303-200: LPIC-3 Exam 303 Security Version 2.0 Study Guide
303-200 was the version 2.0 LPIC-3 Security examination, designed to validate enterprise Linux administration with a strong security focus. Its objectives covered cryptography, host protection, access control, and network security for experienced Linux professionals rather than entry-level administrators. This guide helps you make the important first decision: whether you are researching a historical certification, checking older study material, or need to move to the current 303-300 objectives before planning an exam attempt.
Is 303-200 still an exam you can schedule?
No. LPI records LPIC-3 Security version 2.0, exam code 303-200, as available until April 4, 2022. The current LPIC-3 Security listing identifies version 3.0 and exam code 303-300. Treat 303-200 as a historical objective set unless LPI gives you a specific administrative reason to study it.
Before buying a voucher or booking a test, compare the exam code printed on your preparation material with the code shown in LPI’s current certification listing. A guide, practice product, or forum post that still says 303-200 may describe the old blueprint accurately while being unsuitable for a current attempt.
LPI’s version-3 update explains that old exam versions remain available for six months after the release of a newer version and records April 4, 2022 as the retirement date for LPIC-3 Security version 2.0. The current certification page likewise lists 303-200 as the previous version. Source: https://www.lpi.org/LPIC-3-version-3-update/ and https://www.lpi.org/our-certifications/lpic-3-303-overview/
Who was 303-200 intended for?
The exam served experienced Linux professionals responsible for securing systems and services across an enterprise. LPI describes LPIC-3 Security as enterprise-wide Linux systems administration with an emphasis on security, and describes LPIC-3 as the highest level of its professional, distribution-neutral Linux certification program.
This audience is broader than a security tool operator. The version 2.0 objectives expected candidates to connect certificate authorities with web authentication, encryption with storage operations, identity management with access control, and packet filtering with secure network design. A candidate who only memorises command switches would miss the relationships the blueprint is testing.
An appropriate starting profile includes strong command-line administration, comfort reading service configuration, and enough operational experience to reason about failure and least privilege. LPIC-2 knowledge is especially relevant because LPI’s certification requirements state that an active LPIC-2 certification is required to receive LPIC-3 Security certification, together with passing the 303 exam. Source: https://www.lpi.org/our-certifications/lpic-3-303-overview/
What does the version 2.0 blueprint measure?
The 303-200 objectives are divided into four domains: Topic 325 Cryptography, Topic 326 Host Security, Topic 327 Access Control, and Topic 328 Network Security. The objective document assigns weights to individual objectives, using higher values to indicate greater relative importance on the examination.
Topic 325 Cryptography includes X.509 certificates and public key infrastructures with weight 5, X.509 certificates for encryption, signing, and authentication with weight 4, encrypted file systems with weight 3, and DNS and cryptography with weight 5. This domain requires more than knowing what encryption means: it connects certificate lifecycle management, TLS service configuration, storage encryption, and DNSSEC-related operations.
Topic 326 Host Security includes Host Hardening with weight 3, Host Intrusion Detection with weight 4, User Management and Authentication with weight 5, and FreeIPA Installation and Samba Integration with weight 4. The domain moves from securing a single machine to managing identity and authentication services in a larger environment.
Topic 327 Access Control includes Discretionary Access Control with weight 3, Mandatory Access Control with weight 4, and Network File Systems with weight 3. Topic 328 Network Security includes Network Hardening with weight 4, Network Intrusion Detection with weight 4, Packet Filtering with weight 5, and Virtual Private Networks with weight 4. Keep each percentage or weight attached to its named domain or objective; the official version 2.0 document presents these as objective weights, not as a promise of a particular study time allocation.
The official version 2.0 objective list is the controlling study outline for this historical exam. Source: https://wiki.lpi.org/wiki/LPIC-303_Objectives_V2
What are the delivery details recorded for the exam?
LPI’s LPIC-3 Security listing records the exam as a 90-minute assessment containing 60 multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions. It lists English and Japanese for VUE test centers and English and Japanese for online testing via OnVUE. Because 303-200 is retired, confirm any operational detail with LPI rather than assuming that the old delivery information applies to a current exam.
The certification page also states that an LPIC-3 Security certification has a validity period of 5 years and requires an active LPIC-2 certification. Those certification rules should not be confused with the status of the 303-200 exam itself: a historical exam code and a current certification policy are separate checks.
LPI’s translations page is useful when selecting study material, but its current table lists LPIC-3 Security as exam code 303, version 3.0. It should therefore be used to verify present availability, not to infer that version 2.0 is still offered. Sources: https://www.lpi.org/our-certifications/lpic-3-303-overview/ and https://learning.lpi.org/en/about/translations/
How should you read the cryptography objectives?
Study cryptography as a chain of operational tasks: create keys, build trust, issue certificates, deploy them, test the service, and revoke or replace credentials. That sequence reflects the version 2.0 objectives more effectively than studying certificate terminology as an isolated glossary.
For 325.1 X.509 Certificates and Public Key Infrastructures, be able to explain certificate fields, certificate lifecycle, trust chains, and the role of public and private keys. Build a small test certificate authority with OpenSSL in a disposable lab. Practise creating a certificate request, signing it, inspecting the result, and identifying the files that represent the certificate, key, request, and revocation information.
For 325.2 X.509 Certificates for Encryption, Signing and Authentication, configure Apache HTTPD 2.4 or higher with mod_ssl in a test environment. Work through server authentication, client certificate authentication, SNI, HSTS, and OCSP stapling. Use OpenSSL client and server tests to inspect the handshake and distinguish a certificate problem from a protocol or configuration problem.
For 325.3 Encrypted File Systems, compare block-device encryption with file-system encryption. Practise dm-crypt with LUKS, understand the purpose of /etc/crypttab, and examine how eCryptfs integrates with home directories and PAM. Your notes should include recovery implications: encryption protects data at rest, but an unavailable key or incorrect boot integration can also prevent access.
For 325.4 DNS and Cryptography, follow the objective list rather than reducing the topic to ordinary DNS administration. Review DNSSEC concepts and the operational relationship among signing keys, zone maintenance, validation, and tools such as dig, delv, dnssec-keygen, and dnssec-signzone. The stated BIND coverage is version 9.7 or higher. Source: https://wiki.lpi.org/wiki/LPIC-303_Objectives_V2
How do you prepare for host security and identity questions?
Host security preparation should produce repeatable hardening and diagnosis procedures. Start with a baseline host, record its services and trust boundaries, then apply controls one layer at a time so you can explain both the security benefit and the operational consequence.
Host Hardening includes BIOS and boot-loader security, system limits, kernel settings, permissions, and service exposure. Build a checklist around boot configuration, system startup, file permissions, authentication policy, logging, and network listeners. Do not turn the checklist into an unsupported universal hardening recipe; the exam objectives identify knowledge areas and utilities, while a production baseline depends on the system’s role.
Host Intrusion Detection requires familiarity with tools and the evidence they produce. Work with auditd, auditctl, ausearch, and aureport, then examine file-integrity and rootkit-oriented tools named in the objectives, including AIDE, chkrootkit, rkhunter, and maldet. Practise asking what changed, when it changed, which account was involved, and whether the evidence is sufficient to support a response.
User Management and Authentication is a high-weight objective. Review local account controls, password aging, PAM modules, faillog or pam_tally-related controls, NSS, SSSD, Kerberos utilities, and the relevant configuration files. Draw the authentication path rather than memorising each command separately: identify the client, name service, authentication module, identity source, and failure log.
FreeIPA Installation and Samba Integration brings together identity, certificates, Kerberos, DNS, and directory-backed administration. Build a dependency map before attempting a lab. The objective’s partial utility list includes ipa-server-install, ipa-client-install, ipa-replica-install, ipa-replica-prepare, and ipa-replica-manage, as well as SSSD and Kerberos components. The useful study question is not merely “what does this command do?” but “which prerequisite or trust relationship makes this operation succeed?” Source: https://wiki.lpi.org/wiki/LPIC-303_Objectives_V2
How should you separate discretionary and mandatory access control?
Treat discretionary access control, mandatory access control, and network file-system security as different control models that can interact. A strong answer identifies the enforcement mechanism, the subject and object involved, the relevant policy or permission, and the diagnostic command that confirms the result.
For 327.1 Discretionary Access Control, practise ownership, traditional permission bits, SetUID and SetGID, access control lists, and extended attributes. Use getfacl and setfacl to create and inspect named-user and named-group permissions. Use getfattr and setfattr to investigate extended attributes. Always test the effective result as the actual target user; inspecting a file as root can hide the access problem you are trying to understand.
For 327.2 Mandatory Access Control, study the policy-enforcement model and the tools named by the objectives, including getenforce, setenforce, sestatus, getsebool, setsebool, restorecon, semanage, audit2why, and audit2allow. Practise reading an audit denial, checking the file context or Boolean involved, and deciding whether the correct fix is relabelling, policy adjustment, or a change to the service configuration.
For 327.3 Network File Systems, focus on security issues in NFSv4 clients and servers and CIFS client services. Review exports, identity mapping, ownership, permissions, security modes, and the tools listed for CIFS access control. A useful lab exercise is to trace a failed remote access attempt from name resolution through authentication, export or share policy, local permissions, and MAC enforcement.
Earlier NFS versions are not required knowledge according to the version 2.0 objectives. That does not remove the need to understand the security implications of NFSv4 and CIFS integration. Source: https://wiki.lpi.org/wiki/LPIC-303_Objectives_V2
What network-security lab work gives the best return?
Build network labs around traffic decisions and evidence. You should be able to harden a host, observe suspicious or unexpected traffic, write and restore packet-filter rules, and explain how a VPN changes the trust path without treating the tunnel as a substitute for endpoint security.
For 328.1 Network Hardening, map exposed services, management paths, routing, name resolution, and remote administration. Include IPv4 and IPv6 considerations in your notes because the objectives explicitly call for both. Practise using a scanner or packet-capture tool only in systems you own or are authorised to test, and record the expected result before you run the test.
For 328.2 Network Intrusion Detection, learn the purpose and basic operation of bandwidth monitoring, Snort, and OpenVAS as named in the objective list. Review Snort rules and configuration locations, and understand the role of OpenVAS utilities and NASL. The goal is to interpret alerts and assessment output, not to memorise a catalogue of signatures.
For 328.3 Packet Filtering, make this a hands-on priority because Packet Filtering has weight 5 within Topic 328 Network Security. Practise iptables and ip6tables rules, persistent save and restore operations, ipset, nft, and ebtables. Test default policies, established connections, loopback traffic, service-specific rules, and rule ordering. Then deliberately create a failure and diagnose it with counters and packet captures.
For 328.4 Virtual Private Networks, compare OpenVPN and IPsec at the level required by the objectives. Work with the configuration files and utilities named in the blueprint, including /etc/openvpn, setkey, /etc/ipsec-tools.conf, and /etc/racoon/racoon.conf. Document authentication, encryption, routing, and endpoint responsibilities separately so that a working tunnel does not make you overlook a weak access policy. Source: https://wiki.lpi.org/wiki/LPIC-303_Objectives_V2
What study sequence works for an experienced administrator?
Use a dependency-first sequence rather than reading the topics in numerical order. Establish baseline Linux administration, then build identity and cryptography foundations, apply access controls, and finish with network controls and integrated troubleshooting. This order lets later labs reuse concepts instead of creating four disconnected study projects.
Phase one is an objective audit. Download the version 2.0 objective document, turn every key knowledge area and named utility into a checklist, and mark each item as explain, configure, test, or troubleshoot. Confirm that your material is actually version 2.0. Do not use the version 3.0 objective page as a silent substitute; its topic numbering and content differ.
Phase two is the foundation lab. Prepare disposable Linux systems or virtual machines, snapshots, a private network, and a written change log. Refresh permissions, PAM, NSS, system logging, service management, DNS, Apache, and packet-filter basics before attempting FreeIPA or certificate-chain exercises. Keep credentials and private keys confined to the lab.
Phase three is the security build. Create a local certificate authority, issue certificates, configure HTTPS, encrypt a test volume, and validate DNSSEC-related operations. On a separate host, apply audit rules, test an access-control policy, configure a network share, and record the evidence produced by both successful and failed access attempts.
Phase four is integration. Combine identity, certificates, file sharing, and network controls in scenarios such as a protected internal web service, a directory-backed Linux host, or a remote share reached through a VPN. The purpose is to practise choosing the next diagnostic layer instead of guessing at commands.
Phase five is timed review. Use the objective weights to decide where to spend remaining study effort, but do not ignore weight 2 or weight 3 objectives. Create short scenario prompts from the official knowledge areas, answer without notes, then verify each answer against documentation and your lab record. Never use leaked questions or exam dumps as a substitute for understanding or claim that memorisation guarantees a pass.
How can you decide whether you are ready?
Readiness means you can explain a security decision and demonstrate it, not merely recognise a command in a study question. Use a practical exit test for every objective: describe the purpose, configure a minimal example, verify the result, and recover from one predictable failure.
For cryptography, you should be able to trace a certificate from key generation through trust validation and revocation, diagnose a failed Apache TLS relationship, and distinguish a storage-encryption problem from a file-permission problem. For host security, you should be able to identify a risky service or authentication setting and find supporting evidence in logs or audit output.
For access control, test the same file or share as different identities and explain why the effective permission is what it is. Include an SELinux or other MAC-related denial in the exercise rather than stopping at traditional mode bits. For network security, restore a known-good filter set, validate IPv6 behaviour, inspect traffic, and explain which control protects the host, the network, or the application.
Keep an error register. Each entry should contain the symptom, the layer you checked first, the command or file that supplied evidence, the root cause, and the corrective action. This is more useful than a list of missed multiple-choice answers because it improves the troubleshooting reasoning the objectives expect across the domains.
Which mistakes should you avoid?
The most damaging mistake is preparing for 303-200 without checking its status. A second is treating the objective weight as a question guarantee for every historical delivery. A third is studying tools in isolation. Avoid all three by confirming the code, reading the objective wording, and practising complete configurations with verification and rollback.
Do not confuse the current 303-300 blueprint with the retired 303-200 blueprint. The current objective page uses Topic 331 through Topic 335, while version 2.0 uses Topic 325 through Topic 328. Use the page that matches your documented exam code and do not transfer current-only topics into an historical study plan without evidence.
Do not spend all preparation time on commands. The blueprint asks for certificate lifecycle knowledge, trust chains, authentication models, intrusion detection, network hardening, and security implications of file sharing. A command list without a model will not help when a question changes the service, identity source, or failure condition.
Do not make production changes while experimenting. Certificate authorities, firewall policies, PAM, directory services, and encrypted volumes can lock out users or destroy access if handled carelessly. Use snapshots, isolated networks, test accounts, and recovery paths. The safer lab is also the more productive lab because it lets you reproduce mistakes.
Do not assume that a working service is secure. Verify certificate identity and chain behaviour, effective permissions, audit coverage, firewall rule order, VPN endpoint policy, and the effect of a denied request. Security study should end with evidence, not with a successful start command.
What should you do next?
If you are pursuing a current certification, stop planning around 303-200 and verify the current 303-300 requirements and objectives on LPI’s certification page. If you are maintaining historical knowledge, use the version 2.0 wiki objectives and label your notes clearly so old objective numbers are not confused with current ones.
Next, confirm your LPIC-2 status before investing in an LPIC-3 Security attempt. Then download the matching official objective document, create the four-domain checklist, and mark your weakest objective by evidence rather than intuition. Start with a lab that covers OpenSSL, Apache HTTPD, encrypted storage, audit tools, access control, packet filtering, and VPN concepts.
Finally, check delivery language, online or test-center availability, pricing, and scheduling through LPI’s current pages. These details can change, and the historical 303-200 listing should not be treated as a live booking page. Official sources are the safest place to resolve a conflict between an old study resource and the current certification program.
Conclusion
303-200 is best approached as a documented version 2.0 objective set, not as a current exam booking target. Its value for study is the way it connects cryptography, host security, access control, and network security into enterprise Linux administration. Verify the exam code first, build a controlled lab, study each named objective through configuration and diagnosis, and use LPI’s current certification information before making any scheduling or purchasing decision.
Related exams
- 305-300 exam — LPIC-3: Virtualization and Containerization
- 300-300 exam — LPIC-3: Mixed Environments - Exam 300 - version 3.0
