The Self-Study package
One package, one enrollment. You study the PECB courseware at your own pace, in English, and you have a PECB Certified Trainer to talk to when the material gets hard. Everything you need to reach the exam and apply for the credential is included.
Self-Study, English
- PECB Self-Study courseware, over 450 pages with practical examples
- Two exam attempts: the first attempt and one free retake
- PECB certification application fee and first-year annual maintenance fee
- Free 60-minute 1-on-1 session with a PECB Certified Trainer
- Unlimited email and WhatsApp support until you clear the exam
- Same-day access, worldwide enrollment
This page is offered at an introductory price. The current price is shown beside the buy buttons at the top of the page.
Your free 60-minute 1-on-1 session
Self-study does not have to mean studying alone. Every enrollment includes one private 60-minute video session with a PECB Certified Trainer. You choose when to use it.
Ways learners use the session
| When | What we cover |
|---|---|
| At the start | A study plan that fits your schedule, and which of the seven domains deserve the most time |
| Mid-course | The topics that are hard to learn from a page: network segregation, the industrial DMZ, risk assessment of a SCADA environment |
| Before the exam | How a closed-book, 150-question exam is paced, and how to revise without your notes beside you |
The session is led by Shenoy Sandeep, PECB Certified Trainer and ISA/IEC 62443 Senior Lead Implementer. To book it, reply to your enrollment email or send a WhatsApp message.
Unlimited email and WhatsApp support
Questions come up in the middle of a chapter, not on a schedule. Send them by email or WhatsApp and a practitioner answers. The support covers course questions, the exam booking steps and the certification application.
- How long
- Until you clear the exam or within 12 months of enrollment, whichever comes first
- Channels
- hello@reconn.io and WhatsApp +971 5857 26270
- Hours
- 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM Gulf Standard Time (GMT+4), every day
- Access
- Same-day access to the PECB platform after you enroll
What is included
The table lists everything in the Self-Study package. Nothing here is an extra to buy later.
| Item | Self-Study |
|---|---|
| PECB courseware | Over 450 pages of information and practical examples, in English |
| Exam attempts | Two: the first attempt and one free retake |
| Exam format | 150 multiple-choice questions, 3 hours, online, closed book |
| Certification application fee | Included |
| First-year annual maintenance fee | Included |
| 1-on-1 session | One 60-minute session with a PECB Certified Trainer |
| Support | Unlimited email and WhatsApp support until you clear the exam |
| CPD credits | Attestation of 31 CPD credits |
| Delivery | Self-paced, on the PECB platform, same-day access |
| Time to complete | 12 months from the purchase date |
| Language | English |
Why study with us
The credential is the same wherever you buy it. What changes is the help you get while you earn it. reconn is a PECB Authorized Titanium Partner, and we are a practitioner-led applied AI and cybersecurity company, so the 1-on-1 and the support come from people who do this work.
| reconn | Other providers | |
|---|---|---|
| Official PECB course, exam and certificate | Yes | Yes |
| Free 60-minute 1-on-1 with a PECB Certified Trainer | Included | Not included |
| Course support | Unlimited email and WhatsApp until you clear the exam | No course support |
| Exam attempts, application fee and first-year maintenance fee | Included, with the window stated | Check in writing |
| Access after enrollment | Same day | Varies |
Before you buy: how to avoid look-alike PECB programs
Some sellers use PECB's name without being authorized, or sell a different certificate that sounds similar. Run these six checks before you pay anyone.
- Find the seller on PECB's list of active partners.
- Check that the certificate is issued by PECB, not by the seller.
- Check that the exam runs on the PECB Exams application.
- Check that your course access is on PECB's own platform.
- Ask in writing how many exam attempts and which fees are included.
- Ask who answers your questions after you pay, and for how long.
The reconn difference
We give every learner a mentor who is also a PECB Certified Trainer, because we believe in value, not in pushing courses for the sake of it.
Overview: what a Lead SCADA Security Manager does
Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems monitor and control physical processes: power grids, water treatment, pipelines, manufacturing lines and building systems. They sit beside distributed control systems (DCS) and programmable logic controllers (PLC) in what the industry calls industrial control systems (ICS). When they fail, the result is not only lost data. It can be a stopped plant or a safety incident.
A Lead SCADA Security Manager plans, designs and implements the program that protects these systems. The PECB course gives you a methodology for that work and tests it across seven domains.
SCADA, DCS and PLC at a glance
| System | What it does | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|
| SCADA | Supervises and gathers data from assets spread over a wide area | Power transmission, pipelines, water distribution |
| DCS | Controls a process inside one site from distributed controllers | Refineries, chemical plants, power generation |
| PLC | Runs the control logic for a machine or a process step | Manufacturing lines, and as field controllers inside SCADA and DCS |
Why ICS security is different from IT security
| Topic | Corporate IT | ICS and SCADA |
|---|---|---|
| First priority | Confidentiality of data | Availability and safety of the process |
| Patching | Frequent and often automatic | Planned carefully, because a patch can cause downtime |
| System lifetime | A few years | Often decades, with legacy protocols |
| Impact of an incident | Data loss and business disruption | Physical consequences, outages and safety risk |
The exam expects you to describe these differences. It is the first competency in the domain on ICS characteristics, threats and vulnerabilities.
Designing and developing an ICS security program based on NIST SP 800-82
This is the part of the course that turns knowledge into a program. The exam has a dedicated domain with this exact title, and its main objective is that you can plan, design and implement an effective program to protect SCADA systems.
What NIST SP 800-82 is
NIST Special Publication 800-82 is the guide from the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology on securing industrial control systems and operational technology (OT). It describes typical system topologies, identifies common threats and vulnerabilities, and recommends security countermeasures. It names SCADA systems, DCS and PLCs among the systems it covers.
| Revision | Title | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Rev. 2 | Guide to Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security | Dated June 3, 2015 |
| Rev. 3 (current final) | Guide to Operational Technology (OT) Security | Published September 28, 2023; supersedes Rev. 2 |
| Rev. 4 | Initial public draft | Draft open for public comment through November 30, 2026 |
The eight building blocks of the program
These are the abilities the exam measures in this domain, in the order you would use them on a real project.
| # | Building block | What you learn to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business case | Develop a clear business case for a proactive SCADA security program |
| 2 | Executive support | Obtain and keep the support of executive management |
| 3 | Cross-functional team | Define and build the team that supports and maintains the program |
| 4 | Policies and procedures | Develop the policies, procedures, standards and guidelines the program needs |
| 5 | Asset inventory | Identify, document and prioritize ICS assets |
| 6 | Vulnerability management | Establish a proactive vulnerability management program for the SCADA environment |
| 7 | Awareness and training | Design and develop security awareness and training materials |
| 8 | Measures and metrics | Define the measures and metrics that show the progress of the program |
The technical knowledge behind it
- Firewall technology and its deployment in SCADA environments
- Network design principles and methods of network segregation
- Common network protocols such as DNS, HTTP, FTP, Telnet, SMTP, SNMP and DCOM, and their security issues
- SCADA and industrial protocols, how they work and where they are weak
- Resilience and single points of failure in network design
- Remote access technologies and their vulnerabilities
Know the limits
The PECB handbook names NIST SP 800-82 without stating a revision, so prepare from the PECB courseware first. NIST SP 800-82 is guidance, not a standard that an organization is certified against. This certification is for a person. It does not make an organization compliant with NIST guidance or with any regulation.
- NIST SP 800-82 Rev. 3, Guide to Operational Technology (OT) Security, NIST Computer Security Resource Center
- https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-82r3
- PECB Lead SCADA Security Manager course page
- PECB Candidate Handbook, Certified Lead SCADA Security Manager, version 1.5
Checked on November 10, 2026.
The certification, step by step
PECB issues the credential under a certification scheme that follows ISO/IEC 17024, the international standard for bodies that certify persons. The path from enrollment to certificate has six steps.
- Enroll. You receive access to the PECB platform the same day.
- Study. Work through the Self-Study courseware at your own pace and use your 1-on-1 session.
- Book the exam. Schedule the online exam in the PECB Exams application.
- Pass the exam. You need 70%. If you do not pass, the free retake is there.
- Apply. Submit the certification application with your experience and two professional references. The application fee is included.
- Receive the certificate. When PECB approves the application, you download the certificate and the digital badge.
- Window
- 12 months from the purchase date to take the exam and apply
- Validity
- Three years
- Maintenance
- CPD hours and an annual maintenance fee. The first-year fee is included
- Upgrade
- Move to a higher level from your PECB dashboard as your experience grows
Who it is for
| Role | Why the course fits |
|---|---|
| Security professionals | Extend IT security skills into ICS, where availability and safety come first |
| IT professionals | Understand the SCADA networks you connect to, and how to segregate them |
| IT and risk managers | Assess and present SCADA risk in business language |
| SCADA system developers | Build security requirements into systems and supplier selection |
| SCADA engineers and operators | Learn the threats and controls for the systems you run every day |
| SCADA IT professionals | Lead the security program and the testing of key SCADA systems |
Prerequisites
PECB asks for a fundamental understanding of SCADA security. There is no experience requirement to take the exam.
What you will be able to do
- Explain the purpose and the risks of SCADA systems, DCS and PLCs
- Assess threats, vulnerabilities and risk in these environments and manage them
- Develop a proactive SCADA security program, with its policies and vulnerability management
- Define a network architecture with advanced defensive controls
- Explain how management, operational and technical controls work together
- Design resilient, high-availability SCADA systems
- Manage a program of security testing and report the findings
Course agenda
PECB structures the course in four study days followed by the exam. In Self-Study you set the pace, so a day can be a week of evenings.
| Day | Topic | Exam domains it supports |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Introduction to SCADA and ICS | SCADA fundamentals; ICS characteristics, threats and vulnerabilities |
| Day 2 | Designing a security program and network security architecture | ICS security program based on NIST SP 800-82; network security architecture |
| Day 3 | Implementing ICS security controls, incident management and business continuity | Security controls; resilient and robust systems |
| Day 4 | Security testing of SCADA systems | Security testing |
| Day 5 | Certification exam | All seven domains |
How PECB teaches it
- Theory combined with SCADA security best practices
- Lectures illustrated with examples from case studies
- Practical exercises and discussion points
- Practice tests similar to the certification exam
The exam: 150 questions, 3 hours, online, closed book
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions | 150 multiple-choice questions, three options each, one point each |
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Delivery | Online, in the PECB Exams application, with a remote PECB invigilator |
| Reference material | Closed book. No course materials, standards or notes |
| Passing score | 70%, which is 105 out of 150 |
| Question types | Stand-alone questions and scenario-based questions |
| Results | Shown instantly for online multiple-choice exams |
| Attempts | Two included: the first attempt and one free retake |
| Extra time | 30 additional minutes on request for candidates taking a Lead exam in a non-native language |
| On the day | Be present 30 minutes before the start, with a valid identity document |
The seven exam domains
| # | Domain | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fundamental principles and concepts of SCADA and SCADA security | 27 | 18.00% |
| 2 | Industrial control systems (ICS) characteristics, threats and vulnerabilities | 35 | 23.33% |
| 3 | Designing and developing an ICS security program based on NIST SP 800-82 | 9 | 6.00% |
| 4 | Network security architecture for SCADA systems | 32 | 21.33% |
| 5 | Implementation of security controls for SCADA systems | 14 | 9.33% |
| 6 | Developing resilient and robust SCADA systems | 5 | 3.33% |
| 7 | Security testing of SCADA systems | 28 | 18.67% |
| Total | 150 | 100% |
Ninety-five questions measure comprehension, application and analysis. Fifty-five measure synthesis and evaluation, and those sit in the program, network architecture and security controls domains.
A closed-book exam of this length rewards steady revision. Use the 1-on-1 session to plan it.
Credential levels and requirements
You sit one exam. The credential PECB grants depends on the experience you can show when you apply.
| Credential | Exam | Professional experience | SCADA security activities |
|---|---|---|---|
| PECB Certified Provisional SCADA Security Manager | PECB Certified Lead SCADA Security Manager exam or equivalent | None | None |
| PECB Certified SCADA Security Manager | Same exam | Two years, including one year of SCADA security work | 200 hours |
| PECB Certified Lead SCADA Security Manager | Same exam | Five years, including two years of SCADA security work | 300 hours |
| PECB Certified Senior Lead SCADA Security Manager | Same exam | Ten years, including seven years of SCADA security work | 1,000 hours |
Every level also requires signing the PECB Code of Ethics. Each application needs two professional references.
What counts as SCADA security activity
- Understanding an organization and its context
- Defining a SCADA approach, methodology and criteria
- Identifying assets, threats, existing controls, vulnerabilities and consequences
- Assessing consequences and the level of security programs in SCADA systems
- Evaluating SCADA system scenarios and treatment options
- Selecting and implementing controls
- Performing a SCADA review
Frequently asked questions
What is the PECB Certified Lead SCADA Security Manager certification?
It is a professional certification issued by PECB for people who plan, design and implement security programs for SCADA and industrial control systems (ICS). The course covers SCADA, DCS and PLC environments, ICS threats and vulnerabilities, a security program based on NIST SP 800-82, network security architecture, security controls, resilience and security testing.
Is the course based on NIST SP 800-82?
Yes. One of the seven exam domains is titled "Designing and Developing an ICS Security Program based on NIST SP 800-82". NIST SP 800-82 is the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology guide to securing industrial control systems and operational technology.
How many questions are on the Lead SCADA Security Manager exam?
The exam has 150 multiple-choice questions. Each question has three options and is worth one point. The questions are spread across seven competency domains.
How long is the exam?
The exam lasts 3 hours. On request on the day of the exam, PECB can give 30 additional minutes to candidates who take a Lead exam in a non-native language.
Is the exam open book?
No. It is a closed-book exam. No reference material, including course materials, standards and notes, is allowed during the exam.
What is the passing score?
The passing score is 70%, which is 105 correct answers out of 150.
Can I take the exam online?
Yes. You take the exam online through the PECB Exams application, supervised remotely by a PECB invigilator through your camera. You schedule the date yourself and need a valid identity document. Results of online multiple-choice exams are shown instantly.
How many exam attempts are included?
Two. Your enrollment includes the first exam attempt and one free retake. PECB sets no limit on further retakes, but waiting periods and fees apply to them.
What is included in the Self-Study package?
The PECB Self-Study courseware of over 450 pages in English, two exam attempts, the PECB certification application fee, the first-year annual maintenance fee, a 60-minute 1-on-1 session with a PECB Certified Trainer, unlimited email and WhatsApp support, and an attestation of 31 CPD credits.
How long do I have to complete the course and exam?
You have 12 months from your purchase date to take the exam, use the free retake if you need it and apply for the certification.
Are there prerequisites?
PECB lists a fundamental understanding of SCADA security as the prerequisite. There is no experience requirement to take the exam. Experience decides which credential level you receive after passing.
Which credential will I receive after passing?
One exam opens four levels. With no experience you receive PECB Certified Provisional SCADA Security Manager. With two years of experience (one in SCADA security) and 200 hours of SCADA security activities you receive SCADA Security Manager. With five years (two in SCADA security) and 300 hours you receive Lead SCADA Security Manager. With ten years (seven in SCADA security) and 1,000 hours you receive Senior Lead SCADA Security Manager.
How long is the certification valid?
PECB certifications are valid for three years. To maintain one, you meet PECB's continuing professional development (CPD) requirements and pay the annual maintenance fee. The first-year fee is included in your enrollment.
Who is the 1-on-1 session with?
The session is with Shenoy Sandeep, a PECB Certified Trainer and ISA/IEC 62443 Senior Lead Implementer who leads reconn's cybersecurity practice. You book the 60 minutes when it suits your study plan.
How does the support work?
You get unlimited email and WhatsApp support for course questions until you clear the exam or within 12 months of enrollment, whichever comes first. reconn's opening hours are 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM Gulf Standard Time, every day.
How fast do I get access after I enroll?
You receive access the same day. reconn enrolls you with PECB and you receive your login for the PECB platform, where the courseware and the exam booking live.
Can I enroll from my country?
Yes. Enrollment is open worldwide. The course is self-paced and the exam is taken online, so you can study and sit the exam from any country.
How is VAT handled?
reconn accounts for the VAT of each country where it applies. The prices shown on this page and at checkout include VAT, and you receive an automated VAT invoice. Checkout is in US dollars.
Can I pay in installments?
Qualified buyers in the Middle East can pay in installments through Tabby or Tamara. It is not a checkout option. Contact reconn by email at hello@reconn.io or on WhatsApp at +971 5857 26270 to arrange it.
Is there a discount for people restarting their career?
Yes. reconn offers a career restart discount of up to 10% for military veterans, service members, frontline health workers, people returning after a medical or career break, and people who lost a job and are upskilling. Email hello@reconn.io and say yes. No proof is requested.
Do you train corporate teams?
Yes. For teams, contact reconn by email or WhatsApp before ordering so that we can plan the enrollment and issue a tax invoice for your country.
Does this certification make my organization compliant with NIST SP 800-82?
No. The certification is for a person and shows that the holder has the knowledge to lead SCADA security work. NIST SP 800-82 is guidance, and no personal certification makes an organization compliant with it.
Teams and corporate training
Enrolling several engineers, or the whole OT security function? Contact us before you order. We plan the enrollments together, give each learner the same 1-on-1 and support, and issue a tax invoice for your country.
If your team also works to the ISA/IEC 62443 series, see the PECB ISA/IEC 62443 Lead Implementer page.