Cybersecurity Certification Roadmap
Find the right certification path for your career. Certifications are a means to a job or promotion, not a collection to complete — this roadmap is organized by the career direction each one supports.
Start here, regardless of direction
- CompTIA Security+ — the standard entry-point certification for IT/security fundamentals; widely recognized by employers and often a baseline requirement for entry-level roles.
- CompTIA Network+ — useful before or alongside Security+ if you don't already have solid networking fundamentals.
Track: Blue team / SOC analyst (defense & monitoring)
- CompTIA CySA+ — behavioral analytics and threat detection, a natural next step after Security+.
- GIAC/GSEC or Blue Team Level 1 (BTL1) — deeper hands-on defensive skills.
- Splunk Core Certified User — practical SIEM skills relevant to most SOC analyst roles.
Track: Red team / penetration testing (offense)
- CompTIA PenTest+ — entry-level penetration testing methodology.
- eJPT (eLearnSecurity Junior Penetration Tester) — affordable, hands-on entry cert.
- OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional) — the widely respected, hands-on advanced credential; expect to need real lab practice, not just study guides.
For hands-on practice alongside any of these, HackerDNA runs real, legal hacking labs rather than multiple-choice quizzes — useful for building the practical skills these certifications actually test for. (Affiliate link — see our disclosure.)
Track: Cloud security
- AWS Certified Security – Specialty or Microsoft SC-200/SC-300, depending on which cloud your target employers use.
- Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) — vendor-neutral cloud security foundations.
Track: Governance, risk & compliance (GRC) / management
- CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) — the benchmark for senior/management security roles; requires several years of relevant experience to become fully certified.
- CISM (Certified Information Security Manager) — for security leadership and program management tracks.
How to choose
Look at job postings for the specific role you want in your target city or remote market, and note which certifications actually appear as requirements — not which ones are the most talked-about online. Certifications open doors; hands-on labs, home projects, and a portfolio are what get you through the interview once the door is open.