Index

# 🛡️ CompTIA Security+ — Study Hub ### A step-by-step preparation guide for **CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)** *Concepts, real diagrams, and exam prep* — the **vendor-neutral, foundational** baseline for a sysadmin moving into cybersecurity.     

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[!NOTE] Unofficial & no fabrication. Not affiliated with or endorsed by CompTIA. Exam specifics are from CompTIA's official Security+ page; anything volatile (price, exam code, retirement date, Continuing Education / CEU renewal) should be re-checked there. Compiled 2026-06-20; exam facts re-checked 2026-09-29.

[!IMPORTANT] Version notice — this hub covers SY0-701 (V7). SY0-701 retires English 2027-06-11; Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, and Thai 2027-08-13 (V7 page). The successor SY0-801 (V8) launches on or around 2026-11-17, English only at launch: max 90 questions, 90 minutes, 750 on 100–900; domains General Security Concepts 16%; Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Attacks 24%; Security Architecture 19%; Security Operations 27%; Security Program Management and Oversight 14% (V8 page). Sitting SY0-801? Map your study to the SY0-801 objectives — see the version notice.

📋 At a glance

Item	Detail
Exam	SY0-701 (V7) — retires English 2027-06-11; successor SY0-801 from ~2026-11-17
Format	Max 90 questions — multiple-choice + performance-based (PBQ)
Duration / pass	90 minutes · 750 on a 100–900 scale
Level	Foundational, vendor-neutral, defensive-leaning
Recommended	Network+ and two years in a security / systems administrator job role (not required)

Full details: exam & objectives.

🛠️ Prepare for it — the procedure

This hub is a preparation guide: follow the steps in order. The method is the repo-wide how to prepare a certification; the numbers below (80% per domain, 85% on a full mock) are that method's readiness rule, not a CompTIA figure.

1. Commit — read exam & objectives, confirm the current exam code and price on CompTIA's page, and set a target date. Plan on roughly 7 weeks at 8–10 hours a week (~54–70 h total, summing the plan's suggested hours) — the study plan breaks that down.
2. Get the official objectives PDF from CompTIA and fill the coverage map: write each official objective number next to the topic row that covers it, mark any gap, and self-score every row 0–3 before you start (the method explains the scale).
3. Study weight-first — Domain 1 first (it is the vocabulary), then 4 → 2 → 3 → 5 by weight. For each domain: read the page, do the hands-on items it names (in the CEH lab or on a practice platform), map each attack or control to the attack → defense matrix, then take that domain's practice questions. Log every miss, then drill the flashcard deck with python3 certs/ceh/scripts/quiz.py --deck certs/security-plus/exam-prep/flashcards.csv (from the repo root) or import it into Anki.
4. Rehearse the PBQs — performance-based questions open the exam and eat the clock; the study plan's PBQ section tells you how to drill them. Pace to remember: 90 questions in 90 minutes: one minute per item, and PBQs take longer.
5. Pass the readiness gate — every domain ≥ 80% on a second, spaced attempt; the timed full mock exam ≥ 85%; the cheat sheet · acronyms · glossary automatic; no open weak-area row older than a week.
6. Exam week — logistics (ID, online-proctoring check or test-centre rules) three days out; final drill of the weak-area log; the exam-day tactics in the CEH exam strategy apply unchanged to CompTIA multiple choice.
7. After — note CompTIA's continuing-education renewal rule from the objectives page and calendar it; return to the roadmap for the next milestone.

📈 Track it

#	Domain	Weight	Read	Hands-on	Practice 1	Practice 2 (spaced)
1	General Security Concepts	12%	☐	☐	____%	____%
2	Threats, Vulnerabilities & Mitigations	22%	☐	☐	____%	____%
3	Security Architecture	18%	☐	☐	____%	____%
4	Security Operations	28%	☐	☐	____%	____%
5	Security Program Management & Oversight	20%	☐	☐	____%	____%

• [ ] Objectives PDF downloaded · self-assessment done · exam date __________
• [ ] Timed full mock exam: ____% (target ≥ 85%) · exam booked __________ · passed __________

🗺️ The five domains

flowchart LR
    D1["1 · General Security<br/>Concepts — 12%"] --> D2["2 · Threats, Vulns<br/>& Mitigations — 22%"]
    D2 --> D3["3 · Security<br/>Architecture — 18%"]
    D3 --> D4["4 · Security<br/>Operations — 28%"]
    D4 --> D5["5 · Program Mgmt<br/>& Oversight — 20%"]

#	Domain	Weight	Page
1	General Security Concepts	12%	01-general-security-concepts.md
2	Threats, Vulnerabilities & Mitigations	22%	02-threats-vulnerabilities-mitigations.md
3	Security Architecture	18%	03-security-architecture.md
4	Security Operations	28%	04-security-operations.md
5	Security Program Management & Oversight	20%	05-security-program-management-oversight.md

📦 What's inside

Section	Contents
Overview	What is Security+ · Exam & objectives
The 5 domains	Each domain taught to the SY0-701 objectives, with diagrams & exam tips
Exam prep	Study plan · Coverage map · Flashcards · Practice questions · Full mock exam · Cheat sheet
Reference	Acronyms (the famously long Security+ list) · Glossary

🧭 Where it fits

Security+ is the breadth baseline you earn early — before specializing. It pairs naturally with the rest of this repo:

• Offensive next step → the CEH hub adds the attacker's lens on top.
• Defensive / identity depth → the PAM foundations operationalize the access-control, identity, and least-privilege concepts Security+ surveys.
• Mechanisms → the protocols pages explain the crypto, TLS, Kerberos, SAML, and 802.1X that Security+ references.
• Career path → see the learning roadmap and platforms.

🔗 Quick links

• 🎓 CompTIA Security+ (official)
• 🧠 Acronyms · Glossary
• 📝 Full mock exam (85 MCQ + 5 PBQ, timed, gate ≥ 85%) · Practice questions
• 🧪 The 5 domains

CompTIA and Security+ are trademarks of CompTIA, used here for identification and educational purposes only.