General Guidelines for the Plan:

• Study Time per Day: 1.5-2 hours (using the Pomodoro Technique: 4 sessions of 25 minutes each with 5-minute breaks in between).
• Review Strategy: Regular review sessions using the Forgetting Curve—review after 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, etc., to enhance long-term retention.
• Objective: By the end of the study plan, you will have gained in-depth knowledge and hands-on practice on all exam topics. Additionally, you will practice applying knowledge through mock questions and review your weaknesses.

Week 1: Security Architecture & Network Security Fundamentals

Day 1: Introduction to Security Architecture

• Goal: Understand security architecture and its principles.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study Security Architecture Concepts — Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability (CIA).
  • Pomodoro 2: Learn the importance of security design principles: Least Privilege, Defense in Depth, and Fail-Safe Defaults.
  • Pomodoro 3: Study Security Design Patterns like secure application architecture.
  • Pomodoro 4: Review the main design principles, summarize them in notes, and create flashcards.

Day 2: Network Segmentation & Access Control

• Goal: Learn about network segmentation and access control models.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study Network Segmentation — DMZ, VLANs, and Subnetting.
  • Pomodoro 2: Study Access Control Models (RBAC, DAC, ABAC).
  • Pomodoro 3: Learn about Zero Trust Architecture and its key principles.
  • Pomodoro 4: Review network segmentation diagrams and create your own for practice.

Day 3: Encryption and Data Protection

• Goal: Understand encryption algorithms and data protection techniques.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study End-to-End Encryption and why it’s important for secure communication.
  • Pomodoro 2: Understand Data Loss Prevention (DLP) concepts, tools, and strategies.
  • Pomodoro 3: Study Data Encryption Methods — AES, DES, and RSA.
  • Pomodoro 4: Create a summary table of encryption algorithms and their uses.

Day 4: High Availability and Redundancy

• Goal: Understand concepts related to high availability and fault tolerance.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Learn about Redundancy and its role in maintaining availability (RAID, Clustering).
  • Pomodoro 2: Study Load Balancing concepts and how it improves system performance and fault tolerance.
  • Pomodoro 3: Explore Failover Systems and Disaster Recovery concepts.
  • Pomodoro 4: Create mind maps for redundancy, load balancing, and failover systems.

Day 5: Review and Practice

• Goal: Review and consolidate the week’s lessons.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1-2: Review all topics from Day 1-4 (Security Architecture, Network Segmentation, Data Protection, Redundancy).
  • Pomodoro 3: Solve practice questions from each topic.
  • Pomodoro 4: Identify weak areas and focus on refining your understanding.

Day 6: Review using Spaced Repetition

• Goal: Reinforce key concepts using the forgetting curve.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1-2: Review Day 1-4 lessons (use your notes and flashcards).
  • Pomodoro 3: Take a short quiz or mock test to self-assess.
  • Pomodoro 4: Focus on areas where you made mistakes during the practice quiz.

Day 7: Practice and Application

• Goal: Apply theoretical knowledge to practical scenarios.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1-2: Apply what you’ve learned to real-world scenarios (e.g., secure application architecture, network segmentation, etc.).
  • Pomodoro 3: Continue with hands-on exercises or simulations if available.
  • Pomodoro 4: Reflect on your learning, and prepare questions to review next week.

Week 2: Security Operations and Monitoring

Day 8: Introduction to Security Operations

• Goal: Understand the fundamentals of security operations and monitoring.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study Security Operations Overview — continuous monitoring, incident detection, and response.
  • Pomodoro 2: Learn about Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems.
  • Pomodoro 3: Understand the role of Behavioral Analytics in identifying threats.
  • Pomodoro 4: Create a summary of SIEM systems and tools for security monitoring.

Day 9: Vulnerability Management

• Goal: Learn about vulnerability management processes and tools.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study Vulnerability Assessment — the process of identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing vulnerabilities.
  • Pomodoro 2: Learn about Vulnerability Scanning Tools and how they are used in a security environment.
  • Pomodoro 3: Understand Patch Management strategies to mitigate vulnerabilities.
  • Pomodoro 4: Review common vulnerability types and their mitigations (e.g., SQL Injection, Buffer Overflows).

Day 10: Incident Response and Forensic Investigation

• Goal: Learn about incident response and forensic investigation techniques.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study Incident Response — process of detecting, analyzing, and responding to security incidents.
  • Pomodoro 2: Learn about Forensic Investigation methods and tools used to analyze compromised systems.
  • Pomodoro 3: Understand Incident Management tools and their role in coordinating responses.
  • Pomodoro 4: Create a flowchart for the incident response lifecycle.

Day 11: Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

• Goal: Study the essentials of business continuity and disaster recovery.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and its components.
  • Pomodoro 2: Learn about Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP) — strategies for backup, recovery, and system restoration.
  • Pomodoro 3: Understand the Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO).
  • Pomodoro 4: Create a Disaster Recovery Plan template with steps to restore service.

Day 12: Review and Practice

• Goal: Review the lessons learned in Week 2.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1-2: Review all topics from Day 8-11 (Security Operations, Vulnerability Management, Incident Response, Business Continuity).
  • Pomodoro 3: Solve practice questions on incident management, vulnerability scanning, and business continuity.
  • Pomodoro 4: Assess weak areas and focus on revisiting those concepts.

Day 13: Review using Spaced Repetition

• Goal: Reinforce learning through spaced repetition.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1-2: Review Day 8-11 lessons using notes and flashcards.
  • Pomodoro 3: Take a mini quiz or practice exam to check your retention.
  • Pomodoro 4: Identify weak spots and focus on areas that need improvement.

Day 14: Practice and Application

• Goal: Apply theoretical knowledge to practical situations.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1-2: Complete a hands-on exercise or case study on vulnerability management or incident response.
  • Pomodoro 3: Solve practical scenarios and apply knowledge to identify security gaps.
  • Pomodoro 4: Review your answers and reflect on areas of improvement.

Week 3: Security Engineering and Cryptography

Day 15: Introduction to Security Engineering

• Goal: Understand security engineering and its role in securing systems.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study Security Engineering Concepts — Design, Build, and Test Secure Systems.
  • Pomodoro 2: Learn about Security Principles — Defense in Depth, Least Privilege, Fail-Safe Design.
  • Pomodoro 3: Study the role of Security Tools and Technologies — Firewalls, IDS, and Anti-virus.
  • Pomodoro 4: Review secure system design methods, take notes, and create flashcards for key terms.

Day 16: Cryptography Fundamentals

• Goal: Gain a solid understanding of basic cryptographic concepts.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study Symmetric Encryption — AES, DES, and the use cases for symmetric encryption.
  • Pomodoro 2: Learn about Asymmetric Encryption — RSA, ECC, and how they enable secure communication.
  • Pomodoro 3: Understand Hashing Algorithms — SHA-256, MD5, and their role in data integrity.
  • Pomodoro 4: Practice creating hash values and applying symmetric encryption with online tools.

Day 17: Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

• Goal: Understand how PKI is used for secure communication.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study PKI Components — Digital Certificates, Certificate Authorities (CAs), and their roles in secure communications.
  • Pomodoro 2: Learn about Key Management — Creation, Storage, and Distribution of Cryptographic Keys.
  • Pomodoro 3: Study how Digital Certificates are used in HTTPS, email, and VPNs.
  • Pomodoro 4: Create a PKI system diagram with details about key exchange and certificate authorities.

Day 18: Digital Signatures & Authentication

• Goal: Understand digital signatures and the process of identity verification.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Learn how Digital Signatures work — their purpose in ensuring data integrity and authenticity.
  • Pomodoro 2: Study the Authentication Process — Multi-factor Authentication (MFA), and Identity & Access Management (IAM).
  • Pomodoro 3: Explore how Digital Signatures are applied in e-commerce, legal documents, and software distribution.
  • Pomodoro 4: Practice using a digital signature tool to sign documents.

Day 19: SSL/TLS and Secure Communication

• Goal: Learn about securing communication with SSL/TLS.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study the role of SSL/TLS in securing internet communication, especially HTTPS.
  • Pomodoro 2: Learn about SSL/TLS Handshake — the process of establishing a secure connection.
  • Pomodoro 3: Study the differences between SSL and TLS, and how each version improves security.
  • Pomodoro 4: Implement SSL/TLS on a practice server and simulate secure communication.

Day 20: Key Exchange and Cryptographic Protocols

• Goal: Learn about key exchange methods and advanced cryptographic protocols.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange — How two parties can securely share keys over an insecure channel.
  • Pomodoro 2: Learn about Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) and how it provides strong security with shorter keys.
  • Pomodoro 3: Understand how Cryptographic Protocols like IPSec and SSL/TLS ensure secure communication.
  • Pomodoro 4: Review key exchange protocols and create a cheat sheet of their differences and use cases.

Day 21: Review and Practice

• Goal: Consolidate your understanding of cryptography and security engineering.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1-2: Review all concepts from Day 15-20 (Security Engineering, Cryptography, PKI, Digital Signatures, SSL/TLS).
  • Pomodoro 3: Complete practice exercises or a mock test on cryptography concepts.
  • Pomodoro 4: Identify weak areas and focus on reviewing specific cryptography topics (e.g., AES vs. RSA).

Week 4: Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC)

Day 22: Introduction to GRC and Governance

• Goal: Understand the fundamentals of Governance, Risk, and Compliance.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study Governance — The importance of setting policies and ensuring accountability in security management.
  • Pomodoro 2: Learn about Security Policies and Standards — How to create and enforce security standards across the organization.
  • Pomodoro 3: Understand Leadership and Accountability in managing security, including roles and responsibilities.
  • Pomodoro 4: Review case studies on governance frameworks in large organizations.

Day 23: Risk Management Concepts

• Goal: Learn about risk assessment and management strategies.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study the Risk Management Process — Identify, assess, and prioritize risks.
  • Pomodoro 2: Learn how to Evaluate Risks using quantitative and qualitative risk assessment techniques.
  • Pomodoro 3: Understand how to develop Risk Mitigation Strategies and measures to reduce risks.
  • Pomodoro 4: Practice creating risk management plans for different types of security threats.

Day 24: Risk Acceptance & Compliance

• Goal: Learn about managing and accepting residual risks.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study Risk Acceptance — How to evaluate and decide which risks are acceptable based on a cost-benefit analysis.
  • Pomodoro 2: Learn about Compliance — Ensuring the organization adheres to legal, regulatory, and industry requirements.
  • Pomodoro 3: Understand the importance of Regulatory Frameworks like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS.
  • Pomodoro 4: Review examples of compliance failures and their impact on organizations.

Day 25: Legal and Regulatory Compliance

• Goal: Deep dive into legal and regulatory requirements in security.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study GDPR — How to ensure compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation.
  • Pomodoro 2: Learn about HIPAA — The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and its role in securing healthcare data.
  • Pomodoro 3: Understand PCI-DSS — Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard for securing payment card transactions.
  • Pomodoro 4: Practice identifying compliance gaps in case studies of non-compliance.

Day 26: Compliance Audits and Reporting

• Goal: Learn about compliance audits and how they impact security.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study the importance of Compliance Audits and their role in ensuring security.
  • Pomodoro 2: Learn about the different types of audits (internal vs. external).
  • Pomodoro 3: Understand the process of audit reporting and preparing for external audits.
  • Pomodoro 4: Review examples of successful audit processes and prepare your own audit checklist.

Day 27: Cross-border Compliance Challenges

• Goal: Understand the complexities of managing compliance across borders.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1: Study the challenges of operating across different jurisdictions with varying data privacy laws.
  • Pomodoro 2: Learn how to address cross-border compliance in multinational organizations.
  • Pomodoro 3: Understand Data Sovereignty and its implications for cloud computing and international data transfers.
  • Pomodoro 4: Review case studies where companies faced cross-border compliance issues.

Day 28: Review and Practice

• Goal: Review the entire GRC module and prepare for the exam.
• Task:
  • Pomodoro 1-2: Review all concepts from Day 22-27 (Governance, Risk, Compliance, Regulatory Frameworks).
  • Pomodoro 3: Complete practice questions and quizzes on GRC topics.
  • Pomodoro 4: Identify weak areas and revise key topics like compliance frameworks and risk assessment.

Week 4 Wrap-Up:

• Review the entire course by revisiting the most challenging topics from the past four weeks.
• Perform full-length mock exams to get a feel for the exam environment and identify any lingering gaps in knowledge.
• Use spaced repetition techniques to reinforce the most critical concepts that you might forget over time.