Cyber Defense Pathway

Defend the front lines of cybersecurity.

The Cyber Defense Pathway is built for cyber defenders. Develop the real-world skills needed to detect threats, respond fast, and operate with confidence in today’s Security Operations Centers (SOCs).
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Ironcircle universities

Cyber defense starts here.

The Cyber Defense Pathway gives you the practical experience and in-depth technical training needed for cyber defense roles—from alert triage to threat intelligence. Designed around real SOC workflows and tools, this pathway takes you from foundational skills to advanced detection, analysis, and incident response. You’ll learn to detect, investigate, and neutralize threats, mirroring the responsibilities of a SOC analyst or threat intelligence specialist.

Your defensive proving ground.

Built for tomorrow’s cyber defenders, the Cyber Defense Pathway serves as a hands-on proving ground for students, career starters, career changers, IT professionals, and institutions alike. This progressive, stackable certification track builds real-world skills in detection, triage, and threat response—from first alerts to advanced intelligence operations—helping learners and teams confidently step into SOC roles and blue team environments.

Learn foundational SOC operations, alert triage, and network defense.

 

Key skills:

  • Alert triage and log analysis
  • Network, Windows, and Linux security fundamentals
  • Basic monitoring and threat response

Advance into full-scale incident handling and SIEM operations. 

 

Key skills:

  • Threat detection and SIEM tuning
  • Incident investigation and vulnerability management
  • Cross-platform log analysis

Specialize in intelligence-led defense and adversary profiling.

 

Key skills:

  • Threat actor tracking and infrastructure analysis
  • Intelligence platforms and reporting
  • Support for proactive hunting and IR

 

Completing the Cyber Defense Pathway demonstrates end-to-end readiness for cyber defense roles—from SOC analyst to threat intel specialist.

 

Train hard. Defend harder.

Blue team professionals are the first line of defense—and employers want proven talent. The Cyber Defense Pathway builds exactly that through real tools, real labs, and real scenarios.

  • Monitor networks for suspicious activity
  • Triage alerts and analyze security data
  • Investigate and contain threats
  • Use live systems and SIEM tools—never simulations
  • Delivered in a flexible, browser-based environment, this pathway gives you the skills to contribute from day one.
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Start strong. Build up. Move forward.

Whether you're just beginning or bridging from Certified Cybersecurity Associate, the Cyber Defense Pathway meets you where you are and moves you forward fast. It’s ideal for learners who:

  • Have achieved Certified Cybersecurity Associate

  • Have basic technical experience and want to go deeper

  • Plan to specialize further in SOC, incident response, or threat intelligence

Explore the Certified Cybersecurity Associate

Prove you're blue team ready.

Build the skills to protect systems, safeguard data, and defend organizations. The Cyber Defense Pathway trains you for today’s SOC demands—and tomorrow’s threats.

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