Online Security Training Options Worth Your Time in 2025
In-person conferences and training events are irreplaceable for networking and immersive learning, but they're expensive and time-limited. The good news is that remote security training has matured significantly. Several platforms now deliver hands-on technical education that rivals or exceeds what you'd get in a classroom.
We reviewed the major platforms based on content quality, hands-on lab environments, certification value, and cost. Here's where things stand.
SANS Institute (Online)
SANS remains the gold standard for professional security training. Their online courses mirror the in-person offerings and are taught by the same instructors. The OnDemand format gives you four months of access to recorded lectures and lab environments, which is genuinely useful for complex material that benefits from re-watching.
The downside is cost. Individual courses run $7,000-$9,000, which puts them firmly in the "employer-funded" category for most people. But if your organization is willing to invest, the GIAC certifications that come with SANS training carry real weight in hiring decisions.
Best for: Mid-career professionals with employer-funded training budgets. DFIR, cloud security, and pen testing tracks are particularly strong.
Offensive Security
The creators of Kali Linux and the OSCP certification continue to set the bar for offensive security training. The OSCP remains the most respected practical penetration testing certification in the industry, and for good reason — the exam requires you to compromise multiple machines in a 24-hour period. No multiple choice, no memorization shortcuts.
Their newer certifications (OSEP, OSWE, OSED) extend into exploit development and web application testing. The PEN-200 course, which leads to the OSCP, was significantly updated in 2023 and the lab environment is substantial.
Best for: Aspiring and practicing penetration testers. The OSCP is effectively a prerequisite for offensive security roles at many organizations.
HackTheBox
HackTheBox started as a CTF-style platform with vulnerable machines and has evolved into a comprehensive training environment. The retired machines with walkthrough guides are excellent for structured learning, and the active machines provide genuine challenge.
Their Academy product is worth noting separately. It offers structured learning paths that take you from fundamentals through to advanced topics, with hands-on exercises at every step. The content quality has improved markedly over the past two years.
The Pro Labs are the highlight — multi-machine environments that simulate real corporate networks. Dante, Offshore, and RastaLabs each teach different skill sets and are well-regarded in the community.
Best for: Anyone building or maintaining hands-on technical skills. The free tier is generous enough to evaluate whether the platform works for you.
TryHackMe
TryHackMe occupies a different niche than HackTheBox. It's more structured, more guided, and more accessible to beginners. The "rooms" format walks you through concepts with explanations and questions, which works well for people who are still building foundational knowledge.
The learning paths are well-organized: the pre-security path, complete beginner path, and offensive pentesting path each provide a clear progression. The browser-based attack box means you don't need to configure a local VM to get started.
For experienced practitioners, TryHackMe may feel too guided. But as a starting point for career changers or junior analysts looking to build technical depth, it's hard to beat at the price point.
Best for: Beginners and career changers. Also useful for security awareness training that goes deeper than the typical corporate program.
TCM Security
TCM Security offers practical, no-nonsense courses at an accessible price point. Their Practical Ethical Hacking course is widely recommended as a stepping stone toward the OSCP, and the PNPT certification has gained industry traction.
The teaching style is direct and practical. Courses are taught by working practitioners, and the lab exercises reflect real-world scenarios rather than artificial CTF challenges. The pricing — typically under $30 per course during sales — makes this accessible to self-funded learners.
Best for: Self-funded learners preparing for offensive security certifications. Good bridge between free resources and premium training.
Cloud-Specific Training
Cloud security training deserves its own mention because the landscape is fragmented. A few options stand out:
- A Cloud Guru / Pluralsight: Broad coverage of AWS, Azure, and GCP security services. Good for certification prep, less strong on adversarial techniques.
- PentesterLab: Focused on web application security with excellent progressive exercises. The Pro subscription is reasonably priced and the content is regularly updated.
- CloudGoat and Sadcloud: Open-source vulnerable-by-design AWS environments. Free and useful for hands-on cloud pen testing practice, though you'll need to self-direct your learning.
How to Choose
The right platform depends on where you are in your career and who's paying. Here's a rough framework:
- Just starting out: TryHackMe (free/paid), then HackTheBox Academy
- Building pen testing skills: HackTheBox Pro Labs + TCM Security, then Offensive Security for the OSCP
- Employer-funded professional development: SANS for your specialty area
- Maintaining and sharpening skills: HackTheBox active machines, weekly
The common thread among people who actually improve their skills: consistency matters more than the platform. An hour a day on any of these platforms will move you forward faster than a week-long bootcamp once a year.
We track training events and deadlines alongside conferences in our events calendar. Subscribe to the newsletter for weekly updates.