What you will be able to do
- Read and reason about network traffic at the packet level
- Operate Linux confidently from the command line
- Identify and explain the OWASP Top 10 with working demonstrations
- Apply cryptography correctly for data at rest and in transit
- Triage alerts and write clear incident notes like a SOC analyst
Before you start
- Comfort installing software and using a virtual machine
- Basic scripting helps but is taught in week 6
The week-by-week plan
Already know an early week? Start at your first real gap instead of week one — the projects still build on each other from wherever you join.
Week 1: How networks work
- OSI and TCP/IP models
- IP addressing and subnets
- DNS
- Ports and protocols
Project: Map your home network and document every device and open port
Week 2: Packets in practice
- Wireshark
- TCP handshakes
- HTTP vs HTTPS traffic
- ARP and spoofing
Project: Capture and annotate a full login flow
Week 3: Linux essentials
- Filesystem and permissions
- Users and groups
- Processes and services
- Logs
Project: Harden a fresh Linux VM and write the checklist
Week 4: Windows and Active Directory basics
- Event logs
- Users and policies
- PowerShell basics
- Common misconfigurations
Project: Audit a Windows VM's local policy
Week 5: Threats and attacker mindset
- MITRE ATT&CK
- Phishing and social engineering
- Malware categories
- Kill chain
Project: Write an attack narrative for a simulated breach
Week 6: Scripting for security
- Python basics
- Parsing logs
- Automating scans
- Regular expressions
Project: Script that flags suspicious lines in an auth log
Week 7: Web application security
- HTTP fundamentals
- Injection
- Broken authentication
- XSS and CSRF
Project: Exploit and then patch a deliberately vulnerable app
Week 8: OWASP Top 10 deep dive
- Access control failures
- Security misconfiguration
- Vulnerable dependencies
- SSRF
Project: Full write-up of five findings with severity ratings
Week 9: Cryptography applied
- Hashing vs encryption
- Symmetric and asymmetric keys
- TLS certificates
- Password storage
Project: Build a small encrypted note store and justify each choice
Week 10: Vulnerability management
- Scanning
- CVSS scoring
- Patch prioritisation
- Reporting
Project: Scan a lab network and produce a prioritised remediation plan
Week 11: Cloud and identity security
- Shared responsibility
- IAM policies
- Storage exposure
- Logging in the cloud
Project: Find and fix three misconfigurations in a sandbox cloud account
Week 12: SOC workflows
- SIEM basics
- Alert triage
- False positives
- Escalation
Project: Triage a day of simulated alerts with written verdicts
Week 13: Incident response
- Preparation and detection
- Containment
- Eradication and recovery
- Post-incident review
Project: Run a tabletop incident and publish the report
Week 14: Career preparation
- Certification landscape
- Home lab presentation
- Interview scenarios
- Reporting writing practice
Project: Portfolio of three labs plus one full incident report
Tools you will use
Where this roadmap leads
SOC Analyst (Tier 1)
The most common entry point — weeks 12-13 map directly to the day job.
Application Security Associate
Weeks 7-9 plus coding experience make this reachable.
IT Security Administrator
Weeks 3-4 and 10-11 are the core skills hiring managers test.
Frequently asked questions
Can I learn cyber security without an IT background?
Yes, provided you do weeks 1-4 properly. Networking and operating system fundamentals are what separate people who can investigate an alert from people who can only run a tool.
Which certification should I start with?
Most beginners start with a foundational security certification after week 10, once the concepts are already familiar. Certifications validate knowledge faster than they teach it.
Is ethical hacking the same as cyber security?
No. Offensive testing is one specialisation. Most entry-level hiring is defensive — monitoring, triage and hardening — which is why this roadmap ends on the blue team side.
Do I need a powerful laptop?
Anything that can run two virtual machines with 8 GB of RAM is enough for every lab in this plan.
Want this plan scheduled for you?
Pathlix turns roadmaps like this into daily goals sized to your study hours, tracks your streak, and tests you every week.