Roadmap to Learning Cybersecurity
1. Introduction to Cybersecurity
Understand what cybersecurity is and why it matters.
Learn basic terminology: threat, vulnerability, risk, exploit.
Study core areas: network security, application security, cryptography,
forensics, incident response.
2. Basic IT and Networking Foundations
Learn basic computer architecture and operating systems concepts.
Study TCP/IP, subnets, routing, switching, DNS, DHCP.
Use tools like Wireshark to analyze traffic.
3. Operating Systems and Command Line
Become proficient with Linux command line.
Learn Windows internals, PowerShell basics, and registry.
Understand file systems, processes, and memory management.
4. Programming and Scripting
Learn a scripting language (Python, Bash, PowerShell).
Understand basics of secure coding practices.
Build small automation scripts and security tools.
5. Security Tools and Techniques
Study how firewalls, IDS/IPS, VPNs work.
Learn vulnerability scanning with tools like Nessus, OpenVAS.
Practice using Metasploit, Burp Suite, Nmap.
6. Cryptography Fundamentals
Understand symmetric vs asymmetric encryption.
Learn about hashing, digital signatures, certificates.
Study protocols like TLS, SSH, PGP.
7. Web and Application Security
Learn about OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities.
Practice testing with Burp Suite, SQLMap.
Understand authentication, session management, CSRF, XSS, injection
attacks.
8. Malware Analysis and Reverse Engineering
Study static vs dynamic analysis.
Learn to use tools like Ghidra, IDA, Radare2.
Understand basic assembly language concepts.
9. Penetration Testing and Red Team Skills
Practice with Kali Linux and pentesting distros.
Learn methodologies and report writing.
Join bug bounty platforms (HackerOne, Bugcrowd).
10. Defensive Security and Blue Team Skills
Learn SIEM tools (Splunk, ELK).
Understand threat hunting and incident response process.
Study log analysis, endpoint protection, EDR tools.
11. Compliance and Governance
Understand standards: ISO 27001, NIST, GDPR.
Learn basics of risk assessment and management.
Explore security policies, user awareness training.
12. Continuous Practice and Community
Join cybersecurity communities: Reddit, Discord, forums.
Participate in CTFs and wargames (Hack The Box, TryHackMe).
Read security blogs, advisories, and follow CVE feeds.
Resources: - Cybrary - Hack The Box - TryHackMe - OWASP - MITRE ATT&CK
- Infosec Writeups