Security+ Domain 1 · SY0-801
The foundations the rest of the exam builds on: how security controls are grouped, the principles behind them, how change management keeps a change from opening a gap, and how to choose the right cryptography.
Each block is as wide as that domain’s share of SY0-801. Domain 1 is 16%, up from 12% in SY0-701. Weights: CompTIA’s published SY0-801 exam objectives (v2.0).
The three objectives
Domain 1 has only three objectives, so each one covers a lot of ground. Here they are in our own words, with the key topics for each.
The vocabulary every other objective uses: how controls are grouped by who runs them and what they do, the goals of security, AAA, and the design principles SY0-801 now names here: Zero Trust, defense in depth and least privilege.
Typical question: a short situation describes a control, and you classify it or name the principle it applies.
How a controlled change process protects security, and how a badly handled change causes outages, exposures or blind spots. SY0-801 raises this objective to scenario questions.
Typical question: a planned or emergency change runs into a complication, and you decide what should happen next or which step was missed.
Why and where to use encryption, hashing, digital signatures and certificates, and how to pick the right approach for a need. Focus on what each technique does, not on device names.
Typical question: a requirement, such as proving a file came from the vendor, and you choose the cryptographic approach that fits.
Objective titles and summaries are our own words, not CompTIA’s. See every objective in the Security+ exam objectives checklist.
Domain test
25 questions in 25 minutes, covering all three objectives, with one PBQ. Your results show how you did on each objective, so you know what to drill next.
General Security Concepts, every objective, on a timer.
SY0-801 vs SY0-701
Two SY0-701 objectives merge into 1.1, change management moves up to scenario questions, and the domain gains four percentage points. Deception technology moves out to 4.1 and gap analysis to 5.5.
SY0-701SY0-801
| SY0-801 | What it covers | From SY0-701 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
1.1 | Security concepts and controls | 1.1 + 1.2 | Merged |
1.2 | Change management, now with scenarios | 1.3 | Now scenario-based |
1.3 | Choosing cryptographic solutions | 1.4 | Renumbered |
CompTIA says its lists of examples aren’t exhaustive, so don’t forget the terms it no longer names, but don’t make them your focus. Read the full SY0-801 vs SY0-701 guide.
More practice
Domain 1 questions also appear in every full mock test, weighted the way the exam weights them.
A free, full-length practice exam with 15 General Security Concepts questions among its 90, each explained option by option.
See how the test player works, from the timer and flags to the explanations, in about ten minutes.
FAQ
Domain 1, General Security Concepts, covers the basics the rest of the exam builds on: security controls, core principles such as Zero Trust and least privilege, change management and cryptography. In SY0-801 it’s 16% of the exam and has three objectives.
16% in SY0-801, up from 12% in SY0-701. CompTIA doesn’t publish weights for individual objectives, but with only three objectives sharing that 16%, each one deserves serious study time.
Yes. Objective 1.3 covers choosing cryptographic solutions: symmetric and asymmetric encryption, hashing, digital signatures, certificates and PKI. SY0-801 no longer names crypto hardware such as TPMs and HSMs, or steganography and blockchain, so learn what each technique does rather than a list of devices.
Yes, and SY0-801 tests it with scenarios. Know approvals and the change advisory board, impact analysis, testing, backout plans, maintenance windows and documentation, and be ready to decide what a change process needs next when something goes wrong.
Take the timed Domain 1 test, or start with Mock Test 1: a free, full-length Security+ practice exam, explained option by option.
