Best route to learning security

[ANeg]

I have a strong interest in security, in terms of computer security, firewalls, servers, and also the security in terms of websites. Eventually I may want to transition from my current profession to security however it is a long story to explain why I may be changing careers.

What would you suggest would be the best route to take to learn these?

Study I know, and I work full time as a chemist so I do not have the time to go back to school.

What are some good resources I can use to learn this on my own without needing to sit in a classroom.

I appreciate your time,

Ubuntu Newbie

[QDR06VV9]

As far as Security goes that is an on going(Lifetime Learning Curve) countinual coarse.
But a good start would be http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=510812 Lots and Lots of good info there.
And I am sure others will contibute as well.
Good luck!
Regards

[ANeg]

Thank you. I appreciate that information. I will go to it. Have a great day.

[QDR06VV9]

Your very welcome!:D

Have a great day.
You do the same.
Lots of stuff to take in.
Kind Regards

[Welly Wu]

Before you focus on security, you're much better off learning about system administration first and foremost. System Administration is focused on managing users' accounts, privileges, access control, etc. It's about managing servers and making things work among different PCs across multiple OSes and it includes mobile OSes as well. You should focus on system administration for at least six months before you jump into security first because a lot of the information and knowledge are interrelated. A good system administrator does not need many security professionals depending upon the size of the IT infrastructure and budget to be able to secure the corporate or government assets. I would recommend that you try OpenSuSE 64 bit to learn more about system administration and security because the YaST 2 control panel will give you clues as to how it's supposed to be done with a solid GNU/Linux distribution. Ubuntu does not provide YaST 2.

[Welly Wu]

A good system administrator is part problem solver, part creative thinker, and part magician. Learning system administration will teach you the fundamentals of a well maintained IT infrastructure and the basic fundamentals of networking and topologies that are essential when it comes to networked environments with multiple users. The US military has some of the best teachers and professionals in the world, but it's largely classified. Security is like an organic part of system administration like a tree with its limbs and roots. You need to start with a seed which is the motivation and curiosity which you do have and grow from the roots up to the trunk of the tree. This is why I recommend that you spend your time learning system administration first before security later. The more that you learn about it the easier security becomes to comprehend in its totality. This is also why I recommend OpenSuSE as a learning tool. You can download Oracle's Virtualbox VM and install OpenSuSE in a guest virtual machine and teach yourself good system administration skill sets and gain knowledge by going from there. A better choice is Red Hat Enterprise Linux or SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop as a beginner, but you must pay for these latter software products. A key essential is to learn about the OSI 7 layer model, network stacks and topologies, and Wi-Fi security especially as it relates to mobile OSes like Apple's iOS and Google's Android. You have to learn the basic concepts of attack, defense, penetration, reconnaisance, targeting, selection, infiltration, attack vectors and payloads, and exfiltration techniques as it pertains to offensive and defensive strategies and tactics. You also have to be humble and know that no software code is invulnerable and a lot of the unauthorized intrusions come from misconfiguration especially of routers and switches along with unpatched 0 day security vulnerabilities and active exploits. Another major concern is staying on top of security bulletins and malware forensics and analysis.