Study map — not vouchers

Certifications

24 common certs mapped to CYNARKS roadmap levels. Completing Learn is not the same as passing vendor exams — use this as a study path only.

CYNARKS Learn certificates prove platform progress. They are educational — not CompTIA, Offensive Security, ISC2, EC-Council, or other industry certifications.

Foundation

CompTIA Security+

Beginner

Broad security vocabulary, risk, basic ops

Pair with roadmap

Cybersecurity Fundamentals Networking Fundamentals Security Fundamentals

Good first cert; still practice labs.

GSEC

Intermediate

Hands-on security engineering breadth

Pair with roadmap

Security Fundamentals System Security Networking Fundamentals

Practical GIAC entry; pricey.

Blue / SOC

CompTIA CySA+

Intermediate

Analytics, detection, IR mindset

Pair with roadmap

Security Operations / SOC Incident Response

Pairs with SIEM practice.

Offense

eJPT

Beginner–Intermediate

Practical pentest basics

Pair with roadmap

Ethical Hacking Networking Fundamentals Web Application Security

Hands-on oriented entry offense cert.

OSCP

Advanced

Exam is a live penetration test

Pair with roadmap

Penetration Testing Linux & Windows Fundamentals Active Directory & Windows Security

Requires serious lab hours; CYNARKS cert ≠ OSCP.

PNPT

Intermediate–Advanced

Practical network pentest + reporting

Pair with roadmap

Penetration Testing Active Directory & Windows Security

Strong reporting emphasis.

CompTIA PenTest+

Intermediate

Pentest planning, tools, reporting vocabulary

Pair with roadmap

Ethical Hacking Penetration Testing

Good bridge before heavier practical exams.

Web / Bounty

Burp Suite Certified Practitioner

Intermediate

Web vulns with Burp

Pair with roadmap

Web Application Security

Great after PortSwigger Academy + our web labs.

AppSec

OSWE

Advanced

White-box web exploitation

Pair with roadmap

Web Application Security Application Security / DevSecOps Programming & Scripting

Code-heavy; not a beginner cert.

Cloud

AWS Security Specialty

Advanced

AWS identity, logging, infra security

Pair with roadmap

Cloud Security

Vendor-specific; practice in your own account.

AZ-500

Advanced

Azure security

Pair with roadmap

Cloud Security

Vendor-specific Azure path.

CCSP

Advanced

Cloud security architecture/governance

Pair with roadmap

Cloud Security Security Architecture

Broader than one cloud vendor.

Blue / Network

GCIA

Advanced

Intrusion detection / packet analysis

Pair with roadmap

Networking Fundamentals Blue Teaming Security Operations / SOC

Deep traffic analysis skills.

DFIR

GCFA

Advanced

Forensic analysis

Pair with roadmap

Digital Forensics Incident Response

Evidence handling + analysis.

Malware

GREM

Advanced

Malware reverse engineering

Pair with roadmap

Malware Analysis

Heavy RE skill curve.

Leadership / Architecture

CISSP

Expert

Broad security management domains

Pair with roadmap

Security Architecture Advanced Cybersecurity / Professional

Experience requirements; not a first cert.

Leadership

CISM

Expert

Security management / governance

Pair with roadmap

Advanced Cybersecurity / Professional Security Architecture

Manager-oriented.

GRC / Audit

CISA

Intermediate–Advanced

IS audit and controls

Pair with roadmap

Security Fundamentals Advanced Cybersecurity / Professional

Strong for GRC/audit careers.

GRC

CRISC

Intermediate–Advanced

IT risk management

Pair with roadmap

Security Architecture Advanced Cybersecurity / Professional

Risk-centric GRC path.

Blue

BTL1

Beginner–Intermediate

Practical blue team

Pair with roadmap

Security Operations / SOC Blue Teaming

Hands-on defensive practice.

Offense / Red

CRTO

Advanced

Adversary simulation / tradecraft concepts

Pair with roadmap

Red Teaming Active Directory & Windows Security

After solid pentest fundamentals.

Identity

SC-300

Intermediate

Microsoft identity & access admin

Pair with roadmap

Active Directory & Windows Security Cloud Security

Strong for IAM engineer path on Azure/Entra.

OT / ICS

GICSP

Intermediate–Advanced

Industrial control system security

Pair with roadmap

Networking Fundamentals System Security Security Architecture

For OT/ICS career track; safety-first mindset.

Privacy

CIPP/E (or regional privacy)

Intermediate

Privacy law & program fundamentals

Pair with roadmap

Security Fundamentals Advanced Cybersecurity / Professional

Pick the framework matching your jurisdiction.

Role-oriented paths: Career paths.