Monday, April 21, 2014

SY0-401 Differences

CompTIA is rolling out the next version of the Security+ exam (SY0-401) in May 2014.

On the surface, it looks like the changes are minor. However, when you dig into the details, you'll see that CompTIA has made several significant changes that require you to know a lot more.

This series of posts covers all the changes:

If you're studying for the SY0-301 version of the exam, don't worry. You can still take it up to midnight on December 31, 2014.

Study packages to help you pass the SY0-301 exam the first time you take it are available here.

SY0-401 Differences in Domains

As an introduction, the following table shows the differences in the SY0-401 domain weighting. The new version includes the same six domains, but reflects changes in domain weighting.

Domain SY0-301 SY0-401 Change
1.0 Network Security 21% 20%  -1%
2.0 Compliance and Operational Security 18% 18% --
3.0 Threats and Vulnerabilities 21% 20% -1%
4.0 Application, Data and Host Security 16% 15% -1%
5.0 Access Control and Identity Management 13% 15% +2%
6.0 Cryptography 11% 12% +1%

From the perspective of the domains, you can see that the changes are relatively minor. The biggest change is that Access Control and Identity Management bumped up 2%. Also, you can see that the Cryptography domain increased by 1%. The following links will take you to pages identifying the differences in each of these domains.

However, when you dig into the details, you'll see that many of the changes within the domains are significant.

CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: Study Guide

I'm frequently asked if I'll be updating the CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-301 Study Guide to the 401 exam.  The answer is yes, but it takes time.

If you're interested in the progress of the book, feel free to sign up to the Get Certified Get Ahead newsletter. For a limited time, you can get a free copy of the chapter 1 of the CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-301 Study Guide.

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