You can see it againUnder pressure people bring back shapes and positions long after the wording has gone.
Picture superiority · Shepard 1967, Standing 1973
EC-COUNCILEC-Council Certified Network Defender
The EC-Council Certified Network Defender (CND) certification validates the skills IT and systems administrators need to defend networks with a security-first mindset. This vendor-neutral, hands-on program covers network attacks, perimeter and endpoint security, data protection, and incident response across local, cloud, and OT environments. Earning CND demonstrates your ability to apply blue-team defense and countermeasure strategies that prevent, detect, and remediate threats.
Exam formatMultiple choice
DeliveryPearson VUE
Free questions980
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What EC-Council Certified Network Defender proves, and what it asks of you
What this certification covers, who it is written for, and what the exam itself looks like on the day.
7domains
20objectives
186concepts
US $550exam fee
What it is
What this certification is
What it validates, who it is written for, and the experience it assumes.
About this certification
EC-Council's Certified Network Defender (CND) is a vendor-neutral network security certification designed for IT and systems administrators who need to operate with a secure mindset. The program builds critical skills to defend networks and operating environments across local networks, endpoints, cloud infrastructure, applications, OT, and mobile devices. Learners gain hands-on experience through over 100 labs delivered on live target machines, covering log analysis, network traffic monitoring, basic investigation and response, and business continuity and disaster recovery.
Often referred to as blue-teaming, CND prepares professionals to apply defense and countermeasure strategies in their organizations, playing a critical role in attack prevention, detection, response, and remediation. The curriculum, designed by industry experts, provides strategic, technological, and operational network security capabilities, enabling graduates to design, develop, and maintain secure networks. The program is mapped to global job roles and the Department of Defense (DoD) job roles for system and network administrators, making it a recognized credential for network defense professionals.
Who it’s for
The Certified Network Defender certification is for IT and systems administrators who want to operate with a secure mindset and defend their networks against cyber threats. It is also suited for network security professionals, SOC analysts, and anyone looking to start a career in cybersecurity, particularly on the blue team. This program is ideal for individuals responsible for network configuration, monitoring, and security, who need to apply defense and countermeasure strategies in their daily roles. It is also valuable for those seeking to formalize their skills in network defense, incident response, and security operations.
Recommended experience
EC-Council recommends that candidates have a solid understanding of networking fundamentals and some experience in IT or network administration. While not mandatory, hands-on experience with network devices, operating systems, and security concepts will help you succeed. Basic knowledge of TCP/IP, networking protocols, and network infrastructure; Familiarity with Windows and Linux operating systems; Understanding of common security concepts such as firewalls, IDS/IPS, and access control; Experience in system or network administration is beneficial
The syllabus
What you’ll learn
Every domain and objective EC-Council measures, with the weight they carry on the exam.
The official EC-Council exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
Network Security Fundamentals and Defense Strategy
- Network Attacks and Defense Strategies
- Administrative Network Security
- Technical Network Security
Perimeter and Endpoint Security
- Network Perimeter Security
- Endpoint Security Windows Systems
- Endpoint Security Linux Systems
- Endpoint Security Mobile Devices
- Endpoint Security IoT Devices
Application and Data Security
- Administrative Application Security
- Data Security
Virtual, Cloud and Wireless Network Security
- Enterprise Virtual Network Security
- Enterprise Cloud Security
- Enterprise Wireless Network Security
Traffic and Log Monitoring and Analysis
- Network Traffic Monitoring and Analysis
- Network Logs Monitoring and Analysis
Incident Response, Forensics and Continuity
- Incident Response and Forensics Investigation
- Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
Risk and Threat Management
- Risk Anticipation with Risk Management
- Threat Assessment with Attack Surface Analysis
- Threat Prediction with Cyber Threat Intelligence
On the day
The exam itself
Everything EC-Council publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
No mandatory prerequisites — this certification has no required predecessor exam or credential.
CertificationEC-Council Certified Network Defender
Exam formatMultiple choice
DeliveryPearson VUE
LanguagesEnglish
PricingUS $550
After you pass
Where this credential goes next
The path EC-Council lays out, how the credential is kept, and where to book.
Step-by-step path to EC-Council Certified Network Defender
Credential earnedEC-Council Certified Network Defender Certification Lifecycle status
This certification is currently active and available. EC-Council maintains this certification to validate current skills and industry relevance.
Exam status: ActiveMaintained by EC-Council
Exam registration
Register for the exam through Pearson VUE, EC-Council’s authorized testing partner.
Schedule your examVisit the official EC-Council certification page for exam policies and requirements.
View the official pageYour coach
And when you are serious, your coach Pip takes over
Your coach in the app reads what you have answered with the book closed and tells you one thing to do tonight. It will not count an answer you gave with the page open, and it will tell you when you are not ready.
See how the coach worksBefore you book
Questions people ask
How does the CND certification relate to the Certified Cybersecurity Technician (CCT) certification?
CCT is an entry-level cybersecurity program that covers network defense among other domains, while CND is a specialized network security certification. CCT can serve as a foundational step before pursuing CND, but it is not a mandatory prerequisite.
Is the CND exam hands-on or lab-based?
The CND program includes over 100 hands-on labs delivered on live target machines, but the exam itself is a proctored multiple-choice exam. The labs are part of the training to build practical skills.
What job roles does the CND credential map to?
The CND program is mapped to global job roles and to Department of Defense (DoD) job roles for system and network administrators, including network administrators, security administrators, and IT professionals responsible for network defense.
Can I take the CND exam without attending EC-Council training?
EC-Council typically requires candidates to attend authorized training before taking the exam, but there may be alternative eligibility paths. Check the official EC-Council website for the most current exam eligibility requirements.
How soon will I receive my CND exam results?
EC-Council exams are typically scored immediately at the test center or online, and you will receive a preliminary pass/fail result. Official score reports are available through the EC-Council Aspen portal.
Are there any regional restrictions for taking the CND exam?
The CND exam is available globally through Pearson VUE test centers and online proctoring. However, availability may vary by region, and some countries may have specific delivery options.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 980 questions, free, no account needed.
The curriculum
The whole exam, mapped and written
Every domain, every objective, and every concept EC-Council measures — each one written out.
7domains
20objectives
186concepts
204free pages
The domains, and what sits inside them
Every objective below is a page you can open and practise now, without an account.
The official EC-Council exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
1Network Security Fundamentals and Defense Strategy153 questions
2Perimeter and Endpoint Security236 questions
3Application and Data Security94 questions
4Virtual, Cloud and Wireless Network Security123 questions
5Traffic and Log Monitoring and Analysis95 questions
6Incident Response, Forensics and Continuity125 questions
Not a table of contents
Every line on this map already opens
In front of every objective the practice pages are already there, free and without an account. This is one objective, opened.
Network Attacks and Defense Strategies11 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
53 questions on this objective, five to a page. Every range above is a real page, open now, with no account.
Reading the map is not the same as knowing the ground
The curriculum tells you what is on the exam. Proving you know it is a different job — and it is the one the closed-book run does.
Free questions
980 questions. No account, no card.
The whole bank is open. 5 questions to a page, every answer explained, and a discussion thread on each one.
980questions
204pages
20objectives
Freealways
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Network Security Fundamentals and Defense Strategy153 questions
2Perimeter and Endpoint Security236 questions
3Application and Data Security94 questions
4Virtual, Cloud and Wireless Network Security123 questions
5Traffic and Log Monitoring and Analysis95 questions
6Incident Response, Forensics and Continuity125 questions
7Risk and Threat Management154 questions
What a practice page gives you
1Five to a page
Short enough to finish, long enough to matter.
2Every answer explained
Not only which one is right — why the others are wrong.
3A discussion on each
Ask, answer, and vote. Every question has its own thread.
A question, and the idea behind it
Every question comes from a concept
These are not trivia. Each one is written against a concept in the book, so when you get one wrong there is somewhere to go and find out why.
The visual book
See it once. Carry it into the exam.
The pages shown here come from our AI-900 book — an example of how each concept is written in plain language and, where the idea needs one, drawn as a full page you can take in at a glance.
186concepts
980free questions
Why a picture, and not another paragraph
Three reasons, and each one is a real finding rather than a slogan.
You can see it againThe whole idea at onceWhere it starts, what happens in the middle, what comes out, and the mistake to avoid.
Multimedia principle · MayerThe look-alikes sit togetherThe pairs the exam tests are drawn side by side, so the difference is seen, not told.
Dual coding · PaivioWhat one page is made of
You are never asked to read a poster here — only to see how one is built. After that, every other page is legible at a glance.
1A numbered strip on top
The idea as a sequence, followed with a finger before a word is read.
2Panels for the parts
What it is, how the machine learns it, when it is the right tool.
3The trap, framed
The distinction the exam tests, given its own box instead of buried in prose.
4One line at the bottom
The sentence to carry into the exam room.
Open book, on purpose
Answer it with the picture beside you
This is the part that teaches. The illustration and the written explanation stay where they are while you work, so a scenario stops being a memory test and becomes something you can simply look at.
It teaches · it does not count
A smartphone uses AI to unlock when the owner looks at the camera. Which AI capability is being used?
AImage classification
BFacial recognition
COptical character recognition
DObject detection
Look at the five steps. Detect finds a face, align straightens it, encode turns it into numbers, search compares it with a stored face, and decide answers one question: is this the same person? Classification would only say “a face”. Detection would only draw a box. Neither decides whose.
Then the page shuts, and it starts counting
The same questions come back with the book closed — that run is the one that counts. After it, your coach picks one thing for tonight, sized to the time you have, and brings pages back before you lose them.
Testing effect · Roediger & Karpicke 2006 · spacing effect · Cepeda et al. 2006
Official resources
Straight from EC-Council
Where the exam is defined, scheduled and scored.
2official links
186concepts mapped
The source
EC-Council’s own pages
We link to them rather than repeat them, so nothing here goes stale behind them.
Checked against the source
Every objective on the official EC-Council outline already has questions here
We build from the official skills outline, not from a summary of it — 20 objectives, 186 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When EC-Council changes the outline, this page changes with it.
20objectives on the outline→186concepts written→980free questions
An official page tells you what will be asked. It cannot tell you what you will get right.
That is the only question worth answering the night before, and no link answers it. You answer it by taking the questions with the book closed, and seeing what comes back.