How to use this roadmap
Build evidence of capability, not a collection of tools.
Each project should produce a clear objective, a reproducible lab, configuration or code, validation evidence, and a short report explaining decisions and lessons learned.
Build solid security foundations
Firewall Configuration
Configure and test simple Fortinet security policies in PnetLab.
SIEM Foundations
Deploy Splunk and create a basic security monitoring dashboard.
Active Directory Security
Apply Group Policy and multi-factor authentication in a controlled lab.
Vulnerability Assessment
Use OpenVAS or Nessus to identify, classify, and document weaknesses.
Secure Remote Access
Configure a VPN and validate protected remote connectivity.
Develop detection and response capability
IDS/IPS Deployment
Deploy Snort or Suricata and evaluate detection rules in a lab.
Web Security Assessment
Study common vulnerabilities safely with DVWA or OWASP Juice Shop.
Incident Simulation
Run a bounded incident scenario and produce an investigation report.
Log Analysis
Correlate system and security logs to identify abnormal patterns.
System Hardening
Harden Linux and Windows using patches and secure configuration baselines.
Expand into analysis, cloud, and architecture
Malware Analysis Lab
Examine controlled samples in an isolated sandbox environment.
Threat Hunting
Develop and test hypotheses using correlated SIEM events.
Cloud Security
Explore IAM, monitoring, and security controls in an AWS or Azure lab.
Network Audit
Use Nmap and Wireshark to document assets, services, and network behaviour.
Network Segmentation
Design VLAN segmentation and validate permitted and denied flows.
Integrate engineering, automation, and governance
Applied Cryptography
Implement and evaluate RSA or AES in an educational environment.
Adversary Simulation
Run an authorized, isolated exercise with clear scope and reporting.
Reverse Engineering
Analyse a simple binary and document its observable behaviour.
SOC Automation
Use Python to automate alert enrichment and correlation workflows.
Compliance Lab
Map a fictional environment to selected ISO 27001 or NIST requirements.
Recommended evidence
Make every project verifiable.
Systems, trust boundaries, and data flows.
Version-controlled configuration or code.
Tests of security and failure behaviour.
Scope, evidence, limitations, and improvements.