Latest activity

Mitch Garvis · Friday at 11:19 AM

baylis said:
Sec+ is a foundation course and I don't think you need much to teach it. Industry experience should be good enough to teach it.

While I agree, I was making a point

baylis · Friday at 10:55 AM

Mitch Garvis said:
There is one training organization that asked me recently to prove that I have the latest A+ Net+ Sec+... they told me that unless I do, they will mark me as ineligible to teach those classes. I told the broker that based on the pay rate (which is abysmal) I would spend neither the money for the exam nor the time to prepare, but if they provided me vouchers I would gladly re-take the exams.

In my not-so-humble opinion, and I say this with respect: a trainer who passed CISSP, CCSP, and SecurityX in the last year is qualified to teach the latest version of Security+... no matter which version of the Sec+ exam he passed.

Sec+ is a foundation course and I don't think you need much to teach it. Industry experience should be good enough to teach it.

Steve Linthicum · Friday at 10:54 AM

Below is the content of an email I sent yesterday to a fellow CompTIA instructor. Thoughts?

--------------------------------------------
Another good reason to be retired:

ChatGPT Request:

Identify five standard multiple choice questions that are likely to appear in the CompTIA SY0-701 exam?

ChatGPT said:

Sure! I can create five sample multiple-choice questions similar to what you might see on the CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 exam. These questions are designed to reflect the core domains: Attacks, Threats, Vulnerabilities; Architecture and Design; Implementation; Operations and Incident Response; Governance, Risk, and Compliance.

Question 1: Threats and Vulnerabilities

A network administrator notices unusually high outbound traffic from a workstation. After investigation, they find malware that is sending sensitive data to an external server. Which type of malware is most likely responsible?
A. Ransomware
B. Trojan horse
C. Worm
D. Spyware
Answer: D. Spyware
Explanation: Spyware is designed to gather information from a system without the user’s knowledge, often sending it to external servers.

Question 2: Architecture and Design

Which of the following security controls is an example of defense-in-depth?
A. Deploying a firewall
B. Implementing antivirus software
C. Using multi-factor authentication, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems together
D. Requiring strong passwords
Answer: C. Using multi-factor authentication, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems together
Explanation: Defense-in-depth involves using multiple layers of security controls to protect systems.

Question 3: Implementation

An organization wants to secure wireless network communications to prevent eavesdropping. Which of the following protocols provides the strongest encryption for Wi-Fi?
A. WEP
B. WPA2 with AES
C. WPA with TKIP
D. Open Wi-Fi with VPN
Answer: B. WPA2 with AES
Explanation: WPA2 with AES is currently considered the most secure standard for Wi-Fi encryption.

Question 4: Operations and Incident Response

During an incident, a security analyst wants to ensure they capture volatile data before shutting down a compromised server. Which of the following should they collect first?
A. Hard drive logs
B. RAM contents
C. Backup tapes
D. System event logs
Answer: B. RAM contents
Explanation: Volatile data like information in RAM is lost when the system is powered down, so it should be captured first during incident response.

Question 5: Governance, Risk, and Compliance

Which framework is commonly used to manage information security risk and provides guidelines for creating a comprehensive cybersecurity program?
A. GDPR
B. NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF)
C. PCI DSS
D. HIPAA
Answer: B. NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF)
Explanation: The NIST CSF provides a risk-based approach for organizations to manage and improve cybersecurity.

If you want, I can generate 20–30 more practice questions that cover all SY0-701 domains with the same style and difficulty level as the real exam. This would be very useful for focused study.
Do you want me to do that?

Mitch Garvis · Friday at 10:29 AM

Gregory Childers said:
And NO ONE requires trainers to take the updated ISC2, ISACA, PMI, OffSec, EC-Council, or GIAC exams every time they update.

No, you cannot convince me that continually retesting for CompTIA exams serves any benefit over obtaining CEUs to maintain a certification.

There is one training organization that asked me recently to prove that I have the latest A+ Net+ Sec+... they told me that unless I do, they will mark me as ineligible to teach those classes. I told the broker that based on the pay rate (which is abysmal) I would spend neither the money for the exam nor the time to prepare, but if they provided me vouchers I would gladly re-take the exams.

In my not-so-humble opinion, and I say this with respect: a trainer who passed CISSP, CCSP, and SecurityX in the last year is qualified to teach the latest version of Security+... no matter which version of the Sec+ exam he passed.

Mitch Garvis · Friday at 10:08 AM

Gregory Childers said:
To my knowledge, CompTIA has never asked questions about specific NIST special publications or ISO standards.

CISM and CISSP do ask those types of questions.

That is exactly the answer that I gave, but I told the class that I would check with people who were smarter than I am to be sure. Thanks @Gregory Childers !

Gregory Childers · Friday at 8:55 AM

To my knowledge, CompTIA has never asked questions about specific NIST special publications or ISO standards.

CISM and CISSP do ask those types of questions.

Mitch Garvis · Friday at 8:01 AM

I have a couple of students who are telling me that on a practice exam they were asked to identify a particular NIST publication. While I have told them they need to know the talking points of all of the ones referenced in the course, would they be asked on the exam to call out that 800-53 is privacy controls while 800-61 is cyber risk management? I do not remember a question like that... although I think another exam I sat had them.

Thanks in advance!

Tony Mationg · Friday at 7:22 AM

well, better to take the cert exams while still not in the CE state. =)

Tony Mationg · Friday at 7:19 AM

great job mate!!!

Patrick Asamago · Friday at 2:25 AM

Gregory Childers said:
There are multiple threads on Reddit (I know I really shouldn't keep visiting that site) that claim CompTIA has sent out notices that Project+ and Server+ are changing from "good for life" certifications to CE certifications on October 1, 2025. I personally did not receive any notification, nor can I find any reference to it outside of Reddit.

Can anyone definitively confirm or deny this claim?

See the mail i git on it below:

Rafael Caballero · Thursday at 9:30 AM

I'm in the Wash DC area so naturally I'm interested.

When you say "four hours day, four days a week" what are the actual class room hours and the general location for commuting purposes.

mosesmakobidi · Thursday at 12:09 AM

Sivanesan said:
In malaysia our internet is super unstable. I advise all my students take at Pearson vue exam centre. Anything goes wrong the exam administrator can raise ticket if there is a problem.

When you take on vue alot technical issue which can revoke your exam. Better go exam centre to sit exam.

Unfortunately in my country no any center support CAS-005 this is one of the main reason I took this exam on Vue.

Bruce Weaver · Wednesday at 9:45 PM

I can confirm I received the same email you've shown for Server+.
I also see it on the CompTIA site

Gregory Childers · Wednesday at 9:29 PM

There are multiple threads on Reddit (I know I really shouldn't keep visiting that site) that claim CompTIA has sent out notices that Project+ and Server+ are changing from "good for life" certifications to CE certifications on October 1, 2025. I personally did not receive any notification, nor can I find any reference to it outside of Reddit.

Can anyone definitively confirm or deny this claim?

comptia-ending-lifetime-certifications-for-project-and-v0-mnlmg7a49tif1.jpg

Bruce Weaver · Wednesday at 7:40 PM

I can definitely confirm, at least in the USA, academic pricing for A+ courseware exceeds that budget. I believe pricing will vary by country but what I can see for CertMaster Learn Core 1 & 2 combined is substantially higher than $180.

Tangobro · Wednesday at 6:02 PM

Just got notified that the A+ class that I was supposed to start teaching next week was cancelled because the the cost of core 1 & 2 student material now exceeds the budget of $180 per student. Does anyone have a copy of the Academic Partner price list? Maybe I can cobble together something on the cheap, or at least verify that they are looking at Academic Partner pricing. I've been teaching this class for this institution for 2 years, 1st time with this problem.

jasoneckert · Wednesday at 4:58 PM

Congrats+

abiodun1991 · Wednesday at 12:31 PM

TechTrainer11 said:
Just to show the Train the Trainer does a super job. Today I sat core 2 exam and passed 1 week after sitting core 1 exam. A big thank you to Stephen and TTT for all the training and support

Congratulations

Gregory Childers · Wednesday at 11:50 AM

Mark Anthony French said:
The exception is that if you are teaching students to master the material and pass the exam then you need to know about the current exam.

Unless you have photographic memory, passing the new exam does absolutely nothing to prepare you to teach the updated exam to students.

All I need to know about the current version of the exam is the exam objectives.

Plus, I've taken six versions of Security+ and five versions of Network+. The exams rarely change much from one version to the next.

And NO ONE requires trainers to take the updated ISC2, ISACA, PMI, OffSec, EC-Council, or GIAC exams every time they update.

No, you cannot convince me that continually retesting for CompTIA exams serves any benefit over obtaining CEUs to maintain a certification.

Mark Anthony French · Wednesday at 9:44 AM

Gregory Childers said:
My A+ and Network+ had expiration dates in 2028. This was due to my earning the CASP+ and then renewing it by passing the ISACA CISM.

I passed the fifth version of Network+, which extended my Net+ and A+ until 2031. My first Network+ certification was in 2005.

At this point, I don't really see the point of taking any of the certification exams again if I've already passed them. Especially if I've passed multiple versions already.

I didn't even study for the Net+ this time. Didn't even download the objectives. Just signed up and took it blind and passed easily. The exams don't change enough from one version to the next to justify constantly retaking them. Maybe 10%-15% changes, tops.

I'll just renew them with CEUs from now on because there is zero value to constantly retaking exams just because the version changes. They don't list the version number on the certificate. Just the date originally earned and the expiration date.

For the record, none of my clients require that I have the most current CISSP, CISM, CAPM, MS Azure, or any other certification. It makes no sense at all for me to retake any CompTIA exam that I've already passed before.

I've still got DataX and Linux+ left to pass, and then I'm done taking CompTIA exams.

The exception is that if you are teaching students to master the material and pass the exam then you need to know about the current exam.

Kwabena Fred · Wednesday at 6:42 AM

Stephen Schneiter said:
The new CompTIA Data+ V2 (DA0-002) will launch in October 2025. Join the CompTIA Instructor Network and special guest @James Stanger and @Kwabena Fred as they take a Sneak Peek into changes with the new exam vs. the current version. We will discuss how to cover the content with students and suggest various labs to let students gain hands-on experience as they prepare for certification.

What: CIN Sneak Peek: Data+ V2
When: Thursday, August 28, 2025, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM CDT
Who: Dr. James Stanger and Fred Anaafi
Where: ON24
Register Now

View attachment 2371

baylis · Wednesday at 6:23 AM

Yasser Alginahi said:
Any news about the A+ Core 1 and Core 2 vouchers

I did not receive the A+ vouchers. Did you ?

Jerry93 · Wednesday at 6:01 AM

Congratulations on passing your exams!

Sivanesan · Wednesday at 4:54 AM

In malaysia our internet is super unstable. I advise all my students take at Pearson vue exam centre. Anything goes wrong the exam administrator can raise ticket if there is a problem.

When you take on vue alot technical issue which can revoke your exam. Better go exam centre to sit exam.

Gregory Childers · Aug 12, 2025

DigitalCrestInstitute2025 said:
I have not been in a classroom since the Plandemic.

I have friends who died from COVID-19, so I would appreciate it if you would keep ignorant and offensive comments like this off the CIN boards.

Latest activity

Latest activity

ChatGPT said:​

Question 1: Threats and Vulnerabilities​

Question 2: Architecture and Design​

Question 3: Implementation​

Question 4: Operations and Incident Response​

Question 5: Governance, Risk, and Compliance​

Question 1201/1202 student material - Academic Partner Price increases?

Filter

ChatGPT said:

Question 1: Threats and Vulnerabilities

Question 2: Architecture and Design

Question 3: Implementation

Question 4: Operations and Incident Response

Question 5: Governance, Risk, and Compliance

Question

1201/1202 student material - Academic Partner Price increases?