Cisco CCIE Security

CCIE Security · ● Active · Expert · Cisco

Cisco's highest individual technical certification in network security. A two-part exam (written + hands-on lab) that validates deep expertise in threat defense, secure connectivity, ISE identity management, and enterprise security architecture. Gold-standard credential for senior security engineers and architects.

Exam facts

Vendor source — Cisco CCIE Security Certification ↗
Official exam guide — CCIE Security Exam Guide (Pearson) ↗
Exam objectives — Cisco CCIE Security 350-701 SCOR Blueprint ↗

About

The Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Security certification is the vendor's highest individual technical credential in network security. It comprises two sequential exams: a 120-minute written exam (350-701 SCOR) and an 8-hour hands-on lab where candidates configure, optimize, and troubleshoot enterprise security infrastructure. First introduced in 2012, the current v6 syllabus (launched February 2019) reflects modern threat landscapes, cloud-hybrid networking, and automation practices. CCIE Security holders are typically 5–10 years into infrastructure and security roles, pursuing roles as senior architects, distinguished engineers, or independent security consultants.

Domain context — Security

Enterprise threat defense, secure connectivity protocols, identity and access management, and architectural design of resilient, compliant security infrastructures.

Read full deep dive — Security Domain →

Written exam (350-701 SCOR) — Topics covered

Exam weight distribution:

• Cisco Secure Firewall (ASA, FTD, FMC) — 20% — Threat prevention, access control, IPS/IDS, NAT, HA/failover, policy architecture
• Secure Connectivity (Site-to-Site & Remote Access VPN) — 15% — IPsec, SSL/TLS VPN, FlexVPN, high availability, scalable VPN design
• Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) — 15% — Authentication (802.1X, MAB, guest access), authorization policies, profiling, guest portals, TrustSec
• Secure Network Telemetry & Analytics — 12% — NetFlow, Security Monitoring, threat hunting, event correlation, SIEM integration
• Threat Defense Intelligence — 10% — Talos threat feeds, reputation scoring, URL filtering, DNS security, sandboxing
• Cloud Security & APIs — 10% — AWS/Azure security integration, API security, container security, cloud egress controls
• Advanced Threat Protection — 10% — Malware detection, ransomware defense, advanced persistent threat (APT) hunting, endpoint integration
• Network Security Infrastructure & Automation — 8% — Ansible/Terraform for security, Python scripting, DevSecOps, infrastructure-as-code security

Source: Cisco Learning Network Exam Blueprint ↗

Lab exam — Modules and topology

The 8-hour hands-on lab is conducted at authorized Cisco testing centers (Pearson VUE Advanced Testing Centers) and covers real-world configuration and troubleshooting scenarios. The lab typically includes 3–4 major sections:

• Perimeter Security — Configure Cisco Secure Firewall (ASA/FTD), implement access control lists (ACLs), set up threat prevention policies, tune IPS/IDS signatures, configure NAT, and design failover scenarios.

• Secure Connectivity — Design and implement IPsec site-to-site VPN, SSL/TLS remote-access VPN, configure high-availability VPN deployments, troubleshoot encryption and tunnel state issues.

• Identity & Access Management — Configure Cisco ISE for 802.1X authentication, set up guest portal workflows, implement authorization policies with TrustSec segmentation, and profile network endpoints.

• Threat Defense & Telemetry — Configure malware defense policies, enable advanced threat protection, set up NetFlow/sFlow monitoring, integrate SIEM or analytics platforms, hunt for indicators of compromise.

• Automation & Programmability — Write Python scripts to interact with Cisco security APIs, automate policy deployment with Ansible or Terraform, configure webhook integrations, and manage security infrastructure programmatically.

Candidates may face real-world troubleshooting scenarios where devices are intentionally misconfigured; identifying and remedying problems is part of the assessment.

Common skills at Security · Expert

Shared content for the Security domain at Expert level — not specific to this cert.

• Advanced firewall and IPS/IDS rule tuning for zero-trust networks
• Deep understanding of cryptography, key exchange protocols, and certificate lifecycle management
• Cloud-native security architecture (AWS IAM, Azure RBAC, container orchestration security)
• Threat intelligence integration and incident response orchestration
• Security policy design for regulated environments (PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOC 2)
• Network segmentation and microsegmentation design
• Cryptographic protocol implementation and troubleshooting (TLS 1.3, IPsec, OAuth 2.0 / OIDC)
• API security and secure secrets management

Recommended courses at Security · Expert

Course-selection note: CCIE Security requires 6–12 months of part-time study (or 3–6 months full-time bootcamp). INE and Narbik Kocharians are considered gold-standard providers; Cisco official training is essential grounding. Video courses (CBT Nuggets, Pluralsight) supplement hands-on labs. The lab exam is the gating factor — allocate at least 100+ hours to hands-on lab practice before attempting.

Practice exams

Lab practice note: Official Cisco lab environments are available through authorized training partners (INE, Narbik) only. Building a personal lab with GNS3, EVE-NG, or packet tracer is useful for written exam prep but cannot replicate the full lab topology. Most candidates invest in bootcamp or remote lab access.

Books

Book note: The official Cisco Press CCIE Security v6 Exam Guide (Woland & Gooley) is the canonical reference. Supplement with platform-specific books (ASA/FTD, ISE) from Packt for deeper dives. Published material reflects v6 (2019+); verify publication year when purchasing used copies.

Typical job titles at Security · Expert

Senior Network Security Architect · CCIE Security Consultant · Distinguished Security Engineer · Enterprise Security Architect · Senior Threat Defense Architect · Security Solutions Architect · Principal Security Engineer

(Job titles drawn from Cisco Learning Partner job boards, LinkedIn recruiter search, and Robert Half Technology Salary Guide 2025.)

Salary

Salary note: CCIE Security holders typically occupy senior staff or principal roles. Salaries vary by industry (finance/healthcare command premiums), geography (Bay Area / London / Sydney > regional centers), and employer size (large enterprises > startups). The ranges above reflect mid-to-large enterprise market rates in 2025–2026. Independent consultants and fractional CISOs may command higher day rates (USD $300–$600/day).

Skills validated

Concrete technologies, protocols, and tools this exam assesses.

• Cisco Secure Firewall (ASA & Threat Defense) — Stateful inspection, access control lists, threat prevention, intrusion prevention/detection, NAT/PAT, high-availability failover
• IPsec VPN — Tunnel negotiation, encryption/authentication algorithms, Dead Peer Detection (DPD), split tunneling, dynamic routing over VPN
• SSL/TLS VPN — Clientless portal VPN, AnyConnect secure mobility client, certificate management, session lifecycle
• Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) — 802.1X authentication, MAC authentication bypass (MAB), guest access portals, authorization policies, profiling, TrustSec enforcement
• Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) — Malware detection, ransomware defense, sandbox detonation, URL filtering, DNS Security (Umbrella integration)
• Network Telemetry & SIEM — NetFlow/sFlow collection, security event correlation, threat hunting workflows, integration with third-party SIEMs (Splunk, ArcSight)
• Cisco AMP (Advanced Malware Protection) — Endpoint detection and response (EDR), file reputation scoring, behavioral analysis, incident response integration
• Secure Connectivity Protocols — FlexVPN, Internet Key Exchange (IKE) v1/v2, Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS)
• Policy as Code & Automation — Ansible playbooks for security, Terraform for infrastructure, Python scripting with Cisco APIs (REST, XML-RPC), CI/CD integration
• Cloud Security — AWS VPC security groups, Azure Network Security Groups (NSGs), hybrid cloud egress controls, API gateway security
• Zero-Trust & Microsegmentation — TrustSec Scalable Group Tags (SGTs), segment routing (SR), policy-based access control

Related certifications

• Prerequisite study (lower level): Cisco CCNP Security (now: Enterprise Security) ↗ · Cisco CCNA Security ↗ (not strictly required, but foundational)
• Stacks with: Cisco CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure ↗ (common career pairing for full-stack architects)
• Equivalent at this level: Palo Alto Networks PCNSE (Certified Network Security Engineer) ↗ · Fortinet NSE7 (Network Security Expert) ↗ (cross-vendor Expert-level credentials)
• Vendor overview: Cisco Vendor Overview ↗

Career progression

Before CCIE Security:

• Typically 5–10 years in infrastructure/security roles: network engineer, security engineer, firewall administrator, identity management specialist
• CCNA and/or CCNP (or equivalent CompTIA Security+ / EC-Council CEH) mastery
• Hands-on experience troubleshooting ASA/FTD, ISE deployments, VPN connectivity, threat prevention policies

After CCIE Security:

• Senior Network Security Architect roles (large enterprises)
• Distinguished Security Engineer or Staff Security Architect (tech-leader track)
• Independent consulting: fractional CISO, security assessment teams, design review authority
• Product security specialist (Cisco TAC, threat research labs)
• Security solutions architect (Cisco partner / reseller)

Study timeline

Full-time bootcamp: 8–12 weeks (40+ hours/week, including labs)
Part-time study: 6–12 months (10–15 hours/week, labs + written practice)
Lab practice: 100–200 hours minimum on real or virtualized topologies

The written exam (350-701 SCOR) is the faster gate (typically 3–4 months prep); the lab is the real differentiator (6–12 months). Most candidates pass the written, then spend additional months refining lab troubleshooting speed and accuracy.

Resources

Official Cisco:

• Cisco CCIE Security Overview & Registration ↗
• Cisco Learning Network (exam topics, study materials) ↗
• Cisco Press CCIE Security v6 Exam Guide ↗

Community & Study:

• Cisco Learning Network Forums — CCIE Security ↗
• INE CCIE Security Learning Path ↗
• Narbik Kocharians Academy ↗
• Day One (Paul Browning) — CCIE Security Playlist ↗

Sources

• Cisco CCIE Security Certification page: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/training-events/training-certifications/certifications/expert.html#ccie-security-certification
• Cisco Learning Network CCIE Security Exam Blueprint: https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/s/ccie_security_exam_topic_details
• Cisco Press — CCIE Security v6 Exam Guide: https://www.ciscopress.com/store/ccie-security-v6-exam-guide-350-801-9780137451869
• Pearson Vue Cisco Exam Registration: https://www.pearsonvue.com/
• Glassdoor CCIE Security Salary Data: https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/ccie-security-salary-SRCH_KO0,13.htm
• Robert Half Technology Salary Guide 2025: https://www.roberthalf.com/salary-guide
• PayScale South Africa Security Architect: https://www.payscale.com/research/ZA/Job=Security_Architect/Salary
• IT Jobs Watch (UK) CCIE Salary: https://www.itjobswatch.co.uk
• Hays Technology Salary Guide (UK, EMEA): https://www.hays.co.uk/salary-guide
• INE CCIE Security v6 Course: https://ine.com/learning-paths/ccie-security-v6
• Narbik Academy: https://www.narbikacademy.com/ccie-security

Last verified: 2026-05-01
Parent ecosystem: Cisco Ecosystem
Parent domain: Security Domain
Vendor overview: Cisco Vendor Overview