Holiday Challenges Series - Ep 2 - TryHackMe Advent of Cyber Challenge

Since some of the information you are about to hear is time specific, I want to let you know that I am recording this near the end of November in 2023.

If you missed the first episode, which introduces this series, you can go back and listen to HPR3996

I have been using TryHackMe for several years, and I recommend it to all of my students. It is a great environment where people can get hands on experience with technology that relates to cyber security, all from the comfort of their browser and free year-round.

The TryHackMe Advent of Cyber challenge is a free gamified environment which focuses on penetration testing, security operations/engineering, forensics/incident response, malware analysis, machine learning, and more!

This year's challenge opens on December 1, 2023 (Which is the reason why I am posting twice this week). Typically, the Advent of Cyber challenge includes daily beginner-friendly exercises for people new to cybersecurity. These can consist of walkthroughs, video tutorials, and challenges. There are also prizes available based on random drawings and on participant success.

Infosec personalities like John Hammond, Gerald Auger, InsiderPHD, and InfoSec Pat are featured in this year's challenge.

You can play with last year's Advent of Cyber challenge by visiting https://tryhackme.com/room/adventofcyber4. It outlines the overall story and shows all of the tasks last year's participants experienced, including both offensive and defensive topics like: log analysis, OSINT, scanning, brute force attacks, email analysis, CyberChef, blockchain smart contracts, malware analysis, memory forensics, packet analysis, web application hacking, and more!

Everything can be done with a free account from within a browser.

If you want to learn more about cybersecurity, transition your career into infosec, or just have fun playing with cyber challenges, you can give it a try by visiting tryhackme.com or https://tryhackme.com/r/christmas

Please note: I am not affiliated with TryHackMe in any way, other than having been a paying member for many years. Students and others who have participated in previous year's Advent of Cyber challenges have told me how much they enjoyed it and learned from it. Even though I have been an infosec practitioner for more years than I would like to admit, I also have enjoyed taking part in this challenge.

If this is not for you, I will be sharing another option for a holiday challenge in my next episode.