By the LearnPath Team — published May 2, 2026
Quick Answer: The Best Cybersecurity YouTube Channels in 2026
The nine best YouTube channels for cybersecurity in 2026 are NetworkChuck (networking and Linux fundamentals), Professor Messer (CompTIA Security+ and Network+ prep), John Hammond (CTFs and threat analysis), IppSec (HackTheBox walkthroughs), David Bombal (networking and ethical hacking interviews), The Cyber Mentor (practical pentesting), 13Cubed (digital forensics and DFIR), HackerSploit (offensive security tutorials), and LiveOverflow (binary exploitation and CTF). Together they cover every entry-level skill a 2026 SOC analyst, junior pentester, or DFIR analyst needs.
The full ranked list, with what each channel is best for and exactly where to start, is below.
How We Ranked the Channels
Cybersecurity content rots faster than almost any other technical subject on YouTube. A great 2019 video on Active Directory exploitation may now demonstrate techniques that modern Windows defenses neutralize. We weighted four criteria, in this order:
- Currency — Has the channel published high-quality videos in the last 18 months? Are tool versions explicit?
- Hands-on pairing — Does the channel naturally pair with TryHackMe, HackTheBox, OverTheWire, or PicoCTF labs?
- Pedagogical clarity — Can a motivated beginner with basic IT knowledge follow along without a prerequisite degree?
- Career relevance — Does the content map to what 2026 hiring managers actually test for in entry-level interviews?
Channels that score well on three of these four criteria earned a spot. Channels that optimize for shock value, "hacker aesthetic," or subscriber count without teaching you to do the work were excluded.
The 9 Best Channels
1. NetworkChuck — Best for Networking and Linux Fundamentals
Subscribers: 4.5M+ | Focus: Networking, Linux, beginner cybersecurity
NetworkChuck (Chuck Keith) is the single best entry point into the world of cybersecurity for someone who has not touched a terminal. His teaching style is energetic, project-based, and ruthlessly beginner-friendly. The "Linux for Hackers" and "Networking for Hackers" series cover the prerequisites every cybersecurity job requires, and he frames them in a way that feels exciting rather than tedious.
What makes NetworkChuck irreplaceable is his refusal to skip foundations. Most aspiring hackers want to skip straight to Kali Linux and exploit code. Chuck makes you sit with subnetting, DNS, and the OSI model first — because every senior practitioner knows that exploits are easy and networking fundamentals are what separate a junior analyst from a useless one.
Best for: Complete beginners. Watch this before anything else on this list.
Start with: "Linux for Hackers" series, then "Networking Fundamentals" playlist.
2. Professor Messer — Best for CompTIA Security+ and Network+ Prep
Subscribers: 1.4M+ | Focus: CompTIA certification training
Professor Messer (James Messer) runs the gold-standard free CompTIA training on YouTube. His Security+ (SY0-701) and Network+ (N10-009) playlists cover every objective from the official exam outlines, and his pacing is calibrated for the exact level of detail the test expects. Tens of thousands of cybersecurity professionals have passed Security+ using his videos as their primary or only preparation.
Professor Messer's value is not entertainment. His videos are short, dense, and structured around exam domains. They are the closest free equivalent to a $500 in-person bootcamp, and they hit the only certification most entry-level SOC and security analyst job postings explicitly require.
Best for: Anyone preparing for Security+ (the most-requested entry-level cert in 2026) or Network+.
Start with: Security+ SY0-701 playlist, watched in order. Pair with practice tests from his website.
3. John Hammond — Best for CTFs and Threat Analysis
Subscribers: 2M+ | Focus: CTFs, malware analysis, threat hunting
John Hammond is the most prolific cybersecurity educator on YouTube, with thousands of videos covering capture-the-flag walkthroughs, malware analysis, threat hunting, and emerging vulnerabilities. He works as a senior threat analyst, which means his content reflects what real practitioners do every day rather than abstract textbook scenarios.
His CTF content (PicoCTF, HackTheBox, TryHackMe) is the best on the platform for learning how attackers actually think. He narrates his thought process out loud, including dead ends and mistakes — which is far more educational than channels that edit out the messy parts.
Best for: Intermediate learners who have NetworkChuck and Security+ behind them and want to start practicing offense.
Start with: Any PicoCTF playlist (perfect for beginners), or his "Malware Analysis" series.
4. IppSec — Best for HackTheBox Walkthroughs
Subscribers: 750K+ | Focus: Penetration testing, HackTheBox machines
IppSec's channel is essentially a free OSCP-prep companion. He publishes a 30-60 minute walkthrough for every retired HackTheBox machine, and his methodology — enumeration first, structured note-taking, no shortcuts — is exactly what real pentesters do. The OSCP exam-style mindset is baked into every video.
What sets IppSec apart is his refusal to take cosmetic shortcuts. He shows the full enumeration process, including approaches that fail, so viewers learn how a methodical pentester narrows down attack surfaces. If you are working through HackTheBox boxes and get stuck, his channel is the highest-signal resource on the internet.
Best for: Learners with at least 2-3 months of hands-on lab experience, preparing for OSCP, eJPT, or similar offensive certifications.
Start with: "Beginner Friendly" HTB playlist, then any retired easy-rated machine.
5. David Bombal — Best for Networking Depth and Career Interviews
Subscribers: 2.4M+ | Focus: Networking, ethical hacking, career interviews
David Bombal is a Cisco-certified instructor who built one of the most diverse cybersecurity channels on YouTube. He alternates between deep networking tutorials (Cisco, Python automation, Wi-Fi security) and high-signal interviews with practitioners — pentesters, CISOs, hiring managers — about how to actually break into the field.
His interview content is uniquely valuable for newcomers because it demystifies hiring. He has interviewed people who landed jobs without degrees, who switched in from non-technical careers, and who built six-figure consulting practices from cybersecurity skills. The career advice density rivals any paid course.
Best for: Learners who want technical depth plus realistic career guidance.
Start with: "How to Get Into Cyber Security" interview series.
6. The Cyber Mentor — Best for Practical Pentesting
Subscribers: 1M+ | Focus: Penetration testing, ethical hacking, business of consulting
The Cyber Mentor (Heath Adams) runs a pentesting consultancy and teaches his actual day-to-day work on YouTube. His "Practical Ethical Hacking" approach — and the related TCM Security training platform — is one of the most respected entry points into offensive security in 2026.
What makes Heath's content different is that he teaches the business side too: how to scope an engagement, how to write a report a client will pay for, how to charge what a pentester is worth. For learners aiming at consulting or boutique pentest firms (which often have lower hiring bars than FAANG security teams), this context is hard to find anywhere else.
Best for: Aspiring pentesters who want hands-on offense plus career economics.
Start with: "Hacker 101" playlist, then his free "Linux 101 for Hackers" course.
7. 13Cubed — Best for Digital Forensics and DFIR
Subscribers: 200K+ | Focus: Windows forensics, incident response, DFIR
13Cubed is the best free DFIR (digital forensics and incident response) channel on YouTube. Richard Davis publishes deep-dive videos on Windows forensic artifacts, memory analysis, and incident response workflows — content that directly maps to what SOC tier 2 and tier 3 analysts do for a living.
DFIR is one of the highest-paying entry-points into cybersecurity, and content quality on this niche is poor outside of paid SANS courses (which run $7,000+). 13Cubed is essentially a free curriculum for the discipline. If you want to do incident response for a living, this channel is mandatory.
Best for: Aspiring SOC analysts and DFIR practitioners.
Start with: "Introduction to Windows Forensics" series, then any video on memory analysis with Volatility.
8. HackerSploit — Best for Offensive Security Tutorials
Subscribers: 850K+ | Focus: Penetration testing, Kali Linux, network security
HackerSploit is one of the most structured offensive-security channels on YouTube. Alexis Ahmed publishes long-form courses (4-10 hours) on topics like ethical hacking, web application pentesting, Active Directory pentesting, and cloud security — covering topics in depth that most channels treat as one-off videos.
His content is intentionally course-shaped: prerequisites are stated, lab setups are explained, and topics build on each other. For learners who want a free alternative to the curated experience of a paid bootcamp, his playlists are the closest you will find.
Best for: Learners who prefer long-form structured courses to one-off videos.
Start with: "Penetration Testing Bootcamp" full course.
9. LiveOverflow — Best for Binary Exploitation and CTF Depth
Subscribers: 900K+ | Focus: Binary exploitation, CTFs, low-level security
LiveOverflow makes the deepest, most technically demanding cybersecurity content on YouTube. His videos cover binary exploitation, reverse engineering, browser security, and CTF challenges that most channels do not touch. The pacing assumes serious technical chops — usually programming experience plus assembly language familiarity — but the payoff is unmatched.
This is not a beginner channel. It is the channel you graduate to once you have a foundation and want to understand how memory corruption works, how browser sandboxes are escaped, or how crypto challenges are solved. Many serious red-team practitioners cite LiveOverflow as the channel that changed how they think about security.
Best for: Advanced learners with programming and assembly experience who want low-level depth.
Start with: "Binary Exploitation / Memory Corruption" playlist.
How to Use These Channels Together
The mistake most beginners make is treating YouTube cybersecurity content as a buffet — sampling videos from every channel without finishing any path. A better approach: pair channels by phase.
Months 1-2 (foundations): NetworkChuck + Professor Messer in parallel. Get networking, Linux, and Security+ knowledge solid before touching offensive content.
Months 3-4 (hands-on basics): John Hammond CTF walkthroughs + start TryHackMe. Get used to working in a Linux command line under pressure.
Months 5-6 (specialization): Pick a path. Aspiring SOC analysts switch to 13Cubed. Aspiring pentesters switch to IppSec + The Cyber Mentor. Both groups should keep doing TryHackMe daily.
Months 7-12 (advanced): Add HackerSploit's long-form courses for structure. Start HackTheBox machines and watch IppSec walkthroughs only after you have spent at least 4-6 hours on each box yourself.
This sequence has been validated by hundreds of learners who broke into the field via YouTube + TryHackMe + Security+ in the last 24 months.
What This List Won't Give You
Be honest with yourself about what YouTube cannot provide:
- Hands-on labs. Watching a HackTheBox walkthrough is not equivalent to solving the box. Subscribe to TryHackMe or HackTheBox and put in lab hours.
- Certifications. Security+ is the entry-level cert most jobs ask for. Professor Messer prepares you for it, but you still need to take and pass the exam.
- Resume signal. A GitHub portfolio of CTF writeups, blog posts, and tooling matters far more than YouTube watch hours. Document everything you learn publicly.
- Mentorship. YouTube cannot give you feedback on your specific career path. Cybersecurity Twitter, LinkedIn, and Discord communities can.
If you do all four of those things plus consistent video learning from this list, you can realistically reach hireable for an entry-level SOC role in 6-12 months.
What to Read Next
- How to Learn Cybersecurity from YouTube in 2026 (Free Roadmap) — The full structured roadmap with monthly milestones, certification timing, and how to land a first SOC job.
- How to Stay Consistent Learning Online — The biggest blocker for self-taught cybersecurity learners is consistency, not content. This guide covers the systems that work.
- What Is Adaptive Learning, and Why It Works — Why YouTube-only learning plateaus, and what to add to keep progress moving.
LearnPath turns YouTube channels like the ones in this list into structured, AI-curated learning paths with quizzes, spaced repetition, and progress tracking — completely free. If you want the structure of a paid bootcamp without the price tag, start a path on cybersecurity in under a minute.