68%

of cybersecurity professionals identify zero-day exploits as a critical challenge. EC-Council C|EH Threat Report 2024.

Certified Network Defender (CND v3) certification

Hold the Line on Your Network.

Zero-day exploits don’t wait for a patch. CND trains you to protect, detect, respond and predict, so your network holds when the unknown attack lands.

HRD Corp claimableYayasan Peneraju: may be eligibleKL or online

Exam

312-38

Course

5 days

Course fee

RM5,000

Exam fee

Included

Next intake

29 Mar 2027

Quick answer

What is CND?

Certified Network Defender (CND) is EC-Council’s network security certification for defenders. It proves you can secure a network across perimeter, endpoints, cloud and wireless, monitor traffic and logs, respond to incidents and anticipate threats. One 4-hour, 100-question exam (312-38) earns it.

Exam facts verified against eccouncil.org on 23 Oct 2026

FOR

Network and system administrators moving into security

ROLES

Network security engineer, network defence technician, SOC analyst

SKIP IF

Networking is new to you. Start with CompTIA Network+

01

The Credential

What you study, practise and sit to earn it.

Pass one exam, 312-38, and you hold CND. It is built around a four-part adaptive approach: protect the network, detect threats, respond to incidents and predict what comes next.

COURSE

5 days, 20 modules

HANDS-ON

100+ labs, over half the course

EXAM

312-38, 4 hrs

CREDENTIAL

EC-Council CND

Awarded by

EC-Council

Version

v3

Level

Intermediate

Approach

Protect, Detect, Respond, Predict

Prerequisites

None, networking basics help

Renewal

120 ECE credits over 3 years

02

Decide in 60 Seconds

Four options people weigh against each other.

If you want to

Choose

Why

Defend and harden the network you run

→

CND v3

Hands-on network defence across perimeter, endpoints and cloud

A vendor-neutral security baseline

→

CompTIA Security+

Core security concepts across any vendor’s tools

Monitor and respond in a Cisco-based SOC

→

CCNA Cybersecurity

Security operations on Cisco technology

Learn to attack the networks you defend

→

Certified Ethical Hacker v13

Offensive techniques with 221 labs

No prerequisites. But are you ready?
0/4

Tick what applies. 3 or 4: you are ready for this course. Fewer: start with CompTIA Network+ or ECSS.

03

What the Exam Covers

One exam, 100 questions across CND’s four-part defence approach.

100 questions in 4 hoursCut score: 60% to 85% by form

Harden

Protect

  • Administrative and technical network security
  • Perimeter, endpoint, application and data security
  • Virtual, cloud and wireless network security

Monitor

Detect

  • Network traffic monitoring and analysis
  • Network log monitoring and analysis

Recover

Respond

  • Incident response and forensic investigation
  • Business continuity and disaster recovery

Anticipate

Predict

  • Risk management
  • Attack surface analysis
  • Cyber threat intelligence

Source: EC-Council CND programme and exam pages.

04

What the Course Covers

20 modules in four themes, plus 100+ hands-on labs.

Five days of EC-Council’s official CND v3 course. More than half the time is hands-on, so you configure, monitor and defend real systems rather than read about them.

13 modules

Protect

  • Network Attacks and Defence Strategies
  • Administrative Network Security
  • Technical Network Security
  • Network Perimeter Security
  • Endpoint Security: Windows Systems
  • Endpoint Security: Linux Systems
  • Endpoint Security: Mobile Devices
  • Endpoint Security: IoT Devices
  • Administrative Application Security
  • Data Security
  • Enterprise Virtual Network Security
  • Enterprise Cloud Network Security
  • Enterprise Wireless Network Security

2 modules

Detect

  • Network Traffic Monitoring and Analysis
  • Network Logs Monitoring and Analysis

2 modules

Respond

  • Incident Response and Forensic Investigation
  • Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

3 modules

Predict

  • Risk Anticipation with Risk Management
  • Threat Assessment with Attack Surface Analysis
  • Threat Prediction with Cyber Threat Intelligence

100+

hands-on labs on live target machines, making up more than half of the course.

05

Why Now

Where network threats come from, what is hitting Malaysia, and why train with us.

68%

of cybersecurity professionals identify zero-day exploits as a critical challenge

EC-Council C|EH Threat Report 2024

66%

admit they are ill-prepared for AI-driven cyber threats

EC-Council C|EH Threat Report 2024

16%

rise in cyber incidents reported to MyCERT in Q1 2026, to 2,188 cases

MyCERT Cyber Incident Summary Report, Q1 2026

6 hrs

Six Hours to Report. Who’s Watching the Alerts?

Malaysia’s Cyber Security Act 2024 (Act 854) came into force on 26 August 2024. Critical infrastructure entities must report a cyber security incident within six hours, and managed SOC monitoring services now need a licence. Network defenders are the ones who see the incident first.

NACSA; Cyber Security (Notification of Cyber Security Incident) Regulations 2024

EC-Council Accredited Training Center

Delivering EC-Council’s official CND v3 course

Exam included

One fee covers training and your exam

HRD Corp registered

This course is HRD Corp claimable

KL or online

Instructor-led in class or live online

06

The Cost, All In

Every figure per person, in ringgit.

Fees

Five-day course with 100+ labsIncluded

CND exam (312-38)Included

Funding

HRD Corp claim for employersClaimable

Yayasan Peneraju financing (Bumiputera)May be eligible

Course with exam

RM5,000

Dates

Where

Fee

Mon 29 Mar to Fri 2 Apr 2027

Kuala Lumpur or online

RM5,000 incl. exam

Mon 28 Jun to Fri 2 Jul 2027

Kuala Lumpur or online

RM5,000 incl. exam

Mon 20 to Fri 24 Sep 2027

Kuala Lumpur or online

RM5,000 incl. exam

Training a team? We run private intakes on dates that suit your organisation, with HRD Corp claims handled alongside you.

07

Exam and Renewal

What exam day looks like, and what happens after you pass.

Certification

Certified Network Defender (CND)

Exam code

312-38

Questions

100 multiple choice

Duration

4 hours

Passing score

60% to 85%, depending on the exam form

Delivery

EC-Council Exam Portal

Course version

v3

Exam fee

Included in the course fee

KEEP IT ACTIVE

Earn 120 ECE credits

Collect 120 EC-Council Continuing Education credits within each three-year cycle through training, events and other learning.

ANNUAL FEE

US$80 a year

EC-Council charges an annual continuing education fee of US$80 for members holding at least one certification under its ECE policy.

FAQ

Questions People Ask

What is the Certified Network Defender (CND)?

CND is EC-Council’s network security certification for defenders. It covers protecting the network, detecting threats, responding to incidents and predicting attacks, across perimeter, endpoints, cloud and wireless.

Trainocate teaches CND v3, with 20 modules and more than 100 hands-on labs built around EC-Council’s Protect, Detect, Respond and Predict approach.

At Trainocate Malaysia the five-day CND course is RM5,000 per person, including the exam. The course is HRD Corp claimable, and Malaysian Bumiputera learners may be eligible for Yayasan Peneraju funding.

Exam 312-38 has 100 multiple-choice questions in four hours, taken through the EC-Council Exam Portal. The cut score ranges from 60% to 85% depending on the exam form.

There are no formal prerequisites, but you will get the most from it with a grounding in networking. If TCP/IP and routing are new to you, start with CompTIA Network+.

CND is defensive: securing, monitoring and responding on your network. CEH is offensive: attacking systems the way a hacker would. Many professionals take CND first, then CEH.

Earn 120 EC-Council Continuing Education credits every three years and pay the annual US$80 continuing education fee.

Defend Your Network

Pick an intake. An advisor confirms fees, HRD Corp claims and Yayasan Peneraju eligibility with you.

  • Next intake: 29 Mar to 2 Apr 2027
  • RM5,000, exam included

Sources

  1. EC-Council: Certified Network Defender (CND)
  2. EC-Council certification: CND exam information
  3. EC-Council: ECE policy
  4. EC-Council: C|EH Threat Report 2024 press release
  5. Trainocate: CND course page
  6. CyberSecurity Malaysia: Q1 2026 Cyber Incident Summary Report
  7. NACSA: Cyber Security Act 2024 (Act 854)
  8. MAICSA: Act 854 regulations summary