BC Skills Academy

Network Security & Defense

Design, harden and defend networks against real-world threats

Key facts

About the Network Security & Defense certification

An associate-level certification that turns network theory into working defensive judgement. You will learn to read the OSI and TCP/IP models through a security lens; design firewall rule sets on stateful and next-generation firewalls; segment networks with VLANs, subnets, and a DMZ to contain blast radius; place and tune IDS/IPS sensors; build secure remote access with IPSec and SSL/TLS VPNs; reason about TLS, PKI, and certificate trust; harden DNS and deploy DNSSEC; secure Wi-Fi with WPA2/WPA3 and 802.1X; enforce posture with NAC and move toward zero-trust networking; and recognise and counter the classic network attacks — ARP spoofing, DNS poisoning, MITM, and DDoS — with concrete countermeasures. You will also learn to monitor effectively with logs and NetFlow and to lay out a defense-in-depth architecture. Vendor-neutral throughout: the principles transfer to any firewall, switch, or cloud network you operate.

Course outline

The Network Security & Defense — Illustrated Study Guide course covers:

  1. Network Models and Segmentation — Reading the OSI/TCP-IP stack through a security lens, then dividing the network into defended zones with VLANs and a DMZ. (3 lessons)
  2. Firewalls and Access Control — Stateful and next-generation firewalls, designing and ordering rules, and detecting intrusions with IDS/IPS. (3 lessons)
  3. Secure Remote Access and Encryption — VPNs with IPSec and SSL/TLS for remote access, and the TLS/PKI/certificate trust that underpins secure communication. (3 lessons)
  4. Secure DNS and Wireless — Hardening DNS with DNSSEC and encrypted DNS, securing Wi-Fi with WPA2/WPA3 and 802.1X, and enforcing posture with NAC and zero trust. (3 lessons)
  5. Monitoring and Defense in Depth — Defending against classic network attacks, monitoring with logs and NetFlow, and tying it together in a layered, hardened architecture. (3 lessons)

Prerequisites

Frequently asked questions

Is the Network Security & Defense certificate verifiable?
Yes. Every certificate issued by BC Skills Academy carries a unique credential ID that anyone can check on the public verification page.
How is the Network Security & Defense exam structured?
It is a timed, randomized multiple-choice exam of 50 questions in 70 minutes, graded instantly; you need 72% to pass.
Can I get a refund?
Full refund within 7 days of purchase if you have not started the exam. Once the exam has been started or completed, the purchase is no longer refundable.

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