Security+ Cram Sheet & Last-Minute Review
Updated 16 November 2026 · MCQ + performance-based, Up to 90 questions, 90 minutes, pass 750/900 · SY0-701; V8 due ~17 Nov 2026
Security+ rewards fast recognition: an attack from its indicators, the control that fits, the port a protocol uses. This sheet is for SY0-701, the version you can book today; CompTIA expects Security+ V8 on or around 17 November 2026, so confirm which code you are sitting.
The Security+ mindset
- Match the control to the problem in the scenario; do not pick the strongest control by default.
- Know the difference between control categories (technical, managerial, operational, physical) and types (preventive, detective, corrective, deterrent, compensating, directive).
- Performance-based questions take time: flag them and return after the multiple choice.
Security+ cram sheet by domain
Ordered by exam weight, so the top of the page is where most of the marks are.
Security Operations
28% of the exam- Hardening, secure baselines, patching, mobile and endpoint management
- IAM: provisioning, MFA, SSO, federation, privileged access management
- Vulnerability management lifecycle; monitoring with SIEM and logs
- Incident response: preparation, detection, analysis, containment, eradication, recovery, lessons learned
- Automation and orchestration; digital forensics basics
Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations
22% of the exam- Threat actors and motivations; attack vectors and surfaces
- Malware types and indicators; social engineering techniques
- Application attacks: injection, XSS, buffer overflow, race conditions
- Mitigations: segmentation, access control, allow lists, isolation, patching
Security Program Management and Oversight
20% of the exam- Governance: policies, standards, procedures; roles
- Risk management: identification, assessment, analysis, register, appetite
- Third-party risk; agreements (SLA, MOU, MSA, NDA)
- Compliance, audits and assessments; security awareness
Security Architecture
18% of the exam- Cloud, on-premises and hybrid models; IaC, containers, serverless
- Network segmentation, zero trust, secure communications
- Data protection: classification, states, encryption, masking, tokenisation
- Resilience: high availability, backups, site recovery
General Security Concepts
12% of the exam- CIA, non-repudiation, AAA; zero trust concepts
- Control categories and types; change management
- Cryptography basics: symmetric, asymmetric, hashing, PKI, certificates
Formulas and numbers to memorise
| Ports | SSH 22, DNS 53, HTTP 80, HTTPS 443, RDP 3389, LDAP 389 / LDAPS 636, SMTP 25 / submission 587, SNMP 161–162 |
|---|---|
| Backups | Full (everything) / incremental (since last backup) / differential (since last full) |
| RPO / RTO | Data loss tolerated / time to restore service |
| Exam | SY0-701: up to 90 questions, 90 minutes, pass 750 on 100–900 |
Common Security+ traps
- Picking a detective control when the question asks to prevent
- Mixing up incremental and differential backups
- Spending too long on performance-based questions at the start
14-day Security+ cram plan
- Days 1–3Diagnostic across all 5 domains; rank them
- Days 4–8Security Operations (28%) and Threats (22%); 75 questions a day
- Days 9–10Ports, acronyms and control types with spaced repetition
- Days 11–12Timed full practice exam including PBQ-style tasks
- Days 13–14Miss log, this sheet, then rest
Exam-day tactics
- Flag performance-based questions and return to them after the multiple choice.
- About 1 minute per question; keep moving.
Security+ cram FAQ
Should I take SY0-701 or wait for Security+ V8?
If you are already studying for SY0-701 and can test before 11 June 2027 (English retirement), stay on SY0-701. If you are starting after V8 launches, consider V8 once its final objectives and materials are available.
Which Security+ ports should I memorise?
At minimum SSH 22, DNS 53, HTTP 80, HTTPS 443, RDP 3389, LDAP 389 and LDAPS 636, SMTP 25 and 587, and SNMP 161–162.
Keep going
Get ready while the Security+ bank is built
Start free on another exam today; your account carries over.
Start free