# Every Free Cybersecurity Course, Cert, and Tool in One Topic

**URL:** <https://onehack.st/t/every-free-cybersecurity-course-cert-and-tool-in-one-topic/314965>\
**Category:** Tutorials & Methods\
**Tags:** programming, hacking, freebies\
**Created:** [December 19, 2025, 8:22am UTC](https://onehack.st/t/every-free-cybersecurity-course-cert-and-tool-in-one-topic/314965 "2025-12-19T08:22:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dalonus](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/dalonus/32/166450_2.png) [@Dalonus](https://onehack.st/u/Dalonus)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2025, 8:22am UTC](https://onehack.st/t/every-free-cybersecurity-course-cert-and-tool-in-one-topic/314965/1 "2025-12-19T08:22:19Z")

</div>

# Stop Paying for Cybersecurity Training — Here’s Everything Free

> 🗺 **One-Line Flow:** Grab free holiday toolkit → stack it with hidden certs, underground tools, and loopholes nobody talks about → become dangerous without spending a dime.

![](https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExbHJieHdjbnRxeGU5ZmFpdHdobm5iZjd1c2UyYXJ3Z3Ewa3luenNjMCZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/4BB7BVYKNfvK8/giphy.gif)

* * *

## 🎁 The Free Starter Pack (Claim This First)

InfoSec Institute dropped their annual **“Hacked for the Holidays”** freebie:

👉 **[https://www.infosecinstitute.com/form/hacked-for-the-holidays/](https://www.infosecinstitute.com/form/hacked-for-the-holidays/)**

It’s the appetizer. What follows is the full buffet they don’t advertise.

* * *

## 🎓 Free Certs Worth Actual Money

Yes, real certifications. Yes, actually free. No, I’m not lying.

| Cert | Normal Price | Your Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity | $199 exam | **$0** | [isc2.org/landing/1mcc](https://www.isc2.org/landing/1mcc) |
| Fortinet NSE 1-3 | $hundreds | **$0** | [training.fortinet.com](https://www.fortinet.com/training-certification) |

The ISC2 thing is wild — free training AND free exam. Only catch is $50/year after you pass. That’s cheaper than your Netflix addiction.

Fortinet’s been giving away 30+ courses since 2020 and nobody talks about it. SD-WAN, cloud security, OT security — all free, all give you CPE credits for other certs.

**Students with .edu emails:** The [GitHub Student Pack](https://education.github.com/pack) has $200,000+ in tools. 1Password, Azure credits, MongoDB certs, Copilot access. Stop paying for things.

* * *

## 🔧 Tools That Slap (And Cost Nothing)

The mainstream lists recycle the same 10 tools. Here’s what actual professionals use quietly.

> **🔍 Secret Hunting & Credential Finding**
>
> **[TruffleHog](https://github.com/trufflesecurity/trufflehog)** — Finds leaked secrets across 800+ types and actually verifies if they still work. The `--object-discovery` flag digs up secrets in deleted git commits. Yes, deleted.
> 
> **[h8mail](https://github.com/khast3x/h8mail)** — Hunts email passwords across breach databases. Point, click, feel slightly uncomfortable about how easy this is.
> 
> **[GitHound](https://github.com/tillson/git-hound)** — Scans ALL of GitHub for exposed API keys. Not your repos. All repos.

> **🦠 Malware Analysis (Without Getting Infected)**
>
> **[Qu1cksc0pe](https://github.com/CYB3RMX/Qu1cksc0pe)** — One tool handles Windows, Linux, Android, and Office malware. Spits out MITRE ATT&CK tables automatically. Detects everything from AgentTesla to Formbook.
> 
> **[IPED](https://github.com/sepinf-inc/IPED)** — Literally used by Brazilian Federal Police for real investigations. Free. Open source. Yours now.
> 
> **[Avilla Forensics](https://github.com/AvillaDaniel/AvillaForensics)** — Won first place at Forensics 4:Cast Awards 2023. For mobile forensics. Nobody outside forensics circles knows it exists.

> **☁️ Cloud Security Auditing**
>
> **[Prowler](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler)** — 800+ security checks across AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes. Covers CIS, NIST, PCI-DSS, GDPR, HIPAA, SOC2. Run it with zero arguments for a full audit. That’s it. That’s the tweet.
> 
> **[ScoutSuite](https://github.com/nccgroup/ScoutSuite)** — Pretty HTML reports with risk levels across five cloud providers. Point it at your cloud, watch it find your mistakes.
> 
> **[my-arsenal-of-aws-security-tools](https://github.com/toniblyx/my-arsenal-of-aws-security-tools)** — Curated list of AWS offensive/defensive tools. Bookmark it.

> **🕵️ OSINT That Goes Too Deep**
>
> **[cipher387’s collection](https://github.com/cipher387/osint_stuff_tool_collection)** — Several hundred OSINT tools including Bitmoji investigators, OnlyFans searchers, and geolocation tools that feel illegal but aren’t.
> 
> **[GHunt](https://github.com/mxrch/GHunt)** — Give it any Google email. Get back their calendar events, Google Maps reviews, and stuff buried deep in Google’s ecosystem. Creepy? Yes. Powerful? Also yes.
> 
> **[Toutatis](https://github.com/megadose/toutatis)** — Pulls hidden Instagram info (emails, phone numbers) using undocumented APIs. The stuff that’s “not public” but absolutely is.
> 
> **[Photon](https://github.com/s0md3v/Photon)** — Crawls websites at stupid speed. Extracts URLs, emails, social media, files, secret keys, subdomains. Everything.
> 
> **[Netlas.io](https://netlas.io)** — Like Shodan but different data. Free tier available. Another angle on internet-wide scanning.

* * *

## 🎮 Learn By Breaking Things (Zero Setup Required)

No VMs. No downloads. No “install these 47 dependencies.” Just open browser, start hacking.

> **Browser-Based Hacking Playgrounds**
>
> **[PortSwigger Web Security Academy](https://portswigger.net/web-security)** — 190+ interactive labs from the Burp Suite creators. SQL injection through SSRF. This rivals training that costs thousands. It’s free. I don’t understand why.
> 
> **[Microcorruption](https://microcorruption.com)** — Matasano Security built this for recruiting. Learn embedded exploitation through a browser-based debugger. Professional-grade, zero setup.
> 
> **[KC7 Cyber Detective Game](https://kc7cyber.com)** — Investigate realistic cyberattacks through log analysis. No account needed. Designed for people with literally zero technical background. You’ll feel like you’re in a movie.
> 
> **[flAWS](http://flaws.cloud) & [flAWS2](http://flaws2.cloud)** — Learn AWS security by exploiting actual misconfigurations. S3 buckets, metadata abuse, IAM weaknesses. Hands-on.
> 
> **[CryptoHack](https://cryptohack.org)** — Gamified crypto attacks with achievements. Break things to learn things.
> 
> **[Cryptopals](https://cryptopals.com)** — Also from Matasano. Teaches crypto by making you break crypto. Industry legend.

> **Structured Learning Paths**
>
> **[Roppers Academy](https://www.hoppersroppers.org/training.html)** — Complete free curriculum from computing basics to security specialization. Built by actual security pros. The foundation everyone wishes they had.
> 
> **[pwn.college](https://pwn.college)** — Belt-based progression through binary exploitation. Created by ASU’s SEFCOM (top CTF team). Earn your yellow belt, then black.
> 
> **[OpenSecurityTraining](https://opensecuritytraining.info)** — University-quality multi-day courses. Free. Their “Intro to Intel x86” is legendary among reverse engineers.
> 
> **[Malware Unicorn RE101/RE102](https://malwareunicorn.org/workshops/re101.html)** — Downloadable VMs with real malware samples. Hands-on reverse engineering. Actual professional training.
> 
> **[RangeForce Community Edition](https://go.rangeforce.com/community-edition-registration)** — 20 free hands-on modules. Docker, Kubernetes, Splunk, security fundamentals. Cloud-based cyber range. Browser only.

* * *

## 🏛 Government Freebies (Your Taxes Paid For This)

> **850+ Hours of Free Training Nobody Claims**
>
> **[CISA Learning](https://niccs.cisa.gov/training/cisa-learning)** — 850+ hours including CISSP, CISM, CEH prep. Available to government employees, veterans, military, and critical infrastructure workers. That last category is broader than you think.
> 
> **[NICCS Training Catalog](https://niccs.cisa.gov/training/catalog)** — 3,000+ courses mapped to the NICE Framework. Filter by free.
> 
> **[CISA ICS Training](https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/programs/ics-training-available-through-cisa)** — Industrial Control Systems training taught at Idaho National Laboratory. Free with corporate, government, military, or education email.
> 
> **[Stanford CS 253: Web Security](https://web.stanford.edu/class/cs253)** — Full course materials and video lectures. Stanford quality. Free because academia occasionally does something right.

* * *

## 📚 GitHub Repos That Are Basically Cheat Codes

> **The Professional's Secret Stash**
>
> **[mgeeky/Penetration-Testing-Tools](https://github.com/mgeeky/Penetration-Testing-Tools)** — 170+ tools from years of actual red team work. Clouds, phishing, networks, Windows exploitation. This is someone’s career in a repo.
> 
> **[Cheatsheet-God](https://github.com/OlivierLaflamme/Cheatsheet-God)** — Most comprehensive pentesting reference available. Period.
> 
> **[One-Lin3r](https://github.com/D4Vinci/One-Lin3r)** — 176+ pentesting one-liners with auto-complete and typo correction. Copies to clipboard automatically.
> 
> **[awesome-bugbounty-tools](https://github.com/vavkamil/awesome-bugbounty-tools)** — GitHound, keyhacks (validate API keys), gitjacker (leak git repos from misconfigs). Bug bounty arsenal.
> 
> **[security-lists](https://github.com/Mehran-Seifalinia/security-lists)** — Payloads organized by purpose. Sensitive paths, exploits, WAF bypasses. Works with Burp, FFUF, Nuclei.
> 
> **[XSS-Payloads-Collection](https://github.com/Mr-r00t11/XSS-Payloads-Collection)** — XSS payloads specifically crafted to bypass Imperva, CloudFront, Akamai. The annoying WAFs.
> 
> **[awesome-free-cybersecurity](https://github.com/her0marodeur/awesome-free-cybersecurity)** — Curated list of free resources. Good starting point if you want more.
> 
> **[CTF Sites Directory](https://ctfsites.github.io/)** — Every CTF platform in one place.

* * *

## 💸 Loopholes & Timing Tricks

**[Antisyphon Training](https://www.antisyphontraining.com)** — Pay what you can. Including $0. Former SANS instructors teaching professional content. Not a typo.

**[Shodan Black Friday](https://www.shodan.io)** — They occasionally do $5 lifetime memberships. Set a reminder for November.

**[InfoSec Black Friday Deals](https://github.com/0x90n/InfoSec-Black-Friday)** — Tracks annual deals. TryHackMe 40% off, CyberWarFare Labs 90% off, SecOps Group 80-90% off pentesting exams.

**Bug Bounty Platforms** — [HackerOne](https://www.hackerone.com) and [Bugcrowd](https://www.bugcrowd.com) give you real targets for practice. Build reputation, unlock tool discounts, maybe get paid.

* * *

## 👩‍💻 For Those Who Need Extra Support

**[Mossé Institute Women in Cyber](https://www.mosse-institute.com/women-in-cyber.html)** — Free certification training + remote internships.

**WiCyS** — SANS Security Training scholarships backed by Google.

**Women in Cloud** — Free Microsoft Cybersecurity Analyst certs + SC-900 exam vouchers.

* * *

## 💬 Communities That Don’t Suck

**[Simply Cyber Discord](https://www.yourwelcome.to/simplycyber)** — Career guidance, CTF events, actually helpful people.

**[Digital Overdose](https://discord.gg/digitaloverdose)** — Free tutoring for people who can’t afford traditional training. Yes, really.

**[DISBOARD Cyber Security Servers](https://disboard.org/servers/tag/cyber-security)** — Find your niche.

* * *

## 🧠 Sumamry Action Plan

1. **Right now:** Grab the [holiday toolkit](https://www.infosecinstitute.com/form/hacked-for-the-holidays/) and start [ISC2 CC](https://www.isc2.org/landing/1mcc) training
2. **This week:** Complete a [PortSwigger](https://portswigger.net/web-security) lab or play [KC7](https://kc7cyber.com)
3. **This month:** Earn [Fortinet NSE 1-3](https://www.fortinet.com/training-certification) certs (free resume padding)
4. **Ongoing:** Bookmark the GitHub repos, join a Discord, stop paying for things that are free

* * *

The barrier to entering cybersecurity is a lie. Everything you need exists for free. The real gatekeeping is that nobody tells you where to look.

Now you know.

![](https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWVjZjA1ZTQ3d3ViN29xOXZ6a2c4ZXJsbXpmYXN2a2V3eW1tMTdoam15cXhuM3F0bSZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/gnLJlrfgPJGCs/giphy.gif)

_Topic supercharged by @SRZ because the original was too basic_ ✨