EC-Council’s Certified Network Defender (C|ND) is an essential vendor-neutral network security certification for every IT and systems administrator who needs to operate with a secure mindset.
Students will learn the critical skills required to defend their networks and operating environments across local networks, endpoints, cloud infrastructure, applications, OT, and mobile. They will also acquire knowledge of effective proper log analysis, network traffic monitoring, basic investigation and response, as well as business continuity and disaster recovery. Additionally, they will dive into threats, analyzing the attack surface, and studying threat prediction and threat intelligence as it relates to their administration and defense responsibilities.
Often referred to as blue-teaming, C|NDs will be able to apply defense and countermeasure strategies in their organizations, playing a critical role not only in attack prevention but also in detection, response, and remediation as they configure networks and systems to operate securely. The C|ND program will cover the concepts and fortify skills through hands-on practice across over 100+ labs delivered on live target machines.
Play VideoThe C|ND program designed by industry experts prepares network defenders with strategic, technological, and operational network security capabilities, enabling them to design, develop, and maintain secure networks.
EC-Council’s Certified Network Defender (C|ND) program, a network security course is a pathway to start your career in cybersecurity and in blue team. C|ND’s network security course stands out from other networking programs as it offers a comprehensive approach that extends beyond networking skills and builds robust networking security skills.
The Certified Network Defender program has been upgraded and loaded with battle-ready ammunition to help blue teams defend and win the war against network breaches.
Defense-in-depth security strategy
1. Policies, Procedures, and Awareness 2. Physical 3. Perimeter 4. Internal Network 5. Host 6. Application 7. Data
for Network Security Skills and Builds Careers in Network Security and Blue Team
This module covers mechanisms of various attack techniques and hacking methodologies that attackers use to breach the security of an organization’s networks.
It also introduces defense strategies that network defenders should adopt to ensure comprehensive network security. Key topics covered: Attack, threat, threats sources, threat actors, vulnerability, risk, network attacks, application attacks, social engineering attacks, email attacks, mobile attacks, cloud attacks, supply chain attacks, wireless attacks, hacking methodologies and frameworks, adaptive security strategy, and defense-in-depth security.
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help to understand the modus operandi of different attacks at network, application, and host levels.
This module covers administrative security measures, including compliance efforts, creating and enforcing security policies, security awareness training, asset management, etc.
Key topics covered: Compliance, regulatory frameworks, security policies, security awareness, asset management, and recent cybersecurity trends.
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help to demonstrate skills in security policy implementation, asset management, employee monitoring, etc.
This module covers the technical aspects of network security. It describes the concepts of access control, Identity and Access Management (IAM), cryptographic security techniques, and various network security devices and protocols.
Key topics covered: Access controls, Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA), IAM, cryptography, network segmentation, zero trust, network security controls, and network security protocols.
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help demonstrate skills in implementing access controls, VPN, etc.
This module covers the security configuration of network perimeter devices such as firewalls, intrusion detection and intrusion protection systems (IDSs/IPSs), routers, switches, etc., for effective perimeter protection.
Key topics covered: Firewalls, firewall types, firewall topologies, firewall selection, firewall implementation and deployment, firewall administration, IDS/IPS, IDS/IPS classification, IDS/IPS selection, false positives, false negatives, router security, switch security, software-defined perimeter (SDP).
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help to demonstrate skills in perimeter security, which includes how to configure and implement firewalls and IDS/IPS with the help of well-known tools such as pfSense, Smoothwall, Windows Firewall, iptables, Suricata, Wazuh, ModSecurity, etc.
This module covers various security features and secure configuration techniques used to secure Windows systems.
Key topics covered: Windows security risks, Windows security components, Windows security features, Windows security baseline configurations, user account and password management, Windows patch management, Windows user access management, active directory security, Windows network services and protocol security, and Windows security best practices.
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help demonstrate Windows security skills, including but not limited to Windows patch management, Windows file integrity, Windows endpoint protection, Windows security configuration baseline, active directory security, security troubleshooting, permissions, etc.
This module covers the Linux OS, its security features, and the various techniques to harden the OS security.
Key topics covered: Linux security risks, Linux installation and patching, Linux user access and password management, Linux OS hardening techniques, Linux network and remote access security, and Linux security tools and frameworks.
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help demonstrate skills in Linux security, including but not limited to system hardening, system security auditing, file integrity monitoring, permissions, access controls, etc.
This module covers securing the use of mobile devices under various mobile usage policies implemented and enforced in enterprises.
Key topics covered: Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), Choose Your Own Device (CYOD), Corporate Owned, Personally Enabled (COPE), Company Owned, Business Only (COBO), Mobile Device Management (MDM), Mobile Application Management (MAM), Mobile Threat Defense (MTD), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM), Mobile Email Management (MEM), Mobile Content Management (MCM), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM), mobile device security, android security, and iPhone security.
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help demonstrate skills in implementing MDM solutions and various mobile security measures.
This module covers the use of IoT devices, the associated security challenges and risks, as well as appropriate security measures implemented to secure IoT-enabled environments.
Key topics covered: IoT devices, IoT application areas, IoT ecosystem, IoT communication models, IoT-enabled environments, IoT security risk and challenges, IoT security in IoT-enabled IT environments, IoT security tools, IoT security best practices, IoT security standards, initiatives, and efforts.
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help demonstrate skills to secure IoT device communication.
This module covers various application security measures implemented to monitor, patch, and upgrade the installed applications constantly.
Key topics covered: Application whitelisting, application blacklisting, application sandboxing, application patch management, and web application firewalls (WAFs).
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help demonstrate skills in application whitelisting, application sandboxing, WAF, etc.
This module covers various security measures implemented to secure an organization’s data from prying eyes.
Key topics covered: Data security, data encryption data at rest, data encryption at transit, data masking, data backup, data retention, data destruction, data loss prevention (DLP), and data integrity.
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help demonstrate skills in data encryption at rest, data encryption at transit, database encryption, email encryption, data backup, data recovery, disk encryption, etc.
This module covers virtualization concepts and technologies such as network virtualization, software-defined network, and network function virtualization and their security.
Key topics covered: Network virtualization (NV), software-defined network (SDN), network function virtualization (NFV) security, OS virtualization security, container security, docker security, and Kubernetes security.
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help demonstrate skills in docker security audit, SDN communication security, Kubernetes security, etc.
This module covers the various aspects of enterprise cloud security that are important for an organization to securely store or process data on the cloud.
Key topics covered: Cloud Computing, cloud security, shared responsibility model, Amazon Cloud (AWS) Security , Microsoft Azure cloud security, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) security.
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help demonstrate skills in AWS IAM, AWS KMS, AWS Storage, Azure MFA, GCP IAM, Azure Resource locking, and GCP Cloud IAP.
This module covers various security measures and best practices used to secure wireless networks in enterprises.
Key topics covered: Wireless network, wireless standards, wireless topologies, wireless network components, wireless network encryption, wireless network authentication, wireless network security measures, and Wi-Fi security tools.
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help demonstrate skills in wireless router security.
This module covers threat, bandwidth, and performance monitoring with the help of network traffic monitoring and analysis.
Key topics covered: Network traffic monitoring, baseline traffic signatures, suspicious network traffic signatures, threat detection with Wireshark, bandwidth monitoring, performance monitoring, network anomaly detection, and behavior analysis.
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help demonstrate skills in packet capturing, traffic monitoring, traffic analysis, threat detection, and bandwidth monitoring with tools such as Wireshark, tcpdump, PRTG, Capsa, NTOP, etc.
This module covers threat detection with the help of log monitoring and analysis.
Key topics covered: Logs, Windows log analysis, Linux log analysis, Mac log analysis, firewall log analysis, router log analysis, web server log analysis, and centralized log management.
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help demonstrate skills in configuring, viewing, and analyzing logs in a local as well as a centralized location.
This module covers the role of incident response and forensic investigation in an organization’s security.
Key topics covered: First responder, incident handling and response process, SOAR, endpoint detection and response (EDR), extended detection and response (XDR), and forensics investigation.
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help demonstrate skills in incident ticketing, reporting, and escalations with OSSIM.
This module covers concepts around business continuity and disaster recovery.
Key topics covered: Business Continuity (BC), Disaster Recovery (DR), Business Continuity Management (BCM), BC/DR Activities, Business Impact Analysis (BIA), Recovery Time Objective (RTO), Recovery Point Objective (RPO), Business Continuity Plan (BCP), and Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP).
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help demonstrate skills in implementing business continuity and disaster recovery scenarios with NLB.
This module covers various phases in implementing and executing an organization’s risk management program.
Key topics covered: Risk management, risk identification, risk assessment, risk treatment, risk treatment steps, risk tracking and review, risk management frameworks (RMFs), vulnerability management, vulnerability scanning, vulnerability reporting, and privacy impact assessment (PIA).
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help demonstrate skills in network security audit, vulnerability management, application vulnerability scanning, and analysis.
This module covers concepts around visualizing, analyzing, and reducing the attack surface.
Key topics covered: Attack surface, attack surface analysis, system attack surface, network attack surface, software attack surface, physical attack surface, human attack surface, Indicators of Exposures (IoEs), attack simulation, attack surface reduction, attack surface monitoring tools, and cloud and IoT attack surface analysis.
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help demonstrate skills in system attack surface analysis, application attack surface analysis, attack surface mapping, etc.
This module covers leveraging threat intelligence capabilities for responding quickly, decisively, and effectively to emerging threats.
Key topics covered: Cyber threat intelligence, threat Intelligence types, Indicators of Compromise (IoCs), Indicators of Attack (IoA), threat intelligence layers, threat intelligence sources, threat intelligence feeds, threat intelligence platforms (TIP), and threat hunting.
The hands-on lab exercises in this module help demonstrate skills in integrating OTX threat feeds, threat hunting, etc.
| Appendix (Self-Study) | |
|---|---|
| Appendix A: Computer Network Fundamentals | Appendix B: Physical Network Security |
| Appendix C: Virtual Private Network (VPN) Security | Appendix D: Endpoint Security – MAC Systems |
| 1. Planning and administering network security for organizations |
| 2. Recognizing security risks, threats, and vulnerabilities |
| 3. Ensuring compliance with regulatory standards |
| 4. Designing and implementing network security policies |
| 5. Applying security principles in distributed and mobile computing environments |
| 6. Implementing Identity and Access Management, encryption, and network segmentation |
| 7. Managing Windows and Linux Security Administration |
| 8. Addressing security risks in mobile devices and IoT |
| 9. Implementing strong data security techniques |
| 10. Managing security in virtualization technologies and cloud platforms |
| 11. Implementing wireless network security |
| 12. Conducting risk and vulnerability assessments |
| 13. Providing first response to security incidents |
| 14. Identifying Indicators of Compromise and Attack |
| 15. Integrating threat intelligence for proactive defense |
| 16. Conducting Attack Surface Analysis |
| 17. Assisting in Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery planning |
| 18. Monitoring network traffic and performing log management |
| 19. Managing proxy, content filtering, and troubleshooting network issues |
| 20. Hardening security of endpoints and selecting firewall solutions |
| 21. Configuring IDS/IPS for enhanced security |
| 22. Maintaining an inventory of network devices |
| 23. Providing security awareness guidance and training |
| 24. Managing AAA for network devices |
| 25. Reviewing audit logs and analyzing security anomalies |
| 26. Maintaining and configuring security platforms |
| 27. Evaluating security products and operations procedures |
| 28. Identifying and classifying organizational assets |
| 29. Implementing system integrity monitoring tools |
| 30. Understanding EDR/XDR and UEBA solutions |
| 31. Conducting PIA processes for privacy assessment |
| 32. Collaborating on threat hunting and incident response |
| 33. Understanding SOAR platforms in cybersecurity operations |
| 34. Integrating Zero Trust principles into security architectures |
| 35. Staying updated on emerging cyber threats |
| 36. Understanding the role of AI/ML in cyber defense. |
This solution is an asynchronous, self-study environment in a video streaming format.
This solution is a live, online, instructor-led training course.
This solution offers “in-person” training so that you can benefit from collaborating with your peers and gaining real-world led by expert, certified instructors.
The Certified Network Defender v3 (C|ND) credential is the most trusted network security certification that employers worldwide value and for good reasons. EC-Council’s C|ND brochure provides a detailed guide to the program’s offerings to help you make an informed decision. The comprehensive curriculum focuses on IoT security, network virtualization practices for the remote workforce, enhanced cloud security, IoT and operational technology (OT) modules, introduction to threat intelligence, in-depth attack surface analysis, and much more.
When you successfully achieve the C|ND certification, you will be equipped with the skills needed to deploy the most comprehensive network defense system to protect digital business assets and detect and respond to cyber threats while leveraging threat intelligence to predict them before they happen.
This is only an overview of C|ND’s network security course and what you will learn.
For complete information, download the brochure now.
Best Defense Thwarts Any Offense
US Department Of Defense (DoD) 8570/8140 Approved Certification
The Protect, Detect, Respond, and Predict approach defines the job roles of a blue team security professional. One can continue their career as a network defender or later transition into a niche job profile as C|ND covers a base understanding of blue teams.
The first network security certification program to offer device and enterprise-level security for its students. Career changers planning a move into cybersecurity will also benefit from this program.
Learn different ways to ensure security across various cloud platforms—Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure Cloud, and Google Cloud platform.
C|ND is the only network security certification that offers a chance to learn beyond the technological aspects of network security. The module strongly focuses on the strategic domain with special attention to adaptive and defense-in-depth security, framing network policies, achieving compliance, and the operational domain to learn the implementation of the above decisions.
C|ND puts the spotlight on perimeter defense as the latest technologies have made networks too complex for everyone. Perimeter defense can help with modern security requirements.
Learn network defense management, perimeter protection, endpoint protection, application and data protection, enterprise virtual, cloud, and wireless network protection, incident detection and response, and threat prediction.
The latest technologies covered include cloud, IoT, virtualization and remote worker threats, attack surface analysis, threat intelligence, software-defined networks (SDN), network function virtualization (NFV), docker, Kubernetes, and container security.
Learn asset management, system integrity monitoring, endpoint detection and response (EDR), extended detection and response (XDR), user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA), privacy impact assessment (PIA), threat hunting, security orchestration automation and response (SOAR).
More than 50% of the C|ND course contains hands-on labs. Every learning objective is demonstrated using complex advanced labs that simulate a real-time environment with real-life networks and platforms.
The key to cyber risk management is in-depth attack surface analysis. C|ND's network security course trains you to identify what parts of your organization need to be reviewed and tested for security vulnerabilities and how to reduce, prevent, and mitigate network risks.
C|ND is a network security C|ND certification designed to help organizations create and deploy the most comprehensive network security system. C|ND certification is mapped to the below job roles based on common job role frameworks recognized by organizations worldwide.
The average salary for a network security engineer in the United States is $125,014 . Source: Glassdoor
World’s Most Practical Network Security Program
| Certification | Focus | Vendor Type | Security Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| C|ND | Network Security | Vendor Neutral | Defend networks and operating environments and apply countermeasure strategies |
| CCNA | Networking | Vendor Specific (CISCO) | Basic security aspects |
| Network+ | Networking | Vendor Neutral | Security basics, common attacks, and awareness |
1. C|ND focuses on network security, while CCNA and Network+ focus mainly on networking with a small focus on security basics/fundamentals.
2. CCNA is vendor-specific to CISCO, while Network+ and C|ND are vendor-neutral.
Are you interested in learning robust network security skills? The C|ND is the comprehensive network security course of choice in cybersecurity, with the best coverage of networking concepts and secure design delivered through the Protect, Detect, Respond, and Predict learning process. If you have done CCNA or Network+, add network security skills to your hardware and networking skills with the C|ND.
*Above is an EC-Council view of other certifications in the industry.
Other programs emphasize the understanding of networks, but C|ND shows the weaknesses in a network and how to cover them to protect the networks.
C|ND is the single certification that pays the most attention to security. C|ND teaches you about a network and how you can incorporate security within a network. C|ND covers a wide range of topics, including securing data storage, protecting machines, configuring network sites, and even delves into physical security measures such as cameras and access control systems.
Cybersecurity Professional, South Africa
C|ND has also helped me achieve a lot and higher certifications in the field because it laid a great foundation for my career. You can never compare C|ND
with any program. C|ND comes with this unique approach to networking. In C|ND, you learn the seven layers of the OSI model, understand the basic concept of putting things together, and understand your network is the key area. C|ND provides knowledge on securing your systems, the infrastructure, and every part of your Internet of Things, monitor the log analysis side, which shows how logs can be analyzed and investigated.
President and CEO of Slamm Technologies, USA
C|ND has upgraded my knowledge in a way that I was able to use that knowledge in the operational and strategical environment and apply that knowledge to increase the
security of the company networks. There are plenty of security vendors and training programs in the market. But they cannot compare it to C|ND. C|ND is the most complete program that covers all necessary topics regarding network security. C|ND covers major cybersecurity approaches like preventive, reactive retrospective, and proactive security. This will help plan, establish, and maintain the security in the network as well as properly react in the case of an incident.
Information Security Officer, Stopanska Banka, Macedonia
The EC-Council’s C|ND can be the ideal professional certification if you are a network security and defense professional looking to enhance your skills in the industry. The worldwide recognition of C|ND attests to your critical knowledge and skills, conveying to employers that you can make a valuable contribution to the security team or your pathway to a career in the blue team of an organization. Moreover, the C|ND is the first network security program with a continual/adaptive security approach inclusive of the ‘protect, detect, predict, and respond’ to the network security systems.
Becoming a network defender is much more than just gaining the certification. The C|ND serves as a pathway to elevate your professional skills. While there are a few prerequisites to follow – you must have an educational background in IT, cybersecurity, or related fields along with working experience in the respective fields. You can enroll in a professional program that adds value to your journey like the EC-Council’s C|ND certification program. By obtaining the C|ND certification, you can open up several career opportunities in the network security field.
Aspiring candidates who want to pursue the C|ND training have various options. You can engage in training through EC-Council’s Accredited Training Centers (ATCs), participate in iWeek (Live classes, opt for self-paced learning with iLearn, attend in-person training sessions, or choose the Education Partner route,) which offers both in-person and online training opportunities.
To attend the C|ND class, students should have at least fundamental knowledge of networking concepts to take up the C|ND certification program in the EC-Council. The program equips you with the strategic and technological skills for network security roles. Upon passing the C|ND examination, you obtain the certification. Stay updated with the latest industry trends, participate in workshops and seminars, and get practical experience in incident response and risk management. Finally, develop leadership skills, contributing to offering solutions to advance defense strategies.
Yes, the CND course is applicable for beginners. Network security skills are the basic fundamental skill set for any cybersecurity professional. To begin with the training program, students should have fundamental knowledge of networking concepts. C|ND is an intermediate-level professional program where anyone who works as a network administrator, security analyst, network engineer, and more can join the program.
A Certified Network Defender identifies, protects, and prevents cyber threats to a network. They inspect networks for malware or unauthorized access, conduct penetration testing, and fix vulnerabilities. The defenders also maintain the organizations’ security by installing and updating software, keeping the networks resilient and intact in the face of evolving cyber threats.
The EC-Council’s C|ND certification is the best network security program with the first-ever adaptive security approach. If you want to become proficient in network security skills, CND is the only globally recognized program that teaches robust network security skills beyond networking fundamentals, unlike any other program. It is ANAB-Accredited and recognized by the DOD, the program is developed and designed by SMEs worldwide with seasoned cybersecurity professionals when the demand for certified network defenders is rising with the rapid expansion of the network security industry. Forecasts indicate a surge in revenue, indicating a bright future with a growth rate of 12.58% between 2023 and 2028. This clearly shows the dominance of the network security industry, which is why C|ND specialists are in greater demand.
The EC-Council’s C|ND certification is the best network security program with the first-ever adaptive security approach. If you want to become proficient in network security skills, CND is the only globally recognized program that teaches robust network security skills beyond networking fundamentals, unlike any other program. Accredited by the ANAB ISO/IEC 17024 and recognized by the DOD, the program is developed and designed by SMEs worldwide with seasoned cybersecurity professionals when the demand for certified network defenders is rising with the rapid expansion of the network security industry. Forecasts indicate a surge in revenue, indicating a bright future with a growth rate of 12.58% between 2023 and 2028. This clearly shows the dominance of the network security industry, which is why C|ND specialists are in greater demand.
Certified Network Defender (C|ND) is an ANAB-accredited professional certification program the EC-Council offers. With an exclusive focus on defense and network security, it offers the best knowledge and practical skills necessary for safeguarding networks. Being the first program to offer an adaptive security (protect, detect, respond, and predict) approach, C|ND covers a wide spectrum of network security controls, risk management, security system solutions, security policies, and many more. Upon earning the certification, professionals gain an insight into the values and practices to protect the network’s integrity and confidentiality.
There are quite a few learning routes one can consider. You can pursue all Blue Team certifications and the C|ND, like the C|TIA, E|CIH, C|SA, and C|HFI, to acquire specialized skills and knowledge in domains like SOC, threat Intelligence, digital forensics, and incident response. And since network security skills are basic skills needed for every cybersecurity professional, C|ND is also a good starting point for every red team certification, like C|EH for ethical hacking and C|PENT for pen testing.
Network Security is a strong defense against cyberattacks, data breaches, and unauthorized access. It protects people and organizations from financial losses and reputational damage, protecting the confidentiality of important data. EC-Council’s Certified Network Defender is the world’s only adaptive security certification that prepares network defenders with strategic, technological, and operational network security capabilities to secure networks.
You can begin with online courses, offline programs, or introductory certifications. Further, EC-Council’s C|ND provides a solid understanding of network security and defense for a specialized training program. Even for those looking to switch to cybersecurity from IT or a similar field to boost their skills, C|ND can be the ideal certification. The four-pronged approaches of EC-Council’s C|ND program, including protection, detection, response, and prediction, ensure a holistic understanding of network security. Further, C|ND helps you discover several ways to ensure security in different cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure Cloud, and more.
The Certified Network Defender (C|ND) program is a popular and widely recognized program in the cybersecurity industry for addressing topics including security policy and incident response, specifically focusing on network security and defense. C|ND is the first program to provide enterprise-level security for IT and mobile devices. It is also listed as a baseline certification under DoD CND’s reputation as the industry standard, which is further enhanced by its tactical defense of cloud services and its career towards the blue team, where professionals’ ability to protect, detect, respond, and predict approaches defines the team.
