This guide will be a living collaborative document.
To begin a career in Cyber Security you will need to lay the proper foundation to build upon. Whether you want to focus within security management, architecture, analysis, engineering or if your specialty will be in blue shirt defensive operations or red shirt offensive operations, everyone should start with the same building blocks.
Entry level cyber security certifications: [Click on each to find out more]
- SSCP – (ISC)2 Systems Security Certified Practitioner
- CEH – EC-Council’s Certified Ethical Hacker
- SANS GSEC – SysAdmin, Audit, Network & Security Global Information Assurance Certification [GIAC] Security Essentials Certification
- CompTIA Security+
Whatever entry level certification you choose is up to you.
Click HERE for an interactive 2023 CyberSec certification comparison roadmap.
Having certified security knowledge on your resume lets an organization know that you are serious about entering this field, as well as having an educated level of fundamental awareness of security concepts and that basic entry level training will not be required.
CompTIA
CompTIA does offer Stackable certifications to create other certifications.
CompTIA Network+ [The current certification is N10-008]
- Exam: 90 minutes
- Questions: 90 performance-based & multiple choice
- Grade: 720 is passing on a 100-900 scale
Domains:
- Networking Fundamentals 24%
- Network Implementations 19%
- Network Operations 16%
- Network Security 19%
- Network Troubleshooting 22%
Study Resources:
CompTIA Security+ [The current certification is SY0-601]
- Exam: 90 minutes
- Questions: 90 performance-based & multiple choice
- Grade: 750 is passing on a 100-900 scale
Domains:
- Attacks, Threats and Vulnerabilities 24%
- Architecture & Design 21%
- Implementation 25%
- Operations and Incident Response 16%
- Governance, Risk and Compliance [GRC] 14%
Study Resources:
- Professor Messer’s Free Training Course
- Udemy Complete Course & Exam
- NetworkChuck’s Complete YouTube Course Free
- GCGA Premium Pass Free Course
- Cybrary Security+ Full Course
CompTIA PenTest+ [The current certification is PT0-002]
- Exam: 165 minutes
- Questions: 85 performance-based & multiple choice
- Grade: 750 is passing on a 100-900 scale
Domains:
- Planning and Scoping 14%
- Information Gathering and Vulnerability Scanning 22%
- Attacks and Exploits 30%
- Reporting and Communication 18%
- Tools and Code Analysis 16%
Study Resources: