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Practical Security Fundamentals
Take the first step to a career in cybersecurity with beginner level practical security instruction.
Training for a team or organization? Contact us about group access.
Inside the Course
Scroll down to explore the skills you’ll build, the techniques you’ll master, and the requirements to get started.
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Difficulty: Introductory
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Duration: 8h 30m
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Access: Free
Overview
Practical Security Fundamentals is designed to provide an introduction to security principles for students considering a career in cybersecurity. Students will learn about general security concepts and operations, as well as the common threats, vulnerabilities, and mitigations faced in the field. As with all TCM Security courses, we focus on providing practical experience, meaning you’ll gain real-world experience with security tools and techniques by participating in hands-on labs. By the end of this course, you will be equipped with the foundational security knowledge needed to pursue more specialized career pathways like penetration tester, malware researcher, or security analyst.
Key Topics
- Security Basics
- The Red Team and Blue Team
- Defensive Tooling
- Common Threats and Attacks
- Cryptography
- Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting
- Cybersecurity Frameworks
- Incident Response and Digital Forensics
Objectives
Understand Fundamental Security Concepts:
Grasp the foundational principles of cybersecurity, including the CIA Triad, defense in depth, and least privilege.
Explore Key Cybersecurity Roles and Career Paths:
Identify the roles within Blue and Red Teams, and understand the career paths and responsibilities of SOC analysts, penetration testers, and ethical hackers.
Intro to Defensive Security Tools:
Learn about essential security technologies such as firewalls, antivirus software, EDR, SIEM, and perform hands-on labs for firewall configuration and threat detection.
Analyze and Defend Against Common Threats:
Understand various attack methods, including social engineering, malware, and network-based threats, and apply practical techniques to defend against them.
Develop Incident Response and Forensic Skills:
Learn how to handle cybersecurity breaches, understand the basics of digital forensics, and apply incident response techniques using industry-standard frameworks.
System Requirements
An internet connection and ability to run virtual machines is required to take this course.
Prerequisites
Students should have familiarity with how computer systems and networks work. If you are new to IT and cybersecurity, it’s recommended to start with the Practical Help Desk course (or have equivalent knowledge) to follow along with the course.
Recommended For
This course is for students who are looking to break into the IT or security field or who are early on in their career. It was designed to provide the core skills and knowledge required to take the next step from IT to cybersecurity.
It also serves as a solid foundation of the requisite knowledge suggested for more advanced courses in the TCM Security Academy such as the Practical Ethical Hacking or SOC 101 courses.
Course Curriculum
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Course Introduction
- Course Intro
- The Importance of Note Taking
- Course Discord
- 🖥️Setting up Linux Virtual Machine
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Security Basics
- Why Security Matters to You?
- Why Security Matters
- The Business of Cybercrime
- The CIA Triad
- ✏️Check-In Quiz
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Intro to the Blue Team
- Who is the Blue Team
- The SOC
- The SOC Analyst
- Other Blue Team Roles
- TCM Blue Team Roadmap
- ✏️Check-In Quiz
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Intro to the Red Team
- Who is the Red Team
- What is a Penetration Test/Tester
- Other Red Team Roles
- 🖥️Red Team Hands-On Lab Part 1
- 🖥️Red Team Hands-On Lab Part 2
- TCM Red Team Roadmaps
- ✏️Check-In Quiz
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Defensive Tooling
- Section Intro & Vendor Neutrality
- Firewalls
- 🖥️Firewall Lab
- IDS & IPS
- Endpoint Protection (AV)
- 🖥️Signature Based Detection Lab
- Endpoint Protection (EDR)
- SIEM
- SOAR (NICE TO HAVE)
- Defense In-Depth
- Confusion Matrix
- ✏️Check-In Quiz
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Vulnerabilities and Exploits
- Vulnerabilities Vs Exploits
- 🖥️Exploit Lab
- CVE, CVSS, CWE
- ✏️Check-In Quiz
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Intro to Threats and Attacks
- Threat Actors and Groups
- Network Based Attacks
- 🖥️Packet Sniffing Lab
- Wireless Attacks
- Supply-Chain Attacks
- Physical Attacks
- Mitre ATT&CK and Lockheed Martin Killchain
- ✏️Check-In Quiz
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Social Engineering
- Intro to Social Engineering
- Phishing
- Tailgating and Impersonation
- Social Engineering Defenses
- ✏️Check-In Quiz
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Malware
- What is Malware
- Viruses, Worms, and Trojans
- Ransomware
- Spyware and Keyloggers
- Rootkits
- Maldocs
- 🖥️Static Malware Analysis Lab
- Additional Malware Terminology
- ✏️Check-In Quiz
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Cryptography
- What is Cryptography
- Encryption
- Hashing and Digital Signatures
- Common Cryptographic Algorithms
- 🖥️CyberChef Lab
- Certificates and Public Key Infrastructure
- HTTPS, TLS and SSL
- Common Cryptographic Attacks
- 🖥️Hashcat Lab
- ✏️Check-In Quiz
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Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA)
- What is AAA?
- Least Privilege
- IAM
- SSO and MFA
- 🖥️Linux AAA Lab
- ✏️Check-In Quiz
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Security Frameworks, Standards and Regulations
- What are Security Frameworks, Standards and Regulations
- Risks and Control
- Popular Security Frameworks
- Important Security Standards
- Important Security Regulations
- GRC
- ✏️Check-In Quiz
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Digital Forensics and Incident Response
- What is a Breach?
- Incident Response
- Indicators of Compromise
- Events vs Incidents
- Digital Forensics
- ✏️Check-In Quiz
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End Of Course Wrap-Up
- Bye for Now and What’s Next!?
This Course Is Included in Your All-Access Membership
One membership gives you ongoing access to Practical Security Fundamentals, every other paid Academy course, and an active community of learners and mentors in Discord.
INSTRUCTORS
Meet Your Instructor
Learn from industry experts with real-world cybersecurity experience.
Andrew Bellini
Welcome Everyone! My name is Andrew Bellini and I sometimes go as DigitalAndrew on social media. I’m an electrical engineer by trade with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and am a licensed Professional Engineer (P. Eng) in Ontario, Canada. While my background and the majority of my career has been in electrical engineering, I am also an avid and passionate ethical hacker. In addition to being an instructor I am also a longtime student of TCM, and their courses helped me transition my career to working as a technical trainer for a cybersecurity company.
In addition to my love for all things ethical hacking, cybersecurity, CTFs and tech I also am a dad, play guitar and am passionate about the outdoors and fishing.
FAQS
Common Questions
Here are a couple of our most commonly asked questions, contact us if you don’t find an answer!
Can I get a refund if I'm unhappy with my purchase?
Yes. All courses come with a 24-hour money-back guarantee.
Will I receive a certificate of completion when I finish a course?
Yes. All courses come with a certificate of completion.
Do the courses count as Continuing Education Units (CEUs)?
Yes. Every certificate of completion comes with the total CEUs earned listed on the certificate.
What is the All-Access Membership?
As of July 1st, 2023 TCM Academy transitioned to a monthly subscription model, where you now receive full access to all of the courses on our platform for as long as your subscription remains active.
What if you already own courses on TCM Academy?
If you already own a course on our platform, you will continue to own that course. Previously owned courses will not be affected by this change.
I can see the course, but it won’t load or play. What should I do?
We use Cloudflare to protect our course platform and unfortunately, it does not play nice with VPNs. If you are experiencing issues, turn off your VPN and try again. If that does not solve the issue, please contact our support team at support@tcm-sec.com and we will help you out.
This course is included in our All-Access Membership, starting at $29.99/month.
Get full access to this course and our full course catalog when you enroll in our All-Access Membership.
RELATED COURSES
Continue Your Learning Path
Explore related courses that expand on the skills covered here.
Detection Engineering for Beginners
Practical Malware Analysis & Triage
Practical Security Fundamentals
Ready to level up your Cybersecurity Career?
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