Returning to My Cyber Security Roots: Troubleshooting Tools Revisited

Cyber security was the reason I got into coding in the first place. Back when I started learning programming, my goal wasn’t to become a software developer — it was to understand how systems work, how they break, and how they can be secured.

Over time, my focus shifted more toward development, building projects, and working with code in production.

But recently, I’ve felt the urge to return to my original motivation: cyber security. And so, I’m picking things back up, starting with something practical — troubleshooting tools.

These tools are the foundation of diagnosing and understanding networks and systems. They’re used by security professionals to observe, test, and break things (in a controlled, ethical way!).

🔧 Essential Troubleshooting Tools

ipconfig        # Shows the network configuration on Windows.
ping            # Checks if a host is reachable.
dig             # DNS query tool for domain lookups.
netstat         # Displays current network connections and open ports.
route           # Shows routing tables.
nmap            # Scans networks and detects open ports or services.
tcpdump         # Captures network packets in real-time.
tracert         # Traces the route packets take to a destination.
nslookup        # Looks up DNS records for a domain.
arp             # Displays IP to MAC address mappings.
iptables        # Manages firewall rules in Linux.
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🧠 Categories I explored:

• Packet Sniffers — Tools like

  tcpdump

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  to watch network traffic live.
• Port Scanners — Tools like

  nmap

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  to discover open ports and running services.
• Protocol Analyzers — Deeper inspection of protocols (next stop: Wireshark!).

This wasn’t a new topic for me — it was a return. But this time, I’m approaching it with more knowledge, more experience, and a clear goal: to master the fundamentals of cyber security step by step.

Next up: diving into the world of Computer Networking Basics and understanding how these tools really function under the hood.