CompTIA Security+ Certification - Part 3 (I passed!)

I passed the Security+ exam on April 5th with a 787!

The Security+ incorporates best practices in hands-on troubleshooting, ensuring candidates have practical security problem-solving skills required to:

• Assess the security posture of an enterprise environment and recommend and implement appropriate security solutions
• Monitor and secure hybrid environments, including cloud, mobile, and IoT
• Operate with an awareness of applicable laws and policies, including principles of governance, risk, and compliance
• Identify, analyze, and respond to security events and incidents

Other than my experience, I relied primarily on Professor Messer's video content. I watched all of his videos over the last 6 months or so.

I didn't take any notes other than a few flashcards to memorize port numbers and protocols. I also used some study apps on my phone to do extra practice questions. I have been in IT since 2014 and focused on networking and security, and I have also had my CCNA in the past. I think those played a factor in my passing as well.

I used Professor Messer's and Jason Dion's practice exams, and here are my scores:

Messer A: 81%, Messer B: 88%, Messer C: 87%
Dion 1: 83%, Dion 2: 79%, Dion 3: 80%, Dion 4: 78%

I took a handful of TotalTester exams as well and averaged 85% on those.

My weakest categories were Architecture and Design and Governance-Risk-Compliance.

For the exam:

• I did it at a testing center to avoid the complications of testing at home.
• I skipped the Performance-Based Questions at the beginning and came back to them after the multiple-choice questions.
• There were definitely questions that I had no idea for that even after going back for review still had no clue, so I just made the best guess
• I had about 30 minutes left on the clock after reviewing everything and submitting
• I was a little anxious that I might fail, but overall felt confident

Here is a link to my public badge!
https://www.credly.com/badges/45c6eeb1-3751-4089-b0dd-46fd499d347f/public_url

Thanks to my wife and kids for being patient with me and for my time away to study!

(Link to CompTIA's website: https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security#overview)
(Link to Professor Messer's website: https://www.professormesser.com/)

Sophos Threat Response Certified Admin

I participated in the Sophos Threat Hunting Academy - Season 3, which had 5 1 hour sessions of Sophos and threat hunting training. Here is the schedule and topics:

Session 1 – Responding To An Attack: Initial Response                         Feb. 1, 2022

Session 2 – Responding To An Attack: Triaging The Issues                 Feb. 2, 2022

Session 3 – Responding To An Attack: Neutralizing The Threat         Feb. 3, 2022

Session 4 – Incident Response: Planning and Prevention Measures Feb. 8, 2022

Session 5 – Season 3 Wrap-Up and Q&A                                                 Feb. 9, 2022

Each session had a live demonstration of the Sophos incident response team and how they respond to incidents of new and existing customers.

They showed how to use the Sophos Central Live Discover feature and run queries against the machines and the stored data in Sophos Central.

They discussed other tools available in the cybersecurity industry, and also how to get training in cybersecurity using tools like "Hack The Box" and "Try Hack Me".

Overall it was very educational and was a great free resource, especially for existing Sophos Central customers.

At the end of the course, there was an exam where I passed and was given the title of "Sophos Threat Response Certified Admin".
See the certificate here: Sophos Threat Response Certificate

Here is a link to the community page to learn more:
https://community.sophos.com/intercept-x-endpoint/b/threat-hunting-academy