Azid's InfoSec Journey

I passed the CCNA last year and I've seen this question asked a lot. So here's your answer. CCNA has little to do with Security and Security related beginner certifications like the Security+ and the CEH are better for Security related roles. But, to understand a lot of stuff in security you need a thorough understanding of networking concepts. You could just learn all of it for free on the internet, but certifications show a recruiter that you understand it and have been tested. Also, it looks really good on your resume. You will learn networking concepts that will help you when you start concentrating on Security. Topics like OSI layers and protocols, TCP/IP Model, TCP, UDP, IPv4, IPv6, ARP, DHCP, DNS,  MAC, Encryption, SSH, Telnet, FTP, NAT, SNMP, Routing and Switching protocols(OSPF, RIP, BGP etc). You will also learn key concepts in network security and general security like WiFi security protocols, ARP and DHCP attacks, threats, vulnerabilities, port securit...

I did it! I passed the ICND2! I'm CCNA certified! I took the ICND2 on Saturday and passed with 884/1000. I passed the ICND1 in September. My write up of the ICND1 : https://azidsecurity.blogspot.com/2019/09/i-passed-icnd1.html I only got to study during nights and weekends. I worked hard for this certification. I followed the same methodology I did for the ICND1. Watched the CBTNuggets videos and take a ton of notes. Study from the Official Cert-Guide thoroughly from start to end. Practice with Boson. I had a deadline. My University exams start from December and the Saturday I attempted the exam on was the last day I could. I had to start preparing for my finals. When there was 10 days left I still had a lot to do, so I buckled up and finished the OCG, revised all topics from the notes I found on /r/ccna . I had around 3 days left when I took the first Boson exam and I scored 650. This made me stress out a lot and I panicked a lot. But I calmed myself down an...

I just cleared my ICND1. So it is time to finally get my CCNA. I'm going to follow the same method of studying I did for the CCENT. 1. CBT Nuggets I trust Jeremy Cioara to keep me motivated throughout the whole course. I am going to continue studying with CBTNuggets. If I think I need some other video course, I will buy the David Bombal course on Udemy. 2. Official Cert Guide by Wendell Odom  The OCG for the ICND1 was absolutely amazing. There is so much information that you'll get lost in it. I am going to continue with this book as I need the knowledge. 3. Boson Ex-sim This was the reason I passed the CCENT. I am going to buy the exma for the CCNA too. I love their explanations and it will give me a real exam experience and I can judge myself when I take their exams. Hopefully, I get CCNA certified before December. That is the GOAL. I want to complete the certification before my semester exams in college.  Thanks for reading! AZID

This is a Reddit post on the CCNA subreddit: Hey guys! I did it! I scored 896/832 and passed the ICND1. I had limited money and couldn't afford to fail the exam. I am so happy that I cleared the exam! I am a college student and travel 130kms everyday so I could study only from 8pm to midnight. I worked very hard for this exam. In my country, people usually go to training centers and bootcamps to clear this exam, but they usually use dumps and don't teach well. I WANTED TO ACTUALLY LEARN. I needed the knowledge of these topics because I want to get into cybersecurity. So I took the Self-Study path. I tried studying slowly from January of this year, but never really understood anything and just watched the videos for the sake of it. But when the Feb deadline news came I knew I had no option and became fully focused. I re-watched all videos and took ton of notes. Then moved on to the book and then finished with the practice exams. What I used: CBT ...

Cisco has changed the CCNA certification completely. Now, they have removed a lot of certifications and made it into one. CCENT/ICND1 has been removed and the CCNA will be one exam. But this shouldn't be a problem to those who have already started studying for the ICND1. The deadline to get the CCNA is February 2020. This leaves us 8 months. This is motivation and a push for the people delaying studying. Now they have to.

I chose CBTNuggets to help me study for the CCENT and I am glad. The lot of users on Reddit and other internet sites really recommend the CBTNuggets video course. So this is what I used to study. It was totally worth it. Jeremy Cioara has a way of teaching that makes all topics interesting and you dont get bored easily while watching his videos. He gives a lot of real life examples and the videos have many exercises so that you can do it with him. He uses real equipment, so if you are using GNS3 and Packet Tracer you will have to have it setup and ready. You should also know how to use these virtual labs. I chose the video course because reading from a book is very dry for me and I might lose interest. He covers every topic which is given in the List of topics on the Cisco website. He also keeps the viewers engaged. You will have to take a lot of notes (I did this). Thats how you will retain a lot of information and you can see that he actually covers all topics. Yes,...

If you're using Packet Tracer for your CCNA preparations, then this guide will help you. I well tell you how to install Packet Tracer and some basic ways you can use Packet Tracer for the CCNA. Installation - Go to this link. Click on Sign up and fill all the required details. I recommend you to use your own email address as you have to keep signing in when using Packet Tracer. You will get a similar page after creating an account. Click on Launch Course. Now you will be directed to the Packet Tracer course page.     Now click on Student Resources. You will get the following page: Scroll down on the page and click on Download and install the latest version of Packet Tracer. You will be taken to this page:     Click on the version on Packet Tracer you want to download. I will download the latest version of Packet Tracer and I recommend you to do the same. I will download Cisco Packet Tracer 7.2.1 You will be taken to a page with...

This is show I plan on studying for the first part of the CCNA R&S exam. MATERIALS: 1. CBT Nuggets I am going to be using Jeremy Cioara's CCENT course on CBT Nuggets. These videos have been recommended by a lot of people and this is the first thing I'm going to do. 2. Books I have the Official Cert Guide by Odom and this is going to be the main book I'm going to use. I also have Todd Lammle's CCENT book as a PDF. I might use this as reference for some topics. 3. Labs I am using Packet Tracer and GNS3. I cannot afford a hardware lab, so I'm going to be using a Virtual Lab. STUDY PLAN: First Step: I'm going to go through the CBT Nuggets videos and make a lot of notes from them. Second Step: Packet Tracer and GNS3 Labs with the videos. Third Step: Use the books and study the whole portion to perfect it. Fourth Step: Practice questions using 1001 CCNA questions book and other sources.  Thanks for rea...

I asked myself this question. Why am I doing the CCNA? Well, there are a couple of reasons. 1. Basics CCNA is one of the best entry-level Networking certificates out there. Cisco is a well-known company and their certifications have been done by thousands of people. I wanted to do an entry-level certification in Networking. I thought of the Comptia Network+, MSCE and others, but I came to the conclusion that the CCNA was the most vast and best certificate out of all these. Also, in India the CCNA holds a lot more value than the Network+. 2. Career Plan It is in my career plan to do the CCNA. I found out that to become an InfoSec Expert, my networking basics have to be really strong.  This is taking me towards my goal. 3. Motivation The CCNA is not an easy certification. It has a lot of topics to be perfected.  This gives me the opportunity to work hard to pass the exam. It will require 6-9 months of studying, so it will also ...

1. Udemy I am using this video COURSE to study for the CCNA. It has a lot of good reviews. 2. Books I am using their Official Cert-Guide to study. Also, Lammle . Also using some notes I found on Reddit and a local Library. 3. Reddit The subreddit r/ccna is a very active and helpful community. Here are few links I have saved: Studying for the CCNA? You'll want to read these articles and watch these videos   HUGE reference guide for CCNA. 17 years old, Passed ICND1 890/832!   Success story for anyone looking to get the CCNA   And so, I start my journey to become CCNA certified. Thanks for reading! AZID