From Basics to Breaches
Go from opening up a browser to hunting down malware while learning all relevant IT skills along the way, with no need to stitch together different content and courses to accomplish this.
Many students still find Level Effect after spending tens of thousands on entry-level bootcamps or live training vendors with not a lot to show for, or getting lost in a sea of 20-30 hour high-level courses that were never designed to connect to one another.
Let's change that - together with SOC100:
You invest, We invest. The course is pay-what-you-can with an affordable minimum pricing. Additionally, what ever you pay we'll credit toward CDA or any one of our other courses after completion.
It's taught by many top professionals in the field and features over 20 modules, 400+ hours of content, and 180+ labs, all instructed live and available on-demand afterward
Go from opening an app to removing malware and using a SIEM, to working in a Virtual SOC as a Tier 1 Cybersecurity Analyst
It readies you for Intermediate training by starting you in Detection Engineering, DFIR, and more
It offers experience to put on your resume as a Community SOC Analyst helping others just like you
Let's make an impact.
Launches October 11th 2024 for Cybersecurity Awareness Month and runs live until Mar 2025 Saturday & Sundays 10-2PM EST outside holidays.
Believe in this mission? Share this page with others to spread the word! ❤️
If you’d like to contribute as an instructor, community member, or sponsor this initiative, fill out the “Get Involved” form below.
You will start from the very basics of navigating the Windows operating system, to endpoint and enterprise network and server administration, and go all the way to responding to and containing live malware using the latest tools and procedures that SOC Tier 1 Analysts in the field use today.
You will also gain all the adjacent supportive skill sets ensuring you are ready for intermediate to advanced training or experience and draws from requirements set out in the NIST Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework).
🔴 This course is made up of a series of individual courses and a certification. Full course visual roadmap can be seen clicking here.
• Develop the ability to configure and manage enterprise networks, including Domain Controllers, DNS, and GPOs, while implementing security policies to protect IT infrastructures.
• Enhance your troubleshooting skills across Windows and Linux environments, resolving HelpDesk issues and diagnosing technical problems to support both IT and cybersecurity operations.
• Gain practical experience in analyzing network traffic, detecting malware, and triaging security incidents using SIEM tools and packet analysis in a virtual SOC environment.
• Learn to automate security and IT tasks through PowerShell, Bash, and Python scripting, improving efficiency and setting a strong foundation for more advanced security roles like detection engineering and DevSecOps.
• Build a professional portfolio with hands-on projects, open-source contributions, and a home lab that showcases your readiness for IT Sysadmin and cybersecurity analyst positions.
This course has full on-demand content that will also be instructed live fully the first time. Review the Stream Schedule above for timing.
The stream recordings will then be added in as recordings to the course content where the course will remain completely on-demand after that.
The on-demand content will consist of:
Video lectures and labs
Quizzes and challenges
Portfolio projects to build of your own
Industry speakers & CDA Alumni
PRE-REQUISITES
Willingness to Learn: Strong interest and commitment to learning cybersecurity concepts and practices.
Basic Computer Skills: Understanding of fundamental computer and how to open up a browser.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
Complete newcomers looking to get started in IT and Cybersecurity with a clear roadmap.
Those with some experience looking to develop entry-level Cybersecurity or Security Engineering skill sets i.e. malware analysis, log analytics, detection engineering, etc. for further training or experience.
Current Cybersecurity professionals in the field looking to strengthen their foundations or undertake some additional experience.
Managers or those in positions supportive or adjacent to IT that wish to be more knowledgeable about this area or contribute more.
SOC100 students have access to an exclusive Discord help channel.
Help is provided during business hours.
You will find access to the channel within the SOC100 series of courses.
You will receive help from the Level Effect team as well as Community Analysts (see the next tab for more information on this).
Education is not enough. Our students can gain resume volunteer experience as per below and we will provide what you add on your resume:
SOC100 students can submit a form within the course to be Community Jr. SOC Analysts
CDA Students can submit a form to be Community SOC Analysts, and Community Malware & Challenge Developers
The expectations are as follows:
Community Jr. SOC Analysts are expected to help other SOC100 students in the Discord support channel get through the SOC100 series of content
Community SOC Analysts are expected to help SOC100 and CDA Students get through content
Community Malware & Challenge Developers are expected to contribute to our community GitHub
Pay what you can (PWYC) with a "You Invest, We Invest" model.
SOC100-1, 2, 3, and 5 are courses:
Minimum $19.
Suggested $29.
What you pay we'll credit toward our CDA course or one other course of your choice.
Owned forever after purchase, including updates.
Lab time included.
Additional lab time is $0.20 - $0.40 per hour and can be used on any courses you own in our platform.
SOC100-4 is the Certification:
Minimum $59.
Suggested $89.
Modules+
Labs+
Weeks+
Hours+
Delivered as individual courses and released over the stream calendar schedule. You can check out the full curriculum clicking here.
DESCRIPTION
Cybersecurity is a subset of IT and good security starts with good system administration. This is where security begins and where you should start before learning how to triage compromised workstations and analyze for indicators of compromise.
MODULES
Windows Operating System
Linux Operating System
Networking
Windows Enterprise Administration
HelpDesk Analyst & Troubleshooting
Career Prep 1 - Home Lab & Portfolio
DESCRIPTION
You've now learned how things work, now you can secure them. Develop the competencies required to perform SOC Tier 1 Analyst tasks.
MODULES
Cybersecurity Industry
Governance, Risk, Compliance (GRC)
Cryptography & Encryption
Log Analytics with SIEMs
Email Security
Windows Triage & Malware Analysis
Cyber Threat Intelligence
Report Writing & Communication
DESCRIPTION
Put it all together learning how to detect, respond to, and resolve incidents in a Virtual SOC environment for 3 to 4 weeks. You'll be responding to tickets you'll see as a Tier 1 Analyst, using the same types of tools they use.
MODULES
DFIR (Digital Forensics & Incident Response)
Virtual SOC (Security Operations Center) 3-4 Weeks
Career Prep 2 - Malware Analysis Lab
DESCRIPTION
This is the certification on the SOC100-1,2 and 3 content. Demonstrate your skills in a week-long virtual SOC engagement. You’ll be tasked with detecting, analyzing, and reporting incidents, culminating in a comprehensive report readout to one of our Instructors on a call. This will earn you the SOC100 Certified badge.
MODULES
1 Week Practical Exam
Report Readout with Instructor
DESCRIPTION
This section consists of a series of fundamentals modules to prepare you for intermediate and advanced training or experience in the field. The order may change a bit by the time we get to this course.
You should be able to start any Tier 1+ training after completion of this course.
MODULES
Career Prep 3 - Open Source Contribution
Defensive Scripting
Detection Engineering
DevSecOps & Cloud Security
Reverse Engineering
Threat Hunting
Pentesting & Application Security
Python Programming
Go from opening up a browser to hunting down malware while learning all relevant IT skills along the way, with no need to stitch together different content and courses to accomplish this.
You have more than one top experienced professional teaching you here, and a Discord community where you can reach them directly for support. Level Effect has also been doing this for 4 years now - check out our testimonials.
Gain experience in a virtualized Security Operations Center (SOC) environment triage incidents just like on the job. Afterwards, take a 1-week practical NO multiple choice exam with report readout to an Instructor.
We're tired of overpriced content & bootcamps where you're paying for their marketing budget, and we bet that you are, too. This is our effort to put out a solid course with far better value, that shouldn't break your bank.
Once you own the content, you own it forever! This includes the updates we'll make to this course. The best part is once you learn the material, you can ask to help others and put various roles on your resume as Community SOC Analyst, or Malware Developer, and more.
The future of Cybersecurity at a technical level is Engineering. Develop your Tier 1 Analyst skills here to get going, as well as advanced foundations to get started on the needs of what's to come.
This is what John Hammond had to say about our Cyber Defense Analyst Program in its first iteration.
And guess what? It's only gotten better.
Sandra's reviewed a lot of training programs... hear what she has to say about our real SOC experience.
Learn about the origin story of Level Effect, why we made our original Cyber Defense Analyst program, and the problems we aimed to solve in the cybersecurity training landscape.
The Live classes will feel similar to these live streams we carry out on Fridays right now, with Instructors on stream and a chat active and recorded on to the content. These will be recorded after and added on to the lecture and lab videos in the course so you can get the "classroom" feel any time you need to rewatch or catch up later! Afterwards you can ask for support in our Discord where you'll receive it.
WARNING - Lots of scrolling ahead. 😅
Led by the Level Effect team - we will be your main Instructors for live and recorded content.
With over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity and intelligence, including roles such as Principal Detection Engineer at Huntress, Co-Founder of Level Effect, and positions at Booz Allen Hamilton, the NSA, and the U.S. Air Force, Greg Ake is a seasoned professional specializing in detection engineering, signals intelligence, and data analysis.
With over 15 years of experience in cybersecurity and software engineering, Rob is the CTO and Co-Founder of Level Effect. He developed the Level Effect Cyber Learning Platform and designed the Recon security platform (acquired by Huntress Labs), specializing in computer network operations and offensive/defensive network capabilities from his tenure at the U.S. Department of Defense.
With over 10 years of experience across senior IT management, security consulting, engineering, and GRC roles, Anthony is a Co-Founder of Level Effect. His specialities are in penetration testing, security program development, and management for enterprises, leveraging his deep knowledge of both technical and operational aspects of cybersecurity and IT.
These seasoned Cybersecurity professionals believe in the mission of this course, and will be teaching their specialties to you. We are honored to stand with them together!
Will has more than eight years of experience in cybersecurity and six years with the Intelligence Community, supporting cyber operations during his time in the U.S. Navy as a Cryptologic Technician. After his military career, Will transitioned into the private sector where he worked as a Systems Administrator and Security Engineer. Will currently works as a Security Engineer and moonlights to handle the deployment and management of Level Effect's cloud infrastructure.
Jordan brings a wealth of development and infrastructure knowledge to our team, backed by his extensive experience of close to 5 years in Software Development, and is currently a SIEM Content Development Engineer by day. He has also built and runs a successful language learning platform. Notably, Jordan is the only student in the history of our CDA Program to achieve a perfect 100% score in all areas.
With over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity and technical leadership, Tom is the Vice President of Technology at Cloud Range, where he leads operations in digital forensics and incident response training. A U.S. Navy veteran who served as a Technical Program Manager and Information Security Manager overseeing classified networks, he is also the Chairman of the Board at VetSec, supporting veterans pursuing cybersecurity careers. Tom’s extensive expertise makes him a highly knowledgeable and impactful instructor.
With over 15 years of experience in cybersecurity and IT solutions, Daniel is a seasoned professional specializing in cloud computing, automation, and enterprise-level system architecture. As a former Solutions Architect at GC&E Systems Group and Chief Technology Officer at Brand Ventures, Inc., he brings extensive expertise to his instruction, making complex concepts accessible to learners.
With over 10 years of experience in cybersecurity, Luke is a seasoned professional who began his career at NCC Group, advancing to Executive Principal Security Consultant. He specializes in security assessments, code reviews, cloud security, and has led large teams in complex engagements, including red team assessments and M&A technical due diligence—bringing extensive expertise to his instruction.
Douglas brings over 10 years of experience in the field. A U.S. Air Force veteran who served in Special Operations Communications and as a Combat Controller, he brings real-world expertise to his instruction. Douglas is the Founder & CEO of Cyber Kata, LLC. Specializing in defensive cybersecurity, and holds experience in penetration testing, and threat assessments. He has also served as a Senior Advisor and Key Leader for the U.S. National Blue Team at the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE).
Tyler, with nearly 3 years of experience in cybersecurity, is the Founder of APT-0, where he leads a dynamic cybersecurity education initiative. He manages operations, recruits and directs volunteers, organizes industry events, and oversees IT infrastructure, all with the goal of empowering the next generation of security professionals. His specialities lie within Pentesting and Offensive Security.
Summer has a robust background as an AI Solution Architect and Senior Lead Data Scientist, with significant expertise in managing distributed teams and developing AI and data science solutions for sectors like cybersecurity and federal clients. She also serves as an instructor at GTK Cyber, designing courses focused on Python and Data Science for cybersecurity professionals. Additionally, her academic experience includes teaching at prestigious institutions like The Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.
A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Chris has addressed information security requirements in joint federal operations, including such entities as the U. S. Department of State and across the Department of Defense. Post-military service, he leans on his 20+ years in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), lead generation and entrepreneurship to bring a unique, purposeful lens to the cyber community. Chris works in consulting and has presented at cybersecurity conferences.
GREM, GCFA, GCFE, GCIA, GPYC, GPEN, GCIH, GSEC, OSCP, OSWP, PNPT, PJMR, eCTHP, CDCP Gold, BTL1. Needless to say Tallis brings a ton of experience to the field on top of years of experience in the DFIR and Detection Engineering realm across very different industries, and comes from a military background of over 8 years as a Security Operations Manager.
With 5 years of dedicated experience in the field of cybersecurity, James has honed his skills as a self-taught professional, driven by a passion for defending digital landscapes. His work as a challenge developer for CTF competitions showcases his ability to create engaging, technical puzzles for a variety of audiences. He also holds certifications in Machine Learning and Deep Learning, adding to his diverse skill set. Most notably, James earned the prestigious CDCP Gold certification, marking him as a standout.
Do you believe in this initiative and want to part of it? Reach out to us, or use the "Get Involved ❤️" form at the top! Whether you want to be a Contributing Instructor or Guest Speaker or help in other ways, and we'll be happy to hear how you want to help!
Yes.
And we'll credit you back what you pay for if you take future courses with us.
All content will be provided with enough VM hours for a single pass. We've kept the cost for additional hours as low as possible and will be within the $0.20 - 0.40 range per hour.
Any lab hours you purchase can be used in any other course you own in our https://training.leveleffect.com platform.
The majority if not 90% or more is completely fine to do on your own home lab.
Some students that come through are more proficient or “tech-savvy” and want to set up a virtual machine to continue their learning. We'll do our best to help you troubleshoot things in Discord if you choose this but we do also expect you to be willing to troubleshoot what we suggest so that we can maintain our time and resources for the delivery of this course to everyone.
Inside SOC100, you’ll have access to essential steps to build out some home lab virtual machines to continue the work there.
NOTE: This is not a requirement to complete SOC100; instead, this is optional for those who wish to step outside of the curriculum with their learning. You can still complete SOC100 without a home lab virtual machine.
It will be a 1 week practical exam for you to complete, write a report, then submit and schedule an Instructor review. You'll present the report 1 on 1 to one or more Instructors and be expected to provide answers and thoughts on how and why you completed the exam.
This will release around January 2025.
The exam will consist of Virtual SOC work around the following:
Network Traffic Analysis
Email Security
Log Analysis
Compromised Host (DFIR)
Cyber Threat Intelligence
Yes!
You can add all the SOC100 coursework as anything under Education and Training.
Afterwards you can add the following as Volunteer Experience:
You can also add any of the "Challenge" topics in the coursework under your portfolio as Home Lab based, as they will start you off but have you finish them on your own to your liking. We strongly recommend grouping up on this part for networking and feeling what it's like to work in technical teams!
Firstly, make sure to submit the Waitlist Form and provide your preferences for days and time for when you'd like the content to be instructed live.
If you want to see examples of what the classes might be like, click here to check out our Example Class section and more on our YouTube.
Live classes will be streamed on Twitch open to all to join. Questions can be asked live that can be answered right on the spot and we encourage it! Any further troubleshooting or deeper questions can be put inside our Discord where one of us will help you through it.
There is NO CAMERA for students, you will all be in the chat and it will be moderated.