CyberSec First Responder CFR

The CyberSec First Responder course prepares learners with the necessary skills to protect critical information systems before, during, and after an attack. It focuses on understanding, assessing, and responding to security threats and incidents. Through the course, learners will gain expertise in risk management, threat analysis, vulnerability management, penetration testing, and incident response.

Starting with risk management, students will learn to identify and mitigate risks, integrating documentation into the risk management process. The course then analyzes the threat landscape, including threat research and profiling. Participants will explore various attack scenarios, from reconnaissance threats and social engineering to system hacking and malware. They also learn about managing vulnerabilities within the organization and implementing penetration testing.
The course further delves into collecting cybersecurity intelligence, analyzing log data, and performing active network analysis with various tools. Finally, it covers responding to and investigating cybersecurity incidents, including forensic investigation procedures. Completing the CyberSec First Responder course equips learners with the knowledge to defend and respond to cybersecurity threats effectively, providing a solid foundation for a career in cybersecurity.

In this course, you will identify, assess, respond to, and protect against security threats and operate a system and network security analysis platform. You will:

• Assess cybersecurity risks to the organization.
• Analyze the threat landscape.
• Analyze various reconnaissance threats to computing and network environments.
• Analyze various attacks on computing and network environments.
• Analyze various post-attack techniques.
• Assess the organization's security posture through auditing, vulnerability management, and penetration testing.
• Collect cybersecurity intelligence from various network-based and host-based sources.
• Analyze log data to reveal evidence of threats and incidents.
• Perform active asset and network analysis to detect incidents.
• Respond to cybersecurity incidents using containment, mitigation, and recovery tactics.
• Investigate cybersecurity incidents using forensic analysis techniques

Lesson 1: Assessing Cybersecurity Risk

• Topic A: Identify the Importance of Risk Management
• Topic B: Assess Risk
• Topic C: Mitigate Risk
• Topic D: Integrate Documentation into Risk Management

Lesson 2: Analyzing the Threat Landscape

• Topic A: Classify Threats
• Topic B: Analyze Trends Affecting Security Posture

Lesson 3: Analyzing Reconnaissance Threats to Computing and Network Environments

• Topic A: Implement Threat Modeling
• Topic B: Assess the Impact of Reconnaissance
• Topic C: Assess the Impact of Social Engineering

Lesson 4: Analyzing Attacks on Computing and Network Environments

• Topic A: Assess the Impact of System Hacking Attacks
• Topic B: Assess the Impact of Web-Based Attacks
• Topic C: Assess the Impact of Malware
• Topic D: Assess the Impact of Hijacking and Impersonation Attacks
• Topic E: Assess the Impact of DoS Incidents
• Topic F: Assess the Impact of Threats to Mobile Security
• Topic G: Assess the Impact of Threats to Cloud Security

Lesson 5: Analyzing Post-Attack Techniques

• Topic A: Assess Command and Control Techniques
• Topic B: Assess Persistence Techniques
• Topic C: Assess Lateral Movement and Pivoting Techniques
• Topic D: Assess Data Exfiltration Techniques
• Topic E: Assess Anti-Forensics Techniques

Lesson 6: Assessing the Organization's Security Posture

• Topic A: Implement Cybersecurity Auditing
• Topic B: Implement a Vulnerability Management Plan
• Topic C: Assess Vulnerabilities
• Topic D: Conduct Penetration Testing

Lesson 7: Collecting Cybersecurity Intelligence

• Topic A: Deploy a Security Intelligence Collection and Analysis Platform
• Topic B: Collect Data from Network-Based Intelligence Sources
• Topic C: Collect Data from Host-Based Intelligence Sources

Lesson 8: Analyzing Log Data

• Topic A: Use Common Tools to Analyze Logs
• Topic B: Use SIEM Tools for Analysis

Lesson 9: Performing Active Asset and Network Analysis

• Topic A: Analyze Incidents with Windows-Based Tools
• Topic B: Analyze Incidents with Linux-Based Tools
• Topic C: Analyze Indicators of Compromise

Lesson 10: Responding to Cybersecurity Incidents

• Topic A: Deploy an Incident Handling and Response Architecture
• Topic B: Mitigate Incidents
• Topic C: Hand Over Incident Information to a Forensic Investigation

Lesson 11: Investigating Cybersecurity Incidents

• Topic A: Apply a Forensic Investigation Plan
• Topic B: Securely Collect and Analyze Electronic Evidence
• Topic C: Follow Up on the Results of an Investigation
• Appendix A: Mapping Course Content to CyberSec First Responder® (Exam CFR-410)
• Appendix B: Regular Expressions

• System hacking attacks, web-based attacks, malware, DoS incidents, advanced persistent threats, hijacking, and phishing or impersonation attacks are constant risks.
• Organizations must be prepared for cyberattacks before they happen, identifying and mitigating risks and establishing procedures for recognizing and responding to them when they arise.
• Those holding the CyberSec First Responder certification are prepared to assess threats, reduce vulnerabilities, and implement safeguards to mitigate those risks.

The CyberSec First Responder course is designed for professionals managing IT security risks and responding to cyber incidents.

• IT Security Analysts
• Incident Responders / Handlers
• Cybersecurity Specialists
• Network Administrators and Engineers
• System Administrators
• Security Operations Center (SOC) Staff
• Information Security Professionals
• Government or military personnel looking to specialize in cybersecurity
• Forensic Analysts and Investigators
• Risk Management Professionals
• Compliance Analysts
• IT Managers and Directors
• Security Consultants and Auditors
• Technical Support Engineers
• Professionals preparing for cybersecurity certifications

To ensure your success in this course, you should meet the following requirements:

• At least two years (recommended) of experience or education in computer network security technology or a related field.
• The ability or curiosity to recognize information security vulnerabilities and threats in the context of risk management.
• Foundational knowledge of the concepts and operational framework of standard assurance
• safeguards in network environments. Safeguards include, but are not limited to, firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, and VPNs.
• General knowledge of the concepts and operational framework of standard assurance safeguards in computing environments. Safeguards include but are not limited to, basic
• authentication and authorization, resource permissions, and anti-malware mechanisms.
• Foundation-level skills with some of the standard operating systems for computing environments.
• Entry-level understanding of some of the common concepts for network environments, such as routing and switching.
• General or practical knowledge of major TCP/IP networking protocols, including, but not limited to, TCP, IP, UDP, DNS, HTTP, ARP, ICMP, and DHCP.

• CyberSec First Responder (CFR) has emerged as the industry standard for those desiring to confirm their abilities to prepare for, defend against, and respond to cybersecurity incidents in an ever-evolving threat landscape.
• Prove your skills
• Validate a foundational knowledge of security concepts, common threats, protective steps, and effective responses to security events.

• Incident Responder
• Incident Response Analyst
• Cyber Crime Investigator
• IT Auditor
• Information Security and IT Auditor
• Systems Analyst
• Network Analyst
• Incident Analyst
• Security Analyst
• Network Security Engineer
• Information Assurance Analyst
• Network Defense Technician

The CFR exam is accredited under the ISO/IEC 17024:2012 standard and is approved by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to fulfill Directive: 8570/8140 requirements.

EXAM CODES: CFR-410*

PASSING SCORE: 70% or 73% depending on exam form. (Note: Forms have been statistically equated.)

NUMBER OF ITEMS: 80

ITEM FORMATS: Multiple Choice/Multiple Response

TARGET CANDIDATE: Individuals with between 3 and 5 years of experience working in a computing environment as part of a CERT/CSIRT/SOC who protect critical information systems before, during, and after an incident.

  EXAM DURATION: 120 minutes (including 5 minutes for Candidate Agreement and 5 minutes for Pearson VUE tutorial)