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In some popular online forums people have been talking about how the number of candidates that have passed the CCIE Security since the new version is very low, almost non-existant.  While there may be issues with the lab itself, a claim on commenter made, I wonder how much of this is related to a lack in understanding of core knowledge concepts.  See, as an instructor its easy to get into the trap of knowing all the technical details of how something works because you teach it so often and yet you lack in practical configurations.  This is something I have always fought against, one reason I spend as much time as I can on the equipment.

But when it comes to the CCIE you have to face the Open Ended Questions (OEQs).  I hear a lot of talk about them and I know that people struggle with them.  So I have to ask the question: How do you get your core knowledge?  I think this information can be obtained in a few different ways.

1. Cisco Certified Courses
2. Cisco Press Books
3. Third Party Books
4. Non-Certified Courses
5. Cisco Documentation
6. Blogs, Wikis, Forums, and whatever else is out there on the Web.

What do you use?

[poll id="9"]

Now back to the point of this post.  Is core knowledge key?  Absolutley!  So let me share with you something I know alot about- The Cisco Certified Courses.  I’m going to relate this to CCIE Security, but if anyone wants to know about Voice or R&S we can get Patrick to put that post together.

So lets break down the CCIE Security Lab Blueprint and see what courses would cover the information.

Topic 1:

Implement secure networks using Cisco ASA Firewalls

1. Perform basic firewall Initialization
2. Configure device management
3. Configure address translation (nat, global, static)
4. Configure ACLs
5. Configure IP routing
6. Configure object groups
7. Configure VLANs
8. Configure filtering
9. Configure failover
10. Configure Layer 2 Transparent Firewall
11. Configure security contexts (virtual firewall)
12. Configure Modular Policy Framework
13. Configure Application-Aware Inspection
14. Configure high availability solutions
15. Configure QoS policies

For this section you’re going to want to look at the SNAF course.  This class goes into all the topics of the ASA that are defined here.  The only drawback to this course is that the labs are primarily using ASDM, something you’re not going to use on the lab.  You can look at the outline for the course here.

Next section looks like this:

Implement secure networks using Cisco IOS Firewalls

1. Configure CBAC
2. Configure Zone-Based Firewall
3. Configure Audit
4. Configure Auth Proxy
5. Configure PAM
6. Configure access control
7. Configure performance tuning
8. Configure advanced IOS Firewall features

All of this information is going to be found in IINS and SND.  IINS is the CCNA Security course and it was developed by Ascolta for Cisco.  It’s entry level but teaches you a wide range of security concepts.  If you want to start somewhere- this is it.  SND is much more involved technically.  It includes the topics in this section in detail.  You can find the course information here.

The next topic relates to VPN.

Implement secure networks using Cisco VPN solutions

1. Configure IPsec LAN-to-LAN (IOS/ASA)
2. Configure SSL VPN (IOS/ASA)
3. Configure Dynamic Multipoint VPN (DMVPN)
4. Configure Group Encrypted Transport (GET) VPN
5. Configure Easy VPN (IOS/ASA)
6. Configure CA (PKI)
7. Configure Remote Access VPN
8. Configure Cisco Unity Client
9. Configure Clientless WebVPN
10. Configure AnyConnect VPN
11. Configure XAuth, Split-Tunnel, RRI, NAT-T
12. Configure High Availability
13. Configure QoS for VPN
14. Configure GRE, mGRE
15. Configure L2TP
16. Configure advanced Cisco VPN features

When  it comes to VPN things get a little more difficult.  VPN is covered in SND, which i mentioned in the above section.  However, the coverage in SND is only Router-to-Router VPN.  You do get some WebVPN on the routers, as well as Easy VPN on the Routers.  If you want VPN on the ASA you have to look at the SNAA course.  This is the “Advanced” version of the ASA course, bit really it should be called ASA VPNs.  The reason I say this is that it is mostly VPNs (Anyconnect, Clientless SSL, Easy VPN Server and Client, DAP, CSD, and IPSec) but it does include a few other topics- Advanced Nat, Routing and Switching, and Layer 7 MPF.  You also get to cover the SSMs in this course.  The details can be found here.

The IPS topics are pretty straight forward.  They include the following:

Configure Cisco IPS to mitigate network threats

1. Configure IPS 4200 Series Sensor Appliance
2. Initialize the Sensor Appliance
3. Configure Sensor Appliance management
4. Configure virtual Sensors on the Sensor Appliance
5. Configure security policies
6. Configure promiscuous and inline monitoring on the Sensor Appliance
7. Configure and tune signatures on the Sensor Appliance
8. Configure custom signatures on the Sensor Appliance
9. Configure blocking on the Sensor Appliance
10. Configure TCP resets on the Sensor Appliance
11. Configure rate limiting on the Sensor Appliance
12. Configure signature engines on the Sensor Appliance
13. Use IDM to configure the Sensor Appliance
14. Configure event action on the Sensor Appliance
15. Configure event monitoring on the Sensor Appliance
16. Configure advanced features on the Sensor Appliance
17. Configure and tune Cisco IOS IPS
18. Configure SPAN & RSPAN on Cisco switches

For these topics you want to look at Implementing Cisco Intrusion Prevention Systems v6.0.  Every one of these topics is covered in the IPS course in great detail. This is another course that was written by Ascolta for Cisco.  You can get the details here.

The next section is going to spread things out a bit.

Implement Identity Management

1. Configure RADIUS and TACACS+ security protocols
2. Configure LDAP
3. Configure Cisco Secure ACS
4. Configure certificate-based authentication
5. Configure proxy authentication
6. Configure 802.1x
7. Configure advanced identity management features
8. Configure Cisco NAC Framework

Now the Radius and TACACS+ is covered in SNAF, SND, and IINS but they only cover the topics related to the respective course.  In otherwords, SNAF covers RADIUS and TACACS+ and Cisco Secure ACS for the ASA.  SND and IINS cover RADIUS and TACACS+, Cisco Secure ACS, Certificate Based Authentication, Proxy Authentication, and 802.1x for the Cisco Routers.  SND covers the Switches.  NAC is coverd in a NAC course but I dont even see it on the Ascolta Course list and I haven’t had to teach it in about 3 years.  It was a good course though.  There is a course called Implementing Cisco NAC Appliance v2.1 (CANAC), but its the NAC appliance and not the stuff Cisco used to call “Cisco NAC.”

As far as Advanced Identity Management features go…that could mean anything.  And I only know of 1 class- CIPT1 that has LDAP information in it but it is not related to Security at all.

On to the next topic:

Implement Control Plane and Management Plane Security

1. Implement routing plane security features (protocol authentication, route filtering)
2. Configure Control Plane Policing
3. Configure CP protection and management protection
4. Configure broadcast control and switchport security
5. Configure additional CPU protection mechanisms (options drop, logging interval)
6. Disable unnecessary services
7. Control device access (Telnet, HTTP, SSH, Privilege levels)
8. Configure SNMP, Syslog, AAA, NTP
9. Configure service authentication (FTP, Telnet, HTTP, other)
10. Configure RADIUS and TACACS+ security protocols
11. Configure device management and security

This is a mish-mash of topics.  You’re going to find a ton of them in SND.  I can’t recall is the Service Authentication is in SND though.  Everything else is.

Second to last topic….

Configure Advanced Security

1. Configure mitigation techniques to respond to network attacks
2. Configure packet marking techniques
3. Implement security RFCs (RFC1918/3330, RFC2827/3704)
4. Configure Black Hole and Sink Hole solutions
5. Configure RTBH filtering (Remote Triggered Black Hole)
6. Configure Traffic Filtering using Access-Lists
7. Configure IOS NAT
8. Configure TCP Intercept
9. Configure uRPF
10. Configure CAR
11. Configure NBAR
12. Configure NetFlow
13. Configure Anti-Spoofing solutions
14. Configure Policing
15. Capture and utilize packet captures
16. Configure Transit Traffic Control and Congestion Management
17. Configure Cisco Catalyst advanced security features

Much of this is covered in SND.  I dont think that RTBH filtering (Remote Triggered Black Hole) is in any of the Cisco courses but I may be wrong.  NBAR and CAR are in the QOS class as well as Policing on the routers.  SNAF covers policing on the ASA.  Antispoofing is covered in SND and Netflow is kinda covered in the MARS class but I wouldnt take the MARS class for Netflow alone.  It’s very light on the Netflow but it does cover it.  BCMSN has a pretty good security section for the switches so if you combine the information in there with the information in the SND course you should have it covered.  BCMSN in part of the CCNP program.

And finally….

Identify and Mitigate Network Attacks

1. Identify and protect against fragmentation attacks
2. Identify and protect against malicious IP option usage
3. Identify and protect against network reconnaissance attacks
4. Identify and protect against IP spoofing attacks
5. Identify and protect against MAC spoofing attacks
6. Identify and protect against ARP spoofing attacks
7. Identify and protect against Denial of Service (DoS) attacks
8. Identify and protect against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks
9. Identify and protect against Man-in-the-Middle (MiM) attacks
10. Identify and protect against port redirection attacks
11. Identify and protect against DHCP attacks
12. Identify and protect against DNS attacks
13. Identify and protect against Smurf attacks
14. Identify and protect against SYN attacks
15. Identify and protect against MAC Flooding attacks
16. Identify and protect against VLAN hopping attacks
17. Identify and protect against various Layer2 and Layer3 attacks

This information is going to primarily be covered in SND. You will find some of it spread through the other classes I mentioned.

Wow thats a ton of information right?  Yeah.  I know.  But let me just be clear on one thing.  While the courses I mentioned are a great source of information on these CCIE Security topics they are not designed to teach you what you need to know to be a CCIE.  They should however give you a solid foundation to build upon with a great deal of study of the Cisco Documentaion as well as Lab time.