SYNOPSIS • CCSPvs
The Securing Cisco Network Devices 642-551 SND exam forms the foundation of the Cisco Certified Security Professional, Cisco Firewall Specialist, Cisco IPS Specialist, and Cisco VPN Specialist certifications. Candidates can prepare for this exam by taking the SND course. This exam includes simulations and tests a candidate's knowledge and ability to describe, configure, and verify basic security features of Cisco Layer 2 devices, Cisco Routers, Cisco IDS/IPS Sensors, Cisco VPN 3000 Concentrators, and Cisco PIX Security Appliances.
This exam costs $125 USD. You can take the exam at any Prometric or Pearson VUE.
Cisco does not publish the pass score for this exam, which can include these types of questions: “multiple-choice single answer, multiple-choice multiple answer, drag-and-drop, fill-in-the-blank, and simulations.” The exam has between 60 and 70 questions and lasts 90 minutes.
The topics covered by this exam include:
Describe the products in the Cisco security portfolio and explain how they mitigate security threats to a network
Describe the security features available for a Cisco Layer 2 device in a secure network
Implement security on a Cisco IOS Router
Describe and configure Cisco IPS and HIPS
Configure and verify basic remote access on a Cisco VPN 3000 Concentrator
It is depressing to have an exam without official text books or practice exams being available yet. For the first time I relied on the Exam Outline, and the fact that I took this last exam almost last out of the CCSP sequence. That being said, it covers the basic areas of Cisco security then dives in in a few places- when it says "configure" on the outline that might mean a sim. Know the management tools which are all over the outline. You need to know the new IPS/HIPS terminology. There is an Andy Barkl review dated 1/16/2006 that is pretty good.
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