The mission of Academy’s SOC Analyst job-role path that leads to HTB Certified Defensive Security Analyst (HTB CDSA) is to teach you, guide you and prepare you for the final exam. Any beginner can start practicing on the related modules and build their knowledge on security analysis, without needing to resort to external resources.

More experienced professionals can also benefit from both the SOC Analyst job-role path and the HTB CDSA exam, as they can help them learn new tricks related to security incident analysis, gain additional hands-on experience, or just reinforce what they already know.

The main focus of this certification is to be realistic, so anyone can automatically apply what they learn in their field, regardless of it being, security analysis, SOC operations, or incident handling.

There are some prerequisites around web, operating system, and networking fundamentals (that you can master through the “SOC Analyst Prerequisites” skill path), but the SOC Analyst job-role path is designed to provide a guided learning experience to deliver the notions required to successfully take the exam and be a certified security analyst!

A certification is not a mandatory prerequisite to become a SOC Analyst or practice any other cybersecurity role, but a great asset if you are looking to learn new skills in a structured way and prove your knowledge to potential employers.

Here is our take as Hack The Box:

• IT Security certifications do not define an individual, but they verify their skills for a specific job role.
• A well structured and highly practical training program that results in a certification can greatly flatten the steep learning curve related to cybersecurity topics/domains and also provide you with hands-on experience.
• A certification from a credible cybersecurity certification vendor could be used to prove to a potential employer that both your skills and professionalism have been successfully put to the test.
• A certification can be an incentive to remain on track and focussed during your studying.

Hack The Box is a trusted, highly respected, and community-backed IT security training vendor, with a long history in the domain. The training standards of the company are set quite high and this applies to all offerings, machines, challenges, Pro Labs, and now, the certifications.

Through the years, Hack The Box has been a training partner of major organisations, government/military agencies, and academic institutions worldwide. We plan to continue being a trusted training partner, and also provide certification services from now on, while retaining the same level of content-excellence, quality, and integrity.

To prepare effectively for the CBBH program, consider the following recommendations:

• Familiarity with HTB Academy
• Setting Up a Lab Environment: Install virtualization software such as VMware or VirtualBox. Set up a few virtual machines, including both Windows and Linux environments, to simulate real-world testing scenarios.
• Reviewing Networking and Application Fundamentals: If you’re not confident in your fundamentals , it’s advisable to review key concepts such as common protocols, web application stacks, etc.
• Ensuring Reliable Internet Access: As the course involves online demonstrations and hands-on exercises, a stable and fast internet connection is essential

• Academy Modules Review:

  1. Review the “Introduction to Academy” module

  2. Go through the “Getting Started” module

HTB Certified Defensive Security Analyst (HTB CDSA) is a certification for individuals who want to obtain technical competency in the security analysis, SOC operations, and incident handling domains. The following is a list of prerequisites for a successful outcome:

• Interpreting a letter of engagement
• Having intermediate knowledge around web and infrastructure penetration testing concepts
• Knowledge around web application, operating system, and networking basics
• Comfortably navigating a plethora of data
• Understanding the available data sources and their usage
• Conducting manual and automated security analysis, SOC operations, and incident handling activities
• Professionally communicating and reporting security incidents

Participants have access to a dedicated support team for any technical issues, as well as access to instructors during designated office hours for questions related to the course material. Additionally, you can reach out to your instructor during office hours for personalized assistance.

Unfortunately we don’t record our sessions therefore you’ll need to catch up with the rest of the group. The support team can help you to catch up with the previous sessions and guide you on the materials that you need to read.

To prepare effectively for the CDSA program, consider the following recommendations:

• Tool Proficiency: Experience with SIEM / EDR / tools such as ELK, sysmon.
• Additional Knowledge: Understanding of how modern threat actors attack organizations, and how this is modeled in the cyber kill chain. The candidate should know common techniques being used in each tactic, along with how security event logs can assist in detecting the execution of these techniques.
• Access to HTB Academy’s content is vital for your participation in this course. A discount voucher will be provided to you upon registration via e-mail, which you can use to activate your subscription to HTB Academy. The following modules are specifically chosen to provide a strong foundational understanding and skill set, which are critical for your success in the seminar and future endeavors in penetration testing:
  1. Introduction to Academy: This module provides an overview of the Academy platform and guides on how to effectively utilize it for self-training, setting the foundation for your learning journey.
  2. Incident Handling Process: Essential for the defensive part of cybersecurity, this module introduces the overall process of handling security incidents and walks through each stage of the incident handling process.
  3. Learning Process: Focusing on the learning journey, this module covers aspects such as mindset, efficiency, organization, and coping with frustration, crucial for excelling in the information security field.

Find below the facts that differentiate HTB Certified Defensive Security Analyst (CDSA) from standard certifications:

• Continuous Evaluation – To be eligible to start the examination process, one must have completed all modules of the “SOC Analyst” job-role path 100% first. Each module in the path comes with its own hands-on skills assessment at the end that students must complete to prove their understanding of the presented topics. The answers to the skills assessment exercises are not provided. Evaluation takes place throughout the journey not only during the examination!
• Hands-on & Real-world Exam Environment – HTB Certified Defensive Security Analyst (HTB CDSA) candidates will be required to perform actual security analysis, SOC operations, and incident handling activities on multiple real-world and heterogeneous networks. HTB certifications are not based on and do not include multiple-choice questions!
• Outside-the-box Thinking & Data Correlation – HTB Certified Defensive Security Analyst (HTB CDSA) candidates will be required to think outside the box and correlate different data/evidence to achieve the exam’s objectives. Like in real-world engagements, creativity, and in-depth knowledge will be necessary for a successful outcome.
• Commercial-grade Report Requirement – Successfully completing all security analysis, SOC operations, and incident handling activities is not enough to obtain the HTB Certified Defensive Security Analyst (HTB CDSA) certification. Candidates will also be required to assess the risk at which the defended infrastructure is exposed and compose a commercial-grade security incident report as part of their assessment. HTB Certified Defensive Security Analyst (HTB CDSA) candidates will have to prove they are market-ready and client-centric professionals.
• Seamless Experience Powered By Pwnbox – The entire exam and certification process can be conducted through the candidates’ browser, from start to finish. All security analysis, SOC operations, and incident handling activities can be performed via the provided and in-browser Pwnbox. There are no infrastructural or tool requirements.

HTB certifications are on Credly! By the time you successfully complete the HTB CDSA exam and claim your certificate, CDSA’s digital badge will arrive on your email. Accept it and share it on your social media, so that third parties can verify your obtained skills!