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The Cybersecurity Field Guide: Hands-On Skills for Real-World Defense

What's the difference between knowing about cybersecurity and actually doing cybersecurity? Practice with real tools on real problems. This field guide takes you from theory to practice with hands-on AWS, Linux, Python, Splunk, and SQL skills. Learn through actual incident response scenarios, not sanitized demos. Build working security solutions you can deploy tomorrow.

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About

About

About the Book

Stop cramming for certifications. Start defending real systems.

In a field drowning in theory and frameworks, "The Cybersecurity Field Guide" delivers what security professionals actually need: practical, hands-on skills that work from day one.

Bridge the Gap Between Knowledge and Action

Whether you're transitioning from IT, studying cybersecurity, or struggling in your first security role, this book transforms

abstract concepts into concrete capabilities. No more wondering how textbook theory applies to real threats—you'll learn by doing.

What Sets This Apart:

- Real tools, real data, real scenarios - Work through actual incident response cases, not sanitized examples

- Build while you learn - Create functioning automation scripts, security dashboards, and detection rules

- Industry-ready skills - Master AWS security, Splunk SIEM, Python automation, Linux hardening, and SQL analysis

- Integrated approach - See how CVE, MITRE ATT&CK®, and the Cyber Kill Chain work together in practice

Each Chapter Delivers:

✓ Why it matters in modern security operations✓ Step-by-step tutorials with actual tools✓ Complex scenarios that mirror real incidents✓ Quick reference guides for daily use

Perfect for:

- IT professionals pivoting to cybersecurity

- Security students seeking practical experience

- Junior analysts overwhelmed by the theory-practice gap

- Anyone who learns by doing, not memorizing

From securing AWS environments to hunting threats with Splunk, from automating with Python to investigating with SQL—this is your field guide to cybersecurity as it's actually practiced.

Stop preparing for cybersecurity. Start practicing it.

Includes complete lab setup instructions using free, open-source tools. No expensive software required.

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Author

About the Author

Albert Halfmann

 Senior Security Engineer at Chicha Technology with 8 years of hands-on cybersecurity experience and 8 years of military service. I've built SOC platforms, led incident response teams, and worked with federal agencies on critical security initiatives.

 I wrote The Cybersecurity Field Guide because I was tired of the gap between security education and what actually works at 2 AM when alerts are firing. This book teaches the practical skills I use every day—no fluff, just tools and techniques that work.

 Certifications: CompTIA SecurityX, CySA+, AWS cloud certs, and many others.

Contents

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface: Welcome to Real-World Cybersecurity Chapter 1: AWS for Cybersecurity Professionals
  • Section 1: Introduction to Cloud Security and AWS
  • Section 2: Identity and Access Management (IAM)
  • Section 3: Securing Your AWS Network
  • Section 4: Logging and Monitoring in AWS
  • Section 5: Threat Detection and Incident Response
Chapter 2: Understanding and Implementing Cybersecurity Frameworks
  • Section 1: The Importance of a Structured Approach
  • Section 2: The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF)
  • Section 3: The ISO/IEC 27001 Standard
  • Section 4: Other Key Frameworks
Chapter 3: Hardening and Securing Linux Environments
  • Section 1: Introduction to Linux Security
  • Section 2: User and Privilege Management
  • Section 3: Filesystem and Disk Security
  • Section 4: Network Security and Firewalls
  • Section 5: System Auditing and Hardening
Chapter 4: Python for Cybersecurity Automation
  • Section 1: Why Python for Cybersecurity?
  • Section 2: Network Scanning and Analysis
  • Section 3: Automating Log Analysis
  • Section 4: Interacting with APIs
Chapter 5: Security Information and Event Management with Splunk
  • Section 1: Introduction to SIEM and Splunk
  • Section 2: Getting Data into Splunk
  • Section 3: Searching and Reporting with SPL
  • Section 4: Creating Alerts and Dashboards
Chapter 6: Leveraging SQL for Security Analysis
  • Section 1: Why SQL is a Security Skill
  • Section 2: Fundamental SQL for Security Analysts
  • Section 3: Investigating Incidents with SQL
  • Section 4: Introduction to SQL Injection
Chapter 7: Tying It All Together: Real-World Security Scenarios
  • Section 1: The Modern Security Workflow
  • Section 2: Scenario 1 - Incident Response: Investigating a Compromised Web Server
  • Section 3: Scenario 2 - Proactive Threat Hunting: Searching for Malware Indicators
  • Section 4: Scenario 3 - Compliance & Auditing: Verifying a Security Control
Appendices
  • Appendix A: Essential Splunk Queries Quick Reference
  • Appendix B: Linux Security Commands Quick Reference
  • Appendix C: SQL for Security Analysis Quick Reference
Bonus Materials
  • Production-Ready Python Security Tools
  • Realistic Security Datasets
  • Complete Lab Setup Guides
  • 20 Essential Splunk/SQL Queries
About the Author

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