CompTIA Security+
The complete
CompTIA Security+ program.
A separate, independently purchased study program built for the current CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 blueprint — full lessons across all five domains, guided hands-on activities, an original question bank, and two timed practice exams. Not included with CCNA or CCNP ENCOR.
What Security+ is
A vendor-neutral baseline for defensive security work.
CompTIA Security+ verifies that you can assess an enterprise's security posture and recommend controls, monitor and secure hybrid environments (cloud, mobile, IoT), operate with awareness of governance/risk/compliance, and identify, analyze, and respond to security events. It's the most widely recognized entry point into cybersecurity roles, and a common DoD 8570/8140 baseline requirement.
Who it's designed for
IT professionals moving toward a security-focused role: sysadmins, network admins, help desk engineers ready for the next step, and anyone who needs a recognized, vendor-neutral security credential. CompTIA recommends Network+ plus around two years of IT administration experience with a security focus — helpful, not mandatory.
Skills this validates
Assessing security posture and recommending controls; securing hybrid cloud/mobile/IoT environments; applying governance, risk, and compliance principles; and identifying, analyzing, and responding to real security events and incidents — not just vocabulary recall.
Exam format
What you're actually sitting down for.
Questions
Up to 90
Multiple-choice and performance-based
Time limit
90 minutes
Passing score
750 / 900
CompTIA's official scaled score
Recommended experience
Network+ + ~2 yrs
IT admin with a security focus
Expected study time varies widely by background — most students moving from an existing IT role budget 8–16 weeks; see the adjustable study plan inside the course.
The ITCertFoundry study loop
See the diagram
Apply it to a scenario
Verify with a hard question
Exam domain
General Security Concepts
The vocabulary and mental models everything else in this course builds on: control types, CIA, AAA, Zero Trust, and cryptography fundamentals.
Domain review
Classify a set of real-world controls by category and type, then inspect a certificate chain end to end.Exam domain
Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations
Who attacks, how they get in, what breaks, and what you do about it — the single largest domain on the exam.
Domain review
Read a batch of authentication and application logs to identify indicators of malicious activity, then map each to the correct mitigation.Exam domain
Security Architecture
How enterprise environments are designed to survive contact with both attackers and outages — segmentation, data protection, and resilience.
Domain review
Design a segmented network with a DMZ for a small organization, then classify a dataset and choose recovery/backup strategies for it.Exam domain
Security Operations
The day-to-day work of running a security program: hardening, vulnerability management, monitoring, identity, automation, and incident response. The largest domain on the exam.
Domain review
Interpret a vulnerability scan, prioritize the findings, and walk a simulated incident through the full response lifecycle.Exam domain
Security Program Management and Oversight
The governance, risk, compliance, and audit layer that makes a security program defensible, not just technically sound.
Domain review
Build a risk register entry from a scenario (likelihood, impact, SLE/ALE/ARO) and write a short vendor risk-assessment questionnaire.Free vs. paid
Free is real. Paid is complete.
Nothing free here is a disguised sales page — the crash course and glossary are genuinely useful on their own. Security+ Complete unlocks the full depth.
Free — no account required
Crash course & glossary
- ✓ A condensed lesson for all five domains, with diagrams and scenarios
- ✓ A full searchable glossary covering the exam's key terms and acronyms
- ✓ Exam-focused reminders and common misconceptions
- ✓ Short knowledge checks per domain
Security+ Complete — $169
The full course
- ✓ Every lesson across all 28 objectives, all five domains
- ✓ Guided, scored activities: log analysis, vulnerability triage, incident-response sequencing, and more
- ✓ Domain assessments and two original timed practice exams
- ✓ Adjustable 8/12/16-week study plan and objective-level weakness board
Purchasing Security+ Complete does not unlock CCNA or CCNP ENCOR, and owning either of those does not unlock Security+ — each is an independent program. Completing this course does not guarantee a passing result on CompTIA's actual exam.
Career paths
Where Security+ tends to lead.
SOC Analyst (Tier 1/2)Security AdministratorSystems Administrator with security dutiesNetwork Administrator moving into securityIT Auditor / GRC AnalystJunior Penetration Tester (with further certification)Help Desk / Support Engineer moving into security
Frequently asked questions
Before you commit.
Is SY0-701 the current Security+ exam?
Yes. SY0-701 (Exam Objectives Version 5.0) is the current, only active Security+ exam as of this writing. A future SY0-801 update is expected but has not yet been released — this course tracks SY0-701 and will be updated if that changes.
Do I need CCNA or networking experience first?
No, but it helps. CompTIA's own recommendation is Network+ plus about two years of IT administration experience with a security focus. Students coming from this site's CCNA course tend to move faster through the networking-adjacent objectives (segmentation, VPNs, firewalls) but Security+ is written to stand on its own.
Does buying CCNA or CCNP ENCOR include Security+?
No. Security+ is a completely separate, independently purchased program — its own membership, its own dashboard. Owning CCNA or CCNP ENCOR does not unlock any paid Security+ content, and buying Security+ does not unlock CCNA or CCNP ENCOR.
Will completing this course guarantee I pass the real exam?
No, and we won't claim otherwise. This course is built to genuinely teach the SY0-701 objectives in depth with original practice material — but your result on CompTIA's actual exam depends on your own study, experience, and exam-day performance.
What's actually free versus paid?
The certification overview (this page), the full crash course, and the glossary are entirely free and don't require an account. The complete lesson library (all five domains), guided activities, domain assessments, the two full practice exams, the adjustable study plan, and the weakness board require Security+ Complete.
Are the practice questions real CompTIA exam questions?
No. Every question in this course — lesson knowledge checks, domain assessments, and the two practice exams — is original ITCertFoundry material written to the published objectives. We never copy or reproduce CompTIA's confidential exam content.
Ready to move from vocabulary to applied defensive reasoning?
Get Security+ Complete ↗