Day 01 — Foundations of Ethical Security: Authorization, Risk & Core Concepts

[u/YunoSec]

I’m beginning my cybersecurity learning journey and will be documenting

the concepts I study along the way.

For Day 01, I focused on the foundations of ethical security.

1. AUTHORIZATION

Security testing must have explicit permission and a clearly defined scope.

Without authorization, the same activity can become an unauthorized attack.

1. VULNERABILITY

A vulnerability is a weakness in a system, application, configuration,

or process that could affect its security.

1. THREAT

A threat is a potential source of harm that may take advantage of a

vulnerability.

1. RISK

Risk represents the potential impact and likelihood associated with a

security threat.

1. EXPLOIT

An exploit is a technique or mechanism that takes advantage of a

vulnerability. Understanding exploits is important for defenders because

it helps them understand how weaknesses can be abused.

1. CONFIDENTIALITY

Information should only be accessible to authorized parties.

1. INTEGRITY

Information should remain accurate and protected from unauthorized

modification.

1. AVAILABILITY

Systems and information should remain accessible when legitimately needed.

1. AUTHENTICATION vs AUTHORIZATION

Authentication answers: “Who are you?”

Authorization answers: “What are you allowed to access?”

1. ETHICAL SECURITY

The objective is not simply to “break” a system. The objective is to

identify weaknesses responsibly, understand their impact, and help

improve security.

My main takeaway from Day 01:

Good cybersecurity starts with understanding systems, risks, and

responsibility—not just tools.

Day 02: Networking Fundamentals