Depending on how deep you want to go: https://www.coursera.org/learn/build-a-computer https://www.coursera.org/learn/build-a-computer - This is a fantastic no-

Depending on how deep you want to go: https://www.coursera.org/learn/build-a-computer https://www.coursera.org/learn/build-a-computer - This is a fantastic no-prerequisites course that has you actually implementing a functional CPU in 6 weeks starting from building basic logic gates out of NAND gates. There's a hands-on project every week to help you solidify your understanding of the lectures. The resources are also all available at their site: http://www.nand2tetris.org/ http://www.nand2tetris.org/. In case that sounds intimidating, I have no formal CS education either and couldn't implement any of the basic logic gates before I took the course, and I built a CPU by the end so I'm confident others can too. They have a "Part 2" to this course which has you build from the CPU to a functional operating system which would get you an introduction to how kernels work in general, although they recommend some programming experience for that part. Hacking: The Art of Exploitation - Despite the name, this book is actually an excellent introduction to low-level behavior both on the CPU and on networks (it's split into distinct sections to cover each topic). I would recommend picking this up after the course linked above, because it's somewhat brief with its explanation of CPU architecture. A beginner's course in C programming might also be advisable since this does use some basic C code which might be challenging if you've never been exposed to it before.