Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity Course

The CCST Cybersecurity credential is one of the most accessible ways to prove you can be useful in a cyber security role from day one. As Australian employers compete for security talent, an entry level certification from a name as recognised as Cisco helps a graduate, career changer or help desk worker stand out for junior cyber security, security operations and IT support roles. It validates the fundamentals that every security team expects, and because it is a Cisco certification, it also familiarises you with the style of Cisco’s later, more advanced exams, making it a confidence building first step on a longer path toward the Cisco Certified Cybersecurity Associate and beyond.

Doing it with Logitrain means the official 100-160 exam fee is included in your course price, so there is no separate cost to sit it. You train hands-on with skilled trainers, you keep your digital course material to refer back to, and you receive practise questions to prepare. Every course is backed by our price beat guarantee. As an authorised Pearson VUE test centre, you can sit the exam with us, at another Pearson VUE centre, or online from a private space. Choose in-person training in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, or live online in real time with a trainer anywhere in Australia, with full-time weekday, part-time weeknight and part-time weekend options so the course fits around your work.

There are no formal prerequisites for the CCST Cybersecurity certification, so you can enrol without holding another certification first. It is designed as an entry point into cyber security.

To get the most from the course, a basic understanding of computers, operating systems and networking is helpful but not required. If you are completely new to networking and want that foundation, the CCST Networking course is a useful companion.

Candidates can achieve this certification by passing the following exam.

• 100-160 CCST: Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity

You can book and sit the exam within three months of finishing your course. Sit it at the Logitrain test centre, at any other Pearson VUE test centre, or online through Pearson VUE online proctoring from a private space.

Exam format: around 40 to 50 questions over 50 minutes, delivered in English through Pearson VUE. Question types include single answer and multiple answer multiple choice, drag and drop, and simulation items. Cisco scores the exam out of 1000 and does not publish a fixed passing mark, and you receive a pass or fail result. The certification is valid for five years.

CCST Cybersecurity 100-160 course material is included in digital format for flexibility and ease of use, mapped to the current Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity exam objectives.

• Define essential security principles, including the confidentiality, integrity and availability triad, attack vectors, hardening and defence in depth
• Explain common threats and vulnerabilities such as malware, ransomware, denial of service, social engineering and insider threats
• Apply access management principles, including authentication, authorisation and accounting, multifactor authentication and RADIUS
• Explain encryption methods and applications, including hashing, symmetric and asymmetric encryption, certificates and public key infrastructure
• Describe basic network security concepts, including TCP and IP vulnerabilities, firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention, VPNs and network access control
• Set up and secure a small office or home office wireless network
• Describe endpoint security concepts across Windows, macOS and Linux, and use endpoint tools to gather security information
• Verify that endpoint systems meet security policies, apply software and hardware updates, and carry out malware removal
• Explain vulnerability assessment and management, and use threat intelligence to identify potential vulnerabilities
• Explain risk management and the importance of disaster recovery and business continuity planning
• Monitor security events, recognise when to escalate, and describe digital forensics and attack attribution
• Describe the elements of cybersecurity incident response and the impact of compliance frameworks on incident handling

• People starting a career in cyber security
• Students and recent graduates, including secondary and post-secondary students
• Career changers moving into cyber security or IT
• IT support and help desk staff adding security skills
• Entry level cyber security technicians and analysts
• Tier 1 security operations and service desk staff
• Entry level network and systems administrators
• Anyone preparing for the Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity certification

• Essential security principles: define vulnerabilities, threats, exploits and risks, attack vectors, hardening, defence in depth and the confidentiality, integrity and availability triad
• Essential security principles: explain access management, encryption methods and applications, and a code of ethics
• Basic network security concepts: describe TCP and IP vulnerabilities and how network addresses affect security
• Basic network security concepts: describe network infrastructure and technologies, and set up a secure wireless small office or home office network
• Basic network security concepts: implement secure access technologies such as firewalls, VPNs and network access control
• Endpoint security concepts: describe operating system security across Windows, macOS and Linux
• Endpoint security concepts: use endpoint tools to gather security information, verify systems against policy, apply updates and remove malware
• Endpoint security concepts: interpret system logs
• Vulnerability assessment and risk management: explain vulnerability management and use threat intelligence to identify potential vulnerabilities
• Vulnerability assessment and risk management: explain risk management and the importance of disaster recovery and business continuity planning
• Incident handling: monitor security events and know when escalation is required
• Incident handling: explain digital forensics and attack attribution
• Incident handling: explain the impact of compliance frameworks and describe the elements of cybersecurity incident response

Build your Cisco and cyber security skills before and after the CCST Cybersecurity course with these related Logitrain courses.

• CCST Networking course is the sibling entry level certification focused on networking fundamentals, and a good companion if you want the networking side as well.
• CCST IT Support course is the sibling entry level certification for IT help desk and end user support roles.
• CCNA course is the associate level networking certification many learners move to after a CCST.
• Cyber security courses shows the full range of security certifications, including the Cisco Certified Cybersecurity Associate as the next step in cyber.
• Cisco courses and certifications lists the complete Cisco pathway from CCST to CCIE.
• Cyber security job ready program combines training, certification, internship and career coaching for those starting a cyber security career.

Got a team to train, Logitrain can deliver the Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity course in house at your premises anywhere in Australia, with the same trainer, course material, practise questions and included official exam as the public courses. In-house delivery suits teams who want everyone trained together on dates that suit the business, whether you are building entry level security skills across a help desk or onboarding new cyber security staff.

What is the CCST Cybersecurity certification?

CCST stands for Cisco Certified Support Technician. The Cybersecurity track is an entry level Cisco certification that validates foundational cyber security skills, including security principles, network and endpoint security, vulnerability assessment and incident handling. It is earned by passing the 100-160 exam.

Is the CCST Cybersecurity exam included in the course?

Yes. The official 100-160 exam fee is included in the Logitrain course price, and you can sit it within three months of finishing the course at the Logitrain test centre, another Pearson VUE centre, or online.

How much does the CCST Cybersecurity exam cost?

Cisco prices the 100-160 exam at USD 125, which is roughly AUD 195 once converted and with GST added. With Logitrain that exam fee is already included in the course price, so there is nothing extra to pay to sit it.

Is CCST Cybersecurity free?

The study materials can be free, because Cisco offers learning through its Networking Academy, but the certification exam is not free. You must pay the exam fee to sit the 100-160 exam and earn the certification, and that fee is included in the Logitrain course price.

Are there any prerequisites?

There are no formal prerequisites. A basic understanding of computers, operating systems and networking is helpful but not required, since this is an entry level certification.

How long is the course and the exam?

The course runs over three days full-time on weekdays, or three weeks part-time on weeknights or weekends. The 100-160 exam itself runs for 50 minutes.

Should I do CCST or CCNA first?

CCST is the entry level certification and CCNA is the associate level above it. If you are new to the field, start with a CCST, then move to CCNA. For cyber security specifically, start with CCST Cybersecurity, and for networking start with CCST Networking.

What jobs can the CCST Cybersecurity lead to?

It supports entry level roles such as cyber security technician, junior cyber security analyst, Tier 1 security operations and help desk support, and it is a recognised first step toward the Cisco Certified Cybersecurity Associate.

Where can I do the course?

You can train in person in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, in person on request in Adelaide, Perth and Canberra, in house at your premises anywhere in Australia, or live online in real time with a trainer.