What this is: The Learning League is a response to a problem we've seen many students have in the past few years. Many students who want to join the Cyber Security field or students who've been in the field with little guidance, have a tough time knowing where to look for resources and when they ask for help, they'll receive answers such as "start a home lab" or "Do HackTheBox," when they don't even know basic Linux Commands. Our goal here is to provide students resources that are free/open-source and progressively help them gain the skills they need to effective utilize these platforms like HackTheBox. If you complete the courses here, you'll gain a solid foundation within the Cyber Security Industry.
What this is not: You will NOT become an expert by simply going through these courses. We are providing the resources you need to get started, but it is your job to keep using these resources to further your education! We may give you a lab on HackTheBox that goes over network reconnaissance, but afterwards, it's up to you to keep exploring HackTheBox for more labs for you to try. All of this is up to your motivation!
Below, you'll find a list of "lanes" you can participate in. Each lane will go over a specific topic. Some lanes will have prerequisites we encourage taking before continue down that path. They're currently organized in our recommended order but feel free to jump around and try whatever you feel! All courses can be accessed as GUEST. If asked, click "Access as a guest"
Purpose: This section aims to help students practice independently by teaching them how to use ISOs and create virtual machines. This provides an accessible way for students to gain experience. Since virtualization is essential to many aspects of cybersecurity, hands-on experience with virtual machines will also help reduce confusion in various environments.
Purpose: Linux Lessons will aid students with skills in using the terminal, understanding system files, and operating system features. This will help students to identify basic Linux Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) such as scheduled tasks and improper permissions.
Purpose: Windows Lessons will help students with skills in understanding Windows Security Policies, System Tools, identifying basic Windows Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) such as scheduled tasks and improper permissions, and generally understand the overall Windows Structure.
Purpose: Network services are a critical component of enterprise networks. This section will cover the basic function of different services, how to configure it, secure it, and exploit it. Since service configurations are often similar across different operating systems the lessons can be done in any system.
Purpose: NOT to teach students how to solve specific flags, but providing a general overview of the types of flags they'll encounter and the tools they could use. The focus is on teaching the mindset—understanding how to approach challenges. They should know how to identify certain parts of a challenge and how to find the tools needed to solve them.
| Purpose: In many competitions, the ability to find Indicators of Compromise (IoCs), secure them, and report on them are essential skills. This section provides resources to inform students about the standards they need to meet, the tools they can use, and how to effectively report their findings. | ||||||||
Purpose: Help students understand the networking aspects of both operating systems and networking equipment. Students will learn how packets work, how to block, allow, and manipulate them, as well as how to troubleshoot network issues. Network security is also a focus in this section.
Also known as the Home Lab Lane, this lane is designed for students who have already explored the basics of Virtualization, Linux, Windows, and Services and are looking for projects they can do at home to further their understanding.
This will also as serve as preliminary training for UTSA's Infrastructure Team. If you're interested in creating your homelab or working on UTSA's Competition Lab, start this lane!