🛡️ Certified Incident Response Technician (CIRT)

Professional Cybersecurity Certification Exam

The Certified Incident Response Technician (CIRT) is a professional, industry-aligned cybersecurity certification exam designed to validate practical incident response skills required in modern Security Operations Centers (SOC). This certification focuses on real-world attack scenarios, technical decision-making, and operational response rather than theoretical knowledge.

Unlike training courses, CIRT is a pure assessment-based certification, evaluating a candidate’s ability to detect, analyze, contain, eradicate, and report security incidents across endpoints, networks, cloud environments, and enterprise systems.

The exam is ideal for individuals seeking to demonstrate hands-on incident response competence in line with real SOC workflows.

🔍 Why Choose the CIRT Certification?

Modern organizations face constant cyber threats including malware infections, ransomware outbreaks, phishing campaigns, insider threats, and network intrusions. Employers increasingly seek professionals who can respond effectively under pressure, not just recite definitions.

The CIRT certification is designed to bridge this gap by:

• Validating practical incident response skills

• Using scenario-driven MCQs instead of memorization-based questions

• Simulating real SOC and IR environments

• Assessing decision-making, prioritization, and escalation handling

• Aligning with industry-standard incident response frameworks

This certification proves that a candidate can operate as an Incident Response Technician in real operational conditions.

📋 Exam Overview

• Certification Name: Certified Incident Response Technician (CIRT)

• Exam Duration: 6 Hours

• Total Questions: 600 Multiple-Choice Questions

• Question Type: Scenario-Based MCQs

• Exam Level: Professional / Entry-to-Intermediate

• Delivery Mode: Online Exam

• Certification Authority: SecByte.org

🧠 Exam Format & Structure

The CIRT exam is built entirely around scenario-based questions, where candidates are placed in the role of an incident response technician handling live security events.

Each scenario may include:

• SIEM alerts and log snippets

• Endpoint detection alerts

• Email headers and phishing samples

• Network traffic indicators

• Incident timelines

• Business impact constraints

Candidates must determine the most appropriate next action, best remediation step, or correct response decision based on industry best practices.

The exam tests:

• Analytical thinking

• Incident prioritization

• Technical troubleshooting

• Evidence handling

• Communication and reporting judgment

🎯 Who Should Take the CIRT Exam?

The Certified Incident Response Technician exam is suitable for:

• SOC Tier 1 and Tier 2 Analysts

• Entry-level Incident Response Professionals

• Blue Team Members

• Cybersecurity Students seeking practical validation

• IT Professionals transitioning into security roles

• Security Engineers needing IR fundamentals validation

No prior certification is required, but basic cybersecurity knowledge is recommended.

📘 CIRT Exam Syllabus (30 Modules)

Below is the official 30-module syllabus, structured to reflect the full incident response lifecycle and operational realities.

Module 1: Introduction to Incident Response

• Incident response objectives

• IR roles and responsibilities

• SOC vs IR team functions

Module 2: Incident Response Lifecycle

• Preparation, detection, containment, eradication, recovery

• Post-incident activities

Module 3: SOC Operations Fundamentals

• SOC workflows

• Alert escalation models

• Ticketing and case management

Module 4: Security Monitoring Concepts

• Event vs alert vs incident

• False positives and noise reduction

Module 5: Incident Classification & Severity

• Incident types

• Impact-based severity scoring

Module 6: SIEM Fundamentals

• Log sources

• Correlation rules

• Alert interpretation

Module 7: Log Analysis Basics

• Windows event logs

• Linux system logs

• Application logs

Module 8: Endpoint Security Alerts

• EDR detection logic

• Process-based indicators

• Behavioral alerts

Module 9: Malware Incident Handling

• Malware infection indicators

• Initial triage steps

• Containment actions

Module 10: Ransomware Response

• Ransomware kill chain

• Isolation and recovery decisions

• Backup considerations

Module 11: Phishing & Email Incidents

• Phishing indicators

• Header analysis concepts

• User-reported emails

Module 12: Credential Compromise Incidents

• Account takeover indicators

• Privilege abuse detection

Module 13: Network Intrusion Detection

• Suspicious network traffic

• Lateral movement indicators

Module 14: Firewall & IDS Alerts

• Common firewall alerts

• IDS signatures and context

Module 15: Web Application Attacks

• SQL injection indicators

• Web shell detection

Module 16: Cloud Incident Fundamentals

• Cloud security shared responsibility

• Cloud logging basics

Module 17: Insider Threat Incidents

• Behavioral red flags

• Policy violations

Module 18: Incident Containment Strategies

• Isolation techniques

• Service continuity considerations

Module 19: Evidence Preservation

• Chain of custody

• Evidence handling basics

Module 20: Digital Forensics Overview

• Live vs dead analysis

• Forensic readiness

Module 21: Threat Intelligence Usage

• IOCs and IOAs

• Threat context enrichment

Module 22: Incident Communication

• Internal escalation

• Stakeholder communication

Module 23: Legal & Compliance Considerations

• Data breach implications

• Regulatory awareness

Module 24: Incident Documentation

• Incident reports

• Timeline creation

Module 25: Recovery & System Restoration

• System validation

• Monitoring after recovery

Module 26: Post-Incident Review

• Lessons learned

• Root cause analysis

Module 27: Incident Metrics & KPIs

• MTTR and MTTC

• Reporting effectiveness

Module 28: Automation & SOAR Basics

• Playbooks

• Automated containment

Module 29: Incident Response Best Practices

• Common mistakes

• Operational maturity

Module 30: Real-World Case Scenarios

• Multi-stage incident simulations

• Decision-making under pressure

📝 Certification Outcome

Upon successfully passing the CIRT exam, candidates demonstrate:

• Ability to function in a SOC environment

• Practical incident response decision-making skills

• Understanding of real-world attack patterns

• Confidence in handling security incidents professionally

This certification serves as a skills validation, not just a knowledge check.