Security+ - editorial on this forum

Author

editorial on this forum

dannyboy 950

2002-09-21, 7:03 pm

It saddens me a great deal that there is no participation in ths forum or apparent interest in this field.
This will soon be one of the hottest fields to work in and one knowledgeable in this field will be able to write his own ticket so to speak.
I have read some articles that security is a hard sell to the customer, but this is rapidly changeing, with so many virus writers and hackers and crackers running rampant and the thousands of dollars in lost iformation and productivity, the industry, by this I mean the end user is takeing a lond hard look in this area

Now granted their is not much study material available and what is there isnt consistant,
but what we discuss and debate here may well shape the future and become the reality of this field.

So please the 400+ of you that just looked and walked away stop by and offer an opion right or wrong its at least a start.

I am off my soapbox now

CmptrDude1

2002-09-21, 8:15 pm

I am extremely interested in these field... I also wish it could be come instantly as popular as the A+ certification, but since it's so new, not many people are sure if it is going to be a big success. Right now, I have a plan for certifications and it will take awhile before I will be able to work Security+ into my plan. I'm sure things will pick up soon, and I'm anxious to see what happens with it.

chodan

2002-09-24, 6:00 am

Evidently this forums been here a month and I overlooked it "even though I was hoping one would get started".
The moderator might try posting a news bulletin on the opening page to let people know its here.
It is definately a timely topic and I'm glad to see Comptia get on board of this topic.

cheneybros

2002-09-24, 2:11 pm

I think this will be CompTIA's most prestigious cert...however, I think the hold up is lack of study material over CompTIA's objectives...I heard you could basically study TCP/IP till you barf & you could possibly pass the exam...I usually like to give CompTIA six months before attempting a new exam, only because after the beta, the exam may change totally...I will keep my eyes pealed after I pass this Server+ exam on sept 26th...

AuthorHelen

2002-09-24, 4:31 pm

Dannyboy,

Along with Cheneybros, I, too, hope that this will become CompTIA's most prestigious cert.

It's true that you need to know something about Network+ in order to succeed at Security+. Some understanding of the OSI layers as applied to TCP/IP is necessary, as is a basic understanding of TCP (and UDP) packet structure and ports. This is important because a LOT of security work these days involves monitoring networks and tracing origins of traffic and messages. TCP/IP knowledge is a must when configuring firewalls, intrusion detection systems, routers, etc., and when choosing how to connect segments to a corporate network for the best balance of performance and security, too.

But Security+ also includes other non-TCP/IP material, such as locking down OS's and applications, cryptography, physical security, policies, social engineering, what makes a good password, etc.

There IS actually study material available for it, and if you pick it up with a Network+ level understanding of TCP/IP and some knowledge of system administration, you can succeed on Security+. (I know, because along with Tcat Houser I'm the co-author of a 200+ page guide, which was released for free in draft form, available at http://www.alphageekproductions.com). Is it perfect? No. Complete? No. Well-edited? No -- we wrote it in a week in order to get it out before the beta was available. Enough to get the reader a good score on Security+ if they already have Network+ level knowledge and understand the material in the guide? Yes.

We released the guide both as a promotional item for our full book, and out of the thought that basic security knowledge should be available to everyone in IT. IE, it shouldn't be an optional item passed over because someone couldn't afford the materials to learn about it.

We heartily endorse the Security+ cert as a "security literacy" certification. It's not the most advanced security cert out there, but it's a great stepping-stone on the way to a more-advanced cert (CISSP if you want to manage security, GIAC or one of the vendor-specific certs if you want to be in the trenches). *And* it's a good way for a LAN admin who doesn't necessarily want security to be his or her life, to show that he/she understands enough about security to be less likely to make naive mistakes (like forcibly issuing someone the "hard to crack" password of J8cg!reVnU=# "in the name of security"... when everone in the real world club knows that the first thing that passowrd's owner will do, is write it down somewhere so that they don't forget it).

There's only one week left in the beta, but anyone out there already knows networking and would like a security cert, in beta, the Security+ exam is only $90 (vs. $150 or so when it's live). So if you can read through our prep guide and do a bit of research on cryptography (the main section we covered most lightly) on the net by September 30, obtaining Security+ is well within the realm of possibility.

If you have any questions, feel free to post them here.
--
* Helen *

cheneybros

2002-09-24, 4:49 pm

I have taken a CompTIA beta exam before (i-Net+), I did pass it, however, it took approx. 6 months for me to know my results...Which was fine, because they had to weed thru the bad questions that everyone missed (only an theory)...but if you are a person who needs to know their scores right away & cannot go living with that anxiety for 6 months, then you should wait until the live exam...don't go waste $90 bucks unless you know it up & down & all around...you will be basically going into this exam blindly...this maybe an ego-booster for some tech guru's...I believe I will wait...but, best of luck to those who choose to take it!!!

AuthorHelen

2002-09-24, 5:24 pm

Sean,

I've had the same experience as you -- waiting forever for beta scores from CompTIA. I've even received one letter saying I didn't pass, and two weeks later an, "oops, yes, you did". (!) [ Wasn't particularly impressed with the explanation of how/why they changed their minds, either. I'll probably never know what REALLY went on. ]

I think the Security+ exam is a different case. They really PUSHED this exam through the development process, and are planning on the live version debuting before the end of the year. Pretty much by definition this says that the beta scores will be out within a month or two (maybe still not soon enough for you). The reason this all of a sudden sounds possible for CompTIA to pull off, is that they DID meet ambitious schedule targets for the release of the beta.

One thing that has delayed some CompTIA beta results in the past is that the beta has been prolonged and prolonged, while CompTIA waited for enough participants to take the test that they could do a statistically valid analysis of the question database. Hopefully participation won't be an obstacle in this beta... but who knows.
--
* Helen *

mrucker

2002-09-30, 12:48 pm

I scheduled this exam 9/27 and took it 9/28. Used only my experience and Tcat's pdf to study for it. The pdf covers about 90% of the questions. Had 125 questions and I used the entire 2 hours. I felt that I did a good job on the exam. (we'll see when I get the results!) I had about 10-15 questions about things that I haven't been exposed to.

Some of the other Comptia exam's I've taken had overlap. I didn't see any here. All material on this test was related to Security.

SwiftDW

2002-09-30, 9:30 pm

I noticed a small amount of overlap from the Network+ (and most likely the I-Net+) exams. Firewall Basics and Ports are about it. But this exam was not as hard as I expected, (or wished). Congrats mrucker on taking the exam, hope you pass!

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