The latest articles on DEV Community by Elena (@encryptedscenes). https://dev.to/encryptedscenes https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3948875%2F1cbe1ba9-c8b2-4dcf-acdd-79fd6c0248e1.png https://dev.to/encryptedscenes en Elena Sat, 08 Aug 2026 10:36:13 +0000 https://dev.to/encryptedscenes/the-beginning-of-my-journey-2gl8 https://dev.to/encryptedscenes/the-beginning-of-my-journey-2gl8 <p>I was interested in cybersecurity (mainly offensive) for a long time but I had no idea where to start. I remember finding a few apps on my phone and them being so superficial that I temporarily changed my mind: "is cybersecurity really just that?"</p> <p>For a while I didn't think about it, I started learning web dev and then game dev (which I still like) but my mind sometimes went to "how do devs make anti-piracy games" and I loved when The Odin Project mentioned the difference between "textContent" and "innerHTML", touching XSS</p> <p>One day I decided to search on my computer "how to learn how to hack" (I meant legally of course but I didn't even know it was called "ethical hacking") and TryHackMe's page showed up, I clicked on the first link I saw and registered</p> <p>I tried the first room, I thought hacking was about typing fast, catching something at the right moment and trying to read a bunch of green text appearing on the terminal (very movie-like) but from that room I realized that it was more intuitive than this: it seemed like it was more about discovering what existed on the target to use to your advantage</p> <p>From that day, more than a year passed, I've completed the legacy path of TryHackMe, Cybersecurity 101 and Jr Pentester (legacy), I'm still no expert, in fact I'm still a beginner, I'm learning the fundamentals (again) on HackTheBox and feel like I'm moving backwards instead of forward even though in reality I'm just developing stronger fundamentals to build on</p> <p>I'm not sure where this journey will take me, and I'm still exploring every path I can. Cybersecurity is what has caught my interest the most at the moment but I also love game development and I'm fascinated by the use of AI in the medical field / bioinformatics</p> <p>Here, I would like to explain concepts I've found either confusing or interesting (or both actually). I'm not a teacher nor a professional but I'll try to explain topics I like in a way I would've liked somebody to explain to me<br> Sometimes I'll just share opinions, thoughts or experiences</p> <p>I'd love to read comments, feedback or some reactions, so feel free to share your opinion or the summary of your own journey below. Did you find your passion right away?</p> beginners learning cybersecurity writing