Join us for the CIN TTT series covering the next release of the CompTIA CySA+ certification. Our guest instructor, @Nick Pierce , will lead us through the eight-session series covering the exam objectives and provide hands on examples as you strengthen your cybersecurity analysis skills. 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.

CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) is the premier certification for cyber professionals tasked with incident detection, prevention, and response through continuous security monitoring. It validates a tech professional's expertise in incident response and vulnerability management processes, emphasizing the critical communication skills necessary for effective security analysis and compliance.

Skills covered in this series:

• Enhance security operations processes, differentiate threat intelligence and threat hunting, and identify malicious activity using appropriate tools.
• Conduct vulnerability assessments, prioritize vulnerabilities, and recommend effective mitigation strategies for vulnerability management.
• Apply attack methodology frameworks, perform incident response, and understand the incident management lifecycle to handle security incidents effectively.
• Utilize communication best practices to report on vulnerability management and incident response, providing stakeholders with actionable plans and meaningful metrics.

What: CIN TTT Series CySA+ V4
When: June 8 through July 1, 2026, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm CT
Who: Nick Pierce
Where: ON24
Register Here
(Please note, registering will automatically register you for all 8 sessions. You will be able to add each session to your calendar on from the confirmation email.)

When you have passed an exam, I recall us receiving an email from CompTIA to confirm a few details before they mail a complimentary certification kit. I just saw this on their website:



Is the certification kit no longer free? I remember there was a discussion about the wallet cards being discontinued but not about being charged a fee to receive the physical certificate (unless you received one and then would like to order a replacement certificate).

How do we access instrucor resources now (ppt and book), before it was easy to purchase from comptia store ?

Hi everyone, my two competency assessments (Competency in AI Essentials and Competency in AI Prompting) are both showing Status: Unavailable even though I haven't used any attempts yet (0/2). I have completed the AI Essentials courseware. Can anyone guide me on what steps I need to take to unlock these assessments? Do I need to complete something specific first or is there an admin action required? Any help appreciated.

Hello Everyone,
So I do teach at a couple of colleges, one full-time and one part-time, and both are heavily CompTIA A+, N+, and Sec+. Like all colleges I've seen lately, it's all Cengage and Jill West all the time.
If this forum is still alive and anyone is interested, do you want to compare notes?

The biggest challenges I'm seeing right now are having students do the labs, which can take 20 minutes to an hour (ACI Labs), depending, and in a world of TikTok-induced ability to focus, that might be an issue.

If not, just saying Hi!
Dan

I need lecture materials for the Data+ V2 course. Can you share them?

I took the DataSys+ beta earlier this week. I like the updates to this exam. It seems better scoped than the current version. It took a little bit of Net+, a bit of Cloud+, a good chunk of Sec+--all in the context of databases--and then mixed in lots of database content. I had 4-5 PBQs (can't remember exactly), and a total of about 115 questions, with a better mix of difficulty than the current exam and more technical knowledge required. Finished a good hour early.

Anyone else taken this one yet? What did you think?

I’m proud to share that I’ve just passed SecAI. This achievement would not have been possible without the incredible support of Stephen. Thank you so much, Stephen, for guiding me through this journey. It was a tough exam, I was close to being taken down but I pushed through and made it.

We’re looking for an experienced, qualified CompTIA trainer to deliver the Project + course. 2 sessions live via Teams July and August. Please contact [email protected] for more information.

Short notice! I need a Cloud+ instructor starting this Tuesday, May 26th in O'Fallon IL. Class is 4 days - May 26 - 29 In-person. Travel + Compensation paid. Interested? Contact me. [email protected] 573-424-7541

Thanks to the instructors and to CompTIA for providing the voucher.
The practice test was more direct than the exam, but an altogether great experience.

Not sure how many of you saw this come in through Credly, but it appears that CompTIA is moving these two certifications to the CE model, along with all the others.

I know Server+ was on the fence for a while - whether it was going to remain or go away. Seems like it's here to stay for a while.

Project+, I can kind of see, since the PM world changes a fair bit - perhaps CompTIA thinks this would be a good move to put it in better position for industry recognition - although sadly, PMI will probably always remain the front runner for Project Management certifications within the general industry.

What does the CIN community think about this?

(yeah, I know I've been light on posts lately, but I'll try to do better at that - that is, if y'all missed the Black Fedora)

Rick

Are you ready for the first TTT series of 2026? Join the CompTIA Instructor Network and special guest @Dwayne Natwick as he leads the SecAI+ TTT series. Dwayne will cover the exam objectives and provide hands-on examples as you strengthen your cybersecurity skills. 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.

CompTIA SecAI+ is the first certification in CompTIA's new expansion series, designed to help you secure, govern, and responsibly integrate artificial intelligence into cybersecurity operations. Gain the skills to defend AI systems, meet global compliance standards, and use AI to enhance threat detection, automation, and innovation while strengthening organizational resilience.

What: CIN TTT Series: SecAI+ V1
When: February 18 - March 9, 2026 (Six sessions), 1:30 - 3:30 PM CDT
Who: Dwayne Natwick
Where: ON24
Register Now

Hi everyone,

New instructor here, posting on behalf of a student who just passed her Security+ SY0-701 — very proud of her!

CompTIA's website states that the Security+ CertMaster CE CEU program is only good for the Security+ V6 (SY0-601):

Does anyone know how a student might renew the SY0-701? It looks like they just buy the $50 CE token in a quantity of 3 — or purchase it 3 times? I'm not clear on how that verifies that they actually completed any continuing education. Does a student pay these fees and then still have to turn around and pay for an approved program separately? In other words, after paying the fees, do they then also have to submit proof of continuing education?

Additionally, if they pay for a continuing education program outside of CompTIA, do they still owe CompTIA $150 in renewal fees on top of that?

Any clarity would be greatly appreciated — I want to make sure I'm pointing her in the right direction.

(Note: First post in the community here. I apologize if this has been answered previously. I tried to find an answer but I unfortunately was unable to turn up anything.)

From CBS News.

Some interesting reporting from CBS News on research by Resume Genius.

My own completely unscientific research would agree: "8 in 10 hiring managers consider AI skills a priority".

I was surprised to read this: "while many workers today are well aware of the need to hone their AI chops, few employers offer the necessary training, said Lisa Gevelber, who heads Google's "Grow with Google" initiative."

I don't agree with the statement that people can learn about AI in ways that might boost their job search or advance their careers. "According to AI and career development experts, a good way to start is simply by using publicly available AI tools daily.". That's just undirected learning, which is really hard to express on a resume or in an interview.

I completely agree and tell my students: "Just saying, 'I use ChatGPT,' is not how workers should be reflecting their skills," Caucci of 1Huddle said. "Make sure your resume has an AI throughline." That idea of a thoughtline is important because it shows a progression of problems solved or goals achieved, which I've found is important to cite during interviews.

My closing point is that, having used the new AI training available from CompTIA, we instructors can help students develop cross-AI model/platform skills, which, if clearly expressed in a thought line during an interview, should make our students stand out.

The CompTIA DataSys+ (DS1-002) beta exam is designed for professionals working with data systems, storage, and databases in real-world environments.

If you or your network are involved in data management, analytics enablement, or database administration, this is a great opportunity to help shape a new certification while it’s in beta.

Good morning,

I haven’t received the Data+ V2 voucher yet and was just checking to see if they’ve been sent out.

Thank you!
Tracey

Thanks for all the good seminars, but I did get 3 scenario questions on the test, that were pretty cool. Just FYI on that one. In case you're teaching this.
Danker!
Dan

Hello Everyone! We have been in the process of building out a webinar schedule for the rest of the 2026. Below is the outcome of the planning we have so far. We would like feedback from CIN as to what you think is missing? What topics would you like to see offered? Are there any proposed launches from the CompTIA Product Roadmap that you think should be covered? We will add to our webinar list based on feedback and interests.

In fine tradition, I waited until the TTT voucher was about to expire before writing this exam.
But I must say, I really enjoyed this one - far better than PT0-002 when it comes to industry alignment!
Plus the performance questions definitely required you had in-depth experience with the tools used for reconnaissance, exploit, and post-exploit (including dumping and pivoting), which I really appreciated

To say things have been slow even for experienced CompTIA instructors like myself would be a massive understatement.

Do any of you have any recommendations for training companies or brokers that hire for single week classes?

AI Agent Operations Experts Needed​

CompTIA is recruiting Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to review, validate, and help build a new certification exam aligned to AI Agent Operations. SMEs ensure content is technically accurate, industry-relevant, vendor-neutral where intended, and written at the correct depth for professionals with DevOps/Cloud/IT operations backgrounds transitioning into AI Agent Operations.

Hello everyone,
Is anyone currently going through the CertMaster for SecAI+?
Overall, I think the material is well-organized and well designed.
However, I couldn’t find any student or instructor handouts that could serve as an "offline" resource?

Also, regarding the interactive labs, which I must say, great job CompTIA!, I noticed that when resuming labs from a saved point, some tools and steps don’t work properly due to poor connectivity, often internet-related issues.
A simple DNS refresh or reset usually fixes this, but it might be helpful to mention this somewhere for students who aren't experienced in troubleshooting, as they might expect everything to work seamlessly.
Of course, at this certification level, students should have enough proficiency to handle such issues themselves, but I bring this up because many might assume such guides are provided upon purchase?

Greetings CINers, I haven't logged in on this app in a while. I have been a member of the network since the first "CSA" TTT sessions... How can I get back my long term member designation? Thanks

We have a mature student who is looking to receive some one-to-one support with CompTIA A+ (and then Security+). Initial requirement is 1 hour per week for 4 weeks.

We are launching some new products in the next couple of months that will also require one-to-one support in a similar format.

Would suit someone looking to earn some additional income and really make a difference to a great student!

We are based in London, UK but work can be completed remotely.