Network Security & Defense Certification
Design, harden and defend networks against real-world threats
Key facts
- Level: Associate
- Field: Cybersecurity & Information Security
- Estimated study time: about 20 hours
- Credential price: $79
- Exam: 50 questions · 100 minutes · pass mark 72%
About the Network Security & Defense certification
An associate-level certification that turns network theory into working defensive judgement. You will learn to read the OSI and TCP/IP models through a security lens; design firewall rule sets on stateful and next-generation firewalls; segment networks with VLANs, subnets, and a DMZ to contain blast radius; place and tune IDS/IPS sensors; build secure remote access with IPSec and SSL/TLS VPNs; reason about TLS, PKI, and certificate trust; harden DNS and deploy DNSSEC; secure Wi-Fi with WPA2/WPA3 and 802.1X; enforce posture with NAC and move toward zero-trust networking; and recognise and counter the classic network attacks — ARP spoofing, DNS poisoning, MITM, and DDoS — with concrete countermeasures. You will also learn to monitor effectively with logs and NetFlow and to lay out a defense-in-depth architecture. Vendor-neutral throughout: the principles transfer to any firewall, switch, or cloud network you operate.
What you will learn
The official Network Security & Defense study course covers:
- Network Models and Segmentation — Reading the OSI/TCP-IP stack through a security lens, then dividing the network into defended zones with VLANs and a DMZ.
- Firewalls and Access Control — Stateful and next-generation firewalls, designing and ordering rules, and detecting intrusions with IDS/IPS.
- Secure Remote Access and Encryption — VPNs with IPSec and SSL/TLS for remote access, and the TLS/PKI/certificate trust that underpins secure communication.
- Secure DNS and Wireless — Hardening DNS with DNSSEC and encrypted DNS, securing Wi-Fi with WPA2/WPA3 and 802.1X, and enforcing posture with NAC and zero trust.
- Monitoring and Defense in Depth — Defending against classic network attacks, monitoring with logs and NetFlow, and tying it together in a layered, hardened architecture.
Prerequisites
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Network Security & Defense certificate verifiable?
- Yes. Every issued Hootix Academy certificate carries a unique credential code that anyone can verify online.
- How is the Network Security & Defense exam structured?
- It is a 100-minute proctored multiple-choice exam of 50 questions; you need 72% to pass.
- Do I need to buy the course to take the exam?
- You can purchase the certification exam on its own, or bundle it with the full study course at a reduced price.
- How long does the Network Security & Defense course take?
- About 20 hours of self-paced study.