SY0-701 is wide. Five domains, 90 minutes on the clock, and a passing line at 750 — and the test loves the gray-area performance-based items where two answers look right until you read the third time.

This 43-page cheat sheet is the cram-down: cryptography, IAM, threat indicators, and enterprise capabilities — the material that actually shows up — stripped of textbook filler. 🔐

CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) is the baseline vendor-neutral cybersecurity cert — threat detection, secure architecture, identity, and operational hardening. Current objectives: SY0-701 Exam Objectives Version 5.0 (CompTIA, 2023).

Domain 1 · General Security Concepts (p.1–7)

• 1.1 Security Controls ★
• 1.2 Fundamental Security Concepts ★★
• 1.3 Change Management
• 1.4 Cryptographic Solutions ★★★

Domain 2 · Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations (p.8–13)

• 2.1 Threat Actors and Motivations
• 2.2 Threat Vectors and Attack Surfaces ★★
• 2.3 Types of Vulnerabilities ★
• 2.4 Indicators of Malicious Activity ★★★
• 2.5 Mitigation Techniques ★★

Domain 3 · Security Architecture (p.14–20)

• 3.1 Architecture Models ★
• 3.2 Secure Enterprise Infrastructure ★★
• 3.3 Data Protection ★
• 3.4 Resilience and Recovery ★

Domain 4 · Security Operations (p.21–35)

• 4.1 Common Security Techniques ★★
• 4.2 Asset Management
• 4.3 Vulnerability Management ★
• 4.4 Alerting and Monitoring ★
• 4.5 Enterprise Capabilities ★★★
• 4.6 Identity and Access Management ★★★
• 4.7 Automation and Orchestration
• 4.8 Incident Response ★★
• 4.9 Investigation Data Sources ★

Domain 5 · Security Program Management and Oversight (p.36–40)

• 5.1 Security Governance ★
• 5.2 Risk Management Process ★
• 5.3 Third-Party Risk Management
• 5.4 Security Compliance ★
• 5.5 Audits and Assessments ★
• 5.6 Security Awareness Practices ★

Exam Essentials

• Administering body: CompTIA
• Exam code: SY0-701
• Format: Multiple-choice + performance-based items (PBQs)
• Items: Up to 90 questions
• Time: 90 minutes
• Passing score: 750 on a 100–900 scale
• Recommended experience: 2+ years in IT administration with a security focus

Heads up — objectives transition: current SY0-701 Exam Objectives Version 5.0 are effective through June 30, 2026. CompTIA has announced updated objectives effective July 1, 2026. Material here is written against v5.0; verify the latest objectives on the CompTIA site before booking.

What's Inside

Domains This Guide Focuses On

Weighted toward what actually gets tested — leaning on the ★★★ tier domains from a 475-question frequency analysis across released SY0-701 forms.

• 2.4 Indicators of Malicious Activity ★★★ — ransomware, rootkit, DDoS, DNS attacks, on-path, password attacks
• 1.4 Cryptographic Solutions ★★★ — PKI, asymmetric vs. symmetric encryption, hashing and salting, digital signatures, certificates with CRL/OCSP
• 4.6 Identity and Access Management ★★★ — MFA factors, SSO with SAML / OAuth / LDAP, RBAC / ABAC, privileged access management
• 4.5 Enterprise Capabilities ★★★ — firewall rules, IDS / IPS, DLP, EDR / XDR, DMARC / DKIM / SPF
• 2.5 Mitigation Techniques ★★ — segmentation, least privilege, hardening
• 3.2 Secure Enterprise Infrastructure ★★ — security zones, jump server, WAF, VPN with TLS / IPSec

How This Material Is Organized

• In official CompTIA objective order, so when you miss a practice item you can jump straight to the right section.
• Compiled against the CompTIA SY0-701 Exam Objectives Version 5.0.
• Canonical terms taken from the CompTIA objectives — same wording the test uses.
• A final-stage cheat sheet at 43 pages — a focused pass on the material that actually moves the needle, not full coverage.

Who It's For

• You've got 2–3 weeks left and need to triage what to study first
• You're self-studying without a paid bootcamp
• You've already done most of the work and want a final-week refresher to lock everything in
• You work in IT — your hands-on muscle is strong but the theory side has been getting pushed off

Q&A

Q. I've already watched all of Professor Messer — what does this add? A. Messer gives you the lectures. This PDF compresses the same domain content into 43 pages you can scan the night before. Use the videos to learn, this to review.

Q. Does this cover the performance-based questions (PBQs)? A. This is a concept-and-reference PDF, not a PBQ simulator. PBQs pull from the same domain knowledge — the firewall-rule logic, PKI flow, and IAM principles you need to perform tasks live here. For drill-style PBQ practice, pair with CompTIA CertMaster Practice or Jason Dion's PBQ sims.

Q. Does it have an acronym section? A. Sec+ is acronym-heavy and the body uses the canonical CompTIA wording for each one — PKI, MFA, SAML, RBAC, SIEM, EDR/XDR, DMARC/DKIM/SPF, RADIUS, and the rest all appear inline within the relevant domains. Best used alongside Messer's free SY0-701 acronyms PDF if you want a standalone alphabetical index.

Q. Is this enough on its own to pass? A. No — pair it with a video course (Messer is free) and a question bank (CompTIA, Dion, ExamCompass). This is the condensed reference, not a standalone course. The condensed format is the point: the test rewards recognition speed, and a 43-page review beats re-reading a 700-page Sybex book the night before.

Q. Can I print it? A. Yes — laid out for US Letter and prints cleanly on A4 too. Margins are conservative so nothing gets clipped on either paper.

Q. Once I pass, do I have to recertify? A. Security+ renews every 3 years via the CompTIA Continuing Education program — 50 CEUs, a higher-stack cert, or re-taking the exam. The clock starts on your pass date.

CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) — 43 pages, built for the night before the test 💻