About Cypherpunk School
What Is This?
Cypherpunk School teaches you to protect your privacy through code, not policy.
We’re building a collection of hands-on courses that transform privacy-curious individuals into crypto-capable practitioners. No fluff. No GUI tutorials. Just terminal, tools, and real skills.
Current Course: Cypherpunk 101 - 12 weeks of command-line cryptography, OpSec, and applied privacy (Week 1 live now)
Our Philosophy
“Privacy is necessary for an open society in the electronic age.” — Eric Hughes, A Cypherpunk’s Manifesto (1993)
Cypherpunk Values
We build this school on five principles:
- Privacy is a human right - Not a product to buy or a privilege for the paranoid
- Code over policy - Math protects better than laws ever will
- Open source enables trust - Closed source demands it
- Decentralization resists control - No single points of failure
- Hands-on learning - Build skills through practice, not passive consumption
Cypherpunks Write Code
We don’t just read about privacy. We implement it.
Every lesson includes hands-on CLI exercises. You’ll build real systems, use real tools, develop real skills. By the end of Cypherpunk 101, you’ll have your own personal privacy infrastructure—not just theoretical knowledge.
Course Structure
Current: Cypherpunk 101 (12 Weeks)
Target Audience: Linux users comfortable with command-line who want practical cryptography skills
Status: Week 1 live. Weeks 2-12 releasing iteratively.
What You’ll Master:
- Weeks 1-3: Foundations (philosophy, crypto fundamentals, GPG)
- Weeks 4-5: Secure Everything (communications, filesystem encryption)
- Weeks 6-8: Network Like a Ghost (Tor, SSH, identity compartmentalization)
- Weeks 9-10: Automate Security (scripting, real-world projects)
- Weeks 11-12: Advanced Concepts (distributed systems, protocols)
Now Available: Privacy 101
Target Audience: Complete beginners (no technical prerequisites)
Status: Week 1 live. Weeks 2-10 releasing iteratively.
Topics:
- Why privacy matters and threat modeling
- Linux installation (Pop!_OS walkthrough)
- Browser privacy and tracking protection
- Password managers (KeePassXC, Bitwarden)
- Email privacy and aliasing
- Encrypted messaging (Signal, SimpleX)
- VPN selection and configuration
- Encrypted storage basics
- Tor Browser fundamentals
- Integrated privacy workflow
Future: Advanced Cypherpunk
Target Audience: Cypherpunk 101 graduates
Topics:
- Post-quantum cryptography
- Zero-knowledge proofs (zkSNARKs)
- Self-sovereign identity systems
- Metadata-resistant messaging
- Hardware security modules
- Privacy-preserving smart contracts
Why Iterative Release?
We deliver value now, not perfection later.
Instead of waiting months to release everything at once, we’re launching one week at a time:
✅ You start learning immediately - Week 1 is live today ✅ Content is battle-tested - Each week refined through personal walkthrough ✅ Real feedback shapes the course - Your input improves remaining weeks ✅ Quality stays high - Each release gets full attention and polish ✅ Sustainable pace - No burnout from trying to perfect everything simultaneously
Week 1 is available now. Start today. New weeks release as they’re completed.
Who This Is For
Cypherpunk 101 Prerequisites
⚠️ IMPORTANT - Not a beginner course!
You MUST have:
- ✅ Linux installed and working (any distro)
- ✅ Basic bash/CLI comfort (terminal navigation, file editing)
- ✅ Package manager familiarity (apt, pacman, dnf, etc.)
- ✅ Willingness to experiment (ideally in a VM)
You DON’T need:
- ❌ Prior cryptography knowledge (we teach this)
- ❌ Programming skills (helpful but not required)
- ❌ Sysadmin expertise (we learn together)
New to Linux? Wait for Privacy 101 - it covers Linux basics before diving into command-line crypto.
How to Use This Course
For Linux Users New to Cryptography
- Verify you meet prerequisites
- Start Week 1 - build your threat model
- Follow lessons sequentially (foundations matter)
- Complete hands-on exercises before advancing
- Use a dedicated VM for practice (break things safely)
- Keep notes as suggested in Week 1
For Experienced Users
- Skim familiar material, focus on new tools
- Jump to specific topics of interest
- Use as reference documentation
- Share knowledge while protecting privacy (consider pseudonyms)
Time Commitment
- 4-6 hours per week for core lessons
- Self-paced - go faster or slower as needed
- Lifetime access - return anytime for reference
Course Development Philosophy
Why Command-Line First?
GUIs hide what’s happening. CLIs teach what’s real.
When you encrypt a file via GUI, you click a button. When you do it via command line, you understand:
- Which algorithm is used
- Where keys are stored
- What metadata remains
- How to script it
- When it fails and why
We teach CLI because it builds true understanding, not just button-clicking muscle memory.
Why Open Source Only?
You can’t trust what you can’t audit.
Every tool we teach is open source. You (or the security community) can read the code, verify claims, and trust through transparency—not marketing.
Closed-source “trust us” encryption is worthless. Cryptography needs math, not promises.
Why Free?
Privacy skills shouldn’t be paywalled.
Core courses (Cypherpunk 101, Privacy 101) are free forever. We may offer advanced courses, guided cohorts, or mentorship later—but foundational privacy skills stay accessible to everyone.
Privacy is a right. Education to protect it should be too.
What You’ll Build
By completing Cypherpunk 101, you’ll have:
- ✅ Personal threat model and security strategy
- ✅ GPG keypair and encrypted communication setup
- ✅ Encrypted filesystems for sensitive data
- ✅ Secure SSH infrastructure
- ✅ Tor and anonymous networking skills
- ✅ Compartmentalized digital identities
- ✅ Automated encrypted backup systems
- ✅ Practical cypherpunk toolkit
Not just knowledge. Real infrastructure you can use today.
About the Creator
This course is built by someone who learned cryptography the hard way—through trial, error, and countless hours reading man pages.
Why I built this:
- There’s plenty of theoretical crypto education (too abstract)
- There’s plenty of “how to use Signal” tutorials (too basic)
- There’s almost nothing in between (practical CLI cryptography)
My goal: Fill that gap. Teach people who know Linux but not crypto how to actually use cryptographic tools at the command line.
My promise: No BS. No hype. Just practical skills that work in the real world.
Responsible Use & Ethics
Privacy tools are for protection, not harm.
Legitimate Uses
✅ Protecting personal data from breaches ✅ Securing communications for journalists and activists ✅ Privacy as a fundamental right ✅ Authorized security testing ✅ Understanding systems to defend them
Not For
❌ Illegal activities or circumventing laws ❌ Unauthorized access to systems ❌ Harassment, fraud, or malicious purposes
Legal Considerations
Know your local laws. Some jurisdictions restrict encryption tools or anonymous communication. You’re responsible for understanding and complying with laws in your region.
Privacy tools don’t make you untouchable. They protect your rights while you act lawfully. No system is perfect—evaluate your risks and adjust accordingly.
Feedback & Contributions
This course evolves based on real feedback and new developments.
How to help:
- Report errors: GitHub Issues (coming soon) or email
- Suggest improvements: What worked? What didn’t?
- Share (carefully): Help others find this course (pseudonyms encouraged)
Future plans:
- Open source the course content (contributions welcome)
- Translations to other languages
- Community discussion forums
- Advanced modules and specialized topics
Ready to Begin?
Week 1 is live. Start now.
Or learn more about the full curriculum
“Cypherpunks write code. We know that someone has to write software to defend privacy, and since we can’t get privacy unless we all do, we’re going to write it.” — Eric Hughes, A Cypherpunk’s Manifesto