CompTIA Security+ is the most common first certification for cyber security jobs, and it is changing now. Security+ V8 (exam SY0-801) launches on or around 17 November 2026, with more weight on threats, including AI-related risks, Zero Trust, cloud, hybrid and OT environments, and supply-chain risk. The current SY0-701 stays available in English until 11 June 2027, so you can choose either version for the next few months.
This guide uses CompTIA's official V7 and V8 pages: how the two versions compare, which one to take, a 6-week plan and 15 original practice questions.
Quick facts (CompTIA, November 2026)
| Item | SY0-701 (V7) | SY0-801 (V8) |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Live; English retires 11 June 2027 (Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai: 13 August 2027) | Launches on or around 17 November 2026 |
| Questions | Maximum 90, multiple choice and performance-based | Maximum 90, multiple choice and performance-based |
| Time | 90 minutes | 90 minutes |
| Passing score | 750 (scale 100–900) | 750 (scale 100–900) |
| Languages | English, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai | English at launch |
| Recommended experience | About two years of hands-on security administration (not mandatory) | |
Check the official CompTIA Security+ page for price in India, vouchers and the latest objectives before you book.
V7 vs V8: domain weights
| Domain | SY0-701 | SY0-801 |
|---|---|---|
| 1. General Security Concepts | 12% | 16% |
| 2. Threats, Vulnerabilities and Mitigations (V8: and Attacks) | 22% | 24% |
| 3. Security Architecture | 18% | 19% |
| 4. Security Operations | 28% | 27% |
| 5. Security Program Management and Oversight | 20% | 14% |
V8 gives more weight to fundamentals and threats and less to governance. Security operations is still the largest domain in both versions.
Which version should you take?
- Exam before about February 2027 and you've already studied V7: take SY0-701. It is valid until June 2027 and the certification counts the same for jobs.
- Starting from zero now: study for SY0-801. Your knowledge stays current for longer, and V8 covers AI risks and Zero Trust, which interviewers already ask about.
- Need a language other than English: V7 is the only option until V8 adds languages.
- Either way: check that your study material matches your exam code. Many older courses and question banks still teach SY0-701 objectives.
What each V8 domain covers
- General security concepts (16%): security controls; change management; cryptography: encryption, certificates, hashing, digital signatures and key management.
- Threats, vulnerabilities and attacks (24%): threat actors and motivations; threat vectors and attack surfaces; indicators of malicious activity; vulnerabilities and risks; AI-related security risks.
- Security architecture (19%): cloud, hybrid, on-premises and operational technology (OT) models; secure infrastructure; data protection; resilience and recovery.
- Security operations (27%): endpoint, network, application and data security; asset management; vulnerability mitigation; monitoring and alerting; identity and access management, including federation and privileged access; automation and orchestration; incident response; investigations.
- Program management and oversight (14%): governance; risk management; third-party and supply-chain risk; compliance and privacy; audits and assessments; security awareness.
Concepts that appear everywhere
| Concept | One-line meaning |
|---|---|
| CIA triad | Confidentiality, integrity and availability |
| Hashing vs encryption | Hashing is one-way (integrity); encryption is reversible with a key (confidentiality) |
| Symmetric vs asymmetric | One shared key (AES) vs a public/private key pair (RSA, ECC) |
| Zero Trust | Never trust by network location; verify every request |
| Least privilege | Give only the access needed for the task |
| MFA | Two or more factors: something you know, have or are |
| SIEM vs SOAR | SIEM collects and correlates logs; SOAR automates the response |
| RPO vs RTO | How much data you can lose vs how long you can be down |
6-week study plan
| Week | Focus | Hands-on |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Security controls, CIA, cryptography, PKI and certificates | Create a key pair; inspect a site's TLS certificate |
| 2 | Threat actors, social engineering, malware, application and network attacks, AI risks | Analyse a phishing email's headers |
| 3 | Architecture: cloud, hybrid, OT, segmentation, Zero Trust, data protection, backups | Draw a segmented network with a DMZ |
| 4 | Security operations: hardening, IAM, federation, PAM, vulnerability management | Run a vulnerability scan on a lab VM and fix two findings |
| 5 | Monitoring, SIEM, incident response, digital forensics, automation | Ingest logs into a free SIEM and write one alert |
| 6 | Governance, risk, third-party risk, compliance and privacy; practice exams | Two timed practice exams; book the exam |
15 practice questions with answers
These are original practice questions written for this guide, not exam questions.
1. A file's hash changes after download. Which security goal has failed?
Integrity.
2. Which uses one shared key for encryption and decryption?
Symmetric encryption, such as AES.
3. A user signs a document with their private key. What does the receiver use to verify it?
The sender's public key.
4. An attacker calls the help desk pretending to be the CFO. What kind of attack is this?
Social engineering (impersonation or vishing).
5. A chatbot is tricked by hidden instructions in a document it reads. What is this risk called?
Prompt injection, an AI-related security risk.
6. Thousands of devices flood a website with traffic. Which attack?
Distributed denial of service (DDoS).
7. Every access request is verified regardless of network location. Which model?
Zero Trust.
8. Admin accounts must be checked out, time-limited and recorded. What solution?
Privileged access management (PAM).
9. Users sign in once with their company identity to many SaaS apps. What is this?
Federation or single sign-on (for example SAML or OpenID Connect).
10. A tool collects logs from many systems and correlates them into alerts. Which tool?
A SIEM.
11. What is the first phase of the incident response process?
Preparation.
12. The business can lose at most 1 hour of data. Which metric is this?
The recovery point objective (RPO).
13. A vendor with access to your network is breached. Which risk area is this?
Third-party (supply-chain) risk.
14. Factory control systems need protection from the office network. Which control?
Network segmentation between OT and IT.
15. A scan finds a critical vulnerability that can't be patched yet. What do you do?
Apply a compensating control (for example isolation or a WAF rule), document the exception and patch when possible.
After Security+
- Move to the Microsoft SOC track with the SC-200 guide, or cloud security with SC-500, AWS SCS-C03 or Google PCSE.
- Build a portfolio project: the SOC AI assistant project. Read AI, cloud and cyber security skills.
- See live security jobs.
Cloud Soft Solutions in Ameerpet, Hyderabad teaches cyber security, SOC operations and cloud security with hands-on labs. See the APEX AI, ML, Cloud and Cyber Security program and all courses.
📞 Call +91 96660 19191 · WhatsApp · Flat No. 513, 5th Floor, Nilagiri Block, Aditya Enclave, Ameerpet, Hyderabad
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Security+ SY0-801 launch?
CompTIA expects Security+ V8 (SY0-801) to launch on or around 17 November 2026.
When does SY0-701 retire?
The English SY0-701 exam retires on 11 June 2027. Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai versions retire on 13 August 2027.
How many questions are on Security+?
A maximum of 90, mixing multiple-choice and performance-based questions, in 90 minutes.
What is the Security+ passing score?
750 on a scale of 100 to 900, for both SY0-701 and SY0-801.
Should I take SY0-701 or SY0-801?
If you've already prepared for SY0-701 and will test before mid-2027, take it. If you're starting now, study for SY0-801.
What is new in Security+ V8?
More weight on general concepts and threats, AI-related security risks, Zero Trust, cloud, hybrid and OT environments, supply-chain risk, federation and privileged access management.
