Cybersecurity by level
CybersecurityBeginner
Harvard's introduction to cybersecurity for technical and non-technical audiences. Covers threats, authentication, networking, system security, and operational security. Free to audit; certificate available via edX.
CybersecurityBeginner
TryHackMe's free Pre-Security learning path. Covers cybersecurity careers, basic networking, web fundamentals, Linux, and Windows. Designed for total beginners with no IT background.
CybersecurityBeginner
TryHackMe's flagship beginner path covering the breadth of cybersecurity: networking, web exploitation, cryptography, defensive security, and incident response. Mostly free with hands-on rooms.
CybersecurityBeginner
Microsoft Learn's path for the SC-900 certification. Covers security, compliance, and identity concepts, Microsoft Entra (Azure AD), and Microsoft security solutions. Free with an aligned cert.
CybersecurityBeginner
Google's Foundations of Cybersecurity on Coursera is the introductory module of the Google Cybersecurity Certificate program, structured over five weeks. You'll learn threat assessment, asset protection, incident response workflows, and foundational security thinking. You get full access to videos and quizzes with the free audit option. It's designed for complete beginners with no IT background and serves as the entry point for career-changers exploring cybersecurity. Thousands of learners worldwide have started their security journey here. The limitation: it covers only the first course of the paid certificate. Advancing to intermediate topics requires enrollment in paid modules.
CybersecurityBeginner
Cisco's Introduction to Cybersecurity is a free, self-paced course covering threat types, authentication, encryption, network defense, and incident response fundamentals. You'll build a foundation in security concepts essential for entry-level cybersecurity roles or anyone moving into IT. The course is structured for complete beginners with no IT background and is Cisco's accessible entry point into the field. You earn a free digital badge on completion, backed by Cisco's industry credibility. The limitation: it is awareness-level content focused on concepts, not hands-on technical labs. For hands-on practice, pair it with a platform like TryHackMe.