SOCP practice examsIn development
Security Onion Certified Professional
Network security monitoring with the integrated open-source Security Onion stack: the role-based architecture of manager, search and forward nodes scaling from standalone to distributed, sensors fed by a TAP or SPAN where placement determines visibility, and the complementary PCAP, Zeek logs, IDS alerts and host data collected; then Suricata network and Wazuh host detection where an alert is a starting point not a verdict, pivoting from alerts to Zeek logs and PCAP, proactive threat hunting for what signatures miss, and the continuous tuning, retention management and rule updates that keep it accurate.
What you get
Papers are cut from the bank and weighted like the real exam, and no question appears in two of them. Every wrong answer comes back on later days until you have it right.
What the exam covers
| The Security Onion platform and data collection | Not published |
| Detection, analysis and hunting | Not published |
Two sample questions
1. Which configuration management system distributes settings across the grid?
- Ansible
- Puppet
- Salt — correct
- Chef
Why: Changes are made centrally and applied to the nodes from there, which is why editing a file directly on a node tends not to survive.
2. Which measurement distinguishes beaconing from ordinary polling?
- The total volume that was transferred
- The port the sessions consistently use
- The duration of each of the sessions
- The destination and its explanation — correct
Why: Plenty of legitimate software polls on a schedule, so the interval alone proves nothing and the destination decides it.
The real SOCP exam
| Length | A proctored exam with a practical component |
|---|---|
| Questions | A knowledge and practical examination |
| Pass mark | Set by Security Onion Solutions |
| Price | Purchased through Security Onion Solutions, often with training |
| Recommended before you sit it | None enforced. Hands-on Security Onion experience and the official training are assumed. |
| Valid for | 3 years |
Exam facts as published by Security Onion Solutions; always check the vendor’s page before you book.
Study SOCP with Chiron
Chiron is invitation-only while we are in beta, and nothing is for sale yet: invited accounts use every paper, drill and course note for free.