Welcome to the CompTIA Security+ SY0-201 Cert Guide. The CompTIA Security+ Certification is widely accepted as the first security certification you should attempt to attain in your information technology (IT) career. The CompTIA Security+ Certification is designed to be a vendor-neutral exam that measures your knowledge of industry-standard technologies and methodologies. It acts as a great stepping stone to other vendor-specific certifications and careers. I developed this book to be something you can study from for the exam and keep on your bookshelf for later use as a security resource.

I’d like to note that it’s unfeasible to cover all security concepts in depth in a single book. However, the Security+ exam objectives are looking for a basic level of computer, networking, and organizational security knowledge. Keep this in mind while reading through this text, and remember that the main goal of this text is to help you pass the Security+ exam, not to be the master of all security. Not just yet at least! Because this is a security book, it is a bit more serious than some of my other texts.

This may come as a surprise to some, but levity should be used carefully when dealing with security concepts because too much humor can easily confuse the issue and be taken the wrong way. It is my belief that in this fast-paced world of ever-changing technology, an author needs to get right to the point. I understand that you don’t have unlimited time for study, so you will notice me being blunt in the way I get to the core of concepts. Don’t take offense! This is done by design to aid you in absorbing content quickly.

Good luck as you prepare to take the CompTIA Security+ exam. As you read through this book, you will be building an impenetrable castle of knowledge, culminating in hands-on familiarity and the know-how to pass the exam. If you have any questions while reading through this book, please feel free to ask them at my website: www.davidlprowse.com.