Free Platforms Mapping

The 100% free / meaningful-free-tier platforms AYSEC recommends.

Free Platforms — Comprehensive Mapping

The platforms below are 100% free or have meaningful free tiers. AYSEC should default to these to keep the curriculum accessible.

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Tier 1 — Best-in-Class Free Resources

PortSwigger Web Security Academy

• What: Comprehensive web AppSec curriculum.
• Cost: Free.
• Best for: AYSEC-106 (mandatory).
• URL: https://portswigger.net/web-security

OverTheWire

• What: Wargames teaching Linux + early hacking.
• Cost: Free.
• Best for: AYSEC-000 Module 02 (Linux); AYSEC-101 early.
• Wargames: Bandit (Linux), Natas (web), Leviathan, Krypton (crypto).
• URL: https://overthewire.org/wargames/

picoCTF

• What: Carnegie Mellon CTF for beginners.
• Cost: Free.
• Best for: AYSEC-000 / AYSEC-101 early stages.
• URL: https://picoctf.org

CryptoPals

• What: Eight progressive sets of hands-on cryptanalysis.
• Cost: Free.
• Best for: AYSEC-152.
• URL: https://cryptopals.com

Microsoft Learn

• What: Full SC- and AZ- learning paths, free.
• Cost: Free.
• Best for: AYSEC-105 cloud security.
• URL: https://learn.microsoft.com

AWS Skill Builder

• What: Hundreds of AWS courses, many free.
• Cost: Free + Premium tier.
• Best for: AYSEC-105 AWS-side.
• URL: https://skillbuilder.aws

APISec University

• What: Hacking APIs Foundations + Advanced; certifications.
• Cost: Free.
• Best for: AYSEC-106 Module 10.
• URL: https://apisecuniversity.com

pwn.college

• What: Comprehensive binary exploitation + RE curriculum (Arizona State).
• Cost: Free.
• Best for: AYSEC-202.
• URL: https://pwn.college

Splunk Free / Splunk Fundamentals 1

• What: Splunk Free for self-hosting + free fundamentals course.
• Cost: Free.
• Best for: AYSEC-102 Module 03.
• URL: https://splunk.com (search "Splunk Free" + "Fundamentals 1")

Microsoft Sentinel free trial

• What: Sandbox via Microsoft Learn.
• Cost: Free with Microsoft Learn lab.
• Best for: AYSEC-102 Module 04.

LetsDefend Free Tier

• What: SOC analyst simulations.
• Cost: Free tier + paid.
• Best for: AYSEC-102.
• URL: https://letsdefend.io

CyberDefenders Free

• What: Blue Team CTFs.
• Cost: Free + paid.
• Best for: AYSEC-102 + AYSEC-103.
• URL: https://cyberdefenders.org

TryHackMe Free Rooms

• What: Hundreds of free rooms.
• Cost: Free + Premium ~$10/mo annual.
• Best for: All tracks (especially AYSEC-101 Pre-Security).
• URL: https://tryhackme.com

HackTheBox Starting Point

• What: Free guided intro machines.
• Cost: Free Tier-0; VIP for retired.
• Best for: AYSEC-101.
• URL: https://hackthebox.com

CISA Learning

• What: Free cybersecurity courses including ICS.
• Cost: Free.
• URL: https://www.cisa.gov/cybersecurity-training-careers

NIST publications

• What: Comprehensive standards (CSF, 800-53, 800-61, 800-115, 800-145).
• Cost: Free.
• Best for: AYSEC-104, AYSEC-103 IR.
• URL: https://csrc.nist.gov

MITRE ATT&CK / D3FEND

• What: Adversary technique knowledge base + defensive counterpart.
• Cost: Free.
• Best for: Every track.
• URL: https://attack.mitre.org / https://d3fend.mitre.org

NSA Ghidra

• What: Free RE platform.
• Cost: Free.
• Best for: AYSEC-202.
• URL: https://ghidra-sre.org

OWASP Top 10 / Cheat Sheets

• What: Web/API/LLM/Mobile risk lists + best practices.
• Cost: Free.
• Best for: AYSEC-106, AYSEC-151 (LLM Top 10), AYSEC-204 (MASVS).
• URL: https://owasp.org

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Tier 2 — Substantial Free Content

Microsoft Defender XDR free trial

• 30-day trial in your tenant. AYSEC-102, AYSEC-103.

Wazuh

• 100% free, open source SIEM + EDR.
• AYSEC-102 home lab.

Elastic Stack (Free + Open)

• Free tier of Elasticsearch + Kibana for self-hosting.
• AYSEC-102.

Velociraptor

• Free open-source DFIR-at-scale.
• AYSEC-103.

MISP

• Open-source threat-intel platform.
• AYSEC-102 Module 08.

CIS Benchmarks

• Free for non-commercial; community-maintained CIS-CAT Lite.
• AYSEC-104, AYSEC-105.

NIST Cybersecurity Framework Reference Tool

• Interactive CSF mapping.
• AYSEC-104.

Vanta Free Trial / Drata Free Demo

• Compliance-automation experience.
• AYSEC-104.

Free Cloud Tier Accounts

• AWS Free Tier (12 months free + always-free services).
• Azure Free Account ($200 credit + always-free).
• Google Cloud Free Trial ($300 credit).
• Best for AYSEC-105.

Frida + Objection

• Free open-source dynamic instrumentation.
• AYSEC-204.

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Tier 3 — Free YouTube Channels

Channel	Specialty
NetworkChuck	Networking, beginner-friendly
John Hammond	CTFs, RE, malware
IppSec	HackTheBox walkthroughs (gold)
LiveOverflow	Binary exploitation, RE
The Cyber Mentor (Heath Adams)	Pentest, AD
David Bombal	Networking, Cisco
Professor Messer	CompTIA cert prep
13Cubed	DFIR (gold)
MyDFIR	DFIR investigations
PwnFunction	Web AppSec, JS
InsiderPhD	Bug bounty methodology
NahamSec	Bug bounty, recon
STÖK	Bug bounty
Farah Hawa	AppSec, bug bounty
Loi Liang Yang	Practical pentest
HackerSploit	Pentest tutorials
S4vitar	Spanish-language pentest

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Tier 4 — Free Books / Long-form Content

• Automate the Boring Stuff with Python — Al Sweigart (free online).
• The Linux Command Line — William Shotts (free PDF).
• Reverse Engineering for Beginners — Dennis Yurichev (free).
• Hacking: The Art of Exploitation — Jon Erickson (limited free preview; classic).
• RTFM (Red Team Field Manual) — Ben Clark.
• BTFM (Blue Team Field Manual) — Don Murdoch.
• PTFM (Purple Team Field Manual).
• Penetration Testing: A Hands-On Introduction — Georgia Weidman.
• The Web Application Hacker's Handbook — Stuttard, Pinto (older but classic).
• PCI Quick Reference Guide (free from PCI Council).
• Microsoft Sentinel free e-books.

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Tier 5 — Free Certifications

Cert	Free / Cheap
(ISC)² Certified in Cybersecurity (CC)	Free for first 1M (rolling); $50/yr after
Microsoft Fundamentals (AZ-900, SC-900, MS-900)	$99 each but Microsoft offers vouchers + practice tests
AWS Cloud Practitioner	$100 — minimal but legit
Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate	$49/mo Coursera or financial aid
Cisco Networking Academy / Cybersecurity Essentials	Free
IBM Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate	Coursera financial aid
TryHackMe and HackTheBox certifications	$99–$210 — paid but cheap relative to value
APISec University certifications	Free

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Curated Discord / Forums (free)

• TryHackMe Discord.
• HackTheBox Discord.
• TCM Security Discord.
• John Hammond Discord.
• The Cyber Mentor Discord.
• Reddit r/cybersecurity, r/netsec, r/AskNetsec.
• 0x00sec.
• Stack Exchange Information Security.
• LinkedIn cyber community (varies).

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How AYSEC Should Lean on Free Resources

For every AYSEC module:

1. Link the relevant free platform / room first.
2. Mention paid platforms only after.
3. Where the free resource is gold (PortSwigger, OverTheWire, pwn.college, CryptoPals), make completing it a hard prerequisite to claim the AYSEC capstone.

This makes AYSEC accessible to students globally, including in regions with limited budgets.