📓 Cybersecurity Handbook
New
A complete Privilege Escalation Handbook has been added.
A complete AI Security Module is now live – attacks, controls, and red teaming across 22 notes.
A structured collection of notes on cybersecurity — written to explain how systems actually work, not just which tools to run.
Built for people who want real understanding: students, self-learners, SOC analysts, and those moving toward more technical roles.
| Notes | Labs | Search | Performance | Community |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continuously Growing | Hands-on Learning | Lightning Fast | Powered by Quartz | Open Source |
💡 Why this exists
Most learning material in cybersecurity falls into two extremes.
Either it’s too high-level and vague, or it’s just a list of tools and commands with almost no explanation of why anything works.
I wanted something in between.
This handbook is my attempt to document topics properly: start from first principles, then move into practical use, attack techniques, and defensive approaches. The goal is simple: build understanding that still holds up after the tools change.
Approach
Bruce Schneier
“Security is not a product, but a process.”
Every topic follows the same structure:
- The core idea first
- How it actually works internally
- Where you’d run into it in the real world
- How it can be attacked
- How it can be detected or defended
It’s slower than most tutorials, but it holds up better once the tools change.
Who this is for
|
Beginners Clear explanations of fundamentals without assuming too much prior knowledge. Good starting point if you are still building your base in networking, authentication, and core security concepts. |
Intermediate learners Deeper material on protocols, wireless security, web application security, identity management, and practical offensive and defensive techniques. |
Advanced readers More technical sections including the new Privilege Escalation Handbook (Linux, Windows, cloud and containers), post-quantum cryptography, detection concepts, and system internals. |
Coverage
Core Fundamentals
The CIA triad, risk management, core security principles, the frameworks everyone eventually runs into (NIST, ISO), and the ethical and legal side of the field.
Tip
Spend real time here. Most advanced techniques are just these same ideas applied under pressure.
Network & Protocol Security
TCP/IP, ARP, DNS, firewalls, VPNs, and wireless security, including hands-on work with the Aircrack-ng suite.
Note (2026)
Exploiting known vulnerabilities is still one of the most common ways attackers get in. Solid protocol knowledge is one of the highest-leverage skills you can build.
Application & API Security
OWASP concepts, secure coding practices, API security, and the web vulnerabilities that keep showing up.
Identity & Access Management
Authentication, MFA, RBAC and ABAC, Kerberos, and privileged access management.
Current reality
A large share of real incidents trace back to an identity problem. Understanding authentication and authorization properly isn’t optional anymore.
Cryptography
Symmetric and asymmetric encryption, hashing, PKI, TLS, and post-quantum algorithms like CRYSTALS-Kyber and Dilithium.
Tip
“Harvest now, decrypt later” is already a real concern, not a theoretical one. It’s worth building a working mental model of post-quantum cryptography now.
Offensive Security
Reconnaissance, web attacks, wireless attacks, Active Directory techniques, privilege escalation, and the fundamentals of reverse engineering.
Defensive Security
Detection engineering, threat hunting, incident response, digital forensics, SIEM concepts, and the basics of malware analysis.
Cloud & Infrastructure
AWS, Azure, and GCP security, container security with Docker and Kubernetes, and DevSecOps practices.
Learning path suggestion
- Build a solid base in fundamentals and networking
- Move into identity, cryptography, and application security
- Study both offensive techniques and defensive detection
- Go deeper wherever your interests take you, privilege escalation, cloud, forensics, whatever pulls you in
You don’t need to read everything in order. Think of this as a map you can jump around on, not a course you have to finish start to finish.
🌱 A living project
This handbook keeps growing as I study new topics or go back and improve older notes. Two of the more complete, practical sections right now are the Privilege Escalation handbook and the newer AI Security module, covering AI-specific attacks, controls, and red teaming across its notes.
Found an error, something outdated, or a gap? Open an issue or send a pull request. Contributions are welcome.
Built with
- Obsidian for writing and organizing notes
- Quartz for turning the notes into a fast, searchable website
- GitHub + Vercel for version control and deployment
✍️ About the author
I’m Priyanshu Rawat, a self-taught learner documenting what I study in cybersecurity.
This project started as personal notes. Over time it became useful enough that it made sense to clean it up and share it. The goal has always been the same: write things clearly enough that the next person (including future me) can actually understand them.
Free and open. That won’t change.
Core Idea
Core Idea
Learn deeply.
Build deliberately.
Document everything.
Share knowledge.
Stay curious,
Priyanshu
Continue from where you left off.