Cybersecurity Learning Diary: The Role of Linux and SQL in Cybersecurity

I spent the last days upskilling on Linux and SQL as part of the Google Cybersecurity course. Honestly, I am realizing that there is a lot more to Cybersecurity and seeing how the pieces of the puzzle are coming together.

Here’s what I learnt about these two skill sets and their role in the broader picture.

Linux

• Linux is an open-source operating system

• It is highly secure and has different versions of it called distros

• There are specific distros tailored for cybersecurity such as Kali linux, these distros come with pre-installed tools specifically useful in cybersecurity

Through various practice labs I did the below;

• Creating and changing file structures and directories with commands like mkdir, rmdir, mv,cp, rm etc

• Navigating directories with commands such as cd(change directory),ls (list files/folders),pwd(print working directory)

• Changing file permissions and ownerships with commands such as chown, chmod,

• Viewing, editing, and searching files from the terminal

Next, I dove into SQL—something I didn’t initially associate with cybersecurity.

This is how I used SQL and skills I learnt through practice.

\> Querying the database using SELECT,FROM,WHERE

\> Filtering and sorting results with AND, OR,NOT, ORDER BY, ASC/DESC,LIKE

\> Performing joins with LEFT,RIGHT,INNER,FULL OUTER JOIN

This learning experience gave me a real appreciation for the practical side of cybersecurity. The more I learn, the more confident I feel that I’m building a strong, versatile foundation that will make me valuable in the field.