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Exam Information
Official specifications published by Cisco
Exam Format
90 min
60-70
750
Professional
Registration
$300 USD
Pearson VUE or online proctoring
Validity
3 years
Pass any Expert-level exam; Pass any two Professional concentration exams; Pass one technology core exam and one Professional concentration exam
300-720 Exam Topics and Domains
300-720 is organized into 6 weighted domains. Expect to work with HAT, LDAP, Message Filters, RAT, and more.
1
Cisco Email Security Appliance Administration
15%
Configure Cisco Secure Email Gateway features
Hardware and virtual machine performance specificationsInitial configuration processRouting and delivery featuresGUIManage certificate authoritiesLogging
- Configure and manage Cisco Secure Email Gateway features
- Implement initial configuration and setup
- Manage routing, certificates, and logging
Describe centralized services on a Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager
- Centralized management
- Configuration distribution
- Reporting aggregation
- Policy management
- Benefits of centralized management
- SMA deployment scenarios
- Configuration synchronization
- Cisco Security Management Appliance (SMA)
- Email and Web Manager
- Understand centralized management capabilities
- Describe SMA features and benefits
Configure mail policies
Incoming and outgoing messagesUser matchingMessage splintering
- Configure and manage mail flow policies
- Implement user-based policy matching
- Understand message splintering behavior
Integrate Cisco Secure Email Gateway with SecureX
- SecureX integration
- Threat intelligence sharing
- Unified dashboard
- API connectivity
- SecureX integration steps
- Benefits of integration
- Threat correlation capabilities
- Cisco SecureX
- Threat Response
- XDR
- Configure SecureX integration
- Leverage threat intelligence from SecureX
Configure Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense
- Advanced threat protection
- Sandboxing
- Threat intelligence
- Real-time analysis
- Threat Defense configuration
- Advanced malware protection
- File analysis and sandboxing
- Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense
- AMP for Email
- Threat Grid
- Implement advanced threat protection
- Configure real-time threat analysis
2
Spam Control with Talos SenderBase and Antispam
15%
Control spam with Talos SenderBase and Antispam
- SenderBase Reputation Score
- Anti-spam scanning
- Reputation filtering
- Talos threat intelligence
- Reputation-based filtering
- Anti-spam engine configuration
- Threshold settings and tuning
- Cisco Talos
- SenderBase
- IronPort Anti-Spam (IPAS)
- Configure reputation-based filtering
- Implement anti-spam controls
Describe graymail management solution
- Graymail detection
- Marketing messages
- Social network messages
- Bulk messages
- Graymail vs spam distinction
- Graymail management options
- User preferences handling
- Graymail Detection Engine
- Graymail Safe Unsubscribe
- Understand graymail classification
- Configure graymail management
Configure file reputation filtering and file analysis features
- File reputation
- File sandboxing
- Retrospective security
- File type filtering
- File reputation configuration
- Sandboxing setup
- Retrospective alerts
- Advanced Malware Protection (AMP)
- File Reputation Service
- File Analysis
- Implement file reputation filtering
- Configure file analysis features
Implement malicious or undesirable URLs protection
- URL filtering
- URL reputation
- URL rewriting
- Click-time protection
- URL filtering policies
- URL rewriting configuration
- Real-time URL analysis
- URL Filtering
- Web Interaction Tracking
- Cisco Talos URL Reputation
- Configure URL protection
- Implement URL filtering policies
Describe the bounce verification feature
- Bounce verification
- Bounce attacks
- Bounce profiles
- Tag validation
- Bounce verification process
- Protection against bounce attacks
- Configuration requirements
- Bounce Verification
- Bounce Profiles
- Understand bounce verification
- Configure bounce protection
3
Content and Message Filters
20%
Describe the functions and capabilities of content filters
- Content filter components
- Filter conditions
- Filter actions
- Filter ordering
- Content filter creation
- Filter logic and conditions
- Action types and effects
- Content Filters
- Message Filters
- Understand content filter capabilities
- Design effective content filters
Create text resources such as content dictionaries, disclaimers, and templates
Dictionary filter rulesText resources management
- Create and manage text resources
- Implement content dictionaries
Configure message filters components, rules, processing order, and attachment scanning
- Message filter syntax
- Processing order
- Attachment scanning
- Filter testing
- Message filter creation
- Filter precedence
- Attachment handling
- Message Filters
- Attachment Filters
- Configure message filters
- Manage filter processing order
Configure scan behavior
- Scanning engines
- Scan actions
- Scan bypasses
- Performance tuning
- Scan behavior customization
- Engine selection
- Performance optimization
Scanning Engine Configuration
- Configure scanning behavior
- Optimize scan performance
Configure the Cisco Secure Email Gateway to scan for viruses using Sophos and McAfee scanning engines
- Sophos engine
- McAfee engine
- Multi-engine scanning
- Update management
- Anti-virus engine configuration
- Engine update settings
- Scanning policies
- Sophos Anti-Virus
- McAfee Anti-Virus
- Configure anti-virus scanning
- Manage scanning engines
Configure outbreak filters
- Outbreak detection
- Adaptive rules
- Message modification
- Quarantine management
- Outbreak filter configuration
- Threat level settings
- Quarantine duration
- Outbreak Filters
- CASE (Context Adaptive Scanning Engine)
- Implement outbreak filters
- Configure adaptive scanning
Configure Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
- DLP policies
- Sensitive data detection
- DLP actions
- Compliance templates
- DLP policy creation
- Sensitive data classification
- Compliance requirements
- Data Loss Prevention
- RSA DLP
- Implement DLP policies
- Configure data protection
4
LDAP and SMTP Sessions
15%
Configure and verify LDAP servers and queries (Queries and Directory Harvest Attack)
- LDAP server configuration
- LDAP queries
- Directory Harvest Attack prevention
- LDAP authentication
- LDAP integration setup
- Query configuration
- DHA protection methods
- LDAP
- Active Directory
- OpenLDAP
- Configure LDAP integration
- Protect against directory harvest attacks
Understand spam quarantine functions
Authentication for end users of spam quarantineUse spam quarantine alias to consolidate queries
- Configure spam quarantine
- Manage end-user access
Understand SMTP functionality
Email pipelineSender and recipient domainsSMTP session authentication using client certificatesSMTP TLS authenticationTLS email encryption
- Understand SMTP operations
- Configure SMTP security features
5
Email Authentication and Encryption
20%
Configure Domain Keys and DKIM signing
- DKIM signing
- Domain Keys
- Key generation
- DNS configuration
- DKIM implementation
- Key management
- DNS record configuration
- DKIM
- DomainKeys
- Configure DKIM signing
- Manage domain keys
Configure SPF and SIDF
- SPF records
- SIDF verification
- DNS configuration
- Policy enforcement
- SPF configuration
- Record syntax
- Verification process
- SPF
- Sender ID Framework (SIDF)
- Implement SPF verification
- Configure SIDF
Configure DMARC verification
- DMARC policies
- Alignment verification
- Reporting
- Policy enforcement
- DMARC implementation
- Policy configuration
- Report analysis
DMARC
- Configure DMARC verification
- Implement DMARC policies
Configure forged email detection
- Forged sender detection
- Header analysis
- Authentication bypass
- Spoofing prevention
- Forgery detection methods
- Configuration options
- False positive management
- Forged Email Detection (FED)
- Sender Verification
- Implement forged email detection
- Configure anti-spoofing measures
Configure email encryption
- Message encryption
- Encryption policies
- Key exchange
- Envelope encryption
- Encryption methods
- Policy configuration
- Key management
- Cisco Email Encryption
- PGP
- S/MIME
- Configure email encryption
- Manage encryption policies
Describe S/MIME security services and communication encryption with other MTAs
- S/MIME encryption
- Digital signatures
- Certificate management
- MTA-to-MTA encryption
- S/MIME capabilities
- Inter-MTA security
- Certificate handling
- S/MIME
- MTA encryption
- Understand S/MIME services
- Configure MTA encryption
Configure Cisco Secure Email
- Comprehensive security
- Policy integration
- Best practices
- Security optimization
- Integrated security configuration
- Policy coordination
- Security hardening
Cisco Secure Email
- Implement comprehensive email security
- Optimize security configuration
6
System Quarantines and Delivery Methods
15%
Configure quarantine (spam, policy, virus, and outbreak)
- Quarantine types
- Retention policies
- Release mechanisms
- Quarantine management
- Quarantine configuration
- Retention settings
- Release procedures
- Spam Quarantine
- Policy Quarantine
- Virus Quarantine
- Outbreak Quarantine
- Configure multiple quarantine types
- Manage quarantined messages
Use safelists and blocklists to control email delivery
- Safelist management
- Blocklist management
- End-user lists
- Global lists
- List configuration
- Precedence rules
- User management
- Safelist/Blocklist
- End User Safelist
- Configure safelists and blocklists
- Manage user preferences
Manage messages in local or external spam quarantines
- Local quarantine
- External quarantine
- Message management
- Centralized quarantine
- Quarantine architecture
- Management procedures
- Migration strategies
- Local Quarantine
- Centralized Quarantine on SMA
- Manage quarantine systems
- Configure centralized quarantine
Configure virtual gateways
- Virtual gateway configuration
- IP interfaces
- Domain separation
- Traffic isolation
- Virtual gateway setup
- Use cases and benefits
- Configuration requirements
- Virtual Gateway Technology
- IP Interfaces
- Configure virtual gateways
- Implement traffic separation
How do I earn this certification?
Passing 300-720 earns the Cisco Certified Specialist - Email Content Security certification. It sits in the Security track.
Current Level Exams
350-701 - SCOR - Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core TechnologiesRequired core exam for CCNP Security
Next Level Options
- CCIE Security Lab - CCIE Security Infrastructure Lab Exam Expert-level practical exam
- CCIE Security Written - CCIE Security Written Exam Expert-level written qualification
Practice with Precision
The PlanetCert Simulator mirrors the real exam environment with authentic questions and timed pressure.
How to study for this exam?
Use the official PlanetCert Practice Test alongside the study plan below to prepare efficiently for 300-720.
What's changed on this exam?
Current Status
- ACTIVE
- Last content update: 2024-02-01
- Announcement date: 2020-02-24
Updates
- Cisco Secure Email Threat Defense Latest New features likely in next exam update • Release date: 2024-02-01
- AsyncOS for Email 15.0 Updated GUI and API features • Release date: 2024-01-15
Who should take this exam?
This exam is typically taken by Security administrators and Email administrators.
- 3-5 years of experience with Cisco products
- Experience with email security concepts
- Knowledge of SMTP protocol
- Understanding of network security fundamentals
- Familiarity with Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA)