Cisco Certified Support Technician CCST Cybersecurity Quick Facts (2025)

Exam Domain Breakdown

Domain 1: Essential Security Principles (20% of the exam)

Define essential security principles

• Vulnerabilities
• Threats
• Exploits
• Risks
• Attack vectors
• Hardening
• Defense-in-depth
• Confidentiality
• Integrity
• Availability (CIA)
• Types of attackers
• Reasons for attacks
• Code of ethics

Summary: This section establishes the building blocks of cybersecurity, focusing on the concepts that secure systems, networks, and data. You will learn how to apply the CIA triad to achieve confidentiality, integrity, and availability, and how to identify and mitigate threats and vulnerabilities that compromise these goals. Key emphasis is placed on recognizing different types of attackers, understanding the motivations behind attacks, and aligning your approach with ethical guidelines that shape professional behavior in the cybersecurity field.

You will explore how defense-in-depth and security hardening strategies create layers of protection that reduce risk exposure. Understanding the relationship between exploits, vulnerabilities, and risks prepares you to contribute effectively to any organization’s overall security posture. The goal of this domain is to help you think like both a defender and an investigator while maintaining ethical standards that guide responsible cybersecurity practices.

Explain common threats and vulnerabilities

• Malware
• Ransomware
• Denial of service
• Botnets
• Social engineering attacks (tailgating, spear phishing, phishing, vishing, smishing, etc.)
• Physical attacks
• Man in the middle
• IoT vulnerabilities
• Insider threats
• Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)

Summary: This section guides you through how cyber threats manifest in real-world environments, emphasizing both technical and human factors. You will learn to identify indicators of compromise across a wide range of attack types and how layered defenses can reduce their impact. A clear understanding of evolving threats, from phishing to APTs, prepares you to approach security events with both awareness and confidence.

You will also explore the importance of protecting modern devices, including IoT systems, which often serve as entry points for malicious activity. By connecting theoretical concepts to everyday cybersecurity operations, you’ll gain the ability to recognize, report, and help prevent attacks before they escalate, strengthening your role in safeguarding organizational assets.

Explain access management principles

• Authentication
• Authorization and accounting (AAA)
• RADIUS
• Multifactor authentication (MFA)
• Password policies

Summary: Access management is at the heart of digital security, and this section clarifies how authentication, authorization, and accounting work together to verify user identities and control access levels. You’ll gain familiarity with key concepts like MFA and RADIUS, understanding how they enforce security boundaries in networks and systems.

Through examples and best practices, you’ll see how password policies, access controls, and identity verification tools ensure that only the right individuals gain the right level of access at the right time. You’ll develop an appreciation for the balance between strong security measures and user convenience while maintaining compliance with organizational policies.

Explain encryption methods and applications

• Types of encryption
• Hashing
• Certificates
• Public key infrastructure (PKI)
• Strong vs. weak encryption algorithms
• States of data and appropriate encryption (data in transit, data at rest, data in use)
• Protocols that use encryption

Summary: Encryption underpins secure communication and data protection, and this section explains how it’s applied across different states of data. You’ll study symmetric and asymmetric encryption, hashing, and PKI, learning how certificates bind identities to ensure trust across systems.

You will compare strong and weak algorithms and understand their roles in real-world security scenarios, from securing data in motion through TLS protocols to protecting stored information through disk-level encryption. This knowledge helps you articulate why cryptographic safeguards are vital for privacy, identity verification, and compliance with modern cybersecurity standards.

Domain 2: Basic Network Security Concepts (20% of the exam)

Describe TCP/IP protocol vulnerabilities

• TCP
• UDP
• HTTP
• ARP
• ICMP
• DHCP
• DNS

Summary: This section introduces you to common vulnerabilities within core internet protocols, showing how attackers exploit weaknesses for reconnaissance or intrusion. You’ll understand where flaws exist at different layers of the network stack and why secure configuration and monitoring are essential.

Learning how these protocols interact allows you to detect and analyze abnormal behavior that may indicate attack attempts. This foundational knowledge sharpens your ability to assess network communications and reinforce network defenses at both the host and perimeter levels.

Explain how network addresses impact network security

• IPv4 and IPv6 addresses
• MAC addresses
• Network segmentation
• CIDR notation
• NAT
• Public vs. private networks

Summary: In this section, you’ll explore how addressing and segmentation influence security design. Understanding IPv4, IPv6, and MAC addressing equips you to build or troubleshoot networks that balance access with isolation where needed. NAT, CIDR, and private addressing concepts are key for safeguarding internal environments from external exposure.

By mastering these fundamentals, you’ll be able to identify how segmentation enhances containment against threats. This ensures that even if a breach occurs, its impact is minimized, preserving the stability and confidentiality of the overall network.

Describe network infrastructure and technologies

• Network security architecture
• DMZ
• Virtualization
• Cloud
• Honeypot
• Proxy server
• IDS
• IPS

Summary: This section explains how network infrastructure components and technologies form layers of defense for modern operations. You’ll explore concepts like DMZs, IDS/IPS systems, and proxy servers that provide controlled access and traffic inspection to prevent unauthorized activity.

You’ll gain insight into virtualized and cloud-based infrastructures and learn how security tools adapt to these environments. Honeypots illustrate active defense and research strategies, helping you visualize how deception technology supports proactive security monitoring.

Set up a secure wireless SoHo network

• MAC address filtering
• Encryption standards and protocols
• SSID

Summary: Wireless networks enable mobility but require careful configuration to maintain security. This section covers fundamental practices for setting up secure small-office or home-office (SoHo) environments, emphasizing encryption standards such as WPA3 and techniques like MAC address filtering.

By learning how to configure SSIDs and apply layered protections, you’ll strengthen your understanding of how wireless vulnerabilities can be minimized. The goal is to ensure connections remain private, authenticated, and resistant to unauthorized access.

Implement secure access technologies

• ACL
• Firewall
• VPN
• NAC

Summary: Access control solutions form the backbone of network protection. This section focuses on implementing and managing firewalls, ACLs, VPNs, and NAC solutions that enforce policies across user and device access.

You’ll study how these technologies complement each other to maintain segmentation and confidentiality, ensuring only trusted users and devices enter sensitive network zones. Understanding these tools enhances your ability to support secure remote access and align configuration with organizational compliance standards.

Domain 3: Endpoint Security Concepts (20% of the exam)

Describe operating system security concepts

• Windows
• MacOS
• Linux
• Security features, including Windows Defender and host-based firewalls
• CLI and PowerShell
• File and directory permissions
• Privilege escalation

Summary: This section highlights how operating systems implement foundational security. You’ll examine authentication, file permissions, privilege levels, and built-in defenses like host-based firewalls across systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux.

By studying how security features and command-line tools operate, you’ll develop insight into managing endpoints and detecting early signs of compromise. Mastering these essentials helps you protect individual systems that collectively safeguard enterprise operations.

Demonstrate familiarity with appropriate endpoint tools that gather security assessment information

• netstat
• nslookup
• tcpdump

Summary: Endpoint tools are vital for observing system behavior and diagnosing vulnerabilities. This section introduces common utilities that reveal connections, DNS resolution details, and packet-level data, allowing for quick troubleshooting and security evaluation.

You’ll practice interpreting results to identify anomalies and potential threats, setting the stage for strong situational awareness in both preventive and investigative tasks.

Verify that endpoint systems meet security policies and standards

• Hardware inventory (asset management)
• Software inventory
• Program deployment
• Data backups
• Regulatory compliance (PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR)
• BYOD (device management, data encryption, app distribution, configuration management)

Summary: This section focuses on operational excellence through asset and compliance management. You’ll learn how inventories, software deployment, and data backup routines contribute to enforcing security posture requirements.

You’ll also see how policy adherence extends to BYOD environments, ensuring devices align with encryption, configuration, and compliance standards. Consistent maintenance of these factors reinforces trust in endpoint reliability and data safety.

Implement software and hardware updates

• Windows Update
• Application updates
• Device drivers
• Firmware
• Patching

Summary: Keeping systems current is one of the most effective defenses against vulnerabilities. This section outlines how patch management workflows prevent exploit exposure and preserve performance.

You’ll learn how to manage updates across different platforms and device types, ensuring that firmware, drivers, and applications remain compliant with best practices. Planning regular updates transforms and stabilizes your endpoint protection efforts.

Interpret system logs

• Event Viewer
• Audit logs
• System and application logs
• Syslog
• Identification of anomalies

Summary: Logs tell the story of security events. In this section, you’ll learn how to interpret logs from Windows, Linux, and network devices to uncover evidence of unusual or unauthorized activity.

Developing log analysis skills improves your response readiness and enables early detection of patterns that suggest misconfigurations or intrusions. Mastery here supports continuous improvement of monitoring and response procedures.

Demonstrate familiarity with malware removal

• Scanning systems
• Reviewing scan logs
• Malware remediation

Summary: This section guides you through malware investigation and remediation at the endpoint level. You’ll explore scanning and recovery techniques that isolate infected files, prevent reinfection, and restore legitimate operations efficiently.

By understanding remediation logs and indicators, you can confirm threat removal and verify that recovery steps restore full functionality. This proactive awareness keeps systems secure and trustworthy for ongoing use.

Domain 4: Vulnerability Assessment and Risk Management (20% of the exam)

Explain vulnerability management

• Vulnerability identification, management, and mitigation
• Active and passive reconnaissance
• Testing (port scanning, automation)

Summary: This section walks you through identifying, analyzing, and mitigating security weaknesses. You’ll learn to use scanning and reconnaissance tools for evaluating exposure while managing the lifecycle from detection to resolution.

Understanding automation and reporting methods helps you maintain a continuous improvement loop for security posture. By practicing disciplined vulnerability management, you support preventive defenses and informed decision-making.

Use threat intelligence techniques to identify potential network vulnerabilities

• Uses and limitations of vulnerability databases
• Industry-standard tools used to assess vulnerabilities and make recommendations, policies, and reports
• Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs)
• Cybersecurity reports
• Cybersecurity news, subscription services, and collective intelligence
• Ad hoc and automated threat intelligence
• The importance of updating documentation and other forms of communication proactively before, during, and after cybersecurity incidents
• How to secure, share and update documentation

Summary: Threat intelligence transforms data into actionable defense strategies. This section teaches how to interpret vulnerability databases, CVEs, and industry reporting to anticipate potential attacks and share knowledge effectively.

You’ll learn how to refine communication and documentation before and after incidents to strengthen coordination across teams. This proactive approach ensures your organization remains agile and informed amid evolving threat landscapes.

Explain risk management

• Vulnerability vs. risk
• Ranking risks
• Approaches to risk management
• Risk mitigation strategies
• Levels of risk (low, medium, high, extremely high)
• Risks associated with specific types of data and data classifications
• Security assessments of IT systems (information security, change management, computer operations, information assurance)

Summary: This section emphasizes decision-making based on risk prioritization. By distinguishing between vulnerabilities and risks, you’ll practice how to evaluate their potential impact and likelihood to guide mitigation plans that are meaningful and balanced.

You’ll study how classification and compliance affect risk profiles, building your ability to weigh operational, financial, and legal factors. This strategic perspective supports confident recommendations for security investments and protective measures.

Explain the importance of disaster recovery and business continuity planning

• Natural and human-caused disasters
• Features of disaster recovery plans (DRP) and business continuity plans (BCP)
• Backup
• Disaster recovery controls (detective, preventive, and corrective)

Summary: Reliability and resilience are essential for maintaining trust and stability. This section explores how DRP and BCP frameworks ensure continued operations during and after a disruption.

You’ll delve into how different backup and recovery controls minimize downtime, preserve data, and restore systems effectively. These practices empower you to design continuity methods that safeguard both business processes and customer confidence.

Domain 5: Incident Handling (20% of the exam)

Monitor security events and know when escalation is required

• Role of SIEM and SOAR
• Monitoring network data to identify security incidents (packet captures, various log file entries, etc.), identifying suspicious events as they occur

Summary: This section strengthens your situational awareness through continuous monitoring techniques. You’ll learn the role of SIEM and SOAR platforms in consolidating data and identifying real-time threats across the environment.

By understanding correlation, alerting, and escalation paths, you’ll know how to move from detection to action swiftly. This proactive monitoring forms the core of effective incident response.

Explain digital forensics and attack attribution processes

• Cyber Kill Chain
• MITRE ATT&CK Matrix
• Diamond Model
• Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP)
• Sources of evidence (artifacts)
• Evidence handling (preserving digital evidence, chain of custody)

Summary: This section explores how investigators trace and attribute attacks responsibly. You’ll study frameworks like the Cyber Kill Chain and MITRE ATT&CK to understand adversarial behavior and how to analyze evidence.

By mastering evidence handling procedures, you’ll ensure accuracy and credibility during investigations. This combination of classification and traceability builds confidence in communicating findings and supporting follow-up actions.

Explain the impact of compliance frameworks on incident handling

• Compliance frameworks (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, FERPA, FISMA)
• Reporting and notification requirements

Summary: This section explains how legal and regulatory standards shape incident response actions. You’ll learn what each framework demands for reporting, data protection, and documentation during security events.

Understanding these obligations ensures that your responses align with both organizational and legal expectations. This harmony between compliance and operational readiness enhances trust and professional accountability.

Describe the elements of cybersecurity incident response

• Policy, plan, and procedure elements
• Incident response lifecycle stages (NIST Special Publication 800-61 sections 2.3, 3.1-3.4)

Summary: This section brings all response components together, guiding you through structured approaches to handling incidents. You’ll learn how to develop policies and procedures that define roles, communication paths, and escalation criteria.

By applying the NIST incident response lifecycle stages, you’ll see how preparation, detection, containment, eradication, and recovery connect as one seamless process. This fluency helps turn potential crises into opportunities for improved defense.