Course overview
thinQtank® Learning is offering a unique instructor-led training camp that gives students the knowledge and skills needed to start a cybersecurity career from nothing — the principles the whole field rests on, the threats and attacks you will actually meet, how access and cryptography work, how a network and an endpoint are defended, how to assess a vulnerability and weigh the risk it carries, and what to do in the first hour of an incident.
This course also helps students prepare to take the Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity exam, 100-160. Cisco sets NO prerequisites for CCST, and we build the course to that. It is a credential in its own right and the first rung of the Cisco security ladder — the step before CyberOps Associate.
What's included
14 itemsthinQtank® Learning Accelerated Custom Exam Study Guide for the 100-160 exam
Exam delivery in classroom with 98% success
Custom and focused exam preparation software and materials
Course specific thinQtank® Learning publications to promote a fun and exciting learning
Membership to the thinQtank® Learning University Online
WE DO NOT "TEACH THE TEST" - Students will receive valuable examples and discussion
Receive all reading material and study guides when you register
All courses taught by certified instructors
Additional hours of remote lab access on real network and endpoint kit
Custom video recordings with even more in-depth learning of course topics
Customized practice exam software
Digital courseware
Retake any or all portions of the course as many times as you like in person or live on-line for 24 months
Six months mentoring access to our engineers after completing the course
What you'll be able to do
17 objectives- Apply the essential security principles the rest of the field is built on
- Explain confidentiality, integrity and availability in terms of real decisions
- Recognize common threats, attacks and vulnerabilities, and understand how each one works
- Explain access management: authentication, authorization and accounting
- Use cryptography correctly — what to encrypt, what to hash, and why it matters
- Describe networking, addressing and the TCP/IP protocols from a security standpoint
- Identify the security role of each piece of network infrastructure
- Control network access, and explain what a firewall, VPN or network access control enforces
- Secure a small office or home office wireless network properly
- Use operating system tools to inspect and harden an endpoint
- Apply endpoint policies and standards, and explain why they exist
- Detect and remediate malware on a network and on an endpoint
- Run a vulnerability assessment and interpret what it returns
- Weigh and prioritize risk, rather than treating every finding as urgent
- Use threat intelligence to anticipate rather than react
- Explain disaster recovery and business continuity at a technician level
- Work an incident through detection, containment, eradication and recovery
The exam
100-16050minutes to complete
- Exam 100-160 — Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity
- Domains: Essential Security Principles; Basic Network Security Concepts; Endpoint Security Concepts; Vulnerability Assessment and Risk Management; Incident Handling
- Cisco does not publish a question count, a passing score or domain weightings for this exam, so we do not quote any
- No prerequisites — no prior certification, no minimum education, no required training
- KNOW THE TERM BEFORE YOU SIT IT. A CCST earned on or after 15 July 2025 is valid for five years; one earned before that date does not expire. You recertify by passing any CCST, associate, professional or expert Cisco exam — so going on to CyberOps Associate renews this one as a side effect
- CCST Cybersecurity is a first step toward CyberOps Associate
- CCST Cybersecurity Voucher — an exam voucher is available through thinQtank for $125 USD. Ask when you register and we will add it to your enrollment
Who it's for, and what you need first
Target Audience
- Career changers moving into security, who need a credential and a vocabulary
- Help desk and Tier 1 support staff who are already the first to see an incident
- Network and desktop technicians whose remit has quietly grown to include security
- Students and school leavers aiming at a cybersecurity technician or analyst role
- Anyone planning CyberOps Associate who wants the fundamentals solid first
- Service members, veterans and military spouses using AF COOL, Army Credentialing Assistance, MyCAA or VET TEC 2.0
Prerequisites
- None. Cisco sets no prerequisites for CCST — no prior certification, no minimum education and no required training
- Basic familiarity with computers and networks helps, but the course does not assume it
- Cisco suggests roughly 120 hours of study for this exam, against 70 for CCST Networking. It is the deeper of the two, and worth planning for
How it's delivered
Instructor-Led Training
Immersive Live-Online Training
On-Site and Custom Delivery
Training Camp Format
This course is delivered as an instructor-led training camp, with the exam sat in the classroom as part of the camp. Camps are scheduled by cohort, and the balance of lecture and hands-on lab work is set to suit the group and the delivery method. Contact us for the schedule covering your dates.
Dates and locations
25 scheduled| Dates | Location | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon Sep 28 – Oct 2, 20265 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Guaranteed to run | Request info |
| Mon Oct 19 – Oct 23, 20265 days · Mon–Fri | Atlanta, GA431 Marietta St NW | Guaranteed to run | Request info |
| Mon Oct 26 – Oct 30, 20265 days · Mon–Fri | Burbank, CA3301 N San Fernando Blvd | Guaranteed to run | Request info |
| Mon Nov 30 – Dec 4, 20265 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Open | Request info |
| Mon Dec 7 – Dec 11, 20265 days · Mon–Fri | Atlanta, GA431 Marietta St NW | Open | Request info |
| Mon Dec 14 – Dec 18, 20265 days · Mon–Fri | Burbank, CA3301 N San Fernando Blvd | Open | Request info |
| Mon Jan 25 – Jan 29, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Open | Request info |
| Mon Feb 1 – Feb 5, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Atlanta, GA431 Marietta St NW | Open | Request info |
| Mon Feb 22 – Feb 26, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Burbank, CA3301 N San Fernando Blvd | Open | Request info |
| Mon Mar 15 – Mar 19, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Open | Request info |
| Mon Mar 29 – Apr 2, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Atlanta, GA431 Marietta St NW | Open | Request info |
| Mon Apr 12 – Apr 16, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Burbank, CA3301 N San Fernando Blvd | Open | Request info |
| Mon May 10 – May 14, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Open | Request info |
| Mon May 24 – May 28, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Atlanta, GA431 Marietta St NW | Open | Request info |
| Mon Jun 7 – Jun 11, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Burbank, CA3301 N San Fernando Blvd | Open | Request info |
| Mon Jul 12 – Jul 16, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Open | Request info |
| Mon Jul 19 – Jul 23, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Atlanta, GA431 Marietta St NW | Open | Request info |
| Mon Aug 2 – Aug 6, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Burbank, CA3301 N San Fernando Blvd | Open | Request info |
| Mon Aug 30 – Sep 3, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Open | Request info |
| Mon Sep 13 – Sep 17, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Atlanta, GA431 Marietta St NW | Open | Request info |
| Mon Sep 27 – Oct 1, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Burbank, CA3301 N San Fernando Blvd | Open | Request info |
| Mon Oct 25 – Oct 29, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Open | Request info |
| Mon Nov 15 – Nov 19, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Atlanta, GA431 Marietta St NW | Open | Request info |
| Mon Nov 29 – Dec 3, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Burbank, CA3301 N San Fernando Blvd | Open | Request info |
| Mon Dec 13 – Dec 17, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Open | Request info |
Guaranteed to run means the class goes ahead whatever the enrollment.
Prices shown are MSRP. Qualified military personnel funding through Air Force COOL, Army Credentialing Assistance, MyCAA or VET TEC 2.0 pay a flat $1,500 per class, whatever the listed price. Everyone else — call 855-868-4467 about group pricing, discounts and current promotions.