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CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-401 Study Guide
CompTIA Security+ Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-401 Study Guide is an update to the top-selling SY0-301 guide, which helped thousands of readers pass the exam the first time they took it. The SY0-301 version covers every aspect of the SY0-301 exam, and includes the same elements readers raved about in the previous version.
Each of the eleven chapters presents topics in an easy to understand manner and includes real-world examples of security principles in action. The author uses many of the same analogies and explanations he’s honed in the classroom that have helped hundreds of students master the Security+ content. You’ll understand the important and relevant security topics for the Security+ exam, without being overloaded with unnecessary details. Additionally, each chapter includes a comprehensive review section to help you focus on what’s important.
Over 400 realistic practice test questions with in-depth explanations will help you test your comprehension and readiness for the exam. The book includes a 100 question pre-test, a 100 question post-test, and practice test questions at the end of every chapter. Each practice test question includes a detailed explanation to help you understand the content and the reasoning behind the question. You’ll be ready to take and pass the exam the first time you take it.
If you plan to pursue any of the advanced security certifications, this guide will also help you lay a solid foundation of security knowledge. Learn this material, and you’ll be a step ahead for other exams. This SY0-401 study guide is for any IT or security professional interested in advancing in their field, and a must read for anyone striving to master the basics of IT systems security.
The author also posts related blogs to supplement the book at http://blogs.getcertifiedgetahead.com/.
Each of the eleven chapters presents topics in an easy to understand manner and includes real-world examples of security principles in action. The author uses many of the same analogies and explanations he’s honed in the classroom that have helped hundreds of students master the Security+ content. You’ll understand the important and relevant security topics for the Security+ exam, without being overloaded with unnecessary details. Additionally, each chapter includes a comprehensive review section to help you focus on what’s important.
Over 400 realistic practice test questions with in-depth explanations will help you test your comprehension and readiness for the exam. The book includes a 100 question pre-test, a 100 question post-test, and practice test questions at the end of every chapter. Each practice test question includes a detailed explanation to help you understand the content and the reasoning behind the question. You’ll be ready to take and pass the exam the first time you take it.
If you plan to pursue any of the advanced security certifications, this guide will also help you lay a solid foundation of security knowledge. Learn this material, and you’ll be a step ahead for other exams. This SY0-401 study guide is for any IT or security professional interested in advancing in their field, and a must read for anyone striving to master the basics of IT systems security.
The author also posts related blogs to supplement the book at http://blogs.getcertifiedgetahead.com/.
560 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 26, 2018
Very well explained with links to a website where you can perform some of the tasks that are covered in the book. It also has a test after every chapter and a final test.
February 19, 2017
For an IT certification book, this is probably written in the most interesting way that could be hoped for. I would recommend this book plus his website questions. Out of all the resources I found, his were the most true to the style of questions asked (i.e. posing questions in the form of a scenario as opposed to just defining terms).
April 22, 2015
I thought this book was very good. I guess we will see how good it was if I pass the test! Overall it seemed very complete and presented the topics very clearly.
November 15, 2017
This is the gold standard if you want to pass the Security+ Exam.
December 5, 2017
This morning I took the CompTIA Security+ SY0-501 exam (the successor to SY-401) and passed. For what it's worth, the exam was significantly tougher than I had expected, and many questions were badly worded, some with awkward grammar where verb antecedents were hard to figure out.
I had started reading Darril Gibson's book on Security+ last year and thought it was pretty good though a bit in the weeds. That book was for the SY0-401 Exam. Since -501 was just introduced and I wanted to take the new exam (the old one is still available for awhile) I bought a copy of Emmett Dulaney's book on SY0-501.
On the whole, I would have to say that if you're serious about the exam, Gibson's book is the one. I haven't looked at the SY0-501 version, but I expect it has the same detail-oriented approach.
[Aside: The Dulaney book isn't bad, but it manages to go a little too fast over the various areas. There are bits that are presented in paragraphs that should really be in tables or more easy-to-review structures. There are also genuine mistakes. I'll add them to the online addenda for Dulaney's book, but there were a few too many blemishes in the printed version.]
I had started reading Darril Gibson's book on Security+ last year and thought it was pretty good though a bit in the weeds. That book was for the SY0-401 Exam. Since -501 was just introduced and I wanted to take the new exam (the old one is still available for awhile) I bought a copy of Emmett Dulaney's book on SY0-501.
On the whole, I would have to say that if you're serious about the exam, Gibson's book is the one. I haven't looked at the SY0-501 version, but I expect it has the same detail-oriented approach.
[Aside: The Dulaney book isn't bad, but it manages to go a little too fast over the various areas. There are bits that are presented in paragraphs that should really be in tables or more easy-to-review structures. There are also genuine mistakes. I'll add them to the online addenda for Dulaney's book, but there were a few too many blemishes in the printed version.]
January 19, 2018
Great Security+ overview
Author kept the information entertaining as some of this stuff is a drag to get through. Definitely recommend for anyone needing to take this exam.
Author kept the information entertaining as some of this stuff is a drag to get through. Definitely recommend for anyone needing to take this exam.
January 21, 2018
Learned a lot but the 501 test was almost unrecognizable. A lot of tricky wording and tough questions.
February 22, 2018
I felt the materials didn't go in to enough depth, leaving worrying gaps in knowledge.
The parts it did cover have been helpful.
The parts it did cover have been helpful.
Read
July 28, 2023Passed my exam!
November 16, 2016
I passed my exam first time after I read this book. I've read other books too (as well as quite a bit of hands-on experience), but I definitely learnt a lot from this, and I'll be keeping it around for reference at work.
Comparing this to other study guides, the technical accuracy is definitely better than average. I'm glad that the author has an errata page on his website, although I reported some new errors in July 2016 and 4 months later they're still not listed. Most of the errors are fairly minor; the only real clanger related to networking rather than security. (Basically, the author doesn't understand the difference between a broadcast domain and a collision domain.) Still, if you've followed CompTIA's advice to take the Network+ exam before you prepare for the Security+ exam then this won't be a problem for you.
There are some other aspects which are a bit of a grey area. IT security is quite a fast paced field, i.e. things change frequently. That means that any guidance (whether in print or online) may be out of date by the time you read it. In this case, the book says that RC4 and MD5 are fine, but I wouldn't recommend using either of them nowadays. The book may have been accurate at the time of publication (October 2014), but I suspect that this text was copied from the previous edition (Comptia Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: Sy0-301 Study Guide) without being thoroughly reviewed. Still, the more general points here are all valid, e.g. the difference between symmetric and asymmetric algorithms.
Coming from a technical background, I found that the most useful part of this book was the terminology. For instance, I wasn't previously familiar with the difference between an RTO (Recovery Time Objective) and an RPO (Recovery Point Objective), but they're important if you're writing a disaster recovery plan. Similarly, if you're not clear on the difference between MTBF and MTTF then you'll learn something from this book.
Comparing this to other study guides, the technical accuracy is definitely better than average. I'm glad that the author has an errata page on his website, although I reported some new errors in July 2016 and 4 months later they're still not listed. Most of the errors are fairly minor; the only real clanger related to networking rather than security. (Basically, the author doesn't understand the difference between a broadcast domain and a collision domain.) Still, if you've followed CompTIA's advice to take the Network+ exam before you prepare for the Security+ exam then this won't be a problem for you.
There are some other aspects which are a bit of a grey area. IT security is quite a fast paced field, i.e. things change frequently. That means that any guidance (whether in print or online) may be out of date by the time you read it. In this case, the book says that RC4 and MD5 are fine, but I wouldn't recommend using either of them nowadays. The book may have been accurate at the time of publication (October 2014), but I suspect that this text was copied from the previous edition (Comptia Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: Sy0-301 Study Guide) without being thoroughly reviewed. Still, the more general points here are all valid, e.g. the difference between symmetric and asymmetric algorithms.
Coming from a technical background, I found that the most useful part of this book was the terminology. For instance, I wasn't previously familiar with the difference between an RTO (Recovery Time Objective) and an RPO (Recovery Point Objective), but they're important if you're writing a disaster recovery plan. Similarly, if you're not clear on the difference between MTBF and MTTF then you'll learn something from this book.
December 30, 2015
Most of the material I was familiar with - so that was good to know. Reading this book I felt would have been a good way to find out - and I think it was. The other would be to take the Security+ certification test - with a little more prep first. The book I feel may not be sufficient prep for me - without another review. Read this on my new Kindle Fire - making it my first digital read.
November 4, 2015
Very Good
I feel like I will ace the 401 exam after this. The information is presented to you in a way that keeps you interested. The cryptography section is the only exception(I absolutely hated it).
I feel like I will ace the 401 exam after this. The information is presented to you in a way that keeps you interested. The cryptography section is the only exception(I absolutely hated it).
December 23, 2015
Instead of participating in the continuing education program, I let my Security+ certification expire and just retake the latest test every couple years. This book helped me pass SYO-401 and was an easy read.
January 13, 2017
Read this book twice and passed sec+ on the first attempt. I highly recommend reading the book and answering all of the questions. You need to know the material not the questions. This book is a great resource for sec+ prep.
January 31, 2015
Did what it's supposed to do. I got certified. If you're looking to get it done, this is the book to do it.
October 23, 2015
Well written.. Made studying for the Security+ interesting and more engaging than other books written for the test.
Read
November 16, 2016Finished today, but there is no way that I'm ready for the exam yet. Guess I'll read the blasted thing again. Not rating it because my rating would be completely and utterly unfair.
Read
August 1, 2017I don't think this will be sufficient for the Security+ exam.
April 3, 2017
So much information.
My head hurts. Worth if I can pass the test. We will find out soon. Would recommend for most beginners.
My head hurts. Worth if I can pass the test. We will find out soon. Would recommend for most beginners.
April 23, 2017
Great help
I gave this book 5 stars because it had everything I needed to pass the test on the first try.
I gave this book 5 stars because it had everything I needed to pass the test on the first try.
July 6, 2017
I used this book for 95% of my study time, and I passed on my first go around. Very approachable writing with great examples.
Want to Read
September 17, 2017want to read
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews