Exam Review: Certified Network Security Practitioner (CNSP)
After receiving several requests from my LinkedIn connections, I’m back with another exam review. I promise to keep it simple and short. If you’re interested in the Certified Network Security Practitioner (CNSP) certification from The SecOps Group, this blog is for you! Here, I’ll share tips and insights based on my exam experience. Let’s get started — no spoilers, I promise!
Exam Syllabus
Since there is no official coursework provided, you might wonder how to prepare for this exam. My suggestion is to focus on the topics outlined in the syllabus, with an emphasis on fundamentals. While expert knowledge can be beneficial, a solid understanding of the basics is sufficient for this exam. I’ve included some publicly available links that might be helpful, but feel free to do your own research to supplement your studies:
- TCP/IP (Protocols And Networking Basics)
- OSI Layer
- IPv4 and IPv6 addresses
- Router, Switch and Hub
- Network Discovery Protocols
- Network Architectures, Mapping And Target Identification
- Network Scanning & Fingerprinting
- Testing Network Services
- Cryptography
- Active Directory Security Basics — Attacks on Active Directory (AD) (or was it supposed to be a feature ticket😐)
- Linux And Windows Security Basics
- Common Vulnerabilities Affecting Windows Services
- Testing Web Servers And Frameworks
- Basic Malware Analysis
- Social Engineering AttacksNetwork Security Tools And Frameworks (Such As Nmap, Wireshark Etc)
- Open-Source Intelligence Gathering (OSINT)
- Database Security Basics
- TLS Security Basics
- Password Storage — Windows and Linux
Exam Review and Tips
I was able to finish the exam in around 20 minutes because of my prior experience. However, my best advice is to go through the mock exam. I also took it and, believe it or not, scored only 1/5. Yes, that was my mock exam result, and I attempted the actual exam just 30 minutes later. Despite scoring poorly in the mock exam (20%), I went ahead and took the real exam and managed to get 72%, which was good enough for me considering how badly I did on the mock exam.
My suggestion is to look into the mock exam right before the actual exam. Try to approach it as if it were the real thing, considering all possible scenarios with the mock questions. I wish I had known this earlier, but it’s okay — I realized it quite late. Make sure to understand all the topics I mentioned earlier since they are all interconnected.
From my experience, the exam was quite easy since it is an entry-level exam. Focus on the topics and try to think about what might be included — don’t stress yourself with very advanced topics. The resources I provided are enough to pass, but if you want a higher score, I recommend doing a bit more research on your own.
Thank you
Good luck with your preparation, and I hope you find this review helpful! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
