HTB Certified Defensive Security Analyst (HTB CDSA)

Assessment

Hands-on exam against hosted networks, plus a written incident report. No multiple-choice questions.

Exam length

Not captured in this check

Questions

None (practical tasks and report)

Passing

Must complete the practical objectives and submit a commercial-grade incident report

Price

Not verified — No price was shown on the official certification page on the check date.

Included

Exam access requires completing the HTB Academy SOC Analyst job-role path first.

Retakes

Not captured in this check

Validity

Not captured in this check

Renewal

Not captured in this check

Prerequisites

Every module of the HTB Academy "SOC Analyst" job-role path must be 100% complete before the exam can start.

Who it suits

Editorial judgment
People who want the most report-heavy practical option and are willing to finish a long learning path before attempting it.

Official page ↗

Related guides

• Practical SOC certifications compared: BTL1, CCDL1, HTB CDSA and TryHackMe SAL1

Compare with

• CompTIA CySA+ (Cybersecurity Analyst)
• Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate (SC-200)
• Splunk Certified Cybersecurity Defense Analyst

All certifications in one table · Build a training plan

Sources

1. Hack The Box: academy.hackthebox.com/preview/certifications/htb-certified-defensive-security-analyst — checked 2026-10-22, direct HTTP fetch and rendered in a headless browser