Free cyber security training exists all over the internet. Several industry-leading organizations provide free cyber security training to combat the number of unfilled cyber security positions across the globe and to increase the number of those who are underrepresented in the field of cyber security.
One of the most well-known free cyber security training resources is YouTube. YouTube has millions of hours of content, much of it devoted to educating those interested in learning. Whatever your cyber security interest, YouTube will have content on that subject, often provided by cyber security experts or industry-leading businesses in the field.
Coursera is another great resource for training. While Coursera is probably most well-known for its faculty being made up of professors from some of the most prestigious universities across the planet, the training provider also allows students to audit many of their courses for free. There are some limitations, based on the course and the instructor, when auditing a course. For instance, when auditing a Coursera course, you may not have access to the class discussion forum or the tests or final exam, and you won’t get a certificate of completion, however, in most cases you have access to all course materials and everything you need to complete the course.
Many of the top universities have open-source courseware freely available that allows you to learn cyber security concepts from some of the best college-level instructors. The world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has provided its OpenCourseWare program since 2001 as an avenue to help lead a “revolution in free access to knowledge.”
Another excellent resource for free training is the SANS Institute. SANS, the world’s largest provider of online cyber security training, has many free training resources. Joining the SANS community provides you free access to workshops, tools and cheat sheets, webcasts, white papers, newsletters, research, cyber ranges, and many other world-class cyber security training resources.
