Cisco CyberOps Associate labs FAQ
The labs
What are the NDG CyberOps Associate labs?
NDG developed and hosts these labs for schools in the Cisco Networking Academy (NetAcad). They supplement the CyberOps Associate course in NetAcad, which is taught as instructor-led training. The course itself is a NetAcad offering; see netacad.com for course details.
Among Cisco Networking Academy courses, CyberOps Associate is the only one with labs hosted in NDG Online. NDG's own Linux courses are also offered in NetAcad (see NDG Linux courses in the Cisco Networking Academy).
Which modules have labs?
The labs align with the CyberOps Associate course, which aligns with the Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate certification.
| Course module | NDG labs |
|---|---|
| 3 The Windows Operating System | 3.0.3 Identify Running Processes; 3.2.11 Exploring Processes, Threads, Handles, and Windows Registry; 3.3.10 Create User Accounts; 3.3.11 Using Windows PowerShell; 3.3.12 Windows Task Manager; 3.3.13 Monitor and Manage System Resources in Windows |
| 4 Linux Overview | 4.2.6 Working with Text Files in the CLI; 4.2.7 Getting Familiar with the Linux Shell; 4.3.4 Linux Servers; 4.4.4 Locating Log Files; 4.5.4 Navigating the Linux Filesystem and Permission Settings |
| 5 Network Protocols | 5.1.5 Tracing a Route; 5.3.7 Introduction to Wireshark |
| 8 Address Resolution Protocol | 8.2.8 Using Wireshark to Examine Ethernet Frames |
| 9 The Transport Layer | 9.2.6 Using Wireshark to Observe the TCP 3-Way Handshake; 9.3.8 Exploring Nmap |
| 10 Network Services | 10.2.7 Using Wireshark to Examine a UDP DNS Capture; 10.4.3 Using Wireshark to Examine TCP and UDP Captures; 10.6.7 Using Wireshark to Examine HTTP and HTTPS Traffic |
| 17 Attacking What We Do | 17.1.7 Exploring DNS Traffic; 17.2.6 Attacking a MySQL Database; 17.2.7 Reading Server Logs |
| 21 Cryptography | 21.0.3 Create Codes; 21.1.6 Hashing Things Out; 21.2.10 Encrypting and Decrypting Data Using OpenSSL; 21.2.11 Encrypting and Decrypting Data Using a Hacker Tool; 21.2.12 Examining Telnet and SSH in Wireshark; 21.4.7 Certificate Authority Stores |
| 26 Evaluating Alerts | 26.1.7 Snort and Firewall Rules |
| 27 Working with Network Security Data | 27.1.5 Convert Data into a Universal Format; 27.2.9 Regular Expression Tutorial; 27.2.10 Extract an Executable from a PCAP; 27.2.12 Interpret HTTP and DNS Data to Isolate Threat Actor; 27.2.14 Isolate Compromised Host Using 5-Tuple; 27.2.15 Investigating a Malware Exploit; 27.2.16 Investigating an Attack on a Windows Host |
The other modules have no NDG labs.
Is this an instructor-led course?
Yes. The course is offered only as instructor-led training.
Access and cost
What does lab access cost?
Learners buy 1, 3, or 6 months of unlimited lab access. Current prices are on the Cisco CyberOps Associate course page.
Learners can buy access themselves: opening a lab in NetAcad takes them to NDG Online, where they pay through FastSpring. Schools and bookstores can instead buy access codes for 3 or 6 months. See Order Cisco CyberOps Associate lab access.
How do instructors get access?
Instructor accounts in the NetAcad class open the labs at no charge and are never asked to pay. To evaluate the labs outside a class, apply for NDG Online instructor access (see Apply for instructor access).
How long can learners use the labs?
For the access period they bought, which is separate from the NetAcad course dates. If the NetAcad course has ended but a learner's access hasn't, they can open the labs directly in the NDG Online.
Using the labs
How do I make the labs available to my class?
The labs are hidden from learners until you make them visible. See Set up Cisco CyberOps Associate labs for your class.
How long does each lab session last?
Each lab session gives at least 50 minutes. When 15 minutes or less remain, learners can request more time, up to five times.
The course is designed for a semester or a quarter, and instructors can schedule the labs to fit their class.
What do learners' computers need?
A laptop or desktop with a physical keyboard and a mouse or trackpad. Phones and tablets are not supported. See NDG Online system requirements. No other equipment is needed.
Can the labs reach the internet?
No. The labs are isolated from the internet on purpose, as a safe sandbox, and none of them needs internet access. A few labs ask learners to try something on their own internet-connected computer, outside NDG Online. Learners should use the lab instructions on NDG Online's Content tab; outside versions of the instructions are not supported.
How are the labs graded?
They aren't. The labs have no grading, and NDG Online gives no scores. Instructors with NDG Online instructor access can review learners' screenshots, lab reservations, and usage history.
Questions inside the labs are for review and are not graded. The course's graded work (chapter assessments, the Final Skills Exam, the Final Exam, and the Certification Practice Exam) is in NetAcad, does not use NDG Online, and reports to the NetAcad gradebook.
Help
Where do learners get help with the labs?
Learners take content questions to their instructor. To report a typo, an unclear step, or a lab that doesn't work, learners and instructors select Help in the header at the top of My Classes or a class page in NDG Online. See Get support for NDG Online.
Where can I learn more about NetAcad?
NetAcad's FAQs, tutorials, and instructor resources are on netacad.com after you sign in. New instructors can take NetAcad's Academy Orientation course.
Still need help?
In NDG Online, select Help to ask the Help assistant or open a ticket. Taking labs in a class? Ask your instructor first.