Diving into Active Directory – My First Steps in Cyber Security 101

After completing the Pre-Security path, I’ve officially begun my journey into Cyber Security 101, and the first stop was understanding Active Directory (AD) Basics—a foundational piece of enterprise-level Windows networking.

The course began with an introduction to Windows Domains—a centralized way to manage users and computers within an organization. At the heart of this system is Active Directory, a centralized repository managed by a Domain Controller (DC). Two standout benefits of this structure are:

• Centralized Identity Management – Streamlining user configuration across the network.
• Security Policy Management – Enforcing consistent security policies with minimal effort.

From there, I explored AD components such as Users, Machines, Security Groups, and Organizational Units (OUs). OUs help organize users and devices, while Security Groups enable the assignment of permissions and policies. Understanding the distinction between these was key to grasping how AD is structured.

Next, I learned how to manage users in AD, including removing unnecessary OUs and users, and using delegation to assign administrative tasks without needing Domain Admin privileges.

I then moved on to managing devices in AD, which fall into three primary categories: Workstations, Servers, and Domain Controllers.

Group Policies were another major topic. I learned to create and manage Group Policy Objects (GPOs) using the Group Policy Management tool, and how they’re distributed via SYSVOL, a special folder used for sharing policies across the network.

The course also covered authentication protocols, focusing on Kerberos and NetNTLM, which ensure secure logins within a domain environment.

Lastly, I was introduced to more advanced AD architecture: Trees, Forests, and Trusts. These structures allow for scalability as organizations grow, enabling multiple domains to coexist and trust one another securely.

Overall, this was a strong and informative introduction to the world of Active Directory and Windows Domain management. It laid a solid foundation for the more advanced cybersecurity concepts to come.

With my Active Directory fundamentals in place, I’m now moving into a new and essential module in my Cyber Security 101 journey: Command Line Interfaces (CLI).

This module focuses on three key environments:

• Windows Command Line (CMD)
• Windows PowerShell
• Linux Shells (like Bash)

Each of these tools plays a vital role in system administration, scripting, and security tasks. Whether it’s navigating file systems, running scripts, or managing system configurations, understanding the command line is crucial for any cybersecurity professional.

I'm excited to deepen my hands-on skills and learn how to work more efficiently across both Windows and Linux environments. This is where the real power of the terminal begins to unfold.