Course Overview:
The Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate (200-201 CBROPS) certification introduces learners to the world of cybersecurity operations. This course focuses on the foundational knowledge and practical skills needed to monitor, detect, analyze, and respond to security threats within modern network environments. It prepares students to work in Security Operations Centers (SOCs) and understand the tools, techniques, and processes that cybersecurity professionals use daily.
Why We Need This Certification:
With the growing number of cyberattacks and data breaches worldwide, organizations need trained professionals who can detect and respond to threats quickly and effectively. This certification helps bridge the skill gap between IT and cybersecurity, ensuring professionals can safeguard digital assets and maintain network security in real time.
How It Is Useful:
- Builds a strong foundation in cybersecurity operations, including monitoring, detection, and incident response.
- Helps students understand security principles, attack methods, and defense techniques.
- Provides practical knowledge of Cisco’s security tools such as SIEM, firewalls, and network analysis systems.
- Prepares learners for entry-level roles in cybersecurity such as:
- Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst (Tier 1)
- Cybersecurity Analyst
- Security Incident Responder
- Threat Intelligence Analyst
Key Skills You Will Learn:
- Security monitoring and event analysis
- Incident response procedures
- Network intrusion analysis
- Common attack types and defense mechanisms
- Basics of forensics and security automation
Certification Validity and Renewal:
- The Cisco CyberOps Associate certification is valid for 3 years from the date of achievement.
- To renew, candidates must either:
- Retake the same or newer version of the exam, or
- Earn Continuing Education (CE) credits through Cisco’s continuing education program.
Why This Course Matters:
This certification is ideal for beginners entering cybersecurity, as it focuses on operational security rather than complex configuration or design. It provides a hands-on understanding of how real-world SOCs operate, making it a valuable stepping stone toward more advanced Cisco security certifications like CCNP Security or Cisco Certified CyberOps Professional.
Exam Details (Summary):
- Exam Code: 200-201 CBROPS v1.2 (Updated October 2024)
- Exam Duration: 120 minutes
- Question Format: Multiple choice, drag-and-drop, and simulation-based
- Languages: English, Japanese
- Recommended Experience: Basic networking and security fundamentals (CCNA-level knowledge helps)
In short, this course equips you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to start a successful career in cybersecurity operations — protecting organizations from digital threats and contributing to a safer cyber world.
Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate (200-201 CBROPS v1.2, 2025 Update)
Exam Description
The Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS 200-201) exam is a 120-minute test associated with the Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate certification.
It validates a candidate’s knowledge and skills in security concepts, security monitoring, host-based analysis, network intrusion analysis, and security policies and procedures.
The v1.2 update (effective January 21, 2025) reflects current technologies and introduces AI’s role in monitoring and analysis.
The certification name will change to Cybersecurity Associate to align with modern cybersecurity practices.
Exam Domains and Objectives
1.0 Security Concepts (20%)
1.1 Describe the CIA triad
1.2 Compare security deployments
• Network, endpoint, and application security systems
• Agentless vs. agent-based protections
• Legacy antivirus and antimalware
• SIEM, SOAR, and log management
• Container and virtual environments
• Cloud security deployments
1.3 Describe security terms
• Threat intelligence, threat hunting, malware analysis, threat actor
• Runbook automation (RBA), reverse engineering, anomaly detection
• Threat modeling, DevSecOps
1.4 Compare security concepts
• Risk, threat, vulnerability, exploit
1.5 Describe the principles of a defense-in-depth strategy
1.6 Compare access control models (DAC, MAC, RBAC, ABAC, etc.)
1.7 Describe terms as defined in CVSS (attack vector, complexity, privileges, etc.)
1.8 Identify challenges of data visibility across network, host, and cloud
1.9 Identify potential data loss from traffic profiles
1.10 Interpret the five-tuple approach to isolate compromised hosts
1.11 Compare rule-based vs. behavioral and statistical detection
2.0 Security Monitoring (25%)
2.1 Compare attack surface and vulnerability
2.2 Identify types of data from different technologies
• TCP dump, NetFlow, next-gen firewall, stateful firewall, AVC, web/email filtering
2.3 Describe impact of technologies on data visibility
• ACLs, NAT/PAT, tunneling, TOR, encryption, P2P, encapsulation, load balancing
2.4 Describe uses of data types in security monitoring
• Full packet capture, session, transaction, statistical, metadata, alert data
2.5 Describe network attacks (protocol-based, DoS/DDoS, MITM)
2.6 Describe web application attacks (SQL injection, command injection, XSS)
2.7 Describe social engineering attacks (manual and AI-generated)
2.8 Describe endpoint-based attacks (buffer overflow, C2, malware, ransomware)
2.9 Describe evasion/obfuscation techniques (tunneling, encryption, proxies)
2.10 Describe the impact of certificates on security (PKI, SSL/TLS, symmetric/asymmetric)
2.11 Identify certificate components (cipher suite, X.509, key exchange, protocol, PKCS)
3.0 Host-Based Analysis (20%)
3.1 Describe endpoint technologies used for security monitoring
• HIDS, antimalware, host-based firewalls, predictive AI tools
3.2 Identify OS components (Windows, Linux) in a given scenario
3.3 Describe attribution in investigations (assets, threat actors, IOCs, IOAs, chain of custody)
3.4 Identify evidence types (best, corroborative, indirect)
3.5 Interpret OS, SIEM, SOAR, or CLI logs to identify events
3.6 Interpret malware analysis reports from sandboxes or detonation chambers
3.7 Recognize common malware artifacts (hashes, URLs, systems, events, network traces)
4.0 Network Intrusion Analysis (20%)
4.1 Map events to source technologies (IDS/IPS, firewall, proxy, antivirus, NetFlow)
4.2 Compare detection results (false/true positives and negatives, benign)
4.3 Compare deep packet inspection vs. packet filtering and stateful inspection
4.4 Compare inline vs. passive (tap/monitor) traffic analysis
4.5 Compare data characteristics from taps vs. transactional data (NetFlow)
4.6 Extract files from TCP streams using PCAP and Wireshark
4.7 Identify intrusion elements (source/destination IP, port, protocol, payload)
4.8 Interpret protocol headers (Ethernet, IPv4/6, TCP, UDP, ICMP, DNS, SMTP, HTTP/HTTPS, ARP)
4.9 Identify artifact elements (IP, ports, process, registry, API calls, hashes, URIs)
4.10 Interpret basic regular expressions for pattern matching
5.0 Security Policies and Procedures (15%)
5.1 Describe management concepts
• Asset, configuration, mobile device, patch, and vulnerability management
5.2 Describe elements of an incident response plan (NIST SP 800-61)
5.3 Apply the incident handling process (preparation → detection → containment → recovery)
5.4 Map analysis steps to NIST SP 800-61 phases
5.5 Map organizational stakeholders to NIST IR categories (CMMC, NIST SP 800-61)
5.6 Describe NIST SP 800-86 concepts (evidence collection, integrity, preservation, volatile data)
5.7 Identify network profiling elements (throughput, session duration, ports, critical assets)
5.8 Identify server profiling elements (ports, users, processes, tasks, applications)
5.9 Identify protected data types (PII, PSI, PHI, intellectual property)
5.10 Classify intrusion events using Cyber Kill Chain and Diamond Model frameworks
5.11 Describe SOC metrics (time to detect, contain, respond, control)
