Week starting: 19th Jan 2026
This past week was fairly busy on the work front, which meant I didn’t manage to get as much dedicated study time in as I would’ve liked.
That said, things still moved forward.
What I worked on
I started the Active Directory course from ASYNC Security Labs. So far, the content has been excellent — a solid refresher for things I’ve seen before, while also being very approachable for anyone getting started with AD from a security perspective.
Alongside that, I spent some time fine-tuning a few crypto challenge ideas for upcoming CTFs that I’m authoring for. Nothing shipped yet, but the ideas are in a much better place now.
Key takeaways
Even with limited time, getting started was the hardest part. The AD course feels like a good fit and something I’ll be able to build steady momentum with going forward.
On the CTF side, refining ideas instead of rushing implementation helped clarify what I actually want players to learn from the challenges.
Challenges and friction
Work took priority this week, which cut into study time more than expected. Context switching is still a factor, but it feels more manageable now.
Looking ahead
The good news is that everything is starting to fall into place schedule-wise. I’m now in a much better rhythm, with clearer blocks of time carved out specifically for studying and CTF work.
Next week’s focus:
- Continue the AD course
- Start making more concrete progress on authored challenges
- Possibly sit the CBTeamer exam from the SecOps Group
- Take advantage of the new, more consistent routine
Settling back into a rhythm — more progress to come.