Intermediate

🎯 Goal Master SSH for secure remote access, authentication hardening, port forwarding, and tunneling. Learn to configure SSH servers securely, use key-based authentication, and leverage SSH tunnels for accessing internal networks. 1. SSH Fundamentals & Key-Based Authentication Why SSH Keys Over Passwords? Passwords are weak: Vulnerable to brute force attacks Can be keylogged or phished Easily forgotten or reused SSH keys are strong: 4096-bit RSA or ed25519 provide cryptographic security Private key never leaves your machine Cannot be brute forced in reasonable time Generate an SSH Key Pair Recommended: Ed25519 (modern, fast, secure) ...

Goal Understand how Tor enables anonymous communication, install and configure Tor Browser securely, and learn the essential operational security practices for anonymous browsing. Prerequisites: Weeks 1-6 (encryption, communications, networking) This is Part 1 of 2 - Covers Tor fundamentals, installation, and basic OpSec. Note on Responsible Use: Tor is a powerful privacy tool used by journalists, whistleblowers, activists, and ordinary people worldwide to protect their communications from surveillance. This lesson teaches Tor for legitimate privacy protection. Know your local laws and use these skills ethically. ...

Goal Master advanced Tor techniques including VPN combinations, bypassing censorship with bridges, contributing to the network by running relays, integrating Tor with SSH, and understanding when NOT to use Tor. Prerequisites: Week 7a (Tor Fundamentals) This is Part 2 of 2 - Covers advanced configuration and limitations. 🌱 New to this? For a gentler take on VPNs—what they do, what they don’t, and how to pick one—Privacy 101 covers it without the command line: Privacy 101 Week 7: VPNs Done Right → ...

Goal Understand why identity compartmentalization is critical for operational security and learn to create isolated environments using virtual machines. Prerequisites: Weeks 1-7 (encryption, Tor, networking) This is Part 1 of 2 - Covers compartmentalization concepts and VM basics. 🌱 New to this? Privacy 101 introduces the operational-security mindset—habits, compartmentalization, and the privacy mindset—in a beginner-friendly way first: Privacy 101 Week 11: Operational Security → 1. Why Compartmentalization Matters The Problem: Identity Bleeding Without compartmentalization: ...

Goal Master specialized security operating systems (Whonix and Tails) for maximum anonymity and build practical compartmentalization workflows for different use cases. Prerequisites: Week 8a (VM Fundamentals) This is Part 2 of 2 - Covers Whonix, Tails, and practical workflows. 1. Whonix: Maximum Anonymity Through Isolation What is Whonix? Two-VM architecture for Tor isolation: ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Whonix-Workstation │ │ (Where you actually work) │ │ - Browser, apps, files │ │ - Cannot directly access internet │ │ - All traffic → Whonix-Gateway │ └──────────────┬──────────────────────────┘ │ Internal Network Only ↓ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Whonix-Gateway │ │ (Tor relay) │ │ - Routes all traffic through Tor │ │ - No applications run here │ │ - Workstation cannot bypass Tor │ └─────────────────────────────────────────┘ Why this matters: ...

Goal Learn bash scripting fundamentals tailored for security workflows and master automating GPG encryption operations in scripts. Prerequisites: Weeks 1-9 (encryption, GPG, system administration) This is Part 1 of 2 - Covers scripting fundamentals and GPG automation. 1. Why Automate Security Workflows? The Problem: Manual Tasks Get Skipped Security fatigue is real: Manual backups → forgotten until disaster strikes Key rotation → procrastinated indefinitely Log reviews → “I’ll do it tomorrow” (never happens) Security updates → Delayed due to inconvenience Result: Security degrades over time ...

Goal Master cron scheduling for security automation, build security maintenance scripts, and create a complete automated security workflow suite. Prerequisites: Week 10a (Bash Scripting & GPG Automation) This is Part 2 of 2 - Covers scheduling and complete automation workflows. 1. Cron Jobs for Automation Understanding Cron Syntax # ┌───────────── minute (0-59) # │ ┌─────────── hour (0-23) # │ │ ┌───────── day of month (1-31) # │ │ │ ┌─────── month (1-12) # │ │ │ │ ┌───── day of week (0-7, Sunday = 0 or 7) # │ │ │ │ │ # * * * * * command to execute Examples: ...