Certified CyberDefender Review

Summary

Kyle Sinclair shares his experience with the Certified Cyber Defenders course, detailing his journey from a degree in Computing and Information Systems to seeking hands-on cybersecurity training. He found the course well-structured and challenging, offering practical skills in network forensics, endpoint detection, and threat hunting. However, he noted that some course content was not relevant to the exam, making the material overwhelming at times. Despite doubts about the certification's job market value, Kyle highly recommends the course for the valuable experience gained, not for the certification itself, which he believes may not significantly impact a resume.

Takeaways

• 😀 Kyle Sinclair has a background in Computing and Information Systems, with some experience in network protocols and cybersecurity tools like Snort and Wireshark.
• 😀 Kyle initially pursued theoretical knowledge through CompTIA Security+ and platforms like Hack The Box, which helped him pass his certification exams.
• 😀 The Certified Cyber Defenders course offered a hands-on experience, with Kyle enjoying the structure and continuous content updates.
• 😀 Although the course was beneficial, some content was not relevant to the exam, such as certain modules on Network Anomalies with Brim and NF dump.
• 😀 Kyle suggests improving the course structure by separating irrelevant modules or releasing them publicly to highlight the course’s overall value.
• 😀 The course includes labs, which are separate from the Cyber range, but some of them were too time-consuming, with Kyle spending up to 11 hours on some tasks.
• 😀 As a defender with limited experience, Kyle struggled to understand the attacker's intent in certain labs, making it difficult to know what was valuable.
• 😀 The support provided during the labs was minimal, with the only guidance being to 'keep trying,' which Kyle found frustrating at times.
• 😀 Kyle failed his first attempt at the exam but passed on his second attempt after completing additional labs and focusing on relevant exam topics like forensics and threat hunting.
• 😀 While the Certified Cyber Defenders title holds little job market value, the hands-on skills learned during the course are highly beneficial for a SOC role.
• 😀 Kyle highly recommends the course for the practical experience it provides, though he believes the content could be better organized to emphasize exam-relevant material.

Q & A

What was Kyle's educational background before taking the Cyber Defenders course?

Kyle has a bachelor's degree in Computing and Information Systems from Athabasca University. His background includes knowledge of programming, network protocols, and basic cybersecurity concepts.

Why did Kyle decide to take the Certified Cyber Defenders course?

Kyle wanted to gain more practical, hands-on experience in cybersecurity after completing his degree and obtaining certifications like CompTIA Security Plus. He was looking for something more focused on real-world application.

What are some of the challenges Kyle faced with the labs in the Cyber Defenders course?

Kyle found some labs difficult to understand, particularly due to his limited experience in a Security Operations Center (SOC). He also struggled with a lack of clear guidance, which led to frustration during long hours spent solving some lab tasks.

How did Kyle feel about the relevance of the course content to the exam?

Kyle noted that while the course had a lot of valuable content, many modules were irrelevant to the exam. He suggested reorganizing the content to focus on exam-related material while placing extra modules at the end or releasing them separately.

What recommendation did Kyle have for Cyber Defenders regarding the extra content in the course?

Kyle suggested either separating the extra modules that aren't related to the exam or making them publicly available to showcase Cyber Defenders' knowledge base. This would make the course content easier to review and demonstrate the platform's expertise.

How did Kyle describe the support available during the labs?

Kyle found the support during the labs to be minimal. Whenever he asked for help, the only advice he received was to 'keep trying' and take breaks, which he felt was insufficient for understanding the challenges presented in the labs.

What was Kyle’s experience with the Cyber Defenders exam?

Kyle found the exam very challenging and failed on his first attempt. He later retook the exam after practicing with additional labs and walkthroughs, and barely passed the second time.

What is Kyle's opinion on the value of the certification in the job market?

Kyle believes that the 'Certified Cyber Defenders' title itself does not add significant value to his resume, as he doubts HR managers would recognize or care about it. However, he emphasized that the skills and experience gained through the course were highly valuable.

What does Kyle think is the real value of the Cyber Defenders course?

Kyle feels that the true value of the course lies in the hands-on experience and the skills gained, such as threat hunting, network forensics, and endpoint detection. These skills are highly applicable in a SOC environment.

What was Kyle's conclusion about choosing Cyber Defenders over other programs like Blue Team Level 1?

Kyle concluded that, despite some areas for improvement in the course structure, he was happy with his decision to choose Cyber Defenders over Blue Team Level 1. He valued the comprehensive content and the practical experience it provided.