Why is Security+ different?

• More choose Security+ - chosen by more corporations and defense organizations than any other certification on the market to validate baseline security skills and for fulfilling the DoD 8570 compliance.

• Security+ proves hands-on skills – the only baseline cybersecurity certification emphasizing hands-on practical skills, ensuring the security professional is better prepared to problem solve a wider variety of today’s complex issues.

• More job roles turn to Security+ to supplement skills – baseline cybersecurity skills are applicable across more of today’s job roles to secure systems, software and hardware.

• Security+ is aligned to the latest trends and techniques – covering the most core technical skills in risk assessment and management, incident response, forensics, enterprise networks, hybrid/cloud operations, and security controls, ensuring high-performance on the job.

What Skills Will You Learn?

Attacks, Threats and Vulnerabilities

• Focusing on more threats, attacks, and vulnerabilities on the Internet from newer custom devices that must be mitigated, such as IoT and embedded devices, newer DDoS attacks, and social engineering attacks based on current events.

Operations and Incident Response

• Covering organizational security assessment and incident response procedures, such as basic threat detection, risk mitigation techniques, security controls, and basic digital forensics.

Architecture and Design

• Includes coverage of enterprise environments and reliance on the cloud, which is growing quickly as organizations transition to hybrid networks.

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Expanded to support organizational risk management and compliance to regulations, such as PCI-DSS, SOX, HIPAA, GDPR, FISMA, NIST, and CCPA.

Implementation

• Expanded to focus on administering identity, access management, PKI, basic cryptography, wireless, and end-to-end security.

• Security Administrator

• Systems Administrator

• Helpdesk Manager / Analyst

• Network / Cloud Engineer

• Security Engineer / Analyst

• DevOps / Software Developer

• IT Auditors

• IT Project Manager

CompTIA Security+ is the first security certification a candidate should earn. It establishes the core knowledge required of any cybersecurity role and provides a springboard to intermediate-level cybersecurity jobs. Security+ incorporates best practices in hands-on troubleshooting, ensuring candidates have practical security problem-solving skills required to:

• Assess the security posture of an enterprise environment and recommend and implement appropriate security solutions

• Monitor and secure hybrid environments, including cloud, mobile, and IoT

• Operate with an awareness of applicable laws and policies, including principles of governance, risk, and compliance

• Identify, analyze, and respond to security events and incidents

Security+ is compliant with ISO 17024 standards and approved by the US DoD to meet directive 8140/8570.01-M requirements. Regulators and government rely on ANSI accreditation, because it provides confidence and trust in the outputs of an accredited program. Over 2.3 million CompTIA ISO/ANSI-accredited exams have been delivered since January 1, 2011.

Maximum of 90 questions

Multiple choice and performance-based questions

90 minutes

Passing Score: 750 (on a scale of 100-900)

Stand out in Cybersecurity!

Demonstrate Competency of Current Trends: Make yourself a valuable team member and show your knowledge of current trends that affect the daily work of security analysts, such as cloud and hybrid environments.

Proactively Monitor and Detect: Demonstrate your skills in detecting and analyzing indicators of malicious activity using the most up-to-date methods and tools, such as threat intelligence, security information and event management (SIEM), endpoint detection and response (EDR) and extended detection and response (XDR).

Respond to Threats, Attacks and Vulnerabilities: Prove your knowledge of incident response and vulnerability management processes and highlight the communication skills critical to security analysis and compliance

What You’ll Learn:

Security Operations

• Improve processes in security operations and differentiate between threat intelligence and threat hunting concepts; identify and analyze malicious activity using the appropriate tools and techniques

Incident Response and Management

• Apply updated concepts of attack methodology frameworks, perform incident response activities and understand the incident management lifecycle

Vulnerability Management

• Implement and analyze vulnerability assessments, prioritize vulnerabilities and make recommendations on mitigating attacks and vulnerability response

Reporting and Communication

• Apply communication best practices in vulnerability management and incident response as it relates to stakeholders, action plans, escalation and metrics

Recommended Experience:

Network+, Security+ or equivalent knowledge. Minimum of 4 years of hands-on experience as an incident response analyst or security operations center (SOC) analyst, or equivalent experience.

• Incident Response Analyst

• Security Architect

• Cybersecurity Engineer

• Threat Hunter

• Cybersecurity Analyst

• Vulnerability Analyst

• Security Operations Center (SOC)

• Analyst Application

• Security Analyst

• Threat Intelligence Analyst

Maximum of 85 questions

Multiple choice and performance-based

165 minutes

Passing Score: 750 (on a scale of 100-900)

Recommended Experience Network+, Security+ or equivalent knowledge. Minimum of 4 years of hands-on information security or related experience.

CompTIA PenTest+ is the most comprehensive exam covering all penetration testing stages. Unlike other penetration testing exams that only cover a portion of stages with essay questions and hands-on, PenTest+ uses both performance-based and knowledge-based questions to ensure all stages are addressed.

PenTest+ is the only exam on the market to include all aspects of vulnerability management. It not only covers hands-on vulnerability assessment, scanning, and analysis, but also includes planning, scoping, and managing weaknesses, not just exploiting them.

PenTest+ is the most current penetration testing exam covering the latest techniques against expanded attack surfaces. It is a unique exam that requires a candidate to demonstrate the most relevant pen testing skills for the cloud, hybrid environments, web applications, Internet of Things (IoT), and traditional on-premises.

What Skills Will You Learn?

Planning and Scoping

• Includes updated techniques emphasizing governance, risk, and compliance concepts, scoping and organizational/customer requirements, and demonstrating an ethical hacking mindset.

Information Gathering and Vulnerability Scanning

• Includes updated skills on performing vulnerability scanning and passive/active reconnaissance, vulnerability management, as well as analyzing the results of the reconnaissance exercise.

Attacks and Exploits

• Includes updated approaches to expanded attack surfaces, researching social engineering techniques, performing network attacks, wireless attacks, application-based attacks and attacks on cloud technologies, and performing post-exploitation techniques.

Reporting and Communication

• Expanded to focus on the importance of reporting and communication in an increased regulatory environment during the pen testing process through analyzing findings and recommending appropriate remediation within a report.

Tools and Code Analysis

• Includes updated concepts of identifying scripts in various software deployments, analyzing a script or code sample, and explaining use cases of various tools used during the phases of a penetration test. It is important to note that no scripting and coding is required.

• Penetration Tester

• Security Consultant

• Cloud Penetration Tester

• Web App Penetration Tester

• Cloud Security Specialist

• Network & Security Specialist

Maximum of 85 questions

Performance-based and multiple choice questions

165 minutes

Passing Score: 750 (on a scale of 100-900)

Recommended Experience
Network+, Security+ or equivalent knowledge. Minimum of 3-4 years of hands-on information security or related experience. While there is no required prerequisite, PenTest+ is intended to follow CompTIA Security+ or equivalent experience and has a technical, hands-on focus.

• The Present Threat Landscape

• Types of Malware

• Social Engineering and Related Attacks

• Application and Service Attacks

• Cryptographic and Wireless Attacks

• Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Scanning

• Impacts from Vulnerability Types

• Components Supporting Organizational Security

• Security Assessment Using Software Tools

• Cryptography

• Public Key Infrastructure

• Wireless Security Settings

• Analyzing Output from Security Technologies

• Deploying Mobile Devices Securely

• Implementing Secure Protocols

• Troubleshooting Common Security Issues

• Identity Concepts and Access Services

• Identity and Access Management Controls

• Common Account Management Practices

• Frameworks, Guidelines, and Physical Security

• Implement Secure Network Architecture Concepts

• Secure System and Application Design and Deployment

• Cloud, Virtualization, and Resiliency Concepts

• Policies, Plans, and Procedures

• Business Impact Analysis and Risk Management

• Incident Response, Forensics, and Disaster Recovery

• Network Security Concepts

• Managing Network Settings

• Cloud Computing & Cybersecurity

• Virtualization & Container Security

• Data Security Standards

• Threat Intelligence

• Managing Risk

• Business Continuity

• OS Process Management

• Authentication

• Authorization

• Cryptography

• Public Key Infrastructure

• Firewalls & Intrusion Detection

• Malware

• Analyzing Malicious Activity

• Planning for an Engagement

• Scoping an Engagement

• Information Gathering

• Vulnerability Identification

• Social Engineering and Specialized System Attacks

• Network-Based Exploits

• Application-Based Vulnerabilities

• Local Host Vulnerabilities

• Post-Exploitation and Facilities Attacks

• Penetration Testing Tools

• Analyzing Tool and Script Output

• Reporting and Communication

REFERENCE MANUAL: CompTIA PenTest+ Certification Practice Exams (Exam PT0-001)