Linux+ study advice

I'll be taking the Linux+ XK0-006 exam this week. I have to admit that my Linux experience isn't on par with my Windows experience, but I do know a lot about hardware, software, scripting, security, networking, IAM, etc.

Do you have any advice that might help me prepare for the Linux+ exam? I have access to the CertMaster Learn, Labs, and Study materials. I also have access to the Instructor PDF and the slide decks for the class. Any sage advice, tips and tricks, "must-know" topics, or hints you can provide (without violating the NDA) would be greatly appreciated.

Errors in SecAI+ Certmaster activity "Threat Model Analysis"

Just a quick note for anyone using or doing this specific activity, there are errors that I have reported that you should be aware of. For two of the scenarios I was given for the section 2.1.7 Activity: "Threat Model Analysis", the answers that I initially selected and should have been correct, were instead marked as incorrect. I had to select other options until I was able to get what it incorrectly thought was right before I could move to the next question. It clearly stated in the feedback for each that my initial answer was actually true, so there is a mismatch happening somewhere in the program. As it can take a bit of time for these things to get addressed, just consider that before blindly accepting the outputs are true.
If I might ask, when did you report that? What date? I had also reported a couple of issues, and I'm tracking how long it's taken for Dev to respond and make the changes.

Exam Voucher got Expired

I have developed an email filter specifically for managing these vouchers. While it’s possible I might overlook an email from the college president, I am confident I will never miss a voucher.

I typically schedule the exam for the latest possible date, but I remain flexible to move it earlier if needed. It’s officially marked on the calendar.

Prof. J

Smh and Not sure where to go with this one

Hi-

I am about to start our next A+ cohort. There's someone in there who took the 1101/1102 already back in 2024. In our bootcamps, we give the vouchers out with the classes and prep them hard to pass. This guy has some kind of degree in the field, and I think in his own country where he's from (I think it's India), he's worked in this field in some capacity. I have not started teaching yet, but I've seen some really weird, questionable conversations in the Teams chat- where he seems to present himself as an authority on all things IT, especially Security+ (he does not have anything other than A+ and he took a course on CCNA and got a certificate of completion). I feel like he's a bit prideful and will be a handful as well. And he does a lot of pushback with the organization who runs the bootcamp as well. He will be a firecracker!

Anyway, based on how he writes, the level of writing he has doesn't seem mature. But my bootcamp thinks that if he doesn't want to retake the 1201/1202, or do the CertMaster CE, perhaps he could do the industry experience (assuming he gets a job) or do this last part: Publish relevant articles, white papers, blog posts, or participate in recognized industry activities. I just don't see anyone who doesn't have writing experience being waved through to having their certification renewed. Is this pretty common? We are trying to decide which way to push him over the next couple of days. He's proven to be quite the arguer when presented with a situation he doesn't like or want to do!

Thanks!

DLRoss
Introduce them to the concept of the Dunning-Kruger Effect and its implications for knowledge and expertise.

Prof. J
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IBM Z Educator Experience

To my fellow members of the CompTIA Instructor Network community,

If you're looking for ways to introduce enterprise computing, hybrid cloud, cybersecurity, and large-scale transaction processing concepts into your curriculum, this is an opportunity worth exploring.

The 𝗜𝗕𝗠 𝗭 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 – 𝗖𝗼𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝟮 runs from 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟬 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟴, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, and is designed to help educators bring IBM Z and mainframe technologies into the classroom.

What you'll get:
✅ 15-week structured learning program
✅ IBM Z and mainframe skills development
✅ Self-paced learning with expert-led sessions
✅ Classroom-ready teaching resources
✅ Recognition as an IBM Z Educator

Key dates:
📣 Applications Opened: June 15, 2026 (replay here: https://shorturl.at/WjIu9)
🔒 Applications Close: August 26, 2026
📚 Program Kickoff: September 10, 2026
🏁 Program Ends: December 18, 2026
🏆 Recognition Ceremony: January 7, 2027

As technology educators, we play an important role in preparing students for the skills that enterprises continue to rely on today. IBM Z remains a critical platform across banking, insurance, government, healthcare, and many of the world's largest organizations.

If you're interested in expanding your teaching portfolio and exposing students to enterprise computing, I encourage you to take a look.

𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://ibm.biz/ibmz-ee2026

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Review My Flashcards?

Hello, fellow CINers!

Since we don't have a subforum for SecAI+ (and I don't believe we need one since SecAI+ is a Security 'expansion' certification), I wanted to post this here.

I've been a flashcard user and developer forever. I've always given my students pointers to flashcards I've developed. This past year I've soured on the web-based flashcard application that I had been paying for and using. After looking at several alternatives, I chose Brainscape. Why Brainscape and not something else? I've used Quizlet for years, but its flashcard capabilities haven't really changed. Instead, they seem to focus on other aspects of gamification and different audiences (school-age children and learner groups). The open-source solution is Anki, but I found it exposed a lot of capabilities, and it was hard for someone who just wanted to study with my decks to get started. I've also been using Kahoots, but it feels like they abandoned flashcards and went headfirst into gamification for groups of learners.

I've developed and now deploy flashcards in Brainscape, using their web interface as well as on Apple iOS and Android. It all works.

I've published my SecAI+ flashcards, and you can try them out by clicking here. I'd appreciate any feedback on these decks. Thanks!

Brian

𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗛𝗮𝘀 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗔𝗠

Modern enterprises are navigating an increasingly complex identity landscape. The challenge now extends beyond employees merely signing into applications. Today, organizations must account for:

- Workforce and privileged identities
- Customers and partners
- Workload and service identities
- API identities
- Devices and IoT
- Automation and bots
- Autonomous AI agents

This complexity necessitates a reevaluation of the conventional approach to identity management, which traditionally follows the process of 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 → 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 → 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 → 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀.

A contemporary Identity Security Reference Architecture must address a wider range of critical questions:

- 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀?
- 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁?
- 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸?
- 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆?
- 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀?

The architecture outlined here integrates these concepts into a continuous security model:

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 → 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 → 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆 → 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻 → 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 → 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀 → 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 → 𝗘𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 → 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 → 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 → 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱 → 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀 → 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗸𝗲.

A significant shift is recognizing autonomous AI agents as primary identity subjects. These agents should not simply inherit the permissions of the human or application that created them. Their identity, delegated authority, tool access, data scope, action limits, necessary approvals, and activities must be governed explicitly, mirroring the principles applied to machine identities, workloads, APIs, service accounts, certificates, and secrets.

The objective extends beyond merely achieving stronger authentication. It aims for continuous identity assurance where trust is situational, contextually aware, and subject to ongoing evaluation. In this evolving landscape, Identity and Access Management (IAM) is transitioning into a more comprehensive Identity Security framework. The future of enterprise identity architecture must safeguard not only our identities but also the actions executed on our behalf.

Smh and Not sure where to go with this one

Once the threats start, such as suing, that is when I would have to stop the conversation.
I know, right? The problem is, they are there to counsel this cohort, and this cohort is paid and ready to run. There's kind of no going back. I've asked them before to please let me be part of the selection process. I've got a good feel for people and could help them select their cohorts so we don't end up with people like him. Uuuuugh. This is going to be a long bootcamp for me to teach. *sigh*

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