CCD Study Guide 2026

Everything you need to pass the CCD exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.

CCD exam key facts

The CCDL2 (formerly CCD) exam uses text-based practical questions built on real-world investigation scenarios, and no written report is required. Source
Candidates get 48 hours to complete the CyberDefenders CCDL2 (formerly CCD) practical exam. Source
The minimum passing score on the CyberDefenders CCDL2 (formerly CCD) exam is 70%, and candidates who complete all four Capstone labs get a 5% bonus if they score below that. Source
The CyberDefenders CCDL2 certification (formerly the Certified CyberDefender, CCD) costs $1,499 as a one-time purchase that includes the full course, an exam with two attempts and four months of CyberRange access. Source
The CyberDefenders CCDL2 (formerly CCD) certification is valid for four years from the date the candidate passes the exam. Source

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📋 CCD Exam Format at a Glance

100

Questions

120 min

Time Limit

70.00%

Passing Score

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📚 CCD Topics to Study (31)

Incident Response & Threat Detection · 9 cards Network Security · 9 cards Security Operations & Monitoring · 9 cards System & Endpoint Security · 9 cards Identity & Access Management · 7 cards Incident Response & Threat Detection · 7 cards Incident Response & Threat Detection · 7 cards Incident Response & Threat Detection · 7 cards Incident Response & Threat Detection · 7 cards Security Information & Event Management · 7 cards Security Information & Event Management · 7 cards Security Information & Event Management · 7 cards Security Information & Event Management · 7 cards System & Endpoint Security · 7 cards System & Endpoint Security · 7 cards System & Endpoint Security · 7 cards System & Endpoint Security · 7 cards CCD Digital Forensics & Evidence Handling · 6 cards CCD Digital Forensics & Evidence Handling · 6 cards CCD Digital Forensics & Evidence Handling · 6 cards CCD Threat Intelligence & Hunting · 6 cards CCD Threat Intelligence & Hunting · 6 cards CCD Threat Intelligence & Hunting · 6 cards Endpoint Protection & Hardening · 6 cards Incident Response & Handling · 6 cards Intrusion Detection & Prevention · 6 cards Log Analysis & Forensics · 6 cards Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering · 6 cards Network Defense & Monitoring · 6 cards Security Information & Event Management · 6 cards

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✍️ Sample CCD Questions & Answers

1. What is the function of a SIEM's 'watchlist' or 'asset criticality' feature?

✓ Prioritizing alerts involving high-value or high-risk assets or users

Asset criticality and watchlists cause the SIEM to elevate the priority of alerts involving designated high-value targets.

2. What is a key difference between a SIEM and a traditional log management system?

✓ A SIEM adds real-time correlation, alerting, and threat detection on top of log collection and storage

While both store logs, a SIEM adds real-time correlation engines, behavioral analytics, and alerting to transform raw logs into actionable security intelligence.

3. What does EDR stand for in cybersecurity?

✓ Endpoint Detection and Response

EDR stands for Endpoint Detection and Response, which is a cybersecurity solution that continuously monitors endpoint devices for malicious activity. EDR systems collect and analyze data from endpoints, providing visibility into potential threats and enabling rapid detection, investigation, and response to security incidents. This advanced capability goes beyond traditional antivirus to offer deeper threat analysis.

4. What documentation practice is considered essential in Security Information & Event Management within the Certified Cyber Defender field?

✓ Recording actions, observations, and outcomes in real-time or as close to the event as possible

Real-time or near-real-time documentation in Security Information & Event Management ensures accuracy, provides a contemporaneous record, and is considered the gold standard for professional accountability and legal defensibility.

5. Which tool is used to analyze Windows memory dumps offline to find injected code, hidden processes, and active network connections?

✓ Volatility

Volatility is a framework for offline memory forensics that extracts processes, network connections, and artifacts from raw memory dumps.

6. What type of forensic analysis examines RAM to find running processes, network connections, and encryption keys?

✓ Memory forensics (volatile forensics)

Memory forensics analyzes RAM dumps to uncover running processes, open network connections, decrypted data, and malware that may not appear on disk.

🎯 Free CCD Practice Tests

Network Security · 9 questions Incident Response & Threat Detection · 9 questions Security Operations & Monitoring · 9 questions System & Endpoint Security · 9 questions Security Information & Event Management · 7 questions System & Endpoint Security · 7 questions Security Information & Event Management · 7 questions Incident Response & Threat Detection · 7 questions Security Information & Event Management · 7 questions Incident Response & Threat Detection · 7 questions

📖 CCD Guides & Articles

Your CCD Study Path

1. Learn with Flashcards → 2. Drill Practice Tests → 3. Take the Full Exam Simulation

🃏 CCD Flashcards (211)🏆 CCD Exam Simulation

What Practice Test Geeks adds beyond an AI chat for CCD

An AI chatbot can quiz you, but it can't reproduce the exam conditions or keep your record. Here you get:

A timed, full-length CCD mock exam — 100 questions in 120 minutes with a 70% pass mark, modeled on the official exam's question count and time limit, followed by a score report broken down by exam domain.
A fixed CCD question bank: the same test every attempt, so your score is comparable from one try to the next instead of changing with every regenerated quiz.
Progress saved on your device: completed tests, scores and missed questions stay in My Progress, so you can retake only what you got wrong.
A printable CCD cheat sheet you can print or save as a PDF.
CCD flashcards built from the same question bank.
Free CCD practice tests with the correct answer shown after each question.

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How this page was made: written with AI tools and published by Nathan Beja, founder of Practice Test Geeks, who is responsible for its content. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy

Sources & references

Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy

cyberdefenders.org — Eligibility, fees, exam information · verified Oct 2026
help.cyberdefenders.org — Test delivery, exam format, time limit, renewal, score validity, test dates, passing score, score release · verified Oct 2026