cybersecurity is as much about curiosity and problem-solving as it is about certifications. Start small, stay consistent, and keep challenging yourself. The world of cybersecurity is vast, and every step you take brings you closer to mastering it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Cybersecurity is often considered to be one of the most rewarding and exciting fields. Cybersecurity is a vast domain where it has many specialization roles<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nxthopsecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nxthopsecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nxthopsecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nxthopsecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nxthopsecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nxthopsecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10,"href":"https:\/\/nxthopsecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9\/revisions\/10"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nxthopsecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nxthopsecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nxthopsecurity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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You\u2019ll discover that every website has an IP address, and DNS is the system that translates human-friendly domain names (like google.com) into machine-readable IP addresses. This opens the door to learning about DNS servers, record types, and how attackers exploit DNS through techniques like DNS spoofing or cache poisoning.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Next, you\u2019ll learn about how data is exchanged between your browser and a web server using protocols like HTTP and HTTPS. This leads to understanding encryption, certificates, and how secure communication works. You\u2019ll also encounter concepts like man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks and ways to defend against them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Asking how data travels across the internet introduces you to IP routing, where packets of data hop between routers to reach their destination. This naturally segues into topics like subnetting, firewalls, and network address translation (NAT). It also introduces vulnerabilities like packet sniffing and techniques to secure data during transit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
As you explore how data is secured, you\u2019ll learn about firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and intrusion prevention systems (IPS). You\u2019ll start to understand how firewalls filter traffic, how attackers bypass them, and how to build secure network architectures.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Diving deeper, you\u2019ll encounter protocols like TCP\/IP, ARP, and ICMP, and understand their role in data transfer. You’ll also begin to see how attackers exploit weaknesses in these protocols, like ARP spoofing or DDoS attacks using ICMP floods.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n