9 Cybersecurity Channels to Follow on YouTube
If you click the “subscribe” button for any of these YouTube cybersecurity channels, you’re guaranteed to learn something new, get great tips on ethical hacking, and discover what it’s really like to work in cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month, celebrated annually in October, is typically considered a time to educate users on cyber hygiene. With all of the recent headlines about breaches, hacks, and cybercriminals, it might also get you thinking about getting a career in the industry. Many aspiring cybersecurity professionals don’t know how to break into the industry, especially if they don’t have a background in tech. We’ve put together a list of some of the best brand-agnostic YouTube cybersecurity channels to help you learn the basics, hear real-world cybersecurity stories, and help build your roadmap to a future cybersecurity career.
Popular YouTube Cybersecurity Channels
NetworkChuck
Posts weekly | 4.22M subscribers | ~400 videos
www.youtube.com/@NetworkChuck
If you want to improve your IT career, NetworkChuck is a great place to start. The channel is dedicated to helping people sharpen their IT skills in basic hacking skills, ethical hacking, and even tips on strengthening your home network.
John Hammond
Posts weekly | 1.89M subscribers | ~1000 videos
www.youtube.com/@_JohnHammond
With more than a decade of YouTube videos on cybersecurity to sift through, you’re sure to find something in John Hammond’s treasure chest to suit you. He’s an ethical hacker and cybersecurity researcher – which is easy to discern from the list of available playlists. He has a series of videos on cybercrime investigations, malware, adventures on the Dark Web, and more.
Hak5
Posts weekly | 924K subscribers | ~2000 videos
www.youtube.com/@hak5
Hak5 was founded in 2005 to advance the InfoSec industry. They have the self-proclaimed longest-running show on YouTube and a wide variety of episodic videos grouped into playlists, including Threat Wire, [PAYLOAD] and Practical Exploitation with Mubix.
Level 1 Techs
Posts daily | 461K subscribers | ~2000 videos
www.youtube.com/@Level1Techs
The Level1 Tech show often recaps recent cybersecurity mishaps, but it’s always a great source for some of the biggest topics in the tech industry. Playlists include news, hardware reviews, and even collaborations with other YouTubers.
Grant Collins
Posts weekly | 215K subscribers | ~200 videos
www.youtube.com/@collinsinfosec/
Wonder what it’s really like to have a career in cybersecurity? Grant Collins has a playlist about that. Want a crash course in common hacking techniques? There’s a playlist for that too. There are a wealth of videos about building your resume, getting an entry-level cybersecurity career, and even how to build a home lab so you can practice your security skills.
Boyd Clewis
Posts weekly | 204K subscribers | ~200 videos
www.youtube.com/@BoydClewis
This channel is full of tips to help you make the most of your cybersecurity career, and has a lot of resources for those breaking into the industry. Boyd Clewis explains how to get ahead in tech without coding skills, expensive certifications, or a degree. Be sure to check out his videos on the best free cybersecurity training opportunities, as well as his interviews with real people who have made the leap into cybersecurity from other unrelated careers.
UnixGuy | CyberSecurity
Posts weekly | 193K subscribers | ~100 videos
www.youtube.com/@UnixGuy
Like many other YouTubers on this list, UnixGuy creates videos to help people get into the cybersecurity industry. He regularly shares insights from his own experience through videos like “How I Would Learn Cybersecurity If I Could Start Over” and “I Did 100s of Cybersecurity Interviews and Learned This.” He has a series of videos that explain how security specializations differ, as well as one where he reviews and recommends security certifications.
Josh Madakor
Posts weekly | 177K subscribers | ~400 videos
www.youtube.com/@JoshMadakor/
As someone who transitioned from general IT into cybersecurity, Josh Madakor has made a leap that many IT pros contemplate. The channel includes tutorials to help improve your education in IT and cybersecurity. The videos also explore a typical day in the life of specific job roles, including a Cloud Engineer, a Cybersecurity Analyst, and a SOC Analyst. The channel also has an expansive collection of interview and practice questions for some of the most popular security certifications.
InfoSec Pat
Posts weekly | 107K subscribers | ~600 videos
www.youtube.com/@InfoSecPat
Every Thursday, InfoSec Pat hosts a weekly live podcast where they discuss the guest’s journey into the cybersecurity industry. Past topics have included how to get into bug bounty programs, careers in digital forensics, and how to move from a help desk role to one in cybersecurity. There are also videos that explain penetration testing techniques for actions like cracking Wi-Fi passwords, using Kali Linux tools, and creating sock puppet accounts.
YouTube Cybersecurity Channels: Honorable Mention
Ben Truong
Posts weekly | 46.2K subscribers | ~100 videos
www.youtube.com/@BenTruong/
Ben is documenting his career as an entry-level cybersecurity professional and sharing tips with viewers along the way. Ben’s honest reviews of popular online courses and certifications can help you decide where (and if) you want to invest the time and money in them yourself. The channel brings a unique perspective to working in the industry that you won’t get from those who have spent their entire career in the field, which earned him an honorable mention.
Mike Miller – Break in Cyber
Posts monthly | 12K subscribers | ~100 videos
www.youtube.com/@mikemillercyber
Monthly posts | 12K subscribers | ~100 videos
This 25-year veteran of the industry built this channel to help viewers break into cybersecurity. Unlike many of the other experts on this list, Mike Miller focuses on the soft skills necessary to succeed in security roles. If you’re looking for ways to improve your resume, stand out on LinkedIn, and perform better at interviews, there are plenty of videos to choose from. His straightforward approach to the human side of cybersecurity earned him an honorable mention.
Nick Espinosa
Posts daily | 2.54K subscribers | ~2000 videos
www.youtube.com/@NickEspinosa
If his daily podcast and radio show weren’t enough to keep him busy, Nick Espinosa also has a YouTube presence where he regularly recaps the breaches of the week, highlights privacy and security issues with recent product and software releases, and clips of his appearances on the TechTime with Nathan Mumm radio show. While his subscriber count may be lower than everyone else on this list, his impressive number of thought-provoking videos earned him an honorable mention.
MORE ON IT CAREERS & SKILLS
- 10 Cybersecurity Pros to Follow on LinkedIn
- How to Build a Career Path in Cybersecurity
- Career Reinvention: Considering a Switch to Cybersecurity
— A special thanks to Spiceworks Community member dimforest for inspiring the creation of this list.
