secondroot-labs

Welcome to secondroot-labs, my public cybersecurity learning archive.

This repo documents my hands-on journey into ethical hacking and blue team operations, starting from the ground up. It includes structured walkthroughs, tool breakdowns, and personal notes from platforms like Hack The Box, TryHackMe, and my own home lab.

I created this space not just to practice, but to prove — with consistency, clarity, and curiosity.

About Me

I'm Andreia Sweeney, a remote QA professional making the pivot into cybersecurity with a focus on ethical hacking.

No CS degree. Just pure strategy, sweat, and study. I'm here to learn out loud, break things safely, and build something I can be proud of.

Follow my journey at secondroot.dev

Repo Structure

secondroot-labs/
├── htb/              # Hack The Box labs + writeups
├── tryhackme/        # TryHackMe walkthroughs
├── writeups/         # General security exercises, tools, and scripts
├── notes-secplus/    # My Security+ study notes (CompTIA SY0-701)
└── README.md

Labs & Write-Ups

• RootGenesis Home Lab Setup

  A documented breakdown of my personal cybersecurity lab build using VirtualBox, Kali Linux, and Security Onion — including setup steps, networking configs, and troubleshooting notes.

• Meow (HTB)

  My first Hack The Box machine. A simple Telnet-based challenge that walked me through basic enumeration, shell access, and flag capture.

• Fawn (HTB)

  Completed with no errors — clean process flow covering FTP enumeration and basic flag capture.

Lab Types

Type	Description
Writeups	Step-by-step solutions with commands + commentary
Experiments	Tool testing, commands, and concept explorations
Notes	Study material from labs, courses, and cert prep

Tools Used

• Kali Linux (VM via VirtualBox)
• Nmap, Netcat, Metasploit, Wireshark
• Hack The Box & TryHackMe
• Git, GitHub, Markdown
• Obsidian

Goals

• Pass CompTIA Security+ by January 2026
• Build a solid cybersecurity portfolio
• Land a SOC Analyst or Blue Team role
• Document my transformation with percision and personality

Connect

I'm not jumping on the next trend - I'm building a career I believe in. That said, if you're in cybersecurity or pivoting in, lets chat: secondroot.dev

"Second roots run deeper. This is mine."