Mastering Cybersecurity: Part 2 – Securing Systems and Environments

Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast

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In this episode, Steve and John dive into why securing systems is a must-know skill in cybersecurity. Learn the basics of system hardening, access control, and logging, plus practical tools and labs to get hands-on. They also explore how AI can boost your defense game — and why thinking like both an attacker and defender will set you apart.
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Episode Resources:

Hands-On Labs & Platforms

TryHackMe
- Labs: Intro to Windows, Hardening, Linux Privilege Escalation, Pre-Security Path
- Great for learning system hardening and exploitation from both Red and Blue perspectives.
- Link: https://tryhackme.com
Hack The Box Academy
- Modules on Windows/Linux fundamentals, Active Directory hardening, and network security.
- Link: https://www.hackthebox.com/
Cyber Defenders
- Real-world challenges with system logs, hardening tasks, and detection engineering.
- Link: https://cyberdefenders.org/

Security Benchmarks & Guides

CIS Benchmarks
- Free hardening guidelines for Windows, Linux, macOS, network devices, and cloud platforms.
- Link: https://www.cisecurity.org/cis-benchmarks
Microsoft Security Baselines
- Microsoft’s official security settings for Windows 10/11, Server, Office, and more.
- Link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-security-baselines

Tools & Scripts

Windows Hardening Guide by Debloat Windows
- Open-source PowerShell scripts to harden Windows easily.
- Link: https://github.com/ChrisTitusTech/win10script
Lynis (Linux Hardening Audit Tool)
- CLI tool that scans Linux systems and gives a security score with suggestions.
- Link: https://cisofy.com/lynis/
Ansible Lockdown Roles
- Prebuilt automation scripts for applying CIS hardening via Ansible.
- Link: https://github.com/ansible-lockdown/

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Chapters

1. Introduction to System Security (00:00:00)

2. Why Securing Systems Matters (00:08:28)

3. Approaches to System Hardening (00:15:55)

4. Real-World Security Challenges (00:19:41)

5. Blue Team vs. Red Team Competition (00:25:10)

6. Using AI for System Security (00:30:37)

7. Final Thoughts and Episode Closing (00:39:51)

51 episodes

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