Cisco 300-710 SNCF Securing Networks with Cisco Firewalls Practice Exam
Cover the full 300-710 v1.1 blueprint — Secure Firewall deployment, policy configuration in Secure Firewall Management Center, management and troubleshooting, and threat integrations — with objective-mapped questions, immediate feedback in Learn mode, and full timed simulation in Exam mode.
Start 24-hour free trial →300-710 exam at a glance
- Vendor
- Cisco
- Exam code
- 300-710 (SNCF)
- Full name
- Securing Networks with Cisco Firewalls
- Product
- Cisco Secure Firewall (formerly Firepower) & Secure Firewall Management Center (formerly FMC)
- Level
- Professional
- Blueprint
- v1.1
- Duration
- 90 minutes
- Role in CCNP
- CCNP Security concentration exam — pair with the SCOR 350-701 core to earn CCNP Security
- Also earns
- Cisco Certified Specialist – Securing Networks with Cisco Firewalls
- Domains
- Four, with published weights (see below); they sum to 100%
- Prerequisites
- None formally required; TCP/IP, routing, VPN, and basic firewall/IPS knowledge is recommended
- Delivery
- Pearson VUE; test center or online proctored
Sources: Cisco — SNCF (300-710) exam page · Cisco — official SNCF v1.1 exam topics (PDF). Verify current details with Cisco before scheduling.
About the Cisco 300-710 SNCF exam
The 300-710 SNCF exam validates the skills to deploy, configure, manage, and troubleshoot Cisco Secure Firewall (formerly Firepower) and Secure Firewall Management Center — Cisco’s next-generation firewall and NGIPS platform. It spans firewall and IPS deployment modes, high availability, access-control and intrusion/malware/decryption policies, management and troubleshooting tools, and threat integrations. For how certification exams work generally, see the certification study guides in our Learning Hub.
SNCF is a CCNP Security concentration exam. To earn CCNP Security you pass two exams: the SCOR 350-701 core (Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies) plus one concentration — SNCF being the firewall option. Passing SNCF on its own also earns the Cisco Certified Specialist – Securing Networks with Cisco Firewalls credential. Firewall policy consumes identity from SISE (300-715), and Secure Firewall Threat Defense also terminates the VPNs covered in SVPN (300-730).
Every PowerKram practice question maps to one of the four weighted domains and links to Cisco’s own exam material, so a weak spot becomes a specific study step rather than a guess.
300-710 exam domains and weights (v1.1)
Cisco publishes four weighted domains for the 300-710 v1.1 exam, and they sum to 100%. Deployment and Configuration tie for the largest share at 30% each — together 60% of the exam — so build your lab time around standing up Secure Firewall and configuring policies in Management Center, then round out troubleshooting and integrations. Confirm the current weights on Cisco’s exam topics before scheduling.
Secure Firewall modes (routed, transparent); NGIPS modes (passive, inline); high availability (port channels, failover, ECMP, static route tracking, clustering); and virtual-appliance on-premises and cloud deployment. One of two largest domains.
System settings and policies in Secure Firewall Management Center (access control, intrusion, malware & file, DNS, identity, decryption, prefilter); network discovery, application detectors, correlation, encrypted visibility engine; objects and intrusion rules; devices (management, NAT, VPN, QoS, platform settings, certificates, routing); and Snort in Threat Defense. One of two largest domains.
Troubleshoot with the Management Center GUI and device CLI; dashboards and reporting; packet capture and Packet Tracer; risk and standard reports; and device-management tools (Cisco Defense Orchestrator, cloud-delivered Management Center, Secure Firewall Device Manager).
Secure Firewall Malware Defense (formerly AMP for Networks) and Secure Endpoint (formerly AMP for Endpoints); Threat Intelligence Director; SecureX investigations; pxGrid; Rapid Threat Containment; and Cisco Security Analytics and Logging.
Source: Cisco — official SNCF v1.1 (300-710) exam topics (PDF). Weights are Cisco’s and sum to 100%. Verify the current edition before scheduling.
Who the 300-710 exam is for
SNCF is aimed at engineers who deploy and operate Cisco next-generation firewalls:
- Network security engineers deploying Secure Firewall (routed/transparent) and NGIPS.
- Firewall administrators building access-control, intrusion, malware, and decryption policies in Management Center.
- Security operations staff troubleshooting with packet capture/Packet Tracer and running threat integrations.
- CCNP Security candidates choosing the firewall concentration alongside the SCOR 350-701 core.
Add identity-based access with SISE (300-715), deepen VPNs with SVPN (300-730), or step up to security architecture with SDSI (300-745). For where firewall/security skills lead, see the cybersecurity career paths in our Career Hub.
What this 300-710 practice exam delivers
Learn mode
Get the correct answer, the explanation, and a direct link to Cisco’s exam material each question maps to — immediately after each question. Ideal for policy questions where rule order and precedence decide the outcome.
Exam mode
Timed, full-length simulation spanning all four domains at the real 90-minute pace — so test day feels familiar.
Source-linked explanations
Every answer links to Cisco’s own SNCF exam material, so you can verify each Secure Firewall deployment and policy choice against the source.
Score by weighted domain
Results break down across the four weighted domains so you can see exactly which firewall area needs more work.
Sample 300-710 practice questions
Ten free questions across the 300-710 weighted domains, with full explanations and source links to Cisco’s exam material. The complete bank is available with the 24-hour trial.
In which Secure Firewall deployment mode does the device act as a Layer 2 bump-in-the-wire, bridging interfaces without being an IP-routed hop?
- Transparent mode
- Routed mode
- Passive mode
- Cluster mode
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A. In transparent mode the firewall operates at Layer 2, bridging two interfaces on the same subnet so it can be inserted without re-IP-addressing the network. Routed mode, by contrast, is a Layer 3 hop with its own interface IPs.
Why not the others: routed mode (B) is an L3 hop; passive mode (C) is an NGIPS inspection mode (a copy of traffic), not a firewall forwarding mode; and cluster mode (D) is a high-availability/scaling option, not a Layer 2/3 forwarding mode.
Source: Cisco — SNCF: Secure Firewall modes → Further reading: PowerKram — SISE (300-715) →Which NGIPS deployment mode inspects a copy of traffic out-of-band and can alert but cannot drop packets inline?
- Inline mode
- Passive mode
- Routed mode
- Transparent mode
Show answer & explanation
Correct: B. Passive mode receives a copy of traffic (e.g. via a SPAN/tap) and can detect and alert but not block, because it isn’t in the forwarding path. Inline mode sits in the path and can drop.
Why not the others: inline mode (A) can actively drop; routed (C) and transparent (D) are firewall forwarding modes, not IPS inspection modes.
Source: Cisco — SNCF: NGIPS modes → Further reading: PowerKram — SVPN (300-730) →Which high-availability option lets multiple Secure Firewall Threat Defense devices act as a single logical unit to scale throughput and share state?
- A single standalone appliance
- Spanning Tree
- Clustering
- A static default route
Show answer & explanation
Correct: C. Clustering groups multiple FTD devices into one logical firewall, distributing traffic and sharing connection state for both scale and resilience — a named HA option alongside failover, port channels, ECMP, and static route tracking.
Why not the others: a standalone appliance (A) offers no HA; Spanning Tree (B) is a switching loop-prevention protocol; and a static default route (D) is basic routing, not HA.
Source: Cisco — SNCF: high availability & clustering →In Secure Firewall Management Center, which policy is the primary place you permit or block traffic and invoke intrusion, file, and other inspection?
- The NTP policy
- The access control policy
- The DHCP policy
- The banner policy
Show answer & explanation
Correct: B. The access control policy is the central policy in Management Center: its rules allow/block/trust traffic and reference intrusion, file/malware, and other inspection as part of rule actions. It’s the backbone of Secure Firewall configuration.
Why not the others: there is no NTP (A), DHCP (C), or “banner” (D) access-enforcement policy that plays this role in Management Center.
Source: Cisco — SNCF: access control policy →Which inspection engine underpins intrusion and malware detection in Secure Firewall Threat Defense?
- Snort
- Spanning Tree
- OSPF
- NetFlow
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A. Snort is the intrusion-detection/prevention engine inside Threat Defense; intrusion rules and many inspection features are built on it. Describing Snort’s use within Threat Defense is an explicit exam objective.
Why not the others: Spanning Tree (B) prevents switching loops, OSPF (C) is a routing protocol, and NetFlow (D) exports flow telemetry — none are the inspection engine.
Source: Cisco — SNCF: Snort in Threat Defense →Which access-control-related policy is evaluated early to fastpath or block traffic (for performance) before full inspection?
- The screensaver policy
- The lunch policy
- The wallpaper policy
- The prefilter policy
Show answer & explanation
Correct: D. The prefilter policy runs before the access control policy’s deep inspection, letting you fastpath, block, or send traffic to further analysis based on early (L3/L4/tunnel) criteria — useful for performance and encapsulated traffic. It’s a named configurable policy.
Why not the others: “screensaver” (A), “lunch” (B), and “wallpaper” (C) policies are not real Secure Firewall policies.
Source: Cisco — SNCF: prefilter policy → Further reading: PowerKram — SDSI (300-745) →Which built-in tool simulates a packet through the firewall to show which rule and action would apply, without sending real traffic?
- A cable tester
- Packet Tracer (packet-tracer)
- A screwdriver
- A label maker
Show answer & explanation
Correct: B. The packet-tracer tool injects a simulated packet and reports each phase (NAT, ACL, access control, routing) and the final allow/drop — the go-to way to verify policy behavior. Packet capture complements it for live traffic. Both are named troubleshooting objectives.
Why not the others: a cable tester (A), screwdriver (C), and label maker (D) are physical tools, not policy-tracing utilities.
Source: Cisco — SNCF: troubleshooting (Packet Tracer) →Which Cisco tool provides cloud-based management of Secure Firewall devices as an alternative to an on-premises Management Center?
- A spreadsheet
- A label printer
- Cisco Defense Orchestrator (CDO) / cloud-delivered Firewall Management Center
- A serial console cable only
Show answer & explanation
Correct: C. Cisco Defense Orchestrator and the cloud-delivered Firewall Management Center provide cloud-based management of Secure Firewall (and other) devices — named device-management tools alongside on-prem Management Center and Device Manager.
Why not the others: a spreadsheet (A), a label printer (B), and a console cable alone (D) don’t provide centralized cloud management.
Source: Cisco — SNCF: device management tools →Which integration adds file reputation and sandboxing to block malicious files traversing the firewall?
- A brighter status LED
- A second power supply
- An NTP peer
- Secure Firewall Malware Defense (formerly AMP for Networks)
Show answer & explanation
Correct: D. Secure Firewall Malware Defense (formerly AMP for Networks) adds file reputation, retrospective detection, and sandboxing to the firewall’s file/malware policy — a named integration objective alongside Secure Endpoint and Threat Intelligence Director.
Why not the others: a status LED (A), a second PSU (B), and an NTP peer (C) provide no malware analysis.
Source: Cisco — SNCF: malware defense integration → Further reading: PowerKram — SVPN (300-730) →Which feature ingests third-party threat feeds (e.g. STIX/TAXII) so Secure Firewall can act on external threat intelligence?
- A screensaver
- A DHCP scope
- Threat Intelligence Director (TID)
- A spanning-tree change
Show answer & explanation
Correct: C. Threat Intelligence Director ingests third-party intelligence (via STIX/TAXII and flat files) into Management Center and operationalizes it against traffic — the named objective for third-party feed integration.
Why not the others: a screensaver (A), a DHCP scope (B), and a spanning-tree change (D) don’t consume threat-intelligence feeds.
Source: Cisco — SNCF: Threat Intelligence Director →Keep going: Learning & Career resources
SNCF is the firewall concentration in the CCNP Security track. Two PowerKram hubs back this exam.
Deep dive: Cisco Secure Firewall, the CCNP Security path, and study strategy
What Secure Firewall does
Cisco Secure Firewall (formerly Firepower) is a next-generation firewall and NGIPS: it enforces access-control policy, inspects with Snort for intrusions and malware, decrypts TLS, and integrates threat intelligence — all managed from Secure Firewall Management Center. The exam mirrors the operational lifecycle — deploy → configure policy → manage/troubleshoot → integrate — which is why Deployment and Configuration each carry 30%. See SISE (300-715) →
How SNCF fits CCNP Security
CCNP Security requires two exams: the SCOR 350-701 core plus one concentration. SNCF is the firewall concentration; identity via SISE (300-715), VPNs via SVPN (300-730), and security design via SDSI (300-745) are related options. Passing SNCF alone also earns Cisco Certified Specialist – Securing Networks with Cisco Firewalls. See SVPN (300-730) →
Realistic study path and current terminology
Deployment and Configuration are 60% of the exam together, so build a lab: deploy Threat Defense in routed and transparent modes, set up an HA pair or cluster, then configure access control, intrusion, malware/file, and decryption policies in Management Center and trace them with packet-tracer. Use current Secure Firewall terminology — Firepower is now Secure Firewall, FMC is Secure Firewall Management Center, and AMP became Malware Defense / Secure Endpoint. Finish with objective-mapped practice and a timed run. See SDSI (300-745) →
Frequently asked questions
What is the 300-710 SNCF exam?
Why do some materials say “Firepower” and others “Secure Firewall”?
Is 300-710 a CCNP exam by itself?
What are the exam domains and weights?
How long is the exam?
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