CyberStart
Job Role Path CJCA Certification Path
Available now

Junior Cybersecurity Analyst

The Junior Cybersecurity Analyst path is CyberStart's on-ramp into defensive security. Across 21 modules you go from zero to a job-ready analyst: information-security fundamentals, networking, Linux and Windows, traffic and endpoint monitoring, SIEM and Splunk, threat hunting and intel, malware and forensics basics, and the full incident-handling process — closing with a hands-on capstone skills assessment.

Easy 17d 3h 21 Modules
Junior Cybersecurity Analyst
What you'll learn
  • Explain core InfoSec principles (CIA, defense in depth, least privilege) and where each control fits.
  • Read live network traffic in Wireshark/tcpdump and spot suspicious protocol behaviour.
  • Operate confidently in Linux and Windows shells, including PowerShell for triage.
  • Ingest, parse and query logs in a SIEM and write correlation rules that catch real attacks.
  • Run a hypothesis-driven threat hunt using MITRE ATT&CK and open threat intel.
  • Execute the six-phase incident handling process and produce credible incident reports.
Prerequisites
  • Comfort using a computer and a web browser.
  • Curiosity about how systems, networks and attackers work — no prior security experience required.
Who it's for
  • Career switchers moving into cybersecurity from IT, helpdesk, or unrelated fields.
  • Students preparing for their first SOC / analyst role or internship.
  • IT admins who want to move into the security team.
Curriculum · 21 modules

Full curriculum

Every module ends with a 20-question quiz. Learners need 80% on each quiz to advance.

Module 01· Available
Introduction to Information Security
Foundations of the cybersecurity field: principles, domains, threats, and the teams that defend organizations.
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  1. Structure of InfoSec
  2. Principles of Information Security
  3. Network Security
  4. Application Security
  5. Operational Security
  6. Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity
  7. Cloud Security
  8. Physical Security
  9. Mobile Security
  10. Internet of Things Security
  11. Distributed Denial of Service
  12. Ransomware
  13. Social Engineering
  14. Insider Threat
  15. Advanced Persistent Threats
  16. Threat Actors
  17. Red Team
  18. Blue Team
  19. Purple Team
  20. Chief Information Security Officer
  21. Penetration Testers
  22. Security Operations Center
  23. Bug Bounty Hunter
  24. Recommendations
Module 02· Available
Network Foundations
How networks actually work — the layer-by-layer knowledge every analyst needs before touching security tools.
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  1. Introduction to Networks
  2. Network Types
  3. Network Topologies
  4. Network Layer & Protocols
  5. Transport Layer & Protocols
  6. Application Layer & Protocols
  7. IP Addressing & Subnetting
  8. Routing & Switching
  9. Wireless Networking
  10. Network Services (DHCP, DNS, NAT)
  11. Common Network Attacks
  12. Skills Assessment
Module 03· Coming soon
Introduction to Networking
Core networking concepts every analyst needs: the OSI and TCP/IP models, addressing, subnetting, common protocols, and the hardware that moves packets.
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  1. Networking Overview
  2. Network Types
  3. Networking Topologies
  4. Proxies
  5. Networking Models
  6. The OSI Model
  7. The TCP/IP Model
  8. Network Layer
  9. IPv4 Addresses
  10. Subnetting
  11. MAC Addresses
  12. IPv6 Addresses
  13. Networking Key Terminology
  14. Common Protocols
  15. Wireless Networks
  16. Virtual Private Networks
  17. Vendor Specific Information
  18. Key Exchange Mechanisms
  19. Authentication Protocols
  20. TCP/UDP Connections
  21. Cryptography
Module 04· Coming soon
Linux Fundamentals
The Linux command line, filesystem, permissions, package management, and shell scripting for analysts.
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  1. Introduction to Linux
  2. The Linux Filesystem
  3. Navigation & File Operations
  4. File Permissions & Ownership
  5. Users, Groups & Sudo
  6. Package Management (apt/dnf)
  7. Process & Service Management
  8. Networking on Linux
  9. Shell Scripting Basics
  10. Log Files & journalctl
  11. Skills Assessment
Module 05· Coming soon
Windows Fundamentals
Windows internals: users, groups, registry, services, PowerShell, event logs, and enterprise Active Directory basics.
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  1. Introduction to Windows
  2. Windows File System & Permissions
  3. Users, Groups & UAC
  4. The Windows Registry
  5. Services & Scheduled Tasks
  6. PowerShell Essentials
  7. Windows Event Logs
  8. Active Directory Basics
  9. Group Policy Overview
  10. Skills Assessment
Module 06· Coming soon
Introduction to Networking Traffic Analysis
Reading packets with Wireshark and tcpdump — protocols, flows, and spotting suspicious traffic.
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  1. Traffic Analysis Fundamentals
  2. Capturing Traffic with tcpdump
  3. Wireshark Interface & Filters
  4. Analyzing TCP/UDP Streams
  5. DNS & HTTP Analysis
  6. TLS/SSL Traffic Inspection
  7. Spotting Suspicious Flows
  8. Skills Assessment
Module 07· Coming soon
Introduction to Endpoint Security Monitoring
Endpoint telemetry, EDR concepts, Sysmon, process trees, and building detections.
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  1. Endpoint Monitoring Overview
  2. EDR vs Antivirus
  3. Sysmon Configuration
  4. Process Trees & Parent-Child Analysis
  5. File & Registry Telemetry
  6. Network Telemetry from Endpoints
  7. Writing Endpoint Detections
  8. Skills Assessment
Module 08· Coming soon
Security Monitoring & SIEM Fundamentals
How SIEMs ingest, parse, and correlate logs. Writing detection rules and alert triage.
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  1. Introduction to SIEM
  2. Log Sources & Normalization
  3. Parsing & Field Extraction
  4. Correlation & Alert Rules
  5. Dashboards & Reporting
  6. Alert Triage Workflow
  7. SIEM Use Cases
  8. Skills Assessment
Module 09· Coming soon
Windows Event Logs & Finding Evil
Deep dive into Windows event logs, authentication, and hunting attacker activity.
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  1. Windows Logging Architecture
  2. Authentication Events (4624/4625)
  3. Process Creation Events (4688)
  4. PowerShell Logging
  5. Sysmon Event IDs Deep Dive
  6. Detecting Lateral Movement
  7. Detecting Persistence
  8. Skills Assessment
Module 10· Coming soon
Introduction to Threat Hunting & Threat Intelligence
Hypothesis-driven hunting, TTPs, IoCs, MITRE ATT&CK, and using threat intel feeds.
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  1. Threat Hunting Fundamentals
  2. The Hunting Loop
  3. MITRE ATT&CK Framework
  4. Indicators of Compromise (IoCs)
  5. Tactics, Techniques & Procedures
  6. Open Source Threat Intelligence
  7. Building a Hunt Hypothesis
  8. Skills Assessment
Module 11· Coming soon
Understanding Log Sources & Investigating with Splunk
Splunk SPL, dashboards, correlation searches, and building an investigation.
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  1. Splunk Architecture
  2. SPL Search Basics
  3. Stats, Timechart & Eval
  4. Field Extractions & Lookups
  5. Building Dashboards
  6. Correlation Searches
  7. Investigating an Incident in Splunk
  8. Skills Assessment
Module 12· Coming soon
Windows Attacks & Defense
Common Windows attacks (Kerberoasting, DCSync, lateral movement) and how defenders spot them.
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  1. Credential Theft & LSASS
  2. Pass-the-Hash & Pass-the-Ticket
  3. Kerberoasting & AS-REP Roasting
  4. DCSync & DCShadow
  5. Lateral Movement Techniques
  6. Persistence on Windows
  7. Detecting & Defending
  8. Skills Assessment
Module 13· Coming soon
Network Enumeration with Nmap
Master Nmap for host discovery, port and service enumeration, scripting, performance tuning, and firewall/IDS evasion — with three hands-on evasion labs.
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  1. Enumeration
  2. Introduction to Nmap
  3. Host Discovery
  4. Host and Port Scanning
  5. Saving the Results
  6. Service Enumeration
  7. Nmap Scripting Engine
  8. Performance
  9. Firewall and IDS/IPS Evasion
  10. Firewall and IDS/IPS Evasion — Easy Lab
  11. Firewall and IDS/IPS Evasion — Medium Lab
  12. Firewall and IDS/IPS Evasion — Hard Lab
Module 14· Coming soon
Intermediate Network Traffic Analysis
Analyzing malware C2, tunneling, exfiltration, and beaconing in captured traffic.
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Module 15· Coming soon
Working with IDS/IPS
Snort/Suricata rules, tuning, and integrating IDS/IPS into a SOC workflow.
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Module 16· Coming soon
Introduction to Malware Analysis
Static and dynamic analysis basics, sandboxing, and safe handling of suspicious samples.
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Module 17· Coming soon
Digital Forensics — Basics
Chain of custody, disk imaging, memory capture, and building a forensic timeline.
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Module 18· Coming soon
Incident Handling Process
The full IR lifecycle: preparation, identification, containment, eradication, recovery, lessons learned.
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Module 19· Coming soon
Security Incident Reporting
Writing clear technical and executive incident reports, and timelines that survive scrutiny.
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Module 20· Coming soon
SOC Hardening & Automation
SOAR, playbooks, and automating repetitive triage tasks in a modern SOC.
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Module 21· Coming soon
Junior Analyst Skills Assessment
Capstone hands-on assessment covering the full path — the practical bar for CJCA certification.
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Certification

Certified Junior Cybersecurity Analyst (CJCA)

Issued by CyberStart. Validity: 3 years — renewable with continuing-education credits.

Exam format
  • Hands-on practical assessment in a live lab environment.
  • Written report covering triage, findings, and remediation.
  • Must score 80% or higher on every module quiz to sit the exam.
What the cert proves

Employers see that the holder can run day-one tasks in a SOC or blue-team environment: alert triage, log analysis in a SIEM, basic incident handling, and clear reporting — validated in a live lab, not just multiple choice.

Career outcomes

Job opportunities after this path

Roles this path prepares you to apply for. Salary ranges are US market indicators — regional numbers vary.

Role
SOC Analyst (Tier 1)
$55k–$80k / yr

Front-line alert triage, escalation and enrichment in a 24/7 security operations centre.

Role
Junior Cybersecurity Analyst
$60k–$85k / yr

Blue-team support: monitoring, log review, phishing triage and basic incident handling.

Role
Junior Incident Responder
$65k–$90k / yr

Assist senior IR staff during incidents — evidence collection, timeline building, containment steps.

Role
Security Operations Engineer (Junior)
$65k–$90k / yr

Tune SIEM detections, build dashboards, help automate SOC playbooks.

Role
Threat Intelligence Analyst (Entry)
$60k–$85k / yr

Track threat actors, curate IoCs, and brief the SOC on emerging TTPs.

Role
IT Security Administrator
$60k–$85k / yr

Manage endpoint agents, patching, identity hygiene, and baseline security controls.

Ready to start Junior Cybersecurity Analyst?

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