DevNet Certifications – How to Prepare for the Security Automation and Programmability Exam

Business growth today is driven by tech innovation and connection. We’re more interconnected than ever (13+ billion mobile devices, 26+ billion IoT devices); IT is becoming more software-defined; and more IT is in the cloud. Add to this a rapidly evolving threat landscape – where adversaries are employing sophisticated techniques, exploiting the dynamic nature of IT infrastructure, and launching asymmetrical attacks – and you can see that security teams in every organization have an uphill battle for managing security risk while also supporting growth.

To address the challenges, teams often introduce new products and vendors to their security stack (sometimes without the resources to manage them). Workflows become extremely complex. Hence, automation of workflows is taking the security landscape by storm, with network security professionals seeking software and programming skills.

DevNet Certifications help you acquire the software skills you need

As more and more network configuration changes are being automated, the daily tasks, adds, moves, and changes can (and must) be automated.

This is what makes Cisco DevNet such an important resource for network professionals, and the new DevNet Certifications such a valuable proof that you’ve acquired the software and programming skills required to build and manage security and modern networks.

The DevNet Certifications are designed for both network security professionals and software developers to optimize and write applications for the security of today, and help people choose the technology skills they want to develop and grow.

There are certifications that let you focus on topic areas including IoT, Data Center, Collaboration, Enterprise Networking, and Security. More information about DevNet Certifications is available on the DevNet website.

Get ready to pass the exam for “Cisco Certified DevNet Specialist – Security Automation and Programmability”

In this blog and in my December 5th webinar, we’ll focus on helping you study and prepare to pass the Cisco Certified DevNet Specialist – Security Automation and Programmability exam. You can register to join the Dec 5th webinar now.

With blueprints for the DevNet Associate, Professional, and Specialist exams now available, let’s take a look at the details for the “Cisco Certified DevNet Specialist – Security Automation and Programmability” exam, and to highlight useful DevNet resources for your study and exam preparation.

This certification validates a candidate’s knowledge of implementing Cisco security automated solutions including programming concepts, orchestration, programming OS, and automation tools.

There are a couple of different ways you can approach this exam:

• On its own – providing DevNet Certified Specialist
• As the second exam (with DevNet CORE) — providing DevNet Certified Professional
• As part of a re-certification for your Cisco Certified CCNP

Let’s take a deep dive into some of the exam sections:

1.0 Network Programming Foundation
A portion of understanding automation is to recognize the fundamentals of programmability. In this segment you will be tested on your knowledge of Git, Python, basic understanding of APIs and how they work, as well as a basic understanding of automation tools such as Ansible and Puppet on Cisco security platforms like Firepower.

Study material

• What is REST? What are APIs
• A brief introduction to Git
• Intro to Python Part 1
• Intro to Python Part 2
• Coding 202: Parsing JSON using Python

2.0 Network Security
In this section, you will be tested on your knowledge of Cisco network security platforms and their available APIs. This will include APIs for Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC), Firepower Threat Defense (FTD), Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE), Cisco Platform Exchange Grid (pxGrid) and Stealthwatch Enterprise.

Study material

• Exploring Firepower Management Center (FMC) REST APIs
• Firepower Threat Defense API – Blocking URL Categories in Access Rules with Python and Ansible
• Firepower Threat Defense API – Advanced access rule creation with Ansible
• FMC REST API request and response structures and error codes
• Debugging the FMC REST API errors
• FMC objects and CRUD operations
• Firewall Management Center (FMC) access control policies
• Threat-centric access control policies for the Firepower Management Center (FMC)
• Using Event Streamer API to identify a potentially compromised host
• Cisco Threat Intelligence Director (TID) APIs and their usage via API Explorer and Postman

3.0 Advance Threat & Endpoint security
Cisco offers next-generation endpoint security through a combination of cloud- and system-based prevention technologies to provide advanced threat detection both on and off your corporate network. Cisco offers an environment of platforms like Advance Malware Protection (AMP) for endpoints, ThreatGrid, Umbrella that work together for more effective and efficient threat protection. These platforms offer APIs to automate your workflow. In this section, you will tested on your knowledge about these platforms and their APIs

Study material

• Introduction to Cisco ThreatGrid Platform
• Introduction to Cisco Threat Grid APIs
• Cisco Umbrella Explained: Introduction to Cisco Umbrella and Key Features
• Cisco Umbrella Investigate API Explained
• Cisco Umbrella: Threat Hunting using Umbrella Investigate API
• Introduction to AMP for Endpoints REST APIs

4.0 Cloud, Web and Email Security
In this section you will be tested on your knowledge of Cisco Cloud, Web and Email security platforms and their available APIs. Attackers rely primarily on email and/or web to distribute spam, malware, and other threats. In modern IT workloads and application extend beyond physical structure into cloud offerings. Cisco offers an environment of platforms like Umbrella, Stealthwatch Cloud, Web Security Appliance (WSA), Email Security Appliance ESA and Cisco Security Management Appliance(CSMA) that work together for more effective and efficient threat protection.

Study material

• Introduction to the Cisco Umbrella Enforcement API
• Cisco Umbrella: Build a custom Umbrella Block List using Umbrella Enforcement REST API
• Stealthwatch Cloud API documentation
• Umbrella Reporting API documentation

The full list of exam topics can be found on the Cisco certification website page and the exam overview here.

Join me for a webinar on 5th December to take an in-depth look at the DevNet Certification for Security Automation exam.

Make sure you check out DevNet’s new certification track offering courses, exams, and real-live Cisco certs for coders and developers. You can read all about the DevNet Certifications launch at Cisco Live in Susie Wee’s blog.