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IT Security Engineer Roadmap

 

IT Security Engineer Roadmap (Beginner → Expert)

This roadmap is practical and industry-aligned. If you follow it step-by-step, you’ll be job-ready—not just certified.

 

1️⃣ Strong IT Foundations (Non-Negotiable)

Before touching security tools, you must understand systems.

🔹 Networking

TCP/IP, OSI model

DNS, DHCP, NAT

Firewalls, VPNs, Load Balancers

👉 Learn: Packet flow, not just definitions

🔹 Operating Systems

Linux: users, permissions, processes, logs

Windows: AD basics, Group Policy, event logs

🔹 Programming / Scripting

Bash (Linux automation)

Python (security scripts)

Basic SQL (injection awareness)

⏱️ Time: 2–3 months

 

2️⃣ Core Cybersecurity Concepts

This is where you become a security engineer, not an IT admin.

🔐 Security Fundamentals

CIA Triad (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability)

Authentication vs Authorization

Encryption (AES, RSA, hashing)

Secure SDLC

🛡️ Defensive Security

Malware types

Phishing & social engineering

OWASP Top 10

Vulnerability vs Exploit

⏱️ Time: 1–2 months

 

3️⃣ Security Tools & Hands-On Skills

Tools don’t make you smart—but employers hire tool users.

🔧 Must-Know Tools

Wireshark (packet analysis)

Nmap (network scanning)

Burp Suite (web security)

Metasploit (exploitation)

SIEM (Splunk / ELK)

EDR basics (CrowdStrike conceptually)

 

👉 Practice in labs, not YouTube-only learning

⏱️ Time: 2–3 months

4️⃣ Choose Your Specialization (Very Important)

Security is too big to master everything.

🟥 Blue Team (Defensive)

SOC Analyst

 

Incident Response

SIEM tuning

Threat Hunting

🟦 Red Team (Offensive)

Penetration Testing

Ethical Hacking

Bug Bounty

Exploit development

🟩 Cloud Security (High Demand)

IAM, KMS

Cloud networking

Shared Responsibility Model

Misconfiguration detection

⏱️ Decide after basics (Month 6)

 

5️⃣ Cloud Security Skills (Mandatory in 2026)

Every company is on cloud.

Learn security on:

Amazon Web Services

Microsoft Azure

Google Cloud Platform

Key topics:

IAM & RBAC

VPC security

Security Groups / NSGs

Cloud logs & monitoring

Zero Trust Architecture

⏱️ Time: 2 months

 

6️⃣ Certifications (Use Smartly)

Certs help open doors, skills keep you inside.

🎓 Entry Level

CompTIA Security+

CEH (only if paired with labs)

🎓 Intermediate

CySA+

Azure / AWS Security certs

🎓 Advanced (After Experience)

CISSP

OSCP (Red Team)

⚠️ Don’t chase certs without labs.

 

7️⃣ Real-World Experience (Most Critical)

No experience = no job.

How to get it:

Home lab (VMs + Kali Linux)

Hack The Box / TryHackMe

Bug bounty programs

Internal security audits (if working in IT/QA)

Cloud security misconfig lab projects

👉 Document everything on GitHub + LinkedIn

 

8️⃣ Job Roles You Can Target

Based on skill level:

Level    Role

Fresher               SOC Analyst, Security Analyst

1–3 yrs Security Engineer, Cloud Security Engineer

3–5 yrs Incident Responder, Pentester

6+ yrs   Security Architect, CISO track

 

9️⃣ Salary Reality (India – Approx)

Fresher: ₹5–8 LPA

Mid-level: ₹12–25 LPA

Senior: ₹30–60+ LPA

Security rewards depth, not shortcuts.



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Location: Pune, Maharashtra, India

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