Cisco — Professional Level

Cisco CCNP Security SCOR 350-701

Master the Cisco security stack end-to-end: ASA & Firepower NGFW, Identity Services Engine (ISE) with 802.1X and TrustSec, Umbrella SIG, Secure Email/Web, AnyConnect and DMVPN, Secure Endpoint EDR, and SecureX XDR orchestration. 60 scenario-based practice questions aligned with the SCOR 350-701 core exam.

SCOR 350-701 7 Modules ~50 hours Advanced 60 practice questions Updated 2026
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Field Details
Exam CodeSCOR 350-701 (Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies)
Questions90–110 multiple-choice, drag-drop, simlets, simulations
Duration120 minutes
Passing Score750–850 / 1000 (variable, not published)
Price$400 USD
RecertificationEvery 3 years (pass any professional concentration exam or earn CE credits)
Recommended Experience3–5 years of network security, familiarity with Cisco IOS, ASA, and ISE
PrerequisitesNone formal; CCNA recommended
Acts as CoreYes — core exam for CCNP Security and CCIE Security written

Exam Domain Weights

Domain 1 — Security Concepts ~25%
Domain 2 — Network Security ~20%
Domain 3 — Securing the Cloud ~15%
Domain 4 — Content Security ~10%
Domain 5 — Endpoint Protection and Detection ~15%
Domain 6 — Secure Network Access, Visibility & Enforcement ~15%

Course Modules

Module 01
Cryptography & PKI Foundations
Build the cryptographic foundation every SCOR topic rests on. Understand symmetric vs asymmetric encryption, AES/RSA/ECC key strengths, hashing with SHA-256/SHA-3 and HMAC, digital signatures, and complete PKI components — CA, RA, CRL, OCSP — plus SCEP enrollment and X.509 certificate chains of trust.
AES / RSA / ECC SHA-256 / HMAC digital signatures PKI CA/RA/CRL OCSP SCEP enrollment X.509 chains
Module 02
VPN Technologies: IPsec, DMVPN, FlexVPN, AnyConnect
Master every VPN technology Cisco tests on SCOR. Understand IKEv1 vs IKEv2 negotiation, Phase 1 main/aggressive mode and Phase 2 Quick Mode, Transport vs Tunnel mode, site-to-site and remote access designs, DMVPN phases 1/2/3 with NHRP and mGRE, GETVPN for MPLS cores, FlexVPN, and AnyConnect SSL VPN.
IKEv1 / IKEv2 Phase 1 / Phase 2 DMVPN phases NHRP / mGRE GETVPN FlexVPN AnyConnect SSL
Module 03
Cisco ASA & Firepower (Secure Firewall)
Deep dive into Cisco firewalls. Configure ASA access-lists, the Modular Policy Framework (MPF), object-groups, failover (active/standby and active/active in multi-context mode). Then move to Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) managed by FMC — intrusion policies, Snort rules, URL filtering, SSL decryption, and Access Control Policies.
ASA access-lists MPF / object-groups active/standby multi-context Firepower FTD FMC / Snort SSL decryption
Module 04
Identity Services: Cisco ISE, 802.1X, TrustSec
Deploy Cisco ISE and build identity-driven access control. Understand ISE deployment modes (standalone, distributed PAN/PSN/MnT), 802.1X with EAP-TLS, PEAP, and EAP-FAST, MAB fallback for legacy devices, BYOD onboarding, posture assessment, Change of Authorization (CoA), and TrustSec SGTs, SGACLs, and SXP propagation.
ISE PAN/PSN/MnT 802.1X EAP-TLS PEAP / EAP-FAST MAB fallback TrustSec SGT SGACL / SXP CoA / posture
Module 05
Content Security: Umbrella, ESA, WSA, AMP
Protect users from web and email threats. Learn Cisco Umbrella DNS-layer blocking and Secure Internet Gateway (SIG), Secure Email Gateway (antispam, outbreak filters, SPF/DKIM/DMARC, Forged Email Detection), Secure Web Appliance proxy modes and URL filtering with SSL decryption, and AMP file reputation, sandbox analysis, and retrospective detection.
Umbrella DNS Umbrella SIG ESA antispam SPF / DKIM / DMARC WSA proxy AMP file reputation retrospection
Module 06
Cloud Security & SASE Architecture
Extend Cisco security to multi-cloud and SaaS. Understand the shared responsibility model, Cloudlock CASB for SaaS data protection, Cisco Secure Cloud Analytics (formerly Stealthwatch Cloud), Umbrella SIG as a SASE component, Secure Workload (formerly Tetration) for microsegmentation, container security (Docker/Kubernetes image scanning, RBAC), DevSecOps shift-left, and OWASP API Top 10.
shared responsibility Cloudlock CASB Secure Cloud Analytics SASE Secure Workload container security OWASP API Top 10
Module 07
Endpoint Protection, Visibility & SecureX
Close the kill chain with endpoint and visibility tooling. Master Cisco Secure Endpoint (device trajectory, file trajectory, retrospective detection, Threat Grid sandbox integration), SecureX XDR for cross-domain orchestration, Stealthwatch / Secure Network Analytics NetFlow telemetry, Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA) for malware detection without decryption, and threat hunting workflows.
Secure Endpoint EDR device trajectory Threat Grid SecureX XDR Stealthwatch NetFlow ETA
Test your knowledge as you study 60 scenario-based questions covering all 6 SCOR 350-701 domains. Instant explanations for every answer.
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Key Concepts to Master

Concept 1

IPsec IKEv1 vs IKEv2: Know the Differences

IKEv2 supports asymmetric authentication, EAP integration, fewer messages during negotiation, built-in NAT traversal, mobility (MOBIKE), and stronger DoS protection. IKEv1 persists only for legacy interoperability. The exam tests when to choose each — IKEv2 is the default for all new deployments; IKEv1 shows up when a question mentions third-party gateways or old IOS releases.

Concept 2

ASA vs Firepower (FTD): When to Use Each

ASA is the traditional stateful firewall optimized for pure ACL, NAT, and VPN workloads with very low CPU overhead. Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) adds NGFW features on top: Snort IPS, URL filtering, Advanced Malware Protection, SSL decryption, and application visibility. FTD is managed from FMC on-prem or CDO in the cloud and is the recommended choice for new greenfield deployments.

Concept 3

TrustSec SGTs vs Traditional VLANs

TrustSec decouples policy from network topology by tagging traffic with Security Group Tags (SGTs) at the ingress point. SGACLs enforce policy based on source/destination SGT pairs instead of IP addresses. The SXP protocol propagates IP-to-SGT mappings to devices that can't tag natively. Result: scalable segmentation without VLAN sprawl or ACL maintenance nightmares.

6-Week Study Plan

Week 1
Cryptography & PKI Complete Module 1. Lab: build a PKI with a CA, generate a CSR, enroll a device via SCEP, and inspect an X.509 certificate chain including CRL/OCSP fields. Take 15 practice questions focused on crypto and PKI topics.
Week 2
VPN Technologies Complete Module 2. Lab: configure a site-to-site IPsec VPN between two ASAs or IOS routers using IKEv2, then troubleshoot IKE Phase 1/Phase 2 failures with debug crypto isakmp and show crypto ipsec sa. Bonus: spin up a DMVPN hub with two spokes.
Week 3
ASA & Firepower Complete Module 3. Lab: configure ASA access-lists with object groups and set up active/standby failover between two ASAs. Explore the Firepower FMC GUI, build an intrusion policy based on the Balanced Security & Connectivity base, and test an Access Control Policy rule.
Week 4
ISE & 802.1X Complete Module 4. Lab: deploy a single-node ISE instance, configure basic 802.1X with EAP-TLS against a test RADIUS client, then add a TrustSec policy with 2 SGTs and a matching SGACL. Verify SXP propagation between ISE and a network device.
Week 5
Content & Cloud Security Complete Modules 5 and 6. Review the Umbrella dashboard, Secure Email Gateway antispam/outbreak filter settings, Secure Web Appliance proxy modes, and Secure Cloud Analytics entity modeling. Study CASB concepts and Umbrella SIG as a SASE component.
Week 6
Endpoint, SecureX & Final Practice Complete Module 7. Walk through a Secure Endpoint device trajectory in the console and trigger a Threat Grid sandbox analysis. Take the full 60-question practice test. Review every wrong answer and re-read the Cisco SCOR official cert guide chapters you struggled on.

Top 4 Mistakes on the CCNP Security SCOR Exam

⚠
Confusing DMVPN phases Phase 1 is pure hub-and-spoke — spokes only send packets via the hub. Phase 2 allows direct spoke-to-spoke tunnels, but spokes still use the hub as next-hop in the routing table. Phase 3 uses NHRP shortcuts so spokes rewrite next-hop for optimal routing. The exam tests which phase enables which traffic pattern.
⚠
Mixing up ASA failover modes Active/Standby: only one unit passes traffic at a time — the simplest HA design. Active/Active: requires multi-context mode, with different contexts active on different units; both units forward traffic simultaneously. Preemption is supported, and stateful failover syncs connection tables. Don't mix these up on scenario questions.
⚠
Misunderstanding ISE authorization policy evaluation order ISE evaluates authorization policies top-down, first match wins. If a broader rule sits above a more specific rule, the broader rule matches first and the specific rule is never reached. Order matters critically — always put the most specific rules at the top of the policy set.
⚠
Confusing Cisco Umbrella vs Secure Web Appliance (WSA) Umbrella is a DNS-layer and cloud-delivered proxy that protects roaming users without backhauling traffic to a data center. WSA is an on-premises proxy appliance offering URL filtering and Application Visibility and Control. SIG (Secure Internet Gateway) is the full-proxy Umbrella offering that combines both worlds in a SASE model.

CCNP Security SCOR 350-701 vs CCNA 200-301 — What's the Difference?

SCOR 350-701 — Professional

  • Cisco ISE with 802.1X, TrustSec SGTs, SXP
  • Firepower FTD intrusion policies & SSL decryption
  • Umbrella, SIG, Cloudlock CASB
  • Secure Endpoint EDR + Threat Grid
  • DMVPN, FlexVPN, AnyConnect, GETVPN
  • Cloud security, container security, DevSecOps
  • SecureX XDR, Stealthwatch, ETA
  • Focus: deep dive into Cisco security portfolio

CCNA 200-301 — Associate

  • ~10% security topics at associate level
  • Basic ACLs (standard & extended)
  • WPA2/WPA3 wireless security basics
  • Port security & DHCP snooping
  • AAA concepts (RADIUS vs TACACS+)
  • VPN fundamentals (site-to-site IPsec)
  • Broad networking focus (routing, switching, wireless)
  • Focus: foundational networking generalist

Many engineers take CCNA first as the foundation then layer CCNP Security SCOR on top as a specialization. SCOR is also the core exam for the CCIE Security written, making it a direct stepping stone to expert-level certification.

Related Certifications

CCNA 200-301
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AZ-500
Azure Security Engineer
Advanced · Microsoft Azure
Security+
CompTIA Security+
Associate · CompTIA
SCS-C02
AWS Security Specialty
Advanced · Amazon AWS

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