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Radz-04
Radz-04

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I Turned My Cybersecurity Study Notes Into a Public Website

#showdev #opensource #security #beginners

Hi, I'm Radzivon, and I've been working on a project called Cybersecurity Survival Notes.

It started with the notes I was writing while studying cybersecurity. I wanted something I could go back to when I forgot a command, needed to review a networking concept, or was working through a lab.

Eventually, I decided to put everything on GitHub and make the notes publicly available.

I also built a website to make them easier to read and navigate.

What's inside?

The repository currently covers four main areas:

Networking

  • LANs, WANs, and network components
  • TCP/IP and common protocols
  • MAC and IP addressing
  • ARP and network communication
  • DHCP and the DORA process

Linux

  • Filesystem architecture
  • Permissions, chmod, chown, and umask
  • Common administration commands
  • Network configuration and security

Nmap

  • Host discovery
  • TCP and UDP port scanning
  • Service and OS detection
  • NSE scripts
  • Scan timing and other options

Cybersecurity fundamentals

Including topics such as the CIA triad.

I'm gradually expanding and reviewing these sections as I study.

A small example: understanding network communication

One topic I found worth documenting properly was the difference between MAC addresses, IP addresses, and ports.

Imagine a computer on a local Ethernet network:

Computer:        192.168.1.10
Default gateway: 192.168.1.1
Remote server:   203.0.113.10
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These are example addresses, not a real network capture.

If the computer needs to communicate with that remote server, it doesn't normally send an Ethernet frame directly to the server's MAC address.

Instead:

  1. The computer checks its routing information.
  2. It determines that the destination is outside its local network.
  3. It sends the packet toward its default gateway.
  4. If needed, ARP resolves the gateway's MAC address.
  5. Routers forward the IP packet toward the destination.

The important distinction is that MAC addresses are used for delivery over a local link, while IP addresses are used for communication across networks.

And when the traffic uses TCP or UDP, port numbers help identify the communication endpoints.

It's a basic example, but understanding how these pieces fit together makes later networking and security topics much easier to follow.

That's the kind of explanation I'm trying to collect in this project.

Why make my notes public?

I'm still learning, and I don't consider these notes a replacement for official documentation or professional training.

But I think sharing study material can be useful.

Other learners might find an explanation helpful. Someone with more experience might spot a mistake or suggest a better approach.

Both outcomes help improve the project.

The repository is public, licensed under MIT, and open to feedback and contributions.

Where to find it

Read the documentation:

https://radz-04.github.io/Cybersecurity-survival-notes/

Explore the GitHub repository:

https://github.com/Radz-04/Cybersecurity-survival-notes

A little about me

I recently completed an ITS Academy specialization in cybersecurity in Italy.

I'm particularly interested in networking, Linux, penetration testing, and hands-on security labs. Alongside studying, I document the things I work on so I can explain what I've learned rather than just collect commands.

I'm continuing to work on the project, and I'd be glad to hear what others think.

If you were using a cybersecurity knowledge base while studying, what would you find most useful: practical exercises, command examples, or more detailed explanations of networking concepts?

Thanks for reading!

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