NSE 1 in Cybersecurity
If you searched for the Fortinet Certified Fundamentals in Cybersecurity, you have arrived after it stopped being issued. On 15 July 2026 Fortinet rebuilt its certification ladder, and the free entry credential is now called NSE 1 in Cybersecurity.
One self-paced course of about eleven hours, an online exam at its end, and a credential with a two-year life that only continued study extends.
Certificate facts
- Level
- Foundational
- Field
- Cybersecurity
- Access
- Free
- Assessment
- Online exam, not proctored
- Languages
- EnglishEnglish course page read; Fortinet does not state other languages for this course
- Price
- Free (read 26 September 2026)
- Validity
- 2 years, renewable
- Exam delivery
- NSE 1 to 3: online courses and exams on the Fortinet Training Institute; NSE 4 to 7: proctored exams through Pearson VUE; NSE 8: practical exams, the core one on site
Prerequisites: None formally. The course page recommends a basic understanding of networking, network protocols and applications, operating systems and computer hardware.
Renewal: Valid two years from completion. While active, it is extended by two years by completing the course again, earning or renewing any NSE 1 to 7 certification, or passing an NSE 8 practical exam; once expired, the course and exam must be taken again
Source: certificate page at Fortinet · Price: Fortinet describes its self-paced courses as free, and its exam price list (helpdesk, modified 19 August 2026) sets fees only for NSE 4 and above; no fee is shown for the NSE 1 course or its online exam (read 2026-09-26)
How to prepare
1. The vendor's free learning path
Fortinet publishes the exam objectives and a learning path free of charge — the authoritative source for scope and weighting. Open the learning path (opens in a new tab)
2. The programme
The certificate is earned inside this programme. Its facts, price and the provider's own page are on the course page; the link there carries no commission.
Affiliate disclosure: the course link above is an affiliate link — buying through them may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. The vendor's learning path and booking links carry no commission.
The FCF is no longer issued
Fortinet stopped issuing FCF certificates on 15 July 2026. Existing holders keep theirs until its expiry date, and anyone whose FCF was active on that day was awarded NSE 1 and NSE 2 automatically. The two older introductory courses that led to the FCF have been retired and replaced by the single course on this page. Guides and videos that still describe the FCF route are out of date.
What the new entry level asks
The route is short. You enrol in Cybersecurity and Cloud Fundamentals, work through ten topics that run from the threat landscape and social engineering through cryptography and public key infrastructure, secure networking, authentication, endpoint security and data protection to cloud and virtualisation, and pass the online exam at the end. Fortinet estimates eleven hours. The course page suggests some prior familiarity with networking, operating systems and hardware, which is a higher starting point than Cisco's or IBM's free security introductions assume.
| Aspect | Old FCF | NSE 1 in Cybersecurity |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Not issued since 15 July 2026 | Current |
| Courses | Two introductory courses, now retired | One course, about eleven hours |
| Assessment | No longer offered | Online exam at the end of the course |
| Validity | Until the date on the certificate | Two years, renewable |
| Holders on 15 July 2026 | Received NSE 1 and NSE 2 | Not applicable |
One detail is worth knowing. Fortinet's own programme page summarises the NSE 1 requirement as completing the online course, while the NSE 1 certification page and the course page both say an exam at the end must be passed. In practice the exam is part of the course, and passing it is what completes it. Expect a test, not just a progress bar.
Why a free certificate expires
Most free learning badges last forever. Fortinet's do not: every level of the NSE programme now runs for two years. For an entry credential that sounds harsh, but the renewal rules are generous. Completing the course again resets the clock, and so does earning or renewing any higher NSE certification up to level 7. Anyone who carries on to the paid firewall and specialist levels will keep NSE 1 alive without thinking about it. Anyone who stops here will see it lapse, which is honest: a two-year-old introduction to a moving field says little about what you know today.
- Take it if you are curious about network security and want a vendor-recognised first rung at no cost.
- Take it if your employer or a partner programme uses Fortinet products; the ladder above it leads directly into them.
- Look elsewhere if you want something that lasts without renewal; Cisco's and IBM's free badges show no expiry.
- Plan ahead: NSE 2 continues with a free course on next-generation firewalls, and the paid proctored exams begin at NSE 4.
Fortinet issues two kinds of badge along the way, and they are easy to confuse. Passing the exam at the end of the course earns an exam badge. Meeting the full requirements of the level earns the certification badge. For NSE 1 the two arrive together, but on higher levels they can differ, so it is worth knowing which one an employer is looking at.
What a question looks like
Written by us in the exam's style. It is not a real question from any question bank, and we do not publish those.
A company moves its customer database from its own data centre to a public cloud service. The security team keeps the same firewall rules and assumes nothing else needs to change. Which responsibility has shifted, and which one has stayed with the company?
The question looks like it is about firewalls but is really about the shared-responsibility idea in the course's cloud topic. You have to separate what the provider now secures from what the customer still owns, such as access control and data protection, and that line is easy to draw in the wrong place.
What it costs to get and to keep
| Item | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Course and online exam | 0 USD | self-paced courses described as free; Fortinet's exam price list names fees only from NSE 4 upwards (read 26 September 2026) |
| Renewal every two years | 0 USD | by completing the course again or by earning or renewing a higher NSE certification; no fee for the course route (read 26 September 2026) |
How much preparation, from where you are
- You have basic IT knowledge but no security background
- The intended reader. The cryptography and PKI topics take the longest; the rest follows naturally from general IT experience.
- Computers and networks are new to you
- Start with a gentler free course first. Fortinet's recommended prerequisites assume you already know how networks and operating systems fit together.
- You hold or held the FCF
- If it was active on 15 July 2026 you already have NSE 1 and NSE 2. Check your Training Institute account before enrolling again.
What passing this does not prove
- Configuration of any Fortinet product, which begins at higher levels.
- Hands-on defensive work such as incident handling or log analysis.
- Your identity: the exam is an online test inside the course, not a proctored sitting.
- Depth in any one area; ten topics in eleven hours is a survey.
Against the alternatives
- CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)
- CompTIA's fee-based, supervised exam, known to employers well beyond Fortinet customers, and it goes much deeper. NSE 1 is a free survey of similar territory and a sensible way to test your interest first.
- Cybersecurity Fundamentals
- IBM's free course reaches a similar level with no expiry and a stated 80 percent bar. Fortinet's covers cloud security more directly and opens a vendor ladder; IBM's is the one to keep if you never plan to renew.
NSE 1 in Cybersecurity — quick answers
What happened to the Fortinet Certified Fundamentals (FCF)?
Fortinet stopped issuing it on 15 July 2026 when it restructured its programme into eight NSE levels. Existing FCF certificates remain valid until they expire, and holders whose FCF was active on that date received NSE 1 and NSE 2.
Is NSE 1 free?
Fortinet describes its self-paced courses as free and lists exam fees only from NSE 4 upwards. No fee is shown for the NSE 1 course or its online exam.
How long is NSE 1 valid?
Two years from completion. You can extend it by two years by retaking the course while it is still active, or by earning or renewing a higher NSE certification.
How long does the course take?
Fortinet estimates about eleven hours for Cybersecurity and Cloud Fundamentals, self-paced.
Does NSE 1 count for continuing education elsewhere?
Fortinet states that its training earns ISC2 continuing-education credit at one credit per hour. Its CompTIA continuing-education eligibility was being updated after the July 2026 changes, so check Fortinet's current notice before counting on it.
Where this certificate sits in the field
What comes next
Concepts this certificate draws on
Glossary entries with the reason each one matters for NSE 1 in Cybersecurity.
- PKI
Cryptography and PKI is an agenda topic.
- Authentication
Authentication and access control is an agenda topic.
- Firewall
Secure network models, including firewalls, are a course objective.
- Cloud Hosting
The closing topic covers securing cloud and virtual environments.
Last reviewed 26 September 2026 · Getting Digital