CompTIA Security+
(SY0-701) (Study Notes)
CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)
Study Notes
Introduction
● Introduction
○ CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) certification is considered an intermediate level
information technology certification and an entry level cyber security certification that
focuses on your ability to assess the security posture of an enterprise environment
○ This certification is designed for information technology professionals or aspiring
cybersecurity professionals who have already earned their CompTIA A+ and Network+
certifications, but this is a recommendation from CompTIA and not a strict requirement
■ If you have the equivalent of 1-2 years of working with hardware, software, and
networks, then you will do fine in this course
○ This course is designed as a full textbook replacement, but if you would like to get a
textbook to study from as well, we recommend the official CompTIA Security+ Student
Guide available directly from CompTIA
○ CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) certification exam consists of five domains or areas of
knowledge
■ 12% of General Security Concepts
■ 22% of Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations
■ 18% of Security Architecture
■ 28% of Security Operations
1
https://www.DionTraining.com
, CompTIA Security+
(SY0-701) (Study Notes)
■ 20% of Security Program Management and Oversight
○ When taking the CompTIA Security+ certification exam at the testing center or online
using the web proctoring service, you are going to have 90 minutes to answer up to 90
questions
■ You’re going to be answering multiple-choice questions, but you may get a few
multiple-select questions where they ask you to pick 2 or 3 correct answers for a
single question
■ You will also get a handful of performance-based questions
○ To pass the Security+ certification exam, you must score at least 750 points out of 900
on their 100 to 900 point scale
○ To take the exam, you do have to pay an exam fee to cover the cost of testing, and you
do that by buying an exam voucher
■ How do you sign up and schedule your exam?
● CompTIA Store
○ You can do this by going to store.comptia.org and buying it from
their web store
○ The price does vary depending on which country you will be
taking your exam from since CompTIA uses region based pricing
● Dion Training
○ You can go to diontraining.com/vouchers and purchase your
voucher directly from us, because we are a certified Platinum
Level CompTIA Delivery Partner
○ You’ll save an extra 10% or so off the regular CompTIA price
○ We’ll give you free access to our searchable video library as a
bonus for buying your voucher from us
2
https://www.DionTraining.com
, CompTIA Security+
(SY0-701) (Study Notes)
○ 4 tips for success in this course
■ Turn on closed captioning
■ Control the playback speed
■ Join our FB or Discord group
● facebook.com/groups/diontraining
● diontraining.com/discord
■ Download and print the study guide
● Exam Tips
○ There will be no trick questions
■ Always be on the lookout for distractors or red herrings
■ At least one of the four listed possible answer choices that are written to try and
distract you from the correct answer
○ Pay close attention to words in bold, italics, or all uppercase
○ Answer the questions based on CompTIA Security+ knowledge
■ In cybersecurity, there really is no 100% correct answers in the real world
because everything is situational
■ When in doubt, choose the answer that is correct for the highest number of
situations
○ Understand the key concepts of the test questions
○ Do not memorize the terms word for word, try to understand them instead
○ During the exam, the answers will be from multiple-choice style questions
3
https://www.DionTraining.com
, CompTIA Security+
(SY0-701) (Study Notes)
Fundamentals of Security
Objectives:
● 1.1 - Compare and contrast various types of security controls
● 1.2 - Summarize fundamental security concepts
● Fundamentals of Security
○ Information Security
■ Protecting data and information from unauthorized access, modification,
disruption, disclosure, and destruction
○ Information Systems Security
■ Protecting the systems (e.g., computers, servers, network devices) that hold and
process critical data
○ CIA Triad
■ Confidentiality
● Ensures information is accessible only to authorized personnel (e.g.,
encryption)
■ Integrity
● Ensures data remains accurate and unaltered (e.g., checksums)
■ Availability
● Ensures information and resources are accessible when needed (e.g.,
redundancy measures)
○ Non-Repudiation
■ Guarantees that an action or event cannot be denied by the involved parties
(e.g., digital signatures)
4
https://www.DionTraining.com
(SY0-701) (Study Notes)
CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)
Study Notes
Introduction
● Introduction
○ CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) certification is considered an intermediate level
information technology certification and an entry level cyber security certification that
focuses on your ability to assess the security posture of an enterprise environment
○ This certification is designed for information technology professionals or aspiring
cybersecurity professionals who have already earned their CompTIA A+ and Network+
certifications, but this is a recommendation from CompTIA and not a strict requirement
■ If you have the equivalent of 1-2 years of working with hardware, software, and
networks, then you will do fine in this course
○ This course is designed as a full textbook replacement, but if you would like to get a
textbook to study from as well, we recommend the official CompTIA Security+ Student
Guide available directly from CompTIA
○ CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) certification exam consists of five domains or areas of
knowledge
■ 12% of General Security Concepts
■ 22% of Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations
■ 18% of Security Architecture
■ 28% of Security Operations
1
https://www.DionTraining.com
, CompTIA Security+
(SY0-701) (Study Notes)
■ 20% of Security Program Management and Oversight
○ When taking the CompTIA Security+ certification exam at the testing center or online
using the web proctoring service, you are going to have 90 minutes to answer up to 90
questions
■ You’re going to be answering multiple-choice questions, but you may get a few
multiple-select questions where they ask you to pick 2 or 3 correct answers for a
single question
■ You will also get a handful of performance-based questions
○ To pass the Security+ certification exam, you must score at least 750 points out of 900
on their 100 to 900 point scale
○ To take the exam, you do have to pay an exam fee to cover the cost of testing, and you
do that by buying an exam voucher
■ How do you sign up and schedule your exam?
● CompTIA Store
○ You can do this by going to store.comptia.org and buying it from
their web store
○ The price does vary depending on which country you will be
taking your exam from since CompTIA uses region based pricing
● Dion Training
○ You can go to diontraining.com/vouchers and purchase your
voucher directly from us, because we are a certified Platinum
Level CompTIA Delivery Partner
○ You’ll save an extra 10% or so off the regular CompTIA price
○ We’ll give you free access to our searchable video library as a
bonus for buying your voucher from us
2
https://www.DionTraining.com
, CompTIA Security+
(SY0-701) (Study Notes)
○ 4 tips for success in this course
■ Turn on closed captioning
■ Control the playback speed
■ Join our FB or Discord group
● facebook.com/groups/diontraining
● diontraining.com/discord
■ Download and print the study guide
● Exam Tips
○ There will be no trick questions
■ Always be on the lookout for distractors or red herrings
■ At least one of the four listed possible answer choices that are written to try and
distract you from the correct answer
○ Pay close attention to words in bold, italics, or all uppercase
○ Answer the questions based on CompTIA Security+ knowledge
■ In cybersecurity, there really is no 100% correct answers in the real world
because everything is situational
■ When in doubt, choose the answer that is correct for the highest number of
situations
○ Understand the key concepts of the test questions
○ Do not memorize the terms word for word, try to understand them instead
○ During the exam, the answers will be from multiple-choice style questions
3
https://www.DionTraining.com
, CompTIA Security+
(SY0-701) (Study Notes)
Fundamentals of Security
Objectives:
● 1.1 - Compare and contrast various types of security controls
● 1.2 - Summarize fundamental security concepts
● Fundamentals of Security
○ Information Security
■ Protecting data and information from unauthorized access, modification,
disruption, disclosure, and destruction
○ Information Systems Security
■ Protecting the systems (e.g., computers, servers, network devices) that hold and
process critical data
○ CIA Triad
■ Confidentiality
● Ensures information is accessible only to authorized personnel (e.g.,
encryption)
■ Integrity
● Ensures data remains accurate and unaltered (e.g., checksums)
■ Availability
● Ensures information and resources are accessible when needed (e.g.,
redundancy measures)
○ Non-Repudiation
■ Guarantees that an action or event cannot be denied by the involved parties
(e.g., digital signatures)
4
https://www.DionTraining.com
