CISSP Study Plan – Day 3 of 55 | Firewalls vs Routers in Network Security
- Luke Ahmed
- Aug 13
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 18
"Those handwritten notes are your secret weapon. That hand motion and connecting your brain with what is being written on the paper is going to be helpful during your exam. If a topic comes up, you might remember yourself writing about it in your notes. Writing makes things easier to recall and understand. These can be some of your best offline material, your own handwritten notes which are most memorable." - Luke Ahmed
Today is Day 3 of Yihenew’s CISSP study plan, focusing on two critical network security components: firewalls and routers—and how they fit into a secure architecture.
How routers direct traffic between networks at the OSI Layer 3 level
How firewalls enforce access control policies by filtering traffic at Layers 3, 4, and sometimes 7
The importance of proper placement—firewalls typically protecting the perimeter, routers connecting networks and enabling segmentation
In this CISSP study plan session, Yihenew also explored how modern unified threat management (UTM) devices blur the line between router and firewall capabilities, and why network diagrams in the exam often test your understanding of these distinctions.
If you’re following your own CISSP exam preparation plan, knowing the functional differences between firewalls and routers—and where they sit in the network—is essential for both Communication and Network Security and Security Operations domains.
👉 Can you take the Yani Challenge?
55 days of consistent CISSP prep, tackling one domain at a time, using only the resources below:
Course
Luke's CISSP Course (2 months access, $89.98)
One-to-one Zoom sessions with Luke Ahmed (2 weeks before exam)
Books, Notes, and Practice Questions
All-In-One Study Guide by Shon Harris (Around $45)
Sybex 10th Edition (Around $52.55)
Total Cost: approxiamately $250 depending on your geographic location. Yani is located in East Africa.
📚 Study Plan (55 Days of Dedication):
- Weekdays: 2–3 hours of focused study—late nights and early mornings (5 AM).
- Weekends: 5–6 hours of deep study sessions.
Pass CISSP in first attempt within 100 questions.
Yani's biggest expense was his time, committment, consistency, and dedication! It was worth it because he passed first attempt in 100 questions using the above resources only.
If Yihenew could do it, so can you.
All the best Future CISSP. You can feel free to contact me anytime as well.
Thank you.
Luke Ahmed
