Practical Certified Security Analyst Course | Hands-On Training

Online & Self-paced

Learn anywhere, anytime with full flexibility.

9 Modules, ~60–75 hours

Complete at your own pace in 4+ months.

Job-Ready Training

Labs and scenarios designed to build real-world skills.

AI Tutor (Coming Soon)

Personalised help with our expert-trained LynkGPT tutor.

About This Course

The Practical Certified Security Analyst (PCSA) is a rigorous, hands-on certification program designed to build job-ready cybersecurity analysts capable of operating within modern Security Operations Centres (SOCs). Through nine comprehensive modules, you'll master essential skills including incident response, threat intelligence, threat detection, log analysis, digital forensics, SIEM tools, adversary emulation, network traffic analysis, and emerging areas like AI in cybersecurity and purple teaming. The program aligns with industry frameworks including MITRE ATT&CK and NIST Incident Response while providing practical experience with tools such as Splunk, Logscale, Wireshark, Zeek, Caldera, and ELK stack.

You'll work through real-world labs, guided scenarios, and practical projects that mirror the daily responsibilities of cybersecurity analysts, culminating in a comprehensive capstone breach simulation. This self-paced online course concludes with a certification exam, and upon successful completion, participants earn their PCSA credential. Whether you're launching your first cyber career or advancing to the next level, the PCSA certification provides the practical expertise and industry recognition needed to excel in today's competitive cybersecurity landscape.

This Course is Perfect For You If You’re ...

Career changers with foundational cybersecurity knowledge
Aspiring SOC Analysts, Security Analysts, Blue Teamers or Security Engineers
Early-career IT professionals transitioning into cybersecurity
Cybersecurity bootcamp or university graduates Seeking practical experience to reinforce their skills.
Junior analysts Aiming to solidify detection, response, threat hunting, and purple teaming skills.

Master These Skills and Tools to Gain an Edge

Adversary Emulation

Purple Teaming

Incident Response

Threat Hunting

Regex

Python

Splunk

SIEM

ELK Stack

Wazuh

Suricata

Zeek

Packet Capture

Digital Forensics

Volatility

FTK Imager

MITRE ATT&CK

LogScale

Sysmon

Malware Analysis

Memory Forensics

KAPE

Network Traffic Analysis

IDS

IPS

Wireshark

tcpdump

Bash Scripting

Threat Intelligence

Caldera

Atomic Red Team

Email Analysis

YARA

IOC Extraction

CyberChef

Detection Engineering

Dashboarding

Log Parsing

Regex Queries

PowerShell

Chain of Custody

Your next action could create real impact. A percentage of every purchase helps fund our LynkProject. Learn More.

Course Features

Get equipped with hands-on skills, real-world projects, and job-ready tasks designed to help you break into cybersecurity with confidence.

Interactive lessons & quizzes

Hands-on labs & real-world projects

Capstone project

Job-ready training

Final exam & certificate

Discord community access

for $399.99 (33% Off Launch Offer) $599

Your next action could create real impact. A percentage of every purchase helps fund our LynkProject. Learn More.

Course Modules

1. Module 1: Cybersecurity Foundations & OS Security

6 Lessons - 4 Labs

1.1 - Course Overview

1.2 - How to Gain an Edge with this course

1.3 - SOC Roles & IR Lifecycle

1.4 - Threat Intelligence & MITRE ATT&CK

1.5 - Windows/Linux Security Fundamentals

1.6 - Encoding, Binary & Hex

2. Module 2: SIEM Fundamentals, Splunk, Regex & Python

4 Lessons - 4 Labs

2.1 - Python for Security Analysts

2.2 - SIEM Concepts

2.3 - Splunk Setup & Data Ingestion

2.4 - Regex Basics

3. Module 3: Social Engineering, Email Security & Advanced SIEM

4 Lessons - 4 Labs

3.1 - Social Engineering Attack & Defence

3.2 - Email Security (SPF/DKIM/DMARC)

3.3 - Advanced Threat Hunting with Splunk

3.4 - Regex for Queries

4. Module 4: Network Detection & Response (NDR)

5 Lessons - 4 Labs

4.1 - TCP/IP & Packet Analysis

4.2 - Wireshark & tcpdump

4.3 - IDS/IPS (Snort, Zeek, Suricata)

4.4 - Host Firewalls (Linux/Windows)

4.5 - Perimeter Firewalls (pfSense)

5. Module 5: Log Analysis, ELK Stack & Digital Forensics

3 Lessons - 4 Labs

5.1 - Log Types & IOC Hunting

5.2 - Deploy & Use ELK Stack

5.3 - Chain of Custody & Forensics Tools

6. Module 6: Incident Response, MITRE ATT&CK & Logscale

4 Lessons - 4 Labs

6.1 - NIST IR Process

6.2 - ATT&CK Navigator Integration

6.3 - Logscale Querying

6.4 - Regex Advanced

7. Module 7: Adversary Emulation & Purple Teaming

4 Lessons - 4 Labs

7.1 - Purple Teaming Principles

7.2 - MITRE Caldera Setup & Ops

7.3 - Atomic Red Team Scenarios

7.4 - Red-to-Blue Feedback Loops

8. Module 8: AI in Cybersecurity, Vulnerability Management & Career Prep

3 Lessons - 3 Labs

8.1 - AI/ML in Detection

8.2 - Vulnerability Lifecycle & Tools

8.3 - Resume & Interview Coaching

9. Module 9: Capstone: End-to-End SOC Simulation

3 Lessons - 4 Labs

9.1 - Full Scenario: Recon → Exploitation → Persistence

9.2 - Use SIEM, NDR, forensic tools in sequence

9.3 - Create IR report, ATT&CK map & executive summary

Earn a Globally Recognised Certificate

Receive a shareable certificate to showcase your achievement after completing the course and final assessment.

for $399.99 (33% Off Launch Offer) $599

Your next action could create real impact. A percentage of every purchase helps fund our LynkProject. Learn More.

Salary Projection

See Where Cybersecurity Can Take You

Hear From Those Who’ve Transformed Their Careers

We’re proud to have trained many successful cybersecurity professionals through personalised mentorship and coaching, industry-led curriculum, and practical hands-on experience.

"No Hustle Culture – Just Real Growth" I came for interviews but stayed for the open, thoughtful mentor chats. Mentors share real industry insight or follow up when they don’t know – it’s refreshing. The training is intense but builds solid foundations for advanced topics. When I was close to burnout, my mentor encouraged a break – that changed everything. CyLynk genuinely cares and adapts support to your personal situation. – Gispa Walstab."

Gispa Walstab

"Steady Support for Cybersecurity Growth" Whenever I feel lost or overwhelmed in Cybersecurity, CyLynk has been my anchor. Their steady guidance helps me maintain a consistent pace in my learning journey. Mentor meetings and Nerdknight keep me motivated and encouraged to ask questions that get answered. Joining the continuous learning program to become a SOC analyst and beyond has been truly rewarding. I’m grateful to be part of such a supportive community."

Frederick Neil

"A Team That Truly Cares" CyLynk isn't just a platform – it's a team dedicated to your success. They proactively check in, offer weekly Q&As, and assign actionable tasks through mentorships. The Discord community fosters connection, learning, and even laughter with memes and dad jokes. Saturday NerdKnight sessions create a fun, collaborative learning space for CTFs and cyber news. If you're feeling lost in your cyber journey, try a mentorship session or join a NerdKnight – no strings attached. – Alexander Vyrodov.

Alexander Vyrodov

"Structure, Encouragement & Confidence" CyLynk gave structure to what used to feel like scattered learning. Mentors check in consistently, providing guidance without pressure. Even in tough moments, the team offers encouragement that keeps you going. Sammy’s warm, professional vibe made me feel welcome from day one. I’ve grown in both confidence and skills – CyLynk truly transformed my journey. – Andrei Albu.

Andrei Albu

"Learning That Actually Gets You Hired" CyLynk is a passionate, outcomes-focused community, not a bootcamp. The hands-on learning and personal mentorships keep us accountable and progressing. You’re treated as an individual with real support, not a number. Even from remote Australia, I feel connected to a cyber-savvy community. NerdKnights make learning engaging, practical, and fun every week. – Shae Haseldine.

Shae Haseldine

"Mind-Blowing, Career-Boosting Experience" CyLynk pushed me to the best of my abilities with real-world challenges. The hands-on labs sharpened my skills across defence, forensics, scripting and more. Exposure to tools like Splunk and Sentinel made learning industry-relevant. Expert mentors and coaches were always available when I needed help. It’s been a mind-blowing, career-boosting experience. – Precious Ebelike.

Precious Ebelike

"Best Career Investment I’ve Made" CyLynk gave me the practical experience my Master’s degree couldn’t. Real-world exposure and industry mentorship have been career-defining. The hands-on learning stands out in today’s cyber job market. The practical knowledge has made me feel job-ready and confident. It’s honestly the best investment I’ve made in my career – Farhan Ellahi."

Farhan Ellahi

"No Hustle Culture – Just Real Growth" I came for interviews but stayed for the open, thoughtful mentor chats. Mentors share real industry insight or follow up when they don’t know – it’s refreshing. The training is intense but builds solid foundations for advanced topics. When I was close to burnout, my mentor encouraged a break – that changed everything. CyLynk genuinely cares and adapts support to your personal situation. – Gispa Walstab."

Gispa Walstab

"Steady Support for Cybersecurity Growth" Whenever I feel lost or overwhelmed in Cybersecurity, CyLynk has been my anchor. Their steady guidance helps me maintain a consistent pace in my learning journey. Mentor meetings and Nerdknight keep me motivated and encouraged to ask questions that get answered. Joining the continuous learning program to become a SOC analyst and beyond has been truly rewarding. I’m grateful to be part of such a supportive community."

Frederick Neil

"A Team That Truly Cares" CyLynk isn't just a platform – it's a team dedicated to your success. They proactively check in, offer weekly Q&As, and assign actionable tasks through mentorships. The Discord community fosters connection, learning, and even laughter with memes and dad jokes. Saturday NerdKnight sessions create a fun, collaborative learning space for CTFs and cyber news. If you're feeling lost in your cyber journey, try a mentorship session or join a NerdKnight – no strings attached. – Alexander Vyrodov.

Alexander Vyrodov

"Structure, Encouragement & Confidence" CyLynk gave structure to what used to feel like scattered learning. Mentors check in consistently, providing guidance without pressure. Even in tough moments, the team offers encouragement that keeps you going. Sammy’s warm, professional vibe made me feel welcome from day one. I’ve grown in both confidence and skills – CyLynk truly transformed my journey. – Andrei Albu.

Andrei Albu

"Learning That Actually Gets You Hired" CyLynk is a passionate, outcomes-focused community, not a bootcamp. The hands-on learning and personal mentorships keep us accountable and progressing. You’re treated as an individual with real support, not a number. Even from remote Australia, I feel connected to a cyber-savvy community. NerdKnights make learning engaging, practical, and fun every week. – Shae Haseldine.

Shae Haseldine

"Mind-Blowing, Career-Boosting Experience" CyLynk pushed me to the best of my abilities with real-world challenges. The hands-on labs sharpened my skills across defence, forensics, scripting and more. Exposure to tools like Splunk and Sentinel made learning industry-relevant. Expert mentors and coaches were always available when I needed help. It’s been a mind-blowing, career-boosting experience. – Precious Ebelike.

Precious Ebelike

"Best Career Investment I’ve Made" CyLynk gave me the practical experience my Master’s degree couldn’t. Real-world exposure and industry mentorship have been career-defining. The hands-on learning stands out in today’s cyber job market. The practical knowledge has made me feel job-ready and confident. It’s honestly the best investment I’ve made in my career – Farhan Ellahi."

Farhan Ellahi

"No Hustle Culture – Just Real Growth" I came for interviews but stayed for the open, thoughtful mentor chats. Mentors share real industry insight or follow up when they don’t know – it’s refreshing. The training is intense but builds solid foundations for advanced topics. When I was close to burnout, my mentor encouraged a break – that changed everything. CyLynk genuinely cares and adapts support to your personal situation. – Gispa Walstab."

Gispa Walstab

"Steady Support for Cybersecurity Growth" Whenever I feel lost or overwhelmed in Cybersecurity, CyLynk has been my anchor. Their steady guidance helps me maintain a consistent pace in my learning journey. Mentor meetings and Nerdknight keep me motivated and encouraged to ask questions that get answered. Joining the continuous learning program to become a SOC analyst and beyond has been truly rewarding. I’m grateful to be part of such a supportive community."

Frederick Neil

Our Industry Partners and Alumni

We partner with leading organisations and industry innovators to deliver cutting-edge training and real career opportunities. Together, we're shaping the future of cybersecurity talent.

Frequently Asked Questions

If your question isn’t covered below, feel free to get in touch with our team — we’re always here to help.

How long do I have access to the course?

You’ll have 12 months of access from the day you purchase, so you can study at your own pace.

Is this course suitable for beginners?

This course is best suited for learners with existing tech or IT experience. If you're just starting out, we recommend beginning with Practical Windows CLI Essentials (PWCE) or Practical Linux CLI Essentials (PLCE).

Do I need to install anything to complete the labs?

Most labs run in a browser-based virtual environment. Instructions are provided for any tools you need to install locally.

Will I receive a certificate when I finish?

Yes, after completing all modules and passing the final assessment, you’ll receive a digital certificate of completion.

Are there any live classes or support?

This is a self-paced course. While there’s no live mentorship or coaching, you’ll have access to our private Discord community for general support.

Can I access the course on mobile or tablet?

Yes, you can access the course through your browser on most devices, though we recommend a desktop or laptop for lab activities.

Is this a certification course with an industry exam?

No, PCSA is a CyLynk-issued course, not tied to an external certification exam. It’s designed to build job-ready, practical skills aligned with real-world analyst roles.

What kind of content is included in each module?

Each module includes structured lessons, hands-on labs, real-world scenarios and quizzes.

Ready To Upskill In Cybersecurity?

Purchase your self-paced course today and start building your future!

Your next action could create real impact. A percentage of every purchase helps fund our LynkProject. Learn More.

Other CyLynk Courses

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Practical Python for Cybersecurity & Automation (PPCA)