How I set up a full SIEM environment on Proxmox with Wazuh, Elastic, and pfSense.
Security isn't just about reading books; it's about getting your hands dirty in a controlled environment. A home lab is the best way to practice without getting arrested or breaking production systems.
The Hardware
You don't need a rack of servers. An old laptop or a cheap mini-PC is plenty to start with Proxmox.
The Software Stack
- Proxmox VE: The hypervisor that runs everything.
- Wazuh: My favorite open-source SIEM for log ingestion and HIDS.
- pfSense: A powerful firewall to segment your 'victim' and 'attacker' networks.
Setting this up taught me more about networking than any certification ever could.