Spotting False Claims About Cybersecurity Bootcamps

The question often comes up of who to follow for good tech advice on social media. I recommend listening to people who have done or are doing the work and not someone just selling you on the idea of doing the work. People sharing knowledge without mileage is usually just B.S. to sell you something, and that something is often a scam course. But instead of simply calling out the scammers, here are the things I look for to uncover the red flags 🚩🚩 that signal a potential tech grifter. When reviewing a course, if two or more of these are true, use your better judgement to determine if it's the right course for you. 👉Constant sales pitches: Excessive focus on the monetary benefits of the course rather than the knowledge imparted. 🤑 👉Limited-time offers and scarcity tactics: Creating a sense of urgency to buy without providing substantial reasons. ⏳ I feel it's fine to put things on sale from time to time but the overly pushy way some do this makes me really suspect. 👉Testimonials that seem too good to be true: Unrealistic claims of overnight success or life-changing transformations. Claims that people went from not knowing how to turn on a computer to make $200K in just one year in cybersecurity. 🤯 👉Vague or overly general promises: Broad claims about teaching "everything" without specifying the curriculum. 💬 👉Focus on hype rather than information: Emphasizing the "coolness" or "excitement" of the subject matter over practical application. People over-hyping becoming a hacker or building a SaaS APP in 24hrs are also just annoying. 🥱 👉Reliance on clickbait and sensationalism: Using attention-grabbing titles or images without relevant content. Click interesting is fine provided they deliver on their claims. ✅ 👉 Lack of Social Proof 👥 and Vague Background: Does not really go in depth about how they got into their career, they tend to talk around it but never any real detail. 🕵️♀️ 👉Claims Job was Classified: These people are particularly Infuriating. They love alleging having done Gov work but then claim all the amazing things they are classified and you will have to trust just how awesome and important they are. 🤐 👉Advisory Board Seat: As someone who has participated and currently is on several advisory boards, I can say for certain it's not that hard to get a position on one. Lots of companies do like having a board on people working in the industry offering insights which sometimes leads to companies letting almost anyone on. The useless people will usually get tossed off the board for not contributing but will forever tout the fact they were on the board as why you should buy from them. If I missed any that help you spot the scammers let me know. Prompt for AI Image:"make an image of a tech youtuber scamming people by selling scam courses that claim you will be a hacker making 200k"

I don't know who needs to hear this but if you are considering a career switch to the security space please don't fall victim to the astronomical claims some training providers make about what you can expect after completing their programmes. Here are the facts: 🔹 Increased Opportunities, But Reality Check Needed: There have indeed been significant strides to increase the number of junior and entry-level roles in cyber security. Companies are offering internships and entry-level positions more than ever before. However, the notion that you will "walk into a dream role" right after completing a course is often exaggerated. 🔹 Rewarding Career Path: A career in cyber security is incredibly rewarding, offering a diverse range of work and excellent future earning potential. The path is exciting and full of opportunities, but it's important to set realistic expectations - I have yet to meet anyone who has gone from Analyst to CISO in under 3 years! 🔹 Earning Potential: While there are high-paying roles in cyber security, the idea that you will secure a £100K position immediately after completing the CEH is unrealistic to say the least. Building a career in cyber security takes time, experience, and continuous learning. 🔹 Remote Work Realities: The market has indeed seen a significant increase in remote and hybrid roles post-pandemic. However, the glamorous idea of working from a beach while sipping cocktails and protecting a company’s technical estate is more fantasy than reality. Cyber security roles require dedication, focus, and often, being part of a responsive team. Stay informed and approach your cyber security career with a balanced view. The journey is rewarding, but it requires hard work, dedication, and realistic expectations. 🌟 What's the wildest claim you've heard about getting into the industry?

“Buy my course and you will make six figures in cybersecurity.” I am going to be honest cybersecurity has become the new get-rich-quick fantasy. Everywhere you look, someone is promising that a bootcamp, one cert, or their secret formula will turn you into a six-figure analyst or any career in 90 days. But here’s the truth nobody likes to say out loud: Cybersecurity is not a golden ticket and this industry is over-glamorised, it's oversold and it's overmarketed. I know people with 5, 10, 15 years of real experience threat hunters, IR specialists, engineers who are still fighting to climb the ladder. The job market is tough. The expectations are unrealistic. And the “six-figure dream” is often just a marketing campaign. We can’t even align job titles properly. We still argue about what a SOC analyst actually is. We still can’t agree on junior vs intermediate vs senior roles. So how are we selling people dreams when the foundations aren’t even set? Now don’t get me wrong I love this industry. It changed my life. It gave me purpose, discipline, community and opportunity. And I will always encourage people to explore cybersecurity. But please don’t get blinded by the hype. Do it because you are curious. Do it because you love solving problems. Do it because you want to secure people, organisations, and futures. Do it because you want to grow. Not because someone told you that you will make six figures in six months. If you really want to thrive in this field or industry, my advice: -Build skills. -Get your hands dirty. -Learn continuously. -Add value to whatever you are doing -And stay humble because the industry will humble you anyway. And if nobody has told you this before, I will be the one who says it: Don’t fall for the dream sellers. Build your own story, and experience the industry for yourself in your own way, the real way.

There is a Big Issue in Cybersecurity Right Now. Sometime last year, I saw a post on Twitter—someone had spent hundreds of pounds on a cybersecurity bootcamp that promised hands-on projects, LinkedIn optimization, and mentorship, and was complaining that they only got YouTube videos and PDFs to study. No support. No real-world guidance. I’ve seen this happen over and over again. Ads promising to take you from zero to cybersecurity hero in weeks flood my timeline. And my first thought is always: How?? Is it this same cybersecurity industry or another one? Many of these programs exploit the cybersecurity skill gap narrative published by ISC2, Forbes, World Economic Forum and others to push their offers. They make cybersecurity seem like an easy ticket to financial breakthrough—but it’s not a silver bullet. Now, don’t get me wrong—there are great bootcamps out there (I’m actively engaged in some). But cybersecurity takes time, dedication, and hands-on experience through a learning process. 🚩 Be skeptical of programs that promise unrealistic outcomes, especially very high salary with almost zero effort and experience. 🚩 Ask: Will I get practical, contextual learning? 🚩 Ask: who are the actual instructors and what credibility/experience do they have? 🚩 If possible find previous students/alumni and ask further questions before committing your funds. Understand that mastery takes more than just watching videos. #CyberSecurityCareers #CybersecurityCareerGrowth #CybersecuritySkillGap #CyberSecurityTraining

Disheartening to see the scams of Coaching Business in Cybersecurity. 8 out of 10 such institutes are looting/scamming the students specially the newcomers & beginners in name of Hacking/Cybersecurity. Many of the offline institutes in Delhi/Noida/NCR/Pune/Bangalore etc are taking very high fees for providing training on in various security domains but in return they are providing a list of crap modules/syllabus. While learning students are not learning concepts or there is no hands on but just some crap practical Hacking stuffs which all the beginners are fond of & are of no use at all. I will for now not name any such institute or coaching specifically, but I know they might see this post so I will be directly warning them through this that Stop scamming & looting the newcomers with your crap trainings & courses which contains no value at all for the price you charging them otherwise I would not hesitate at all to expose directly. Some so called companies/institutes are taking upto Rs 20,000 for Cybersecurity course which contains 0 values & are only misleading in name of Syllabus. In many cases, the course even do not contains all the topics mentioned in Syllabus & the topics there does not even clear their concepts. What are the common Scam keywords ?? 1. Free Pen Drive with Tools (kyo bhai Pen Drive k bina tools chalti nhi kya) 2. Guaranteed Job after course (The most fake guarantee ever) 3. Hard Copy of certificates delivered to Home. (Any digital certificate can be printed on photo paper & can me made hard copy) 4. Use of RAT tools without knowing the actual usages (It seems cool and they feel like a real Hacker) 5. EMI Facility to trap students & if they are for somehow unable to fee the EMI even if they not taking the classes, they are putting mental pressure on them & warning them of Legal cases (EMI facility is good thing but using it to trap & create mental pressure must be avoided) Being a Trainer in #cybersecurity myself at Defronix Cyber Security & having a social media collective followers of over 200k+ people on YouTube, Instagram & WhatsApp, I have got Hundreds of messages from our students & followers with proofs that they have been scammed/looted by such Institutes/Companies. If these scamming/looting will not stop soon, I will be starting posting proofs & student's messages who have got scammed. Remember (For Institutes) : When you have taken fee for a training/course & even you are completing that course/training but are not providing the actual values or quality that's also a clear scam, avoid it, specially in Cybersecurity domain. Suggestion to students/newcomers: Do not go blind while choosing a mentor or institute. Do a thorough research over the mentor & the company before paying a single Paisa. Don't fall for the "Scam Keywords" mentioned above. Don't waste your or your parents hard earned money on this scammers. #cybersecurityscam #ethicalhacking #cybersecurity #jobsincybersecurity #scamsinindia #onlinescams

I turned down thousands of dollars in brand collaborations in 2024 because I refuse to promote grifters. One of the coolest parts of my job is getting to collaborate with new and innovative tech companies to promote their products. There are so many new tech startups with genius ideas to improve productivity, enhance learning, and solve problems. Most of these innovators have years of experience, and have developed products that speak to pain points they have experienced while working in the field. And then there are those who have found opportunity to prey on jobseekers' hopes and dreams. Several months ago, I received an email from a small brand asking me to promote their Cybersecurity bootcamp. I met with the brand owner, who lacked enthusiasm and confidence in his own product, red flag # 1. When he told me the price of the bootcamp was a whopping $30K, I mentally checked out. Out of my own curiosity, I asked why he felt his bootcamp was worth the same price as a Master's degree from an accredited university, and he said "well, we've seen success selling at this price." Someone who has never worked in Cybersecurity has seen success selling a Cybersecurity bootcamp at $30K a pop. People actually paid $30K for this. The moral of the story is that consumerism is alive and well, and it isn't exclusive to physical products. Don't be someone who gets tricked into spending half a salary on a bootcamp developed by someone who has never even worked in the field. Do your own research on course creators before paying for a training or buying a product. And for the love of god, don't spend $30K on a Cybersecurity course.