Justin's Blog

MS-102 Lab 6 – Identity Protection and Self-Service Password Reset

Published: May 03, 2026

This lab focuses on protecting user identities in Microsoft Entra ID by configuring Self-Service Password Reset and reviewing identity risk features. It builds on MFA and Conditional Access by showing how users can recover accounts securely and how risky sign-ins can be monitored.

MS-102 Lab 5 – Conditional Access Policies

Published: May 02, 2026

This lab focuses on configuring Conditional Access policies in Microsoft Entra ID to control how users access resources.

MS-102 Lab 4 – Authentication and Multi-Factor Authentication

Published: April 28, 2026

This lab demonstrates how to configure and test Multi-Factor Authentication in Microsoft 365. It focuses on improving sign-in security, reviewing authentication methods, and understanding Security Defaults.

MS-102 Lab 3 – Roles and Administrative Access

Published: April 26, 2026

This lab demonstrates how administrative roles are assigned and tested in Microsoft 365. It focuses on role-based access, least privilege, and using role assignable groups to manage administrative access.

MS-102 Lab 2 - Groups and License Assignment

Published: April 25, 2026

This lab demonstrates how to use Security groups and Microsoft 365 groups, and how to implement group-based licensing in Microsoft 365.

MS-102 Lab 1 - Tenant Setup and Identity Basics

Published: April 19, 2026

This lab demonstrates how to create and manage users in Microsoft 365, and highlights the difference between Microsoft 365 Admin Center and Entra ID.

MS-102 labs incoming!

Published: April 19, 2026

Ok, so, there's going to be a quick pivot. While I was doing the CCNA labs. I realised, I should do the MS102 because this would

Lab 1 - My First Real Network

Published: April 15, 2026

Objective - Build a small network where: 2 PCs can communicate through a switch

Packet Tracer labs incoming!

Published: April 15, 2026

I'm bored and I want to learn! So, I decided to ask chatgpt to generate some packet tracer labs for me.

Quick Update

Published: November 11, 2025

Just a quick update, I've been focusing more on my writeups, which you can check out here. Thanks for stopping by, and happy hacking!

Problem #1: Account Locked Out

Published: October 28, 2025

This is one of the most common Service Desk issues. Account lockouts typically occur after multiple failed login attempts, which is a security measure to prevent brute force attacks.

Reverse Proxy Media Server

Published: September 14, 2025

This was a doozy of a project. My friend wanted to watch a movie called "Do the Right Thing". Funny enough, I actually had this movie on my media server.

NorthStar Consulting Project – Part 5: Home Run

Published: September 05, 2025

With all users and OUs in place, I created several Group Policy Objects (GPOs) to enforce security and manage resources

NorthStar Consulting Project – Part 4: Lab Setup

Published: September 05, 2025

I started by installing Windows Server 2025 on the first VM. During installation, I chose the Desktop Experience option to ensure a GUI was available for easier configuration.

NorthStar Consulting Project – Part 3: Documentation

Published: August 31, 2025

AD DS Design Document, NorthStar Consulting – AD DS Implementation Plan Prepared by: Justin Van Den Hurk Date: 31/08/2025

NorthStar Consulting Project – Part 2: Scenario

Published: August 31, 2025

The company has grown to 7 staff members and until now, they've been working in a workgroup setup.

NorthStar Consulting Project – Part 1: Introduction

Published: August 31, 2025

I want to delve deeper into the world of Active Directory Domain Services, and by using project-based learning with the power of AI, I could achieve my goal of mastering AD DS concepts.

Proxmox Series - Part 3: Proxmox Installation

Published: August 2025

Setting up Proxmox was a lot easier than anticipated, thanks to their useful manuals and guides.

Proxmox Series - Part 2: Hardware Installation

Published: August 2025

Finally recieved my Optiplex 7060 but before I start the installation of proxmox, I just want to add a few bits of hardware.

Proxmox Series - Part 1: Hunting for a server

Published: August 2025

I have many ideas and these ideas require machines. Soucing a budget friendly computer to host multiple VMs could solve this problem.