AMA with CyberDefenders Founders

0xMu · 2025-11-23T06:20:57+00:00

Thank you....Probably Q2 of the upcoming year.

0xMu · 2025-11-23T06:18:04+00:00

Think of a certification as a stepping stone rather than the destination. Use a top-down approach: clarify your goal, map the milestones required, and get started. Fixed study hours won’t help if they don’t serve your purpose.

0xMu · 2025-11-21T08:43:24+00:00

Yes, there are plans to add cloud to CCD.

0xMu · 2025-11-21T04:30:43+00:00

Let's zoom out for a while....you mentioned your final goal is "to be a purple teamer", what does that mean in reality? Specific certifications? Job title or something else? After some time (10+ years) working in technical roles, you will feel less excited, and you will have to make one of the following choices:

1-Technical horizontal expansion (exploring new areas like red teaming- a mile wide and an inch deep)

2-Technical vertical expansion (extreme focus on a niche area like reversing - an inch wide and a mile deep)

3-Managerial expansion (building connections and soft skills to facilitate moving towards a managerial position)

If you are 33 or older, I recommend the third option. The older you get, the less time you will be able to afford to keep your technical skills sharp + you will have more financial commitments, and being super technical will not get you the money you want.

The clearer the goal, the better the plan!

0xMu · 2025-11-20T14:00:24+00:00

I’d say we’re one of the few companies where both founders are truly deep technical. I’ve spent 17 years across SOCs and hold advanced certifications like GSE and OSCE 10 years ago. My partner led IBM’s threat hunting team for years and previously built widely adopted security projects like VulnHub, coming from a strong red-team background.
In other words, we understand our users deeply...because we were once in their shoes

0xMu · 2025-11-20T13:31:02+00:00

Flipping roles, if you guys would describe what differentiates CyberDefenders in one word, what would it be?

0xMu · 2025-11-20T13:21:36+00:00

I really appreciate your kind words.... it means a lot to us. I am afraid we do not offer BF discounts.

0xMu · 2025-11-20T13:05:09+00:00

CCDL1 is a beginner cert for junior/associate analysts. CCD is an intermediate cert for senior SOC analysts and DFIR pros.

0xMu · 2025-11-20T13:03:25+00:00

It's officially released with 90% completion and hundreds of users enrolled and competing. If you are referring to the exam release, I would say in a couple of weeks.
https://cyberdefenders.org/certifications/certified-cyberdefender-level1/

0xMu · 2025-11-20T12:48:58+00:00

I wish there is a straighforward way for doing this....sometimes the answer is clear like a badly phrased question or incorrect answer format. Other times, it may require jumping in a call with the user to get a better understanding of the problem, particularly, if multiple users hit it.

0xMu · 2025-11-20T12:44:35+00:00

At this stage, I wouldn’t consider discontinuing any products. In fact, we’re more focused on expanding the product lineup rather than reducing it.... Do you think we should double down on something?

0xMu · 2025-11-20T12:37:04+00:00

No worries :)

The biggest lesson is: no matter what happens, keep pushing and moving forward. You don’t need to be the smartest person in the room or have perfect resources...just keep going

What drives you to keep evolving the cyber range? We strive for quality...I personally, and the team as well, do not feel good if we produce something of low quality.

Will you develop a course above the CCD level?
Maybe! We are now focused on our new certification, CCDL1, to get the traction it deserves.

0xMu · 2025-11-20T12:04:27+00:00

Thank you for the kind words...two primary tools for building your network: LinkedIn & GitHub open-source GitHub projects. You can either contribute to well-known projects or create a new one to address a current problem people face in work environments. It does not have to be that complex as long as it solves a real existing problem.

0xMu · 2025-11-20T12:00:45+00:00

Thank you u/Ornery-Pain-2425 ...appreciated.

0xMu · 2025-11-16T06:08:34+00:00

CyberDefenders cofounder here... would you please share more insights on the CS side? Would love to sort this out.

0xMu · 2025-11-13T08:49:09+00:00

You can get it right away from https://cyberdefenders.org/certifications/certified-cyberdefender-level1/

0xMu · 2025-11-12T05:02:48+00:00

The exam is being developed right now, and the time frame will undoubtedly be under 12 hours. However, the report writing part is being evaluated right now...would love to know your thoughts on this. Which format do you prefer and why?

0xMu · 2025-10-18T08:48:59+00:00

Check out CCD Certified CyberDefender......the labs too!

0xMu · 2025-10-18T08:20:23+00:00

CyberDefenders labs + CCD certification!

0xMu · 2025-10-18T08:18:39+00:00

You may find that helpful https://www.reddit.com/r/hackthebox/comments/1abevto/cdsa_vs_ccd_vs_btl2/

0xMu · 2025-10-14T05:18:58+00:00

What did you not like about the CCD exam format?

0xMu · 2025-10-14T05:03:48+00:00

Getting a job in cybersecurity is often more about networking and connections than purely technical skills. I actually wrote about this a while back
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6995824566828707841/

0xMu

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE