Cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing careers in 2026, but the path is scattered. This roadmap gives absolute beginners a concrete 12-month plan: what to learn, in what order, with what certifications, and what portfolio to build.
Months 1–2: Foundations
- Networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP, TLS).
- Linux basics + command line.
- How the web works (HTTP, cookies, sessions, CORS).
Months 3–4: Scripting
- Python for security (sockets, requests, scapy basics).
- Bash scripting.
- Version control (Git) + Linux CLI workflow.
Months 5–7: Defensive security
- SIEM basics (Splunk / Elastic).
- Log analysis + correlation.
- Threat modelling + MITRE ATT&CK.
Months 8–10: Offensive security
- OWASP Top 10.
- Burp Suite, Nmap, Metasploit.
- HackTheBox / TryHackMe labs.
Months 11–12: Certifications + portfolio
- CompTIA Security+ — entry-level cert.
- eJPT / PNPT — practical, beginner-friendly.
- TryHackMe CPTS or OSCP — for the pentester path.
- Portfolio: write-ups on HTB/THM boxes, a small CTF challenge, a blog series.
Further reading
Authoritative sources
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