Chapter 1 of 6 · Cisco CCNP 350-701 SCOR
Security Concepts
Threats, vulnerabilities, AI risks, cryptography, VPNs, zero trust, SAFE and reading security API scripts.
- 7topics
- 31 minfast track
- 4diagrams and exhibits
- 20%of the exam
Topics in this chapter
Take them in order, or jump to the one you need.
- 1Attack Threats Across On-Premises, Hybrid and CloudLearn the attack threats against on-premises, hybrid and cloud systems: malware types, DoS and DDoS, phishing, man-in-the-middle…5 min
- 2Vulnerabilities, Exploits, CVE and CVSSUnderstand software vulnerabilities and exploits, such as injection, XSS, CSRF, buffer overflow and path traversal, and how CVE…4 min
- 3AI and LLM Vulnerabilities, and Phishing ControlsLearn the main vulnerabilities in AI and LLM systems, such as prompt injection and supply chain risk, and the layered controls…4 min
- 4Cryptography Components for Network SecurityLearn hashing, symmetric and asymmetric encryption, PKI, TLS, QUIC, MASQUE, IPsec with NAT-T, pre-shared keys, certificates and…Diagram5 min
- 5Site-to-Site and Remote Access VPN Deployment TypesCompare VPN deployment types: standards based IPsec, virtual tunnel interfaces, SSL VPN, DMVPN, FlexVPN and GETVPN, and know when…Diagram5 min
- 6Security Intelligence, Zero Trust and Defense in DepthLearn how security intelligence is authored, shared and consumed, the principles of zero trust architecture, and defense in depth…Diagram4 min
- 7Interpreting Python Scripts That Call Security APIsLearn to read Python scripts that call security appliance REST APIs: authentication, tokens, headers, JSON, status codes…4 min
About this chapter
What this chapter covers
Security Concepts is the foundation of the CCNP Security core exam, and every later chapter builds on it.
It explains what attackers do, which weaknesses they use, how cryptography and VPNs protect traffic, and which design ideas guide a defence. It ends with a practical skill: reading a script that calls a security API.
The pages follow the ten topics the question bank uses for this chapter. They are written in plain English, and go deeper where the professional level needs it.
How the topics fit together
The chapter moves from the problem, to the building blocks, to the design that ties them together.
The first pages describe threats and vulnerabilities, including the newer risks to AI and language model applications. The phishing controls show how people and technology work together.
The middle of the chapter gives the technical tools. Cryptography covers hashing, encryption, certificates and the protocols that use them. VPN types then compares the ways to build site to site and remote access tunnels.
The last topics are design and practice. Security intelligence, zero trust and SAFE give you the frameworks, and the API scripting page shows how teams automate security products.
Cryptography and VPN ideas return in the Network Security and Network Access chapters, so a firm grasp here saves time later.
How to use these pages
Each topic page has the same shape, so you can skim for what you need.
- What it is: the idea in plain words.
- How it works: the mechanism, with diagrams and example commands or code.
- What to remember for the exam: the facts to memorise.
- Common mistakes: the classic traps.
- Check yourself: three questions to test your understanding.
Read the cryptography and VPN pages with a lab or simulator nearby if you can. For the scripting page, try running a small Python script against a sandbox, because reading code is easier once you have written some.
Ready for more practice?
The full Cisco CCNP 350-701 SCOR question bank has 822 questions, with timed practice exams and an explanation for every answer.
This study guide is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Cisco. Vendor names, certification names and exam codes are trademarks of their respective owners and are used for identification only.