I have reported to LinkedIn almost 1000 times about scammers coming from India or the Philippines sending connect requests to myself and countless others in my network offering 100% guarantee's to pass exams. Here is the problem that really needs the CIN involvement from CompTIA because I see NO ONE talking about it on this side of the fence. LinkedIn is doing absolutely nothing and what is horrible and shameful is there is a bustling market and as hard as I work my butt off daily to study. I think EVERYONE should be required to take the exam HONESTLY. I know we have all of these written bylaws but criminals and their customers don't give a crap about rules.

1. Enable Geolocation exam scheduling. If a person's address is in Baltimore, Maryland or Philadelphia, PA. They should not be able to have a exam pass on their exam center from India, Shanghai, China or a foreign country outside of the US. The same is vice versa for someone sitting in Nairobi, Kenya with an exam center in Pakistan or India.

2. Focus on Practical questions in a higher density 80/20 versus multiple choice exams where brain dumps are common from unscrupulous vendors. I have reported even US based exam centers where I was asked if I wanted to pass some CompTIA or ISC2 exams. What was even more surprising is the same exam center was still open and I know they were doing this scam. I know it is a business and they have to be "caught", but if you see a ridiculous amount of exam passing in the same center. Their should be pattern verification and validation. This is not rocket science.

3. Cheaters will always find a way. I get it, but seriously. If we want employers and industry to take CompTIA exams dead serious. I would question why we don't make it more challenging for scammer companies or cheaters who profit off of the CompTIA name and exam brands.

4. Identify the exam center by name and location ON THE CERTIFICATION VALIDATION PORTAL. That is the #1 way to put a nail slammed shut on the scammer. If the exam center location is printed on the Certificate itself AND in the portal of the Certification validation portal. It literally shames people into taking their own dang exam and it disincentivizes the scammers whole business model of anonymity. CompTIA could lead the industry to doing such a simple change by adding a line to the certification exam with the location of the exam center where a person took the exam. Remote proctored exams should identify the city, state or country the exam was proctored.

5. "Login and take the exam for you" scams which has become the most common. Work with Pearson Vue to block all remote session ports during the exam and common remote software which will be a running process on the machine. If a person's machine flags. Require them to report to a local onsite exam center instead of just cancelling the exam.

Thoughts?

Hi Everyone!

I'm preparing myself on taking SecAI+. I just finished the on-demand TTT series released early this year and I also adquired a training in Udemy related to this cert. I've been certified in CySA+ and Pentest+ since 2021 but for SecAI+ given that this is an "expansion series" which foundations are Security+ I would like to hear your advice, recommendation, study guide, experiences during the exam, etc that could provide more insights on this exam.

Appreciate your comments and guidance

Best regards

I sat and passed the A+ Core 1 yesterday (Friday 19th of June) using the Pearson OnVUE system. At the end of the exam I saw my result (passmark) 808 points, but I didn't see a breakdown of my weak areas. (Which I have always gotten for other exams that I have sat). Is there a way to recover this from CompTIA or from Pearson VUE?
Thanks

Can I get the CASP+ and PenTest+ on-demand series? Is there any way to get the vouchers for them?

Hi everyone, I'd like to know about activating CertMaster Perform using an access key obtained from a CIN TTT Series course — whether it was attended live or accessed on-demand. After adding the institution as "CIN TTT Series," I'm unable to enroll in a class under the instructor assigned to that course. I keep getting the message: "This teacher has no active classes."

For example, I currently have access to CySA+ V4 but can't join Nicholas Pierce's class. Similarly, for the on-demand SecAI+ V1 course, I'm unable to join Dwayne Natwick's class, and the same issue occurs with Data+ V2 taught by Frederick Anaafi.

This is my first time using CertMaster Perform, so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. @Stephen Schneiter — or anyone who knows the answer — could you please help clarify? Thank you!

Today I passed the CompTIA SecAI+ (CY0-001). Thank you for the opportunity to learn through the CIN TTT Series and @Stephen Schneiter.

My Training partner is not able to get this. pls help for suggestion

Hi, I hope topics like this are allowed in here if not please kindly delete this.

So I missed my online exam schedule. In my defense I'm in the part of the Philippines that got hit hard by a recent earthquake, we are still experiencing after shocks and intermittent power/internet loss. It was a free voucher from the TTT-series but its still a waste that I was not able to take it. I already contacted Pearson Vue hoping they'd consider my situation.

Im just here to ask if there's anything else that I could do to help with my situation
Id appreciate your suggestions thank you.

Nous souhaitons être de formateurs COMPTIA; Quels sont les prérequis ?

Hi Everyone!

I was not able to attend the TTT series for SecAI+ on live so I've been following on demand using the webinar sessions as well as the material in there. I noted something and is the access to certmaster is not longer in the links and @Stephen Schneiter mentioned people will receive the access code after completing the first session even for "on demand" learners.

I've already completed session 1 to 3 (started on Jun 16/2026) and haven't receive anything yet on my email. Does the certmaster access have some type of "valid time"? like, you must access or complete the training up to 15 days of finishing the live sessions?

I appreciate your comments.

Hi All,

It has been a while since I used CertMaster, and I'm a little bit confused as to the inclusion/integration of the laboratory aspect. I can distinctly remember being able to launch Virtual Laboratory environments in CertMaster Learn for both A+ and Security+, but much has changed since then (I think this was around 2022, give or take a few years). I've been looking at the product pages and even used the chatbot, but can't get the answer I'm looking for.

Basically, my company is looking into these Certifications:

1. A+ (both cores)
2. Network+
3. Security+
4. Server+
5. Tech+

If we bought just the CertMaster product, which ones would also have an integrated laboratory? For example, in the product page of Network+, it has the following bullet point

• Extensive practice: Engage with simulated labs, assessments, and questions to reinforce your learning.

So I would assume Network+ CertMaster Learn does have an integrated lab, and there is no need to purchase the standalone laboratory. Is this the same case for the others listed?

First, apologies for taking so darned long to get this back up. I had to search around for a compiled list from the v1 cache - but landed on something I had rebuilt from Dec 2025. But, I think it's time to get it put back up.

So, here it is...

The Black Fedora Cyber Cache v2​

Go check it out and if you have a contribution for the Cache, send me a DM and I'll get it added.

Enjoy!

Rick

OK CINers. I'll confess. I build and distribute flashcards to my students. I've been using Quizlet for years. In 1-on-1 engagements, it has always worked well. It's always handy to have a flashcard deck available for small-group training so students can interact, compete, and demonstrate what they've learned. I've found that I sometimes have to monitor the level of competitiveness in some small group settings. When I have too many Type-A personalities, I'll team people up (I pick the teams) to diffuse that. The problem is that some of my students have started distributing my flashcards. Without asking, and after I asked them not to. Quizlet has no DRM solution to limit sharing. And if that wasn't bad enough, somebody tried selling one of my decks, and Quizlet sent me a 'That's Not Allowed' notice.

What tools are other CINers using for flashcards? I've heard of Anki. I have a friend who uses and swears by Notion. Thoughts? Comments?

Join us for the CIN TTT series covering the new CompTIA AI Fundamentals Compcert course. Our guest instructor, @Jill West, will lead us through the four-session series covering the course objectives and provide hands on examples as you strengthen your AI skills. We will discuss how to cover the content with students and suggest various labs to let students gain hands-on experience using AI safely, effectively, and responsibly.

AI Fundamentals is a credit-bearing, hands-on course designed specifically for the academic market to help institutions teach students how to understand and use artificial intelligence safely, effectively, and responsibly. This three-credit course equips non-technical learners with foundational AI literacy and practical skills that are increasingly required across academic programs and entry-level careers, regardless of major.

What: CIN TTT Series: AI Fundamentals
When: July 13th - July 23rd, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM CT
Who: Jill West, Professor, Georgia Northwestern Technical College
Where: ON24
Register Here

Looking for guidance for use of Competency Exams for CertMaster Perform courses. Are the Competency Assessments certs for courses like Pentest, CySA, Sec+, etc.. used by individuals or employers?

There is also practice exams in the courses that seem just as good if not a better tool for the student's to gauge their own level of preparedness before taking an actual certification exam.

Today I passed the CompTIA Data+ (DA0-002). Thank you for the opportunity to learn with CIN TTT Series: Data+ V2.

Has anyone ever posted a youtube video for your students on how to navigate a CompTIA lab and receive a notice it was removed due to copyright violation?

Glad to be part of the team that is helping these students to succeed:
https://www.comptia.org/en/resource...tan-cc/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social

Join us for the new CompTIA Expansion Series certification launch for AutoOps+ V1! Our guest instructor, @Tyler Harris, will lead us through the six-session series covering the exam objectives and provide hands on examples as you strengthen your DevOps skills pertaining to cybersecurity. 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 AutoOps+ validates your skills to automate, secure, and optimize IT operations across cloud and hybrid environments. As part of CompTIA’s new Expansion Series, AutoOps+ is designed to augment your core IT competencies with specialized expertise in automation, scripting, and infrastructure management. Gain hands-on experience to bridge traditional IT roles with modern DevOps practices.

What: CIN TTT Series: AutoOps+ V1
When: June 23rd - July 9th, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM CT
Who: Tyler Harris, Instructor, ARIMA Consulting, LLC
Where: ON24
Register Here

I passed CompTIA SecAI+ with a perfect score. The exam shows you the score right after you finish, but the official report only says “Pass.” My previous highest CompTIA score was an 885 on Security+ back in 2014, so this one felt good. I used CertMaster through our academic partnership, which also covered the voucher. I also did the TryHackMe AI Path, and that combination made a big difference. SecAI+ is not something I would recommend approaching only through the exam outline or a few theory notes. I have seen people in the forums say they studied just from the outline, and yes, maybe you can pass that way, but you missed sooooooo much approaching the exam just as another bunch of questions you go and try to wing. In the real world that won't help, and the bigger question is: can you actually do what the certification says you should be able to do in real life?

That is where CertMaster shines. It is not just a bank of questions or a traditional PBQ-style experience. The best part of the preparation was the applied work. The 19 activities put you in scenarios where you have to compare AI types, work with prompt engineering, process data, conduct threat model analysis, build defensive policies, handle access requests, apply data masking and anonymization, audit AI behavior, analyze AI life cycle decisions, work through model inversion or theft, complete post-incident analysis, perform AI-assisted vulnerability analysis, identify deepfakes, review AI-assisted approvals, design governance structures, conduct risk assessments, create compliance reports, and analyze an organization’s AI structure. All activities are done via interaction with the CompTIA AI agents that guide you through the process like you have to do in real life. Then another AI agent corrects your work, gives you feedback and ask you if you want to try again

The 17 live labs were even more valuable because they made the material feel connected to actual security work. I worked through prompt engineering and bias detection, prompt design and optimization, RAG solutions, data integrity, AI threat analysis using public resources, AI threat modeling frameworks, Azure OpenAI deployment, structured prompt templates, securing Azure OpenAI, data sanitization for AI analysis, AI log analysis, prompt injection testing, AI-assisted attack vector identification, AI-assisted scripting, documentation transformation, and workflow automation. That is not just “study material.” That is the kind of work that helps you understand how AI systems are built, where they break, how they expose risk, and how security controls have to be applied.

The TryHackMe AI Path helped from a different angle. It gave me a more hands-on, attacker-and-defender view of AI security. You learn how AI-enabled systems behave, then you perform prompt injection, jailbreak, indirect prompt injection, make an agent leak or misuse information, poison the data of a model, perform threat modeling and get to a point where you change the application to the point where the system you are probing is no longer just deterministic code. That part matters because AI security is not only about knowing vocabulary. You have to understand behavior, context, trust boundaries, controls, and failure modes and actually perform AI pentesting.

That is the real value of SecAI+. Passing is nice. But the goal should not be just to collect another certification. Using CertMaster and THM AI Path will help you walk away with practical skills. For us; educators, this is exactly the kind of material we need to bring into the classroom. Students do not need only AI definitions. They need to understand how AI systems are designed, how they fail, how they are attacked, and how they are defended. I just received access to the Auto OPS+ Cert Master and it's the same amazing methodology with a lot of labs and AI powered activities. SecOT+ will be on the same line as informed to me by one of the SME's that also created the Cert Master and teaches OT Pentesting, OSINT and OT Fundamentals, workshops that I took. If you are looking for any of those 3 certs please, use Cert Master or take trainings, you will kill the tests.

Very happy with this one.

Video training

Does CompTIA still offer complementary certification vouchers for instructors?

So... I've had a CompTIA SecurityX exam voucher sitting in my account for quite a while. I must have rescheduled this test a dozen times because of work commitments, family schedules, not enough time to study, kids screaming in the background, and life in general.

Last night, while the kids were outside following the classic rule of "come home when the streetlights come on," I headed to my home office testing center and finally sat for the exam.

I felt calm, focused, and confident. But I knew that Linux simulation question was coming, the one you can't go back to. It showed up around question 10, and honestly... I completely botched it. At that moment, I was convinced the exam had beaten me. After all, it had defeated me back in February 2025 and my older version recently expired.

I pushed forward, finished the remaining questions, went back through my flagged items, and even had some fun working through the Performance Based Questions (PBQs).

Then came the infamous 13 question survey. If you've ever taken a CompTIA exam, you know exactly what I'm talking about! I clicked Submit, and unlike most CompTIA exams, there was no immediate pass or fail message. I walked away wondering where I stood.

This morning, I was texting my friend Nancy, who is a huge part of my Facebook community, and I was telling her all about my experience. I was convinced I hadn't passed.

Then... I received an email from CompTIA congratulating me and asking me to accept my digital badge.

Wait... what?!

I logged into the CompTIA portal, pulled up my score report, and there it was.

PASS!

The biggest lesson I took away from this experience is simple. Don't doubt yourself. One tough question, or even one tough exam experience, doesn't define the outcome. Set a goal, commit to it, and keep moving forward. Sometimes the biggest obstacle standing in your way is your own self-doubt.

I wanted to share a success story based on my experience in the last 7 years teaching. Maybe it will inspire those facing challenges ahead or maybe you've already "checked out" looking at the wall of text?

In 2019, I visited my dad who taught welding at a CTE high school for several years. I never had the opportunity to leave work and see his shop. It was the last day of the school year that year. The principal pulled me aside and informed me that the IT instructor put in his letter of resignation that morning. He joked that I should apply, after hearing what I do through my dad. I asked to see the classroom and well...it was in shambles. Poor guy was teaching IT as it was 20 years ago. Most equipment was straight from the early 00s and even the 90s. Few "modern" desktops with DDR3 with poor cable management. There were piles of junk everywhere. Nothing was organized. Most of the desktops weren't in working condition.

I was content at the time. I was the Director of Technology for a private school district. I worked 15 minutes from home. Something tugged in my heart that this school needed me to turn it around. It was a dying program. Students weren't getting certified and it was in danger of being removed from the school. I was happy with the amount of funding it received. I saw that it had good "bones" to build on. My family thought I was crazy but I left my current position and decided to teach the Cisco IT Networking Academy program at the CTE school...an hour and 45 minutes away. Yes, I had to return to college. Yes, it wasn't comfortable but this was something I CHOSE to do.

Original program format
Name: Cisco IT Networking Academy
Courses: IT Essentials (S1 11th grade), NDG Linux Essentials (S2 11th grade), CCNA: Routing & Switching I (S1 12th grade), and CCNA: Routing & Switching II (S2 12th grade)
Curriculum: NONE
Max class size: 22 made up 50% merit (first choice + good grades) and 50% lottery (could be 2nd or third choice, didn't make it based on merit)
Block schedule: A day (12th grade) and B day (11th grade) schedule. 9:50AM-1:50PM every day, alternated
Certifications offered: From what I gathered, students only completed CompTIA A+ exams. It was required in their junior year.

I was told to look into Cisco NetACAD by the administration. The university we were accrediated through demanded that I take 3 courses with them in order to receive access to the Cisco curriculum. It was a face-to-face only course which required me to drive an hour and 45 minutes to work, an hour to take the course, and then 2 hours (not including traffic + tolls) home. That's asinine! She did give me temporary access to it so I could download PowerPoint but within my first hour of reading it, I found enough blatant typos and misinformation that made me want to avoid it altogether. It was NOT good.

I connected with the small amount of students I inherited (8 seniors survived + 22 incoming juniors) and established trust. The seniors failed my competency check of A+ objectives. None of them were certified or took the certification exam, despite it being required in their junior year. The juniors were still under the impression that this was an "easy A" and could sleep all day. Seniors shared that they did a lot of Packet Tracer but the app didn't work most of the time. They also made lots of CAT5e cables, repetitvely. I ended up building the plane in the air and focused on giving them real-world experience. We fixed all the desktops, rearranged the classroom, organized it in a way that it made sense, and...COVID hit. The momentum stopped. No certification tests were taken. They were all waived of taking exams that year.

Despite being an odd year, I knew exactly what I needed to do. A roadmap was developed. I formed a Program Advisory Council, shared my findings, and they supported me in fighting the state to change how my program was formatted. It took two years to get it right but we got it done! The result:

Name: IT Networking Academy (Cisco)
Courses: IT Networking I (S1 11th grade), IT Networking II (S2 11th grade), and IT Networking III (Year-long 12th grade)
Curriculum: Started with CompTIA CertMaster Learn + Labs later migrated to CompTIA TestOut Pro
Certifications offered: CompTIA A+ Core 1 for IT Networking I (optional), A+ Core 2 for IT Networking II (optional), and Security+ for IT Networking III (required to take)

In addition, these are the changes I made over the last 7 years (COVID did slow down progress a bit):

• Turned one closet to a server room with a floor-to-ceiling network rack. Installed cabinets and shelving to make it student accessible. This is where students "shop" for all of their tools, parts, consumables, peripherals, etc.
• Turned another closet into a colocation for senior equipment. There are multiple network racks. Students install their rack-mounted routers, switches, APs, and servers and access them over SSH from their desks in the classroom. Messed up? Fix it the old fashioned way by grabbing laptop and a console cable!
• Established an entire air-gapped LAN. Created a domain network for obvious reasons. Established multiple server hosts running many virtual machines for educational purposes.
• Established a simulated "WAN" using a public subnet. All senior racks connect to the WAN so they can access my classroom LAN over VPN. They can also host and port forward their own network services from their own LANs. I give students dedicated time to work on "passion projects" to learn about installing and hardening public services. They have an absolute blast with this! I also set up a "public DNS" server so they learn how proper DNS works and create domains. Every senior gets their own "WAN-hosted" Linux VM, in addition to whatever they host locally in their private subnet.
• Built new PCs over time to offer 1:1 desktops for students so they can be their own local admins on the air-gapped LAN. Now all support Windows 11.
• Installed a laptop cart that dual boot between Windows 11 and Backbox Linux. I chose Backbox because the district IPS has a cow when it detects a Kali machine on their network but doesn't care about Backbox.
• Created a number of classroom websites and systems:
  • Custom developed a help desk game where students have to respond to client emails within a certain amount of time to earn points. It has a points shop where students can exchange points for "sabotages" to send to other students (such as ransomware, denial-of-service attacks, etc.) to slow them down. Students can choose the content domain when they join the game.
  • Custom developed several other gamification sites that help students with more difficult content, such as: subnet math, keyboard shortcuts, commands, etc. each game has some type of leadboard to encourage friendly competitions.
  • Custom developed several other "serious" learning systems, such as: a mobile device management system (simulates connected devices) with a built-in assessment system, subnet management, etc.
  • Self-hosted CTFd system primarily used by seniors.
  • Self-hosted help desk (based on Frappe) where I assign real tickets for students. They receive a marking period grade for their participation in their "help desk apprenticeship" for the school. I use this as a real-world training tool and coach them on professionalism and communication.
  • A number of custom-created vulnerable web apps, services, and services.
• Worked with local businesses and received quality donations such as a large format printer (which I used to create custom classroom posters), 65" large format display (updated every day with content with a Raspberry Pi), Sharp copier, etc.
  • Employers also partnered up so we can become a feeder program for employment.
• Periodically create red vs blue (cyber range) activities for seniors where I set up a room divider and they compete against each other (a class favorite).
• Started participating in SkillsUSA. Last year my kids earned gold in Cyber Security and Internet of Things (Smart Home) and competed at nationals!! We placed 4th overall in the nation for Cyber Security!
• Subscribed to Pear Deck to help make class lectures more engaging and Gimkit for gamified practice assessments
• Slowly developed several custom practice exams for A+ and Security+ in addition to what's offered in TestOut Pro and Practice (an option for students to purchase)
• My own "professor messer"-style study notes for all courses to compliment the textbook and to meet accommodation needs.

The result? Well...

This year we broke another program record with 13 of 18 senior students earning their Security+ and 14 of 20 students (only 16 took the exams) earning their A+! I couldn't be more proud of my kids. It's so cool to see them get EXCITED to learn new things in class, get jobs, or get accepted to great colleges/universities. That's what gives me the fuel to keep going!! It's been an absolute blur but I guess time flies when you're having fun!! I wouldn't be able to do any of this if it wasn't for a supportive administration that truly believes in their faculty! If you have the support, the passion, and ambition, YOU can do it!

Hi Folks
Might have an opportunity for an A+ instructor in Syracuse NY. It would be a series of Fridays in person. Thanks