Certified Blue Team Level 1

BTL1 is designed to train technical defenders that are capable of defending networks and responding to cyber incidents.

Below are some examples of the skills and experience you will gain.

• Analysing and responding to phishing attacks
• Performing forensics investigations to collect and analyse digital evidence
• Using a SIEM platform to investigate malicious activity
• Log and network traffic analysis including malware infections
• Conducting threat actor research
• and much more!

The skills and tools you’ll learn in this course will be directly applicable to a range of security roles, and are actively used by defenders around the world.

Domain 1 - Security Fundamentals

This domain is designed to build the foundations for the rest of the course. Covering areas such as management principles, networking and soft skills, this domain will ensure you have the fundamental knowledge which you’ll build on throughout BTL1.

• Introduction to Security Fundamentals

• Soft Skills

• Security Controls

• Networking 101

• Management Principles

Domain 2 - Phishing Analysis

We all know phishing is bad – but trust us, it’s really bad. By the end of this domain you’ll be able to confidently identify, analyze, and write reports on phishing emails, including any malicious URLs or attachments.

• Introduction to Emails and Phishing

• Types of Phishing Emails

• Tactics and Techniques Used

• Analysing URLs, Attachments, and Artifacts

• Taking Defensive Measures

• Report Writing

• Lessons Learned

• Phishing Response Challenge

Domain 3 - Threat Intelligence

From threat actors to their techniques and motivations, you’ll learn core threat intelligence concepts such as the pyramid of pain, the MITRE ATT&CK framework, and intelligence sharing.

• Introduction to Threat Intelligence

• Threat Actors and APTs

• Operational Threat Intelligence

• Tactical Threat Intelligence

• Strategic Threat Intelligence

• Malware and Global Campaigns

Domain 4 - Digital Forensics

Sometimes we need to dig deeper, and that’s where forensics comes into play. Using special tools we can learn more about files, browsing history, and memory dumps to build up a timeline of events.

• Introduction to Digital Forensics

• Forensics Fundamentals

• Digital Evidence Collection

• Windows Investigations

• Linux Investigations

• Volatility

• Autopsy

Domain 5 – SIEM

SIEM is at the heart of what SOC analysts do. Pulling data from across the organisation, correlating it, and alerting on suspicious or malicious activity. You’ll learn how to conduct log analysis and investigate security events and incidents.

• Introduction to SIEM

• Logging

• Aggregation

• Correlation

• Using Splunk SIEM

Domain 6 - Incident Response

When a security event evolves into a security incident, it’s a race against the clock to limit the damage caused by the attack. Incident responders don’t just investigate reactively, they also work to implement defences to protect the organisation.

• Introduction to Incident Response

• Preparation Phase

• Detection and Analysis Phase

• Containment, Eradication, and Recovery Phase

• Lessons Learned

• MITRE ATT&CK

LABS

Below is a list of the BTL1 in-browser labs available as part of the training course:

• Categorizing Phishing Emails

• Manual Artifact Extraction

• Phishing Response Capstone

• Identifying File Systems

• Metadata and File Carving

• Hashing and Integrity

• Windows Investigation 1

• Windows Investigation 2

• Volatility For Memory Analysis

• Autopsy For Disk Analysis

• Windows Event Log Analysis

• Splunk Investigation 1

• Splunk Investigation 2

• Splunk Investigation 3

• Splunk Investigation 4

• Wireshark Network Investigations (x3)

• CMD and PowerShell For Incident Response

The following activities are also present within the course:

• 25 quizzes to review knowledge from a section

• Identifying Phishing Tactics Used

• Password Cracking

• Setting up a Threat Intelligence Platform (MISP)

• Setting up a Firewall (PfSense)

• Threat Actor Research Project

• Writing Sigma Rules

• ATT&CK Navigator

• Hunting With YARA

PRACTICAL INCIDENT RESPONSE EXAM

Students are able to start their practical 24-hour incident response exam immediately from the BTL1 course within 12 months of purchase. Students will have access to a cloud lab via an in-browser session for up to 24 hours and must complete answer 24 task-based questions. This forces candidates to use different tools, investigate different systems, and identify activity across multiple ATT&CK Framework tactics.

Once the student has answered all the questions they can, they are able to submit the exam to receive immediate grading and feedback. 70% is required to pass and earn the silver challenge coin, while 90% (on the first attempt) is required for the gold challenge coin.

If a student fails the exam they will be permitted one free resit voucher which must be used within 12 months of purchase. Additional resit vouchers can be purchased for £100. Students are not permitted to resit their exam within 10 days of failing.

CERTIFIED REWARDS

Once a student passes the practical exam and becomes BTL1 certified, they will receive a number of rewards for their hard work:

• Become Blue Team Level 1 certified for life

• BTL1 digital PDF certificate

• BTL1 Acclaim digital badge

• BTL1 printed certificate

• BTL1 silver challenge coin (gold if score 90%+ on first attempt)

• Laptop Stickers

Testimonials

Tom

DevOps Engineer > Tier 2 SOC Analyst

Back in 2020 I decided to transition from DevOps/Systems Engineering into a role with more focus on cyber security, in particular DFIR. I took BTL1 after months of decision making and was glad I did. The hands-on training gave me everything I needed to gain the coveted gold when I finally took the exam, and the confidence to jump straight into a senior SOC analyst role. BTL1 also gave me the knowledge that I could combine with my previous non-cyber related experience to create some well received digital forensic challenges for the BTLO platform.

Jay Jay

SOC Analyst > Tier 2 SOC Analyst

The Blue Team Level 1 Certification is a comprehensive exam that incorporated many different skills that a blue team operator may require depending on the role they wish to go into. The content is easy to follow and goes into more than sufficient detail. The Exam itself was undoubtedly challenging and took me approximately 18 hours to attain gold, the experience made me a much more confident and well-rounded analyst and has made me qualified for lead roles.

Bohan

Student > SOC Analyst

BTL1 has helped me tremendously on my journey to become a SOC Analyst. The skills I have learned from this course and exam gave me a great foundation on blue team and prepared me well for my job interview. Whether you are on your journey to become a blue teamer or already work in the industry for a while, BTL1 is the way to go!