1. What you need to learn to start learning infosec
From 0 to Grasshopper
What you need to learn to start learning infosec

2. Hook Goes Here

3. Lots of great info on getting into infosec
Forgotten/Hacks4Pancakes/Webreacher/Infosecsherpa, etc
But all assume you are already in IT, so what if you can barely spell IT?
Or what about college grads with infosec degrees. Many of them have learned about infosec, but not about IT. What should they know as they start their careers?

4. Suggest a Baseline Knowledge Set
What is the common body of knowledge and skills that every infosec career field needs?
Understand the underlying architecture of how the internet works. What do we understand inherently that new people should know?

5. Different Types of People Who are Asking
Those who are Passionate
Passionate are self driven, motivated, curious. They can’t wait to learn new things, try out new skills, take on new challenges. Many of us fall into that category.
Those who are Dedicated
Dedicated are determined, but not consumed. Committed to doing a task well and completing what they started.
Both types are needed in our industry. But what is the baseline that a prospect needs to enter into infosec?

6. Three categories: Computing, Operating Systems and Networking
Each category has two needed parts: Knowledge and Skills

7. Please Note
The following suggestions are but a beginning. You WILL have suggestions and additions, please hold until then end.
Try to keep your suggestions to the knowledge and skills that would be actively used in all infosec fields.
For example: One may need knowledge of something, but not need to have any skills of that thing

8. Computing Knowledge - how a computer works Skills Inputs and Outputs
Storage (RAM, Hard Disks, USB, CD/DVD)
Processing
BIOS, hard drive boot sector, booting, etc
Skills
Do a hard reboot, soft reboot, get into the BIOS, change boot order

9. Operating Systems - Knowledge
Different types of OSs (Windows, Linux/Unix, OS X at least)
What are kernels, “user space”, drivers, applications, daemons/services,
Purpose of accounts, groups, and their access levels (root, administrator, user, guest) and how to create new groups with new levels of access.
Authentication and Authorization methods
How users, groups and their access levels interact with objects and their set permissions
Logging, what gets logged and why
VM, containers, bare metal

10. Operating Systems - Skills
Install *NIX and Windows
Create users, groups, files, folders and set permissions for different levels of access and abilities
Install applications and set different levels of permissions for use
Enable logging and read and understand logs and be able to diagnose basic problems
Use the command line and gui for common commands

11. Networking - Knowledge
OSI model and the commonly used protocols that go with each layer (i.e. ARP, TCP, UDP, ICMP, IP, SMTP, FTP, HTTP, etc)
How the Internet works (routing, subnets, DNS, 3-way handshake, data transfers, ….)
What the following are, how they work and what they are used for:
Firewall, IDS/IPS, Proxies, DNS, DHCP, Routers/Switches (routing protocols), VPN/RAS/RADIUS/etc
What network traffic looks like and what the packets look like in a traffic analyzer
How client/server methodology works
Encryption and Encrypted communication

12. Networking - Skills
Find out their IP, perform DNS resolution, identify subnets
Capture network traffic (using wireshark or equivalent) and recognize protocols
Perform basic network troubleshooting (ping, traceroute, netstat, ps/tasklist, etc)
How to use Google, forums, listservs to find answers

13. Final Thoughts
Self learning will always be part of process. Curiosity and passion will always be requirements, but if we don’t find other ways to help those who want to enter infosec get in, we will never catch the supply up to the demand.
For those that need a defined roadmap, this will give them a framework to build a foundation. They can learn on their own or find classes that teach or do some of both.
All disciplines need these things to make them better.
Also, help them find a mentor
Foundation will also help them decide on a ‘specialty’

14. Questions This is to start a discussion.
Maybe down the line create some sort of training standards.
Working on compiling (or finding someone else’s compilation) a list of training links, classes, books for these basics