DSST Cybersecurity study plan

Define the CIA triad, defense in depth, and least privilege, then map each principle to two concrete controls in an operating system you use daily

Compare discretionary, mandatory, and role-based access control models and identify which model fits three sample scenarios you write yourself

Explain how buffer overflows, injection, and race conditions arise at the code and OS level, and describe one mitigation for each

Diagram the boot and process isolation boundaries of a modern OS, labeling user mode, kernel mode, and memory protection mechanisms

Classify malware families by propagation method and payload behavior, and match each to a detection or containment strategy

Trace the stages of a web application attack from reconnaissance through exfiltration using a scenario you construct

Differentiate secure coding practices for input validation, output encoding, and error handling, and rewrite three flawed pseudocode snippets

Describe how sandboxing, virtualization, and trusted execution environments limit the blast radius of a compromise

Distinguish identification, authentication, and authorization, and place each concept correctly in a sample login flow you sketch

Compare password-based, certificate-based, token-based, and biometric authentication on strength, cost, and failure modes

Explain the three factors of authentication and evaluate whether five sample login schemes are single-factor or multi-factor

Describe how Kerberos, SAML, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect differ in purpose and trust model

Apply the principle of least privilege to design role definitions for a small organization with at least four distinct job functions

Explain how directory services, federation, and single sign-on shift the trust boundary and where they concentrate risk

Describe session management controls including timeout, rotation, and revocation, and state what fails when each is missing

Evaluate privileged access management practices such as just-in-time elevation and credential vaulting

Identify the major compliance and standards frameworks relevant to cybersecurity programs and state the scope of each

Distinguish laws, regulations, standards, and frameworks, and classify eight named instruments into those categories

Explain how data classification drives handling requirements, retention, and breach notification obligations

Describe the elements of an audit trail and evidence retention that satisfy an assessor

Draft the components of an incident response plan covering preparation, detection, containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned

Explain how privacy principles such as data minimization and purpose limitation constrain logging and monitoring

Describe physical controls including perimeter defense, access logs, environmental sensors, and media disposal, and match each to a threat

Compare network segmentation approaches and state the security property each provides

Explain the function of firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and proxies, and place each correctly in a layered network design

Describe how TLS establishes confidentiality and integrity, and identify what it does not protect against

Compare wireless security protocols and state the weaknesses that make legacy ones unacceptable

Distinguish types of malware delivery over networks and the egress controls that limit command-and-control traffic

Describe the vulnerability management lifecycle from asset inventory through discovery, prioritization, remediation, and verification

Compare vulnerability scoring approaches and explain why severity alone is insufficient for prioritization

Distinguish vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, and configuration auditing by purpose and output

Explain how patch management, configuration baselines, and compensating controls reduce exposure when patching is delayed