| Cybersecurity is something that I feel is best self-taught. Set up a small network at home. Go crazy with nmap. Set up a few VMs. Go crazy with gdb or windbg. The best way to learn is to break things. If you have an old application or game with serial #. Try to crack it. Set up an webserver + sql backend, try injections or other exploits. Profile/audit it to see what is happening. There are websites that document OS, Database, Webserver, etc vulnerabilities. Install older versions and try these vulnerabilities. Then you can look into worms, trojans, etc. See their code and how they work. And see if you can come up with ways to stop it. Then see how you would bypass your fix. You can also look at security ( white hate/black hat ) software that audit, pentest, etc. If it is open source, read the source. The only reason to shell out the $10K is if you are looking for a job. |
That's a pretty big "if". If you're considering a cyber security Masters degree, you're probably interested in doing it for a career.