CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA+ Certification Training

This CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) training course will prepare you to successfully achieve this in-demand certification with hands-on, scenario-based training so you'll be ready to meet advanced persistent threats (APTs) head on.

In this certification training course, you will gain the foundational knowledge to fully prepare for the CySA+ exam (CS0-002). This is an intermediate certification that is part of the CompTIA certification pathway, fitting in between the Network+ & CASP certifications. Achieving this certification validates that you have the skills as a cybersecurity analyst, that you can take an analytical approach to cybersecurity, and have the knowledge of network security tools and techniques to combat threats.

Included in your course tuition fee is a voucher that enables you to take the CS0-002 exam at any Pearson VUE Test Centre location.

• IT Security Professionals must have 3-4 years of hands-on information security or related experience at the level of Network+ or Security+

• It is recommended that you have the following skills and knowledge before starting this course:
  • Knowledge of basic network terminology and functions (such as OSI Model, Topology, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, switches, routers)
  • Understanding of TCP/IP addressing, core protocols, and troubleshooting tools
  • Network attack strategies and defences
  • Knowledge of the technologies and uses of cryptographic standards and products
  • Network- and host-based security technologies and practises
  • Standards and products used to enforce security on web and communications technologies

• Course tuition fee includes an exam voucher. The exam is offered through Pearson Vue.

• To earn this certification, you must take and pass CompTIA exam CS0-002
• You must earn 60 CompTIA CEUs over a three-year period to maintain CySA+ certification
• Maintain your CompTIA certification with CEU-approved training. Learn More ›
• This is a CompTIA certification prep course. Click here to view more CompTIA certification prep training ›

CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA+ Certification Training Delivery Methods

• CompTIA-approved CySA+ training programs
• After-course instructor coaching benefit
• Exam voucher included

CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA+ Certification Training Course Benefits

• Prepare for and pass the Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) exam
• Threat and Vulnerability Management
• Software and Systems Security
• Security Operations and Monitoring
• Incident Response
• Compliance and Assessment

CySA+ Course Outline

1.0 Threat and Vulnerability Management

1.1 Explain the importance of threat data and intelligence.

• Intelligence sources
  • Open-source intelligence
  • Proprietary/closed-source intelligence
  • Timeliness
  • Relevancy
  • Accuracy
• Indicator management
  • Structured Threat Information eXpression (STIX)
  • Trusted Automated eXchange of Indicator Information (TAXII)
  • OpenIoC
• Threat classification
  • Known threat vs. unknown threat
  • Zero-day
  • Advanced persistent threat
• Threat actors
  • Nation-state
  • Hacktivist
  • Organised crime
  • Insider threat
  • Intentional
  • Unintentional
• Intelligence cycle
  • Requirements
  • Collection
  • Analysis
  • Dissemination
  • Feedback
• Commodity malware
• Information sharing and analysis communities
  • Healthcare
  • Financial
  • Aviation
  • Government
  • Critical infrastructure

1.2 Given a scenario, utilise threat intelligence to support organisational security.

• Attack frameworks
  • MITRE ATT&CK
  • The Diamond Model of Intrusion Analysis
  • Kill chain
• Threat research
  • Reputational
  • Behavioral
  • Indicator of compromise (IoC)
  • Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS)
• Threat modelling methodologies
  • Adversary capability
  • Total attack surface
  • Attack vector
  • Impact
  • Liklihood
• Threat intelligence sharing with supported functions
  • Incident response
  • Vulnerability management
  • Risk management
  • Security engineering
  • Detection and monitoring

1.3 Given a scenario, perform vulnerability management activities.

• Vulnerability identification
  • Asset criticality
  • Active vs. passive scanning
  • Mapping/enumeration
• Validation
  • True positive
  • False positive - True negative
  • False negative
• Remediation/mitigation
  • Configuration baseline
  • Patching
  • Hardening
  • Compensating controls
  • Risk acceptance
  • Verification of mitigation
• Scanning parameters and criteria
  • Risks associated with scanning activities
  • Vulnerability feed
  • Scope
  • Credentialed vs. non-credentialed
  • Server-based vs. agent-based
  • Internal vs. external
  • Special considerations
  • Types of data
  • Technical constraints
  • Workflow
  • Sensitivity levels
  • Regulatory requirements
  • Segmentation
  • Intrusion prevention system (IPS), intrusion detection system (IDS), and firewall settings
• Inhibitors to remediation
  • Memorandum of understanding (MOU)
  • Service-level agreement (SLA)
  • Organisational governance
  • Business process interruption
  • Degrading functionality
  • Legacy systems

1.4 Given a scenario, analyse the output from common vulnerability assessment tools.

• Web application scanner
  • OWASP Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP)
  • Burp suite
  • Nikto
  • Arachni
• Infrastructure vulnerability scanner
  • Nessus
  • OpenVAS
  • Qualys
• Software assessment tools and techniques
  • Static analysis
  • Dynamic analysis
  • Reverse engineering
  • Fuzzing
• Enumeration
  • Nmap
  • hping
  • Active vs. passive
  • Responder
• Wireless assessment tools
  • Aircrack-ng
  • Reaver
  • oclHashcat
• Cloud Infrastructure assessment tools
  • ScoutSuite
  • Prowler
  • Pacu

1.5 Explain the threats and vulnerabilities associated with specialised technology.

• Mobile
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• Embedded
• Real-time operating system (RTOS)
• System-on-Chip (SoC)
• Field programmable gate array (FPGA)
• Physical access control
• Busiling automation systems
• Vehicles and drones
  • CAN bus
• Workflow and process automation systems
• Industrial control system
• Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA)
  • Modbus

1.6 Explain the threats and vulnerabilities associated with operating in the cloud.

• Cloud service models
  • Software as a Service (SaaS)
  • Platform as a Service (PaaS)
  • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
• Cloud deployment models
  • Public
  • Private
  • Community
  • Hybrid
• Function as a Service (FaaS)/ serverless architecture
• Infrastructure as code (IaC)
• Insecure application programming interface (API)
• Improper key management
• Unprotected storage
• Logging and monitoring
  • Insufficient logging and monitoring
  • Inability to access

1.7 Given a scenario, implement controls to mitigate attacks and software vulnerabilities.

• Attack types
  • Extensible markup language (XML) attack
  • Structured query language (SQL) injection
  • Overflow attack
    • Buffer
    • Integer
    • Heap
  • Remote code execution
  • Directory traversal
  • Privilege escalation
  • Password spraying
  • Credential stuffing
  • Impersonation
  • Man-in-the-middle attack
  • Session hijacking
  • Rootkit
  • Cross-site scripting
    • Reflected
    • Persistent
    • Document object model (DOM)
• Vulnerabilities
  • Improper error handling
  • Dereferencing
  • Insecure object reference
  • Race condition
  • Broken authentication
  • Sensitive data exposure
  • Insecure components - Insufficient logging and monitoring - Weak or default configurations - Use of insecure functions - strcpy

2.0 Software and Systems Security

2.1 Given a scenario, apply security solutions for infrastructure management.

• Cloud vs. on-premises
• Asset management
  • Asset tagging
• Segmentation
  • Physical
  • Virtual
  • Jumpbox
  • System isolation
  • Air gap
• Network architecture
  • Physical
  • Software-define
  • Virtual private cloud (VPC)
  • Virtual private network (VPN)
  • Serverless
• Change management
• Virtualisation
  • Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)
• Containerization
• Identity and access management
  • Privilege management
  • Multifactor authentication (MFA)
  • Single sign-on (SSO)
  • Federation
  • Role-based
  • Attribute-based
  • Mandatory
  • Manual review
• Cloud access security broker (CASB)
• Honeypot
• Monitoring and logging
• Encryption
• Certificate management
• Active defence

2.2 Explain software assurance best practises.

• Platforms
  • Mobile
  • Web application
  • Client/server
  • Embedded
  • System-on-chip (SoC)
  • Firmware
• Software development life cycle (SDLC) integration
• DevSecOps
• Software assessment methods
  • User acceptance testing
  • Stress test application
  • Security regression testing
  • Code review
• Secure coding best practises
  • Input validation
  • Output encoding
  • Session management
  • Authentication
  • Data protection
  • Parameterized queries
• Static analysis tools
• Dynamic analysis tools
• Formal methods for verification of critical software
• Service-oriented architecture
  • Security Assertions Markup Language (SAML)
  • Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)
  • Representational State Transfer (REST)
  • Microservices

2.3 Explain hardware assurance best practises.

• Hardware root of trust
  • Trusted platform module (TPM)
  • Hardware security module (HSM)
• eFuse
• Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)
• Trusted foundry
• Secure processing
  • Trusted execution
  • Secure enclave
  • Processor security extensions
  • Atomic execution
• Anti-tamper
• Self-encrypting drive
• Trusted firmware updates
• Measured boot and attestation
• Bus encryption

3.0 Security Operations and Monitoring

3.1 Given a scenario, analyse data as part of security monitoring activities.

• Heuristics
• Trend analysis
• Endpoint
  • Malware
  • Reverse engineering
  • Memory
  • System and application behaviour
  • Known-good behaviour
  • Anomalous behaviour
  • Exploit techniques
  • File system
  • User and entity behaviour analytics (UEBA)
• Network
  • Uniform Resource Locator (URL) and domain name system (DNS) analysis
  • Domain generation algorithm
  • Flow analysis
  • Packet and protocol analysis
  • Malware
• Log review
  • Event logs
  • Syslog
  • Firewall logs
  • Web application firewall (WAF)
  • Proxy
  • Intrusion detection system (IDS)/ Intrusion prevention system (IPS)
• Impact analysis
  • Organisation impact vs. localised impact
  • Immediate vs. total
• Security information and event management (SIEM) review
  • Rule writing
  • Known-bad Internet protocol (IP)
  • Dashboard
• Query writing
  • String search
  • Script
  • Piping
• E-mail analysis
  • Malicious payload
  • Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM)
  • Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC)
  • Sender Policy Framework (SPF)
  • Phishing
  • Forwarding
  • Digital signature
  • E-mail signature block
  • Embedded links
  • Impersonation
  • Header

3.2 Given a scenario, implement configuration changes to existing controls to improve security.

• Permissions
• Whitelisting
• Blacklisting
• Firewall
• Intrusion prevention system (IPS) rules
• Data loss prevention (DLP)
• Endpoint detection and response (EDR)
• Network access control (NAC)
• Sinkholing
• Malware signatures
  • Development/rule writing
• Sandboxing
• Port security

3.3 Explain the importance of proactive threat hunting

• Establishing a hypothesis
• Profiling threat actors and activities
• Threat hunting tactics
  • Executable process analysis
• Reducing the attack surface area
• Bundling critical assets
• Attack vectors
• Integrated intelligence
• Improving detection capabilities

3.4 Compare and contrast automation concepts and technologies.

• Workflow orchestration
  • Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR)
• Scripting
• Application programming interface (API) integration
• Automated malware signature creation
• Data enrichment
• Threat feed combination
• Machine learning
• Use of automation protocols and standards
  • Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP)
• Continuous integration
• Continuous deployment/delivery

4.0 Incident Response

4.1 Explain the importance of the incident response process.

• Communication plan
  • Limiting communication to trusted parties
  • Disclosing based on regulatory/ legislative requirements
  • Preventing inadvertent release of information
  • Using a secure method of communication
  • Reporting requirements
• Response coordination with relevant entities
  • Legal Human resources
  • Public relations
  • Internal and external
  • Law enforcement
  • Senior leadership
  • Regulatory bodies
• Factors contributing to data criticality
  • Personally identifiable information (PII)
  • Personal health information (PHI)
  • Sensitive personal information (SPI)
  • High value asset
  • Financial information
  • Intellectual property
  • Corporate information

4.2 Given a scenario, apply the appropriate incident response procedure.

• Preparation
  • Training
  • Testing
  • Documentation of procedures
• Detection and analysis
  • Characteristics contributing to severity level classification
  • Downtime
  • Recovery time
  • Data integrity
  • Economic
  • System process criticality
  • Reverse engineering
  • Data correlation
• Containment
  • Segmentation
  • Isolation
• Eradication and recovery
  • Vulnerability mitigation
  • Sanitization
  • Reconstruction/reimaging
  • Secure disposal
  • Patching
  • Restoration of permissions
  • Reconstitution of resources
  • Restoration of capabilities and services
  • Verification of logging/ communication to security monitoring
• Post-incident activities
  • Evidence retention
  • Lessons learned report
  • Change control process
  • Incident response plan update
  • Incident summary report
  • IoC generation
  • Monitoring

4.3 Given an incident, analyse potential indicators of compromise.

• Network-related
  • Bandwidth consumption
  • Beaconing
  • Irregular peer-to-peer communication
  • Rogue device on the network
  • Scan/sweep
  • Unusual traffic spike
  • Common protocol over non-standard port
• Host-related
  • Processor consumption
  • Memory consumption
  • Drive capacity consumption
  • Unauthorised software
  • Malicious process
  • Unauthorised change
  • Unauthorised privilege
  • Data exfiltration
  • Abnormal OS process behaviour
  • File system change or anomaly
  • Registry change or anomaly
  • Unauthorised scheduled task
• Application-related
  • Anomalous activity
  • Introduction of new accounts
  • Unexpected output
  • Unexpected outbound communication
  • Service interruption
  • Application log

4.4 Given a scenario, utilise basic digital forensics techniques.

• Network
  • Wireshark
  • tcpdump
• Endpoint
  • Disk
  • Memory
• Mobile
• Cloud
• Virtualisation
• Legal hold
• Procedures
• Hashing
  • Changes to binaries
• Carving
• Data acquisition

5.0 Compliance and Assessment

5.1 Understand the importance of data privacy and protection.

• Privacy vs. security
• Non-technical controls
  • Classification
  • Ownership
  • Retention
  • Data types
  • Retention standards
  • Confidentiality
  • Legal requirements
  • Data sovereignty
  • Data minimization
  • Purpose limitation
  • Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)
• Technical controls
  • Encryption
  • Data loss prevention (DLP)
  • Data masking
  • Deidentification
  • Tokenization
  • Digital rights management (DRM) ?
  • Watermarking
  • Geographic access requirements
  • Access controls

5.2 Given a scenario, apply security concepts in support of organisational risk mitigation.

• Business impact analysis
• Risk identification process
• Risk calculation
  • Probability
  • Magnitude
• Communication of risk factors
• Risk prioritisation
  • Security controls -
  • Engineering tradeoffs
• Systems assessment
• Documented compensating controls
• Training and exercises
  • Red team
  • Blue team
  • White team
  • Tabletop exercise
• Supply chain assessment
  • Vendor due diligence
  • Hardware source authenticity

5.3 Explain the importance of frameworks, policies, procedures, and controls.

• Frameworks
  • Risk-based
  • Prescriptive
• Policies and procedures
  • Code of conduct/ethics
  • Acceptable use policy (AUP)
  • Password policy
  • Data ownership
  • Data retention
  • Account management
  • Continuous monitoring
  • Work product retention
• Category
  • Managerial
  • Operational
  • Technical
• Control type
  • Preventative
  • Detective
  • Corrective
  • Deterrent
  • Compensating
  • Physical
• Audits and assessments
  • Regulatory
  • Compliance