🛡️Ultimate Cybersecurity Introduction

Mastery Roadmap Welcome to the Ultimate Cybersecurity Mastery

Roadmap! This comprehensive guide is designed to help
you navigate the complex world of cybersecurity,
providing a clear path from beginner to expert level.
Whether you're just starting your journey or looking to
advance your existing skills, this roadmap will guide you
through the essential knowledge, skills, and certifications
needed to succeed in the cybersecurity field.

Cybersecurity is a vast and rapidly evolving field that

requires continuous learning and adaptation. This
roadmap is designed to provide structure to your learning
journey, helping you build a solid foundation before
moving on to more specialized areas.

How to Use This Roadmap

This roadmap is divided into phases, each building upon
the previous one. For each topic, you'll find:

 Description: Brief explanation of the topic

 Learning Resources: Recommended courses,
books, tutorials, and videos
 Practical Exercises: Hands-on activities to
reinforce your learning
A comprehensive, step-by-step guide to mastering  Milestones: Key indicators that you've mastered
cybersecurity from beginner to expert level with the topic
curated resources, tools, and career guidance  Tools: Relevant tools to practice with

Progress through each phase sequentially, but feel free to

📋 Table of Contents dive deeper into topics that interest you or are relevant to
your career goals. Remember that practical experience is
 Introduction crucial in cybersecurity, so make sure to supplement your
 How to Use This Roadmap theoretical knowledge with hands-on practice.
 Roadmap Overview
 Foundation Phase
 Technical Skills Phase
Roadmap Overview
 Specialization Phase
 Advanced Phase Learning Path Progression
 Professional Development
 Learning Resources 1. Foundation Phase - Build core knowledge in
 Cybersecurity Tools computing, networking, and basic security
 Certifications Guide principles
 Career Paths 2. Technical Skills Phase - Develop practical
 Cybersecurity Communities security skills across various domains
 Capture The Flag (CTF) Competitions 3. Specialization Phase - Focus on offensive or
 Cybersecurity Labs and Practice Environments defensive security specializations
 Security Research Resources 4. Advanced Phase - Master advanced topics and
 Contributing specialized security domains
 5. Professional Development - Continuous learning  GNS3
and career advancement o Practical Exercises:
 Simulate networks with GNS3 or
Foundation Phase Packet Tracer
 Analyze packets with Wireshark
 Practice subnetting, DNS, firewall
1. Computer Fundamentals rules
 Programming Fundamentals
 Operating Systems o Python for Everybody
o CS50: Introduction to Computer Science
o Automate the Boring Stuff with Python
o Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces
o Codecademy Python Course
o MIT 6.S081: Operating System
o freeCodeCamp JavaScript Algorithms and
Engineering Data Structures
o Introduction to Operating Systems –
o Harvard CS50's Web Programming with
Georgia Tech (Udacity) Python and JavaScript
o Books:
o Books:
 "Modern Operating Systems" by
 "Python Crash Course" by Eric
Andrew S. Tanenbaum Matthes
 "Computer Systems: A
 "Eloquent JavaScript" by Marijn
Programmer's Perspective" by Haverbeke
Randal E. Bryant  "Head First Python" by Paul Barry
 "Operating System Concepts" –
o Tools:
Abraham Silberschatz, et al.  Visual Studio Code - Code editor
o Practical Exercises:
 PyCharm - Python IDE
 Install and explore Windows,
 Jupyter Notebooks - Interactive
Ubuntu, Arch, macOS computing
 Learn memory management,
 Replit
scheduling, file systems o Practical Exercises:
 Play OverTheWire: Bandit
 Build simple security tools (port
 Use QEMU or VirtualBox
scanner, password generator)
o Networking Basics
 Automate repetitive security tasks
 Computer Networking: A Top-
 Solve coding challenges on
Down Approach HackerRank or LeetCode
 Stanford CS144: Computer
 Linux Fundamentals
Networking o Linux Journey
 Practical Networking
o Linux Command Line Basics
 Wireshark Tutorial (YouTube)
o OverTheWire: Bandit
 Cisco Networking – Packet Tracer
o Linux Survival
o Books:
o Linux From Scratch
 "TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1" by
o Books:
W. Richard Stevens
 "The Linux Command Line" by
 "Network Warrior" by Gary A.
William Shotts
Donahue
 "How Linux Works" by Brian
 Computer Networking: Principles,
Ward
Protocols and Practice – Olivier
 "Linux Bible" by Christopher
Bonaventure
Negus
o Tools:
o Tools:
 Wireshark - Network protocol
 VirtualBox - Virtualization
analyzer
software
 tcpdump - Command-line packet
 Vagrant - Development
analyzer
environment management
 Cisco Packet Tracer - Network
simulation tool
  Kali Linux - Security-focused  Implement basic
Linux distribution encryption/decryption algorithms
o Practical Exercises:  Analyze cryptographic protocols
 Install and configure a Linux  Solve cryptography challenges on
distribution Cryptopals
 Master bash scripting for  Security Policies & Compliance
automation o SANS Security Policy Templates
 Set up a LAMP/LEMP stack o ISO 27001 Overview
 Configure user permissions and o NIST Special Publications
security settings o GDPR Compliance
o Books:
2. Information Security Principles  "Information Security Policies,
Procedures, and Standards" by
 CIA Triad & Security Fundamentals Thomas R. Peltier
o Cybrary Introduction to IT &  "The Compliance Guide to the
Cybersecurity NIST Cybersecurity Framework"
o NIST Cybersecurity Framework by Lars Benson
o edX Introduction to Cybersecurity  "CISSP Study Guide" by Eric
o Coursera Information Security Conrad
o Books: o Practical Exercises:
 "Computer Security: Principles and  Create a security policy for a
Practice" by William Stallings fictional organization
 "Security Engineering" by Ross  Conduct a gap analysis against a
Anderson security framework
 "The Art of Deception" by Kevin  Develop an incident response plan
Mitnick
o Practical Exercises: 3. Basic Security Tools
 Analyze case studies of security
breaches  Security Tool Fundamentals
 Create a security policy for a o SANS SEC504: Hacker Tools,
fictional organization Techniques, Exploits, and Incident
 Conduct a basic risk assessment Handling
 Cryptography Basics o Black Hills Information Security Webcast
o Cryptography I by Stanford University o Cybrary Open Source Intelligence
o Practical Cryptography for Developers o Books:
o Khan Academy Cryptography  "Hacking: The Art of Exploitation"
o Crypto101 by Jon Erickson
o Books:  "The Hacker Playbook 3" by Peter
 "Serious Cryptography" by Jean- Kim
Philippe Aumasson o Tools:
 "Applied Cryptography" by Bruce  Kali Linux - Security-focused
Schneier Linux distribution
 "Cryptography Engineering" by  Metasploit - Penetration testing
Niels Ferguson, Bruce Schneier, framework
and Tadayoshi Kohno  Nmap - Network discovery and
o Tools: security auditing
 CyberChef - Encryption/decryption o Practical Exercises:
tool  Set up a security lab environment
 OpenSSL - Cryptography toolkit  Perform basic reconnaissance on a
 Hashcat - Password recovery tool target (with permission)
o Practical Exercises:  Use OSINT tools to gather
information
  Vulnerability Scanning  Detect and prevent ARP spoofing
o OpenVAS Tutorial attacks
o Nessus Essentials Tutorial  Configure network security
o OWASP ZAP Getting Started monitoring
o Books:  Firewalls & IDS/IPS
 "Mastering Kali Linux for o pfSense Fundamentals
Advanced Penetration Testing" by o Snort IDS Fundamentals
Vijay Kumar Velu o Suricata IDS/IPS
 "The Basics of Hacking and o Cisco Firewall Configuration
Penetration Testing" by Patrick o Books:
Engebretson  "Practical Intrusion Analysis" by
o Tools: Ryan Trost
 OpenVAS - Open-source  "The Practice of Network Security
vulnerability scanner Monitoring" by Richard Bejtlich
 Nessus - Vulnerability scanner  "Firewalls and Internet Security"
 Nikto - Web server scanner by William R. Cheswick
o Practical Exercises: o Tools:
 Set up a vulnerable machine (e.g.,  pfSense - Open-source firewall
Metasploitable)  Snort - Network intrusion detection
 Perform vulnerability scans and system
analyze results  Suricata - Network IDS/IPS
 Create vulnerability reports  Security Onion - Security
monitoring platform
o Practical Exercises:
Technical Skills Phase  Set up a firewall with pfSense
 Configure and tune IDS/IPS rules
4. Network Security  Analyze and respond to security
alerts
 Network Protocols & Security  Create custom detection rules
o Professor Messer Network+ Course  VPN & Secure Communications
o SANS SEC560: Network Penetration o OpenVPN Setup Guide
Testing and Ethical Hacking o WireGuard VPN Tutorial
o Cybrary Network Security o IPsec VPN Configuration
o Books: o SSL/TLS Deep Dive
 "Network Security Essentials" by o Books:
William Stallings  "VPNs Illustrated: Tunnels, VPNs,
 "Practical Packet Analysis" by
and IPsec" by Jon C. Snader
Chris Sanders  "Implementing SSL/TLS Using
 "Black Hat Python" by Justin Seitz
Cryptography and PKI" by Joshua
o Tools:
Davies
 Wireshark - Network protocol o Tools:
analyzer  OpenVPN - Open-source VPN
 Nmap - Network discovery and
solution
security auditing  WireGuard - Modern VPN
 Bettercap - Network attack and
protocol
monitoring tool  Strongswan - IPsec implementation
 Zeek - Network security monitor
 OpenSSL - SSL/TLS toolkit
o Practical Exercises:
o Practical Exercises:
 Perform network reconnaissance
 Set up a site-to-site VPN
with Nmap  Configure a remote access VPN
 Analyze network traffic for
 Implement certificate-based
security issues authentication
  Analyze VPN traffic for security  Implement application whitelisting
issues  Detect and respond to malware
infections
5. System Security  Create security policies for
endpoints
 Operating System Security  Vulnerability Management
o Windows Security Fundamentals o Nessus Essentials Tutorial
o Linux Security Fundamentals o OpenVAS Tutorial
o macOS Security and Privacy Guide o Qualys Vulnerability Management
o SANS SEC505: Securing Windows o NIST Vulnerability Management
o Books: o Books:
 "Windows Internals" by Mark  "The Vulnerability Management
Russinovich Lifecycle" by Sagar Rahalkar
 "Linux Security Cookbook" by  "Vulnerability Management" by
Daniel J. Barrett Park Foreman
 "macOS and iOS Internals" by o Tools:
Jonathan Levin  Nessus - Vulnerability scanner
o Tools:  OpenVAS - Open-source
 Microsoft Baseline Security vulnerability scanner
Analyzer  Qualys - Cloud-based security and
 Lynis - Security auditing tool for compliance
Linux  Nexpose - Vulnerability
 OpenSCAP - Security compliance management
solution o Practical Exercises:
 Sysinternals Suite  Perform vulnerability assessments
o Practical Exercises:  Prioritize vulnerabilities based on
 Harden a Windows/Linux server risk
 Implement security baselines  Develop remediation plans
 Perform security audits  Implement vulnerability
 Configure secure authentication management processes
mechanisms
 Endpoint Protection 6. Web Application Security
o SANS SEC505: Securing Windows
o CIS Benchmarks  OWASP Top 10
o Microsoft Defender for Endpoint o OWASP Top Ten
o Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) o Web Security Academy
o Books: o SANS SEC542: Web App Penetration
 "Endpoint Security and Testing and Ethical Hacking
Compliance Management" by o Kontra OWASP Top 10
Daniel Blander o Books:
 "Malware Analyst's Cookbook" by  "The Web Application Hacker's
Michael Hale Ligh Handbook" by Dafydd Stuttard and
o Tools: Marcus Pinto
 Windows Defender  "Web Security for Developers" by
 ClamAV - Open-source antivirus Malcolm McDonald
 OSSEC - Host-based intrusion  "Real-World Bug Hunting" by
detection Peter Yaworski
 Wazuh - Security monitoring o Tools:
solution  OWASP ZAP - Web application
o Practical Exercises: security scanner
 Configure endpoint protection  Burp Suite - Web vulnerability
solutions scanner
  Nikto - Web server scanner  SonarQube - Code quality and
 SQLmap - SQL injection tool security
o Practical Exercises:  OWASP Dependency-Check -
 Set up a vulnerable web Software composition analysis
application (e.g., DVWA)  Snyk - Open source security
 Identify and exploit common web platform
vulnerabilities  Checkmarx - Static application
 Implement security controls to security testing
prevent attacks o Practical Exercises:
 Perform a web application security  Review code for security
assessment vulnerabilities
 Web Application Penetration Testing  Implement secure authentication
o Burp Suite Academy and authorization
o OWASP Juice Shop  Secure data storage and
o HackTheBox Web Challenges transmission
o PentesterLab  Integrate security into the
o Books: development lifecycle
 "Mastering Modern Web
Penetration Testing" by Prakhar Specialization Phase
Prasad
 "Bug Bounty Hunting Essentials"
7. Offensive Security
by Shahmeer Amir
 "Web Hacking 101" by Peter
 Penetration Testing Methodology
Yaworski
o TryHackMe: Complete Beginner Path
o Tools:
o HackTheBox Academy
 Burp Suite - Web vulnerability
o SANS Penetration Testing Roadmap
scanner
o Offensive Security Certified Professional
 OWASP ZAP - Web application
security scanner (OSCP)
o Penetration Testing Execution Standard
 Dirsearch - Web path scanner
 Wfuzz - Web application fuzzer (PTES)
o Practical Exercises: o Books:
 Perform a full web application  "The Hacker Playbook 3" by Peter
penetration test Kim
 Write a detailed security report  "Advanced Penetration Testing" by
 Exploit and chain multiple Wil Allsopp
vulnerabilities  "Penetration Testing: A Hands-On
 Participate in bug bounty programs Introduction to Hacking" by
 Secure Coding Practices Georgia Weidman
o Secure Coding in Python o Tools:
o OWASP Secure Coding Practices  Metasploit Framework -
o Secure Coding in Java
Penetration testing framework
 Cobalt Strike - Adversary
o Microsoft Secure Coding Guidelines
simulation software
o Books:
 Empire - Post-exploitation
 "Secure Coding in C and C++" by
framework
Robert C. Seacord
 Covenant - .NET command and
 "Iron-Clad Java: Building Secure
control framework
Web Applications" by Jim Manico
o Practical Exercises:
 "Secure Programming Cookbook
 Complete CTF challenges on
for C and C++" by John Viega
platforms like HackTheBox and
o Tools:
TryHackMe
  Perform a full penetration test in a  King Phisher - Phishing campaign
lab environment toolkit
 Document findings in a  SpiderFoot - OSINT automation
professional penetration testing tool
report o Practical Exercises:
 Practice OSCP-like challenges  Create and execute a phishing
 Exploitation Techniques campaign (in a controlled
o Metasploit Unleashed environment)
o OSCP Preparation Guide  Develop social engineering
o Exploit Development scenarios
o Buffer Overflow Tutorial  Practice pretexting and
o Books: impersonation techniques
 "The Shellcoder's Handbook" by  Analyze successful social
Chris Anley engineering attacks
 "A Guide to Kernel Exploitation"
by Enrico Perla 8. Defensive Security
 "Gray Hat Python" by Justin Seitz
o Tools:  Security Operations Center (SOC)
 Metasploit Framework - o SOC Analyst Learning Path
Penetration testing framework o Blue Team Labs Online
 GDB - GNU debugger o SANS SEC450: Blue Team Fundamentals
 IDA Pro - Disassembler and o Cybrary SOC Analyst
debugger o Books:
 Ghidra - Software reverse  "Blue Team Handbook: SOC,
engineering framework SIEM, and Threat Hunting" by
o Practical Exercises: Don Murdoch
 Develop custom exploits for  "Security Operations Center:
known vulnerabilities Building, Operating, and
 Analyze and modify public Maintaining your SOC" by Joseph
exploits Muniz
 Practice buffer overflow  "The Practice of Network Security
exploitation Monitoring" by Richard Bejtlich
 Perform post-exploitation activities o Tools:
 Social Engineering  Splunk - Security information and
o Social Engineering: The Science of event management
Human Hacking  ELK Stack - Log analysis platform
o The Social-Engineer Toolkit (SET)  Wazuh - Security monitoring
o SANS SEC567: Social Engineering for solution
Penetration Testers  TheHive - Security incident
o Books: response platform
 "Social Engineering: The Art of o Practical Exercises:
Human Hacking" by Christopher  Set up a SIEM solution
Hadnagy  Create detection rules for common
 "Phishing Dark Waters" by attacks
Christopher Hadnagy and Michele  Perform log analysis and
Fincher correlation
 "The Art of Deception" by Kevin  Develop incident response
Mitnick playbooks
o Tools:  Incident Response
 Social-Engineer Toolkit (SET) o SANS Incident Handler's Handbook
 Gophish - Open-source phishing o NIST Incident Response Framework
framework
 o SANS FOR508: Advanced Digital  Perform disk forensics on
Forensics, Incident Response, and Threat compromised systems
Hunting  Analyze memory dumps for
o Incident Response Consortium evidence
o Books:  Recover deleted files and data
 "Incident Response & Computer  Create forensic investigation
Forensics" by Jason T. Luttgens reports
 "The Art of Memory Forensics" by
Michael Hale Ligh 9. Cloud Security
 "Digital Forensics and Incident
Response" by Gerard Johansen  Cloud Security Fundamentals
o Tools: o AWS Security Fundamentals
 TheHive - Security incident o Azure Security Technologies
response platform o Google Cloud Security
 Velociraptor - Digital forensics and o Cloud Security Alliance Courses
incident response o IBM Cloud Security
 MISP - Threat intelligence o Books:
platform  "Cloud Security: A Comprehensive
 GRR Rapid Response - Remote Guide" by Chris Dotson
live forensics  "Practical Cloud Security" by
o Practical Exercises: Chris Dotson
 Develop an incident response plan  "AWS Security" by Dylan Shields
 Simulate and respond to security o Tools:
incidents  AWS Security Hub
 Perform forensic analysis of  Azure Security Center
compromised systems  Google Cloud Security Command
 Create incident response reports Center
 Digital Forensics  CloudSploit - Cloud security
o SANS FOR500: Windows Forensic scanner
Analysis o Practical Exercises:
o Digital Forensics Framework  Set up secure cloud infrastructure
o Computer Forensics Tutorial  Implement identity and access
o NIST Computer Forensics Tools and management
Techniques Catalog  Configure cloud security
o Books: monitoring
 "File System Forensic Analysis"  Perform cloud security assessments
by Brian Carrier  Cloud Security Architecture
 "Digital Forensics with Open o Cloud Security Alliance Guidance
Source Tools" by Cory Altheide o Well-Architected Framework (AWS)
and Harlan Carvey o Azure Well-Architected Framework
 "Windows Forensic Analysis o Google Cloud Architecture Framework
Toolkit" by Harlan Carvey o Books:
o Tools:  "Cloud Security Architecture" by
 Autopsy - Digital forensics Lee Newcombe
platform  "Architecting for Security in the
 FTK Imager - Forensic imaging Cloud" by David Linthicum
tool o Tools:
 Volatility - Memory forensics  Terraform - Infrastructure as code
framework  CloudFormation - AWS
 Sleuth Kit - Disk analysis tools infrastructure as code
o Practical Exercises:  Azure Resource Manager - Azure
infrastructure as code
 o Practical Exercises: o Tools:
 Design a secure cloud architecture  Ghidra - Software reverse
 Implement defense in depth in engineering framework
cloud environments  IDA Pro - Disassembler and
 Create infrastructure as code debugger
templates with security controls  Cuckoo Sandbox - Malware
 Perform threat modeling for cloud analysis sandbox
architectures  REMnux - Linux toolkit for
 Container Security malware analysis
o Docker Security o Practical Exercises:
o Kubernetes Security  Analyze malware samples in a safe
o OWASP Docker Security environment
o Kubernetes Security Best Practices  Reverse engineer malicious code
o Books:  Create malware analysis reports
 "Container Security" by Liz Rice  Build automated malware analysis
 "Kubernetes Security" by Liz Rice pipelines
and Michael Hausenblas  Threat Intelligence
o Tools: o MITRE ATT&CK Framework
 Clair - Container vulnerability o SANS FOR578: Cyber Threat Intelligence
scanner o Open Source Intelligence Techniques
 Trivy - Container vulnerability o Threat Intelligence Platforms
scanner o Books:
 Falco - Container runtime security  "Intelligence-Driven Incident
 Aqua Security - Container security Response" by Scott J. Roberts and
platform Rebekah Brown
o Practical Exercises:  "The Threat Intelligence
 Secure Docker containers and Handbook" by Recorded Future
images  "Applied Intelligence" by Kris
 Implement Kubernetes security Lovejoy
controls o Tools:
 Set up container vulnerability  MISP - Threat intelligence
scanning platform
 Monitor container runtime security  OpenCTI - Open cyber threat
intelligence platform
 ThreatConnect - Threat
Advanced Phase intelligence platform
 Recorded Future - Threat
10. Advanced Topics intelligence
o Practical Exercises:
 Malware Analysis  Collect and analyze threat
o Practical Malware Analysis intelligence
o SANS FOR610: Reverse-Engineering  Map threats to the MITRE
Malware ATT&CK framework
o Malware Analysis Tutorials  Create threat intelligence reports
o OALabs YouTube Channel  Integrate threat intelligence into
o Books: security operations
 "Practical Malware Analysis" by  Advanced Persistent Threats
Michael Sikorski and Andrew o APT Groups and Operations
Honig o Mandiant APT Reports
 "Malware Analyst's Cookbook" by o MITRE ATT&CK Groups
Michael Ligh et al. o ThaiCERT APT Encyclopedia
 "Learning Malware Analysis" by o Books:
Monnappa K A
  "Advanced Persistent Threat  "Android Security Internals" by
Hacking" by Tyler Wrightson Nikolay Elenkov
 "APT41: A Dual Espionage and  "iOS Application Security" by
Cyber Crime Operation" by David Thiel
FireEye  "Mobile Application Penetration
o Tools: Testing" by Vijay Kumar Velu
 Yara - Pattern matching for o Tools:
malware detection  MobSF - Mobile security testing
 Sigma - Generic signature format framework
for SIEM systems  Frida - Dynamic instrumentation
 CyberChef - Data analysis tool toolkit
o Practical Exercises:  Objection - Mobile runtime
 Analyze APT campaigns and exploration
techniques  Drozer - Android security
 Create detection rules for APT assessment
tactics o Practical Exercises:
 Simulate APT attacks in a  Perform mobile app penetration
controlled environment testing
 Develop APT hunting strategies  Analyze mobile app permissions
and security
11. Specialized Security Domains  Test mobile authentication
mechanisms
 IoT Security  Implement secure mobile
o OWASP IoT Security development practices
o IoT Security Foundation  Industrial Control Systems Security
o NIST IoT Security o ICS-CERT Training
o IoT Security Guidelines o SANS ICS410: ICS/SCADA Security
o Books: Essentials
 "Practical IoT Hacking" by Fotios o NIST SP 800-82: Guide to ICS Security
Chantzis et al. o ISA/IEC 62443 Standards
 "IoT Penetration Testing o Books:
Cookbook" by Aaron Guzman and  "Industrial Network Security" by
Aditya Gupta Eric D. Knapp and Joel Thomas
 "Abusing the Internet of Things" Langill
by Nitesh Dhanjani  "Hacking Exposed Industrial
o Tools: Control Systems" by Clint
 Shodan - IoT search engine Bodungen et al.
 Firmware Analysis Toolkit -  "Cybersecurity for SCADA
Firmware security analysis Systems" by William Shaw
 IoTSeeker - IoT device scanner o Tools:
o Practical Exercises:  Shodan - ICS device search
 Analyze IoT device security  Wireshark - Protocol analyzer with
 Perform firmware analysis ICS protocol support
 Test IoT communication protocols  Conpot - ICS honeypot
 Implement IoT security controls  PLCscan - PLC scanner
 Mobile Security o Practical Exercises:
o OWASP Mobile Security Testing Guide  Set up an ICS lab environment
o Mobile Application Security Verification  Analyze ICS protocols and
Standard vulnerabilities
o Android Security  Implement ICS security controls
o iOS Security  Perform ICS security assessments
o Books:
Professional Development  Continuous Learning
o Cybersecurity Podcasts
o Security Research Blogs
12. Career Development o Academic Journals
o Security Newsletters
 Certifications Planning
o GitHub Security Repositories
o CompTIA Certification Roadmap
o Resources:
o SANS Certification Roadmap
 Awesome Hacking Resources
o ISC2 Certifications
 Cybersecurity Canon
o ISACA Certifications
 Cybersecurity Learning Paths
o EC-Council Certifications
o Practical Exercises:
o Books:
 Subscribe to security newsletters
 "CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide"
and podcasts
by Shon Harris and Fernando  Follow security researchers on
Maymi social media
 "CompTIA Security+ Get Certified
 Set up a personal blog to document
Get Ahead" by Darril Gibson your learning
 "OSCP Preparation Guide" by
 Participate in bug bounty programs
TJ_Null  Contribute to security tools and
o Resources:
research
 Certification Comparison
 Cybersecurity Certification Guide
 Reddit r/cybersecurity Certification Learning Resources
Guides
o Practical Exercises: Books
 Create a personalized certification
roadmap  Beginner
 Build a study plan for your target o "Cybersecurity for Beginners" by Raef
certification Meeuwisse
 Join study groups and practice o "The Art of Invisibility" by Kevin Mitnick
exams o "Social Engineering: The Science of
 Create practical labs to reinforce Human Hacking" by Christopher Hadnagy
certification material o "Practical Malware Analysis" by Michael
 Building a Professional Network Sikorski and Andrew Honig
o Cybersecurity Communities o "Cryptography for Dummies" by Chey
o Security Conferences Cobb
o OWASP Chapters o "Computer Security: Principles and
o Cybersecurity Meetups Practice" by William Stallings and Lawrie
o Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) Brown
o Resources: o "Network Security Essentials" by William
 Building Your Cybersecurity Stallings
Network  Intermediate
o Practical Exercises: o "The Web Application Hacker's
 Join cybersecurity communities Handbook" by Dafydd Stuttard and
and forums Marcus Pinto
 Attend local meetups and o "Blue Team Handbook" by Don Murdoch
conferences o "Penetration Testing: A Hands-On
 Contribute to open-source security Introduction to Hacking" by Georgia
projects Weidman
 Participate in online discussions o "The Tangled Web: A Guide to Securing
and forums Modern Web Applications" by Michal
 Create and share cybersecurity Zalewski
content
 o "Threat Modeling: Designing for Security" o PentesterLab - Web penetration testing
by Adam Shostack exercises
o "Reversing: Secrets of Reverse o RangeForce - Hands-on cybersecurity
Engineering" by Eldad Eilam training
o "The Hacker Playbook 3" by Peter Kim o Pluralsight - IT and security courses
 Advanced o Udemy - Various security courses
o "The Art of Memory Forensics" by  Practice Environments
Michael Hale Ligh et al. o Damn Vulnerable Web Application
o "Gray Hat Hacking: The Ethical Hacker's (DVWA) - Vulnerable web application
Handbook" by Allen Harper et al. o OWASP Juice Shop - Vulnerable web
o "The Shellcoder's Handbook" by Chris application
Anley et al. o WebGoat - Deliberately insecure web
o "Practical Reverse Engineering" by Bruce application
Dang et al. o Metasploitable - Vulnerable Linux virtual
o "Advanced Penetration Testing" by Wil machine
Allsopp o Vulnhub - Vulnerable virtual machines
o "Black Hat Python" by Justin Seitz o Hack The Box - Online penetration testing
o "Windows Internals" by Mark platform
Russinovich et al. o PentesterLab - Web penetration testing
 Specialized exercises
o "Cloud Security: A Comprehensive o Root Me - Hacking challenges
Guide" by Chris Dotson o Hacker101 CTF - CTF challenges by
o "Industrial Network Security" by Eric D. HackerOne
Knapp and Joel Thomas Langill o CryptoHack - Cryptography challenges
o "iOS Application Security" by David Thiel o OverTheWire - Security wargames
o "Android Security Internals" by Nikolay
Elenkov YouTube Channels
o "Container Security" by Liz Rice
o "Applied Cryptography" by Bruce  John Hammond - CTF walkthroughs and security
Schneier tutorials
o "Intelligence-Driven Incident Response"  IppSec - HackTheBox walkthroughs
by Scott J. Roberts and Rebekah Brown  The Cyber Mentor - Penetration testing tutorials
 David Bombal - Networking and security tutorials
Online Platforms  NetworkChuck - Networking and security
tutorials
 Learning Platforms  Nahamsec - Bug bounty and web security
o TryHackMe - Interactive cybersecurity  LiveOverflow - Exploit development and CTF
training  STÖK - Bug bounty hunting
o HackTheBox - Penetration testing labs  HackerSploit - Penetration testing tutorials
o VulnHub - Vulnerable virtual machines  PwnFunction - Web security animations
o PortSwigger Web Security Academy -  InsiderPhD - Bug bounty and web security
Web security training  Security Weekly - Security news and interviews
o Cybrary - Free cybersecurity courses  Black Hat - Conference presentations
o edX Cybersecurity Courses - University-  DEFCONConference - Conference presentations
level courses  SANS Offensive Operations - Offensive security
o Coursera Cybersecurity Specializations - techniques
University-level courses
o SANS Cyber Aces - Free online courses Cybersecurity Tools
o Offensive Security - Professional
penetration testing training Reconnaissance & Information Gathering
o INE Security - Cybersecurity training
  Nmap - Network discovery and security auditing  Covenant - .NET command and control
 Shodan - Search engine for Internet-connected framework
devices  Sliver - Cross-platform adversary emulation
 Recon-ng - Web reconnaissance framework framework
 theHarvester - Email, subdomain and name
harvester Password Attacks
 Maltego - Open source intelligence and forensics
 SpiderFoot - OSINT automation tool  Hashcat - Advanced password recovery
 Amass - In-depth attack surface mapping and  John the Ripper - Password cracking tool
asset discovery  Hydra - Login cracker
 Sublist3r - Subdomain enumeration tool  Aircrack-ng - WiFi security auditing tools suite
 OWASP Maryam - Open-source intelligence  Medusa - Parallel network login auditor
framework  CrackMapExec - Post-exploitation tool
 mimikatz - Windows credential dumping
Vulnerability Assessment  RainbowCrack - Rainbow table implementation

 OpenVAS - Open-source vulnerability scanner Forensics & Incident Response

 Nessus - Vulnerability scanner
 Nikto - Web server scanner  Autopsy - Digital forensics platform
 Qualys - Cloud-based security and compliance  Volatility - Memory forensics framework
 Nexpose - Vulnerability management  FTK Imager - Forensic imaging tool
 Acunetix - Web vulnerability scanner  The Sleuth Kit - Disk analysis tools
 Netsparker - Web application security scanner  SANS SIFT - Forensic toolkit
 Nuclei - Vulnerability scanner based on templates  Rekall - Memory analysis framework
 Vulners Scanner - NSE script using Vulners.com  CAINE - Computer Aided INvestigative
API Environment
 GRR Rapid Response - Remote live forensics
Web Application Security  TheHive - Security incident response platform

 Burp Suite - Web vulnerability scanner and proxy Defensive Tools

 OWASP ZAP - Web application security scanner
 Sqlmap - Automatic SQL injection tool  Wireshark - Network protocol analyzer
 Wfuzz - Web application fuzzer  Snort - Intrusion detection system
 Dirsearch - Web path scanner  OSSEC - Host-based intrusion detection
 Nikto - Web server scanner  Wazuh - Security monitoring solution
 Skipfish - Active web application security  Security Onion - Security monitoring platform
reconnaissance tool  Suricata - Network IDS/IPS
 w3af - Web Application Attack and Audit  Zeek - Network security monitor
Framework  Sysmon - Windows system monitoring
 Arachni - Web application security scanner  YARA - Pattern matching for malware detection
framework
Cloud Security
Exploitation
 ScoutSuite - Multi-cloud security auditing tool
 Metasploit - Penetration testing framework  Prowler - AWS security best practices assessment
 BeEF - Browser Exploitation Framework  CloudSploit - Cloud security scanner
 Empire - Post-exploitation framework  Pacu - AWS exploitation framework
 Cobalt Strike - Adversary simulation software  CloudGoat - Vulnerable AWS environment
 PowerSploit - PowerShell post-exploitation  AzureHound - Azure security assessment
framework  GCP Audit - GCP security scanner
 Pupy - Cross-platform remote administration and  Falco - Container runtime security
post-exploitation tool  Kube-bench - Kubernetes security benchmarking
Mobile Security o Exam Format: 90 questions, 90 minutes,
performance-based and multiple choice
 MobSF - Mobile security testing framework o Validity: 3 years, renewable with
 Frida - Dynamic instrumentation toolkit continuing education
 Objection - Mobile runtime exploration o Career Paths: Network administrator,
 Drozer - Android security assessment network technician, help desk technician
 QARK - Android app vulnerability scanner  CompTIA A+ - IT fundamentals
 idb - iOS app security assessment tool o Focus Areas: Hardware, operating
 Needle - iOS security testing framework systems, software troubleshooting,
 Apktool - Android APK reverse engineering networking, security
 Jadx - Dex to Java decompiler o Prerequisites: None, but 9-12 months of
experience recommended
OSINT Tools o Exam Format: Two exams: Core 1 and
Core 2, 90 minutes each
 Maltego - Open source intelligence and forensics o Validity: 3 years, renewable with
 Shodan - Search engine for Internet-connected continuing education
devices o Career Paths: Help desk technician,
 theHarvester - Email, subdomain and name desktop support analyst, field service
harvester technician
 Metagoofil - Metadata extraction tool  Certified Information Systems Security
 Recon-ng - Web reconnaissance framework Professional (CISSP) Associate - Entry-level
 SpiderFoot - OSINT automation tool version of CISSP
 OSINT Framework - Collection of OSINT tools o Focus Areas: Same as CISSP but for
 Sherlock - Hunt down social media accounts by those without the required experience
username o Prerequisites: Pass the CISSP exam but
 IntelTechniques - OSINT tools collection have less than 5 years of experience
o Exam Format: Same as CISSP
o Validity: Indefinite until requirements for
Certifications Guide full CISSP are met
o Career Paths: Stepping stone to security
Entry-Level Certifications analyst, security consultant roles
 CompTIA Security+ - Foundational cybersecurity
certification
Intermediate Certifications
o Focus Areas: Network security, threats
 CompTIA CySA+ - Cybersecurity analyst
and vulnerabilities, identity management,
o Focus Areas: Threat detection, security
cryptography
monitoring, incident response,
o Prerequisites: None, but Network+ and 2
vulnerability management
years of experience recommended
o Prerequisites: Network+ and Security+
o Exam Format: 90 questions, 90 minutes,
recommended, 4+ years of experience
performance-based and multiple choice
o Exam Format: 85 questions, 165 minutes,
o Validity: 3 years, renewable with
performance-based and multiple choice
continuing education
o Validity: 3 years, renewable with
o Career Paths: Security specialist, security
continuing education
administrator, security consultant
o Career Paths: Security analyst, threat
 CompTIA Network+ - Networking fundamentals
intelligence analyst, security operations
o Focus Areas: Network concepts,
center (SOC) analyst
infrastructure, operations, security,
 CompTIA PenTest+ - Penetration testing
troubleshooting
o Focus Areas: Planning and scoping,
o Prerequisites: None, but A+ and 9-12
information gathering, vulnerability
months of experience recommended
identification, attacks and exploits,
reporting
 o Prerequisites: Network+ and Security+ architecture, network security, identity
recommended, 3+ years of experience management, security assessment, security
o Exam Format: 85 questions, 165 minutes, operations, software development security
performance-based and multiple choice o Prerequisites: 5 years of experience in at
o Validity: 3 years, renewable with least 2 domains
continuing education o Exam Format: 100-150 questions, 3
o Career Paths: Penetration tester, hours, adaptive testing
vulnerability assessment analyst, security o Validity: 3 years, renewable with
consultant continuing education
 Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) - Ethical hacking o Career Paths: Security manager, security
and countermeasures architect, CISO, security consultant
o Focus Areas: Ethical hacking  Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) -
methodology, tools, techniques, Information security management
countermeasures o Focus Areas: Information security
o Prerequisites: 2 years of experience or governance, risk management, program
official training development, incident management
o Exam Format: 125 questions, 4 hours, o Prerequisites: 5 years of experience in
multiple choice information security management
o Validity: 3 years, renewable with o Exam Format: 150 questions, 4 hours,
continuing education multiple choice
o Career Paths: Ethical hacker, security o Validity: 3 years, renewable with
analyst, penetration tester continuing education
 GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC) - Security o Career Paths: Security manager, security
essentials director, CISO
o Focus Areas: Security administration, risk  GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) -
management, cryptography, access Incident handling
controls o Focus Areas: Incident handling process,
o Prerequisites: None computer crime investigation, hacker
o Exam Format: 180 questions, 5 hours, techniques
multiple choice and performance-based o Prerequisites: None
o Validity: 4 years, renewable with o Exam Format: 115 questions, 3 hours,
continuing education multiple choice
o Career Paths: Security administrator, o Validity: 4 years, renewable with
security analyst, security engineer continuing education
o Career Paths: Incident responder, SOC
Advanced Certifications analyst, security analyst

 Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) Specialized Certifications

- Penetration testing with Kali Linux
o Focus Areas: Hands-on penetration  Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) -
testing, exploitation, privilege escalation Cloud security
o Prerequisites: Strong understanding of o Focus Areas: Cloud concepts,
networking, Linux, and scripting architecture, design, security, operations,
o Exam Format: 24-hour practical exam legal compliance
with report submission o Prerequisites: 5 years of IT experience, 3
o Validity: Lifetime years in security, 1 year in cloud security
o Career Paths: Penetration tester, red team o Exam Format: 125 questions, 3 hours,
operator, security consultant multiple choice
 Certified Information Systems Security o Validity: 3 years, renewable with
Professional (CISSP) - Security management continuing education
o Focus Areas: Security and risk
management, asset security, security
 o Career Paths: Cloud security architect, o Certifications: CompTIA Security+,
cloud security engineer, cloud security CySA+, GIAC GSEC
manager o Career Progression: Senior Security
 GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst (GCFA) - Analyst → Security Engineer → Security
Digital forensics Architect
o Focus Areas: Digital forensics techniques,  Security Engineer
incident response, malware analysis o Responsibilities: Design and implement
o Prerequisites: None security solutions, manage security
o Exam Format: 115 questions, 3 hours, infrastructure, conduct security
multiple choice assessments
o Validity: 4 years, renewable with o Skills Required: Network security,
continuing education security architecture, security tools,
o Career Paths: Digital forensic analyst, scripting
incident responder, malware analyst o Certifications: CISSP, GIAC GSEC,
 Offensive Security Certified Expert (OSCE) - CEH
Advanced penetration testing o Career Progression: Senior Security
o Focus Areas: Advanced exploitation Engineer → Security Architect → CISO
techniques, custom exploit development  SOC Analyst
o Prerequisites: OSCP recommended o Responsibilities: Monitor security events,
o Exam Format: 48-hour practical exam analyze alerts, respond to incidents,
with report submission maintain security tools
o Validity: Lifetime o Skills Required: SIEM tools, incident
o Career Paths: Advanced penetration response, network security, log analysis
tester, exploit developer, security o Certifications: CompTIA Security+,
researcher CySA+, GCIH
 Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) - o Career Progression: SOC Analyst Level
Information systems auditing 2 → SOC Analyst Level 3 → SOC
o Focus Areas: IS audit process, Manager
governance, systems acquisition,  Incident Responder
operations, protection of assets o Responsibilities: Investigate and
o Prerequisites: 5 years of experience in IS remediate security incidents, develop
audit, control, or security incident response plans, conduct forensic
o Exam Format: 150 questions, 4 hours, analysis
multiple choice o Skills Required: Digital forensics,
o Validity: 3 years, renewable with malware analysis, incident response, threat
continuing education hunting
o Career Paths: IS auditor, IT audit o Certifications: GCIH, GCFA, GREM
manager, compliance officer o Career Progression: Senior Incident
Responder → Incident Response Manager
→ Security Director
Career Paths  Security Architect
o Responsibilities: Design secure systems
Defensive Roles and networks, develop security standards,
evaluate security solutions
 Security Analyst o Skills Required: Security architecture,
o Responsibilities: Monitor and analyze risk assessment, compliance, technical
security alerts, implement security leadership
measures, conduct vulnerability o Certifications: CISSP, CISM, SABSA
assessments o Career Progression: Senior Security
o Skills Required: Network security, Architect → Security Director → CISO
security tools, vulnerability assessment,
incident response
Offensive Roles
  Penetration Tester o Responsibilities: Executive responsible
o Responsibilities: Test systems for for an organization's security strategy,
vulnerabilities through simulated attacks, policies, and programs
document findings, recommend o Skills Required: Leadership, risk
remediation management, security governance,
o Skills Required: Ethical hacking, business acumen, communication
exploitation, scripting, report writing o Certifications: CISSP, CISM, CGEIT
o Certifications: OSCP, CEH, PenTest+ o Career Progression: Terminal position,
o Career Progression: Senior Penetration may move to larger organizations or
Tester → Red Team Lead → Security consulting
Consultant  Security Manager
 Red Team Operator o Responsibilities: Manage security teams
o Responsibilities: Simulate advanced and operations, implement security
adversaries to test defenses, develop policies, oversee security projects
custom tools, conduct long-term o Skills Required: Team management,
engagements security operations, project management,
o Skills Required: Advanced exploitation, risk assessment
social engineering, evasion techniques, o Certifications: CISSP, CISM, PMP
custom tool development o Career Progression: Security Director →
o Certifications: OSCP, OSCE, GXPN CISO
o Career Progression: Senior Red Team  Security Consultant
Operator → Red Team Lead → Director o Responsibilities: Advise organizations on
of Offensive Security security matters, conduct assessments,
 Vulnerability Researcher develop security strategies
o Responsibilities: Discover and analyze o Skills Required: Security assessment,
new vulnerabilities, develop proof-of- consulting, communication, technical
concept exploits, research security expertise
weaknesses o Certifications: CISSP, CISA, CISM
o Skills Required: Reverse engineering, o Career Progression: Senior Consultant
exploit development, programming, → Principal Consultant → Practice Lead
vulnerability analysis  GRC (Governance, Risk, Compliance)
o Certifications: OSCE, GXPN, OSEE Specialist
o Career Progression: Senior Vulnerability o Responsibilities: Ensure compliance with
Researcher → Security Research Lead → regulations and standards, conduct risk
Security Director assessments, develop security policies
 Exploit Developer o Skills Required: Compliance frameworks,
o Responsibilities: Develop exploits for risk assessment, policy development,
vulnerabilities, create custom attack tools, auditing
research exploitation techniques o Certifications: CISA, CRISC, CISM
o Skills Required: Advanced programming, o Career Progression: GRC Manager →
reverse engineering, exploit development, Director of Compliance → CISO
assembly language
o Certifications: OSCE, OSEE, GXPN Specialized Roles
o Career Progression: Senior Exploit
Developer → Research Lead → Security  Digital Forensic Analyst
Director o Responsibilities: Investigate digital
evidence, recover and analyze data,
Management Roles document findings for legal proceedings
o Skills Required: Digital forensics tools,
 Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) evidence handling, chain of custody, legal
knowledge
o Certifications: GCFA, EnCE, CCFE
 o Career Progression: Senior Forensic  Hack The Box Forum - Penetration testing and
Analyst → Forensic Manager → Director CTF discussions
of Forensics  TryHackMe Discord - Community for
 Malware Analyst TryHackMe platform users
o Responsibilities: Analyze malicious  NetSec Focus - Information security community
software, reverse engineer malware,  Bleeping Computer Forums - Computer security
develop detection methods forums
o Skills Required: Reverse engineering,
programming, malware analysis tools, Professional Organizations
sandboxing
o Certifications: GREM, GXPN, GCIH  ISACA - Information Systems Audit and Control
o Career Progression: Senior Malware Association
Analyst → Threat Research Lead →  (ISC)² - International Information System
Security Director Security Certification Consortium
 Cloud Security Specialist  ISSA - Information Systems Security Association
o Responsibilities: Secure cloud  SANS - SysAdmin, Audit, Network, and Security
environments, implement cloud security Institute
controls, assess cloud security  EC-Council - International Council of E-
o Skills Required: Cloud platforms (AWS, Commerce Consultants
Azure, GCP), cloud security tools,  CompTIA - Computing Technology Industry
DevSecOps Association
o Certifications: CCSP, AWS Certified  CSA - Cloud Security Alliance
Security, Azure Security Engineer  FIRST - Forum of Incident Response and Security
o Career Progression: Senior Cloud Teams
Security Specialist → Cloud Security  Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) - Organization
Architect → CISO for women in cybersecurity
 Application Security Engineer
o Responsibilities: Secure software Conferences
applications, conduct code reviews,
implement secure coding practices  DEF CON - One of the world's largest hacker
o Skills Required: Secure coding, conventions
application security testing, programming,  Black Hat - Information security conference
SDLC  RSA Conference - Cybersecurity conference
o Certifications: CSSLP, GWAPT, OSWE  BSides - Community-driven framework for
o Career Progression: Senior AppSec information security events
Engineer → AppSec Architect → Director  SANS Summits - Cybersecurity summits
of Application Security  Infosecurity Europe - Europe's information
security event
CyberSecurity Summit - Cybersecurity leadership
Cybersecurity Communities 
summit
 Women in Cybersecurity Conference -
Online Communities Conference for women in cybersecurity
 CISO Forum - Chief Information Security Officer
 Reddit r/cybersecurity - General cybersecurity forum
discussions
 Reddit r/netsec - Network security news and
discussions Capture The Flag (CTF)
 Reddit r/AskNetsec - Questions about network Competitions
security
 Stack Exchange Information Security - Q&A for Beginner-Friendly CTFs
information security professionals
 OWASP Community - Web application security  PicoCTF - Free, educational CTF for beginners
community
  CTFlearn - Online platform with various CTF  Hack The Box - Online platform for penetration
challenges testing practice
 Hacker101 CTF - CTF by HackerOne for learning  TryHackMe - Learn cybersecurity through hands-
web security on exercises
 CyberDefenders - Blue team CTF challenges  VulnHub - Vulnerable virtual machines for
 SANS Holiday Hack Challenge - Annual holiday- practice
themed CTF  PortSwigger Web Security Academy - Web
 Google CTF Beginners Quest - Beginner-friendly security training
CTF by Google  PentesterLab - Web penetration testing exercises
 TryHackMe - Learn cybersecurity through CTF-  Root Me - Hacking challenges platform
like challenges  HackThis - Hacking challenges and tutorials
 OverTheWire - Wargames for learning security  Damn Vulnerable Web Application (DVWA) -
concepts Vulnerable web application
 OWASP Juice Shop - Vulnerable web application
Advanced CTFs
Building Your Own Lab
 DEF CON CTF - One of the oldest and most
prestigious CTFs  Virtualization Platforms
 CSAW CTF - CTF competition by NYU Tandon o VirtualBox - Free virtualization software
School of Engineering o VMware Workstation/Player -
 PlaidCTF - Annual CTF by Plaid Parliament of Virtualization software
Pwning o Proxmox VE - Open-source virtualization
 HITCON CTF - Hacks In Taiwan Conference platform
CTF o Hyper-V - Windows virtualization
 Dragon CTF - CTF by Dragon Sector team  Vulnerable Systems
 RuCTF - Russian CTF o Metasploitable - Vulnerable Linux virtual
 0CTF/TCTF - International CTF competition machine
 Hack.lu CTF - CTF during the Hack.lu conference o DVWA - Damn Vulnerable Web
Application
CTF Resources o WebGoat - Deliberately insecure web
application
 CTFtime - CTF events calendar and team o OWASP Juice Shop - Vulnerable web
rankings application
 CTF Field Guide - Guide to CTF competitions o Vulnhub Images - Collection of vulnerable
 LiveOverflow YouTube Channel - CTF virtual machines
walkthroughs and explanations  Attack Platforms
 John Hammond YouTube Channel - CTF o Kali Linux - Penetration testing
walkthroughs distribution
 IppSec YouTube Channel - HackTheBox o Parrot Security OS - Security-focused
walkthroughs Linux distribution
 CTF Resources - Collection of CTF resources o BlackArch Linux - Penetration testing
 Awesome CTF - List of CTF frameworks, distribution
libraries, resources o Commando VM - Windows-based
 CTF Tools - Collection of tools for CTF penetration testing VM
competitions  Network Simulation
o GNS3 - Network simulation software
Cybersecurity Labs and Practice o Cisco Packet Tracer - Network simulation
tool
Environments o EVE-NG - Network emulation platform
o Netkit - Network emulation tool
Online Practice Environments
Lab Guides and Resources
  Building a Home Lab for Offensive Security  NDSS Symposium - Network and Distributed
 Building a Cybersecurity Lab System Security Symposium
 Home Lab Setup Guide  Black Hat Briefings - Security conference
 Network Security Lab Setup presentations
 Building an Active Directory Lab  DEF CON Media - DEF CON conference
 Cybersecurity Home Lab on a Budget presentations
 Virus Bulletin - Security research and analysis
Security Research Resources
Security Research Tools
Vulnerability Databases
 Shodan - Search engine for Internet-connected
devices
 National Vulnerability Database (NVD) - U.S.
 Censys - Search engine for Internet-connected
government repository of vulnerability data
devices
 CVE Details - Security vulnerability database
 VirusTotal - Analyze suspicious files and URLs
 Exploit Database - Archive of exploits and
 Any.Run - Interactive malware analysis
vulnerable software
 Hybrid Analysis - Free malware analysis service
 Vulnerability Lab - Vulnerability research and
 Cuckoo Sandbox - Automated malware analysis
security database
 MITRE ATT&CK - Knowledge base of adversary
 Packet Storm - Information security services,
tactics and techniques
news, files, and tools
 OWASP - Open Web Application Security
 Vulners - Vulnerability database with API
Project resources
 VulDB - Vulnerability database
 Rapid7 Vulnerability & Exploit Database -
Vulnerability and exploit database Contributing
Security Blogs and News Contributions to this roadmap are welcome! Please feel
free to submit a pull request or open an issue if you have
 Krebs on Security - Security news and suggestions for improvements or additions.
investigation
 Schneier on Security - Security blog by Bruce 1. Fork the repository
Schneier 2. Create your resource branch (git checkout -b
 The Hacker News - Cybersecurity news and resource/new_tool)
analysis 3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add
 Threatpost - Information security news some resources')
 Dark Reading - Cybersecurity news and analysis 4. Push to the branch (git push origin
 Naked Security - Security news from Sophos resource/new_tool)
 BleepingComputer - Information security and 5. Open a Pull Request
technology news
 Security Affairs - Information security news
 Graham Cluley - Computer security news and
opinions "Security is a process, not a product." - Bruce Schneier

Research Papers and Publications "The only truly secure system is one that is powered off,
cast in a block of concrete and sealed in a lead-lined
 arXiv Cryptography and Security - Preprint room with armed guards." - Gene Spafford
research papers
 IEEE Security & Privacy - Security research Made with ❤️by Hamed Esam
journal
 USENIX Security Symposium - Security
conference papers You can’t perform that action at this time.
 ACM CCS - Computer and Communications
Security conference