CompTIA Security+ Certificate

Students build the foundational vocabulary and conceptual framework of cybersecurity. Security control categories, the CIA triad, zero trust architecture, change management, and practical cryptography are all covered here. By the end, students can classify security controls, explain how confidentiality, integrity, and availability shape security decisions, and describe how hashing, encryption, and PKI protect data in real systems.

Session 1: Security Controls and Core Concepts

• Security control categories and control types
• The CIA triad, zero trust architecture, and gap analysis
• Physical security and change management processes

Session 2: Cryptographic Solutions

• Hashing, symmetric and asymmetric encryption, and where each is used
• Public key infrastructure (PKI) and digital certificates
• Hands-on lab: working with certificates and hashing in practice

Students learn to think like the attackers they will defend against. Threat actors and their motivations, social engineering including AI-assisted phishing, common vulnerabilities and attack types, and the mitigations that stop them are all covered here. By the end, students can profile threat actors, recognize indicators of malicious activity in logs and traffic, and match each attack type to the defense that counters it.

Session 3: Threat Actors and Social Engineering

• Threat actor types, motivations, and capabilities
• Attack surfaces and common threat vectors
• Social engineering techniques, including emerging AI-assisted phishing and impersonation

Session 4: Vulnerabilities and Attack Types

• Vulnerabilities across applications, operating systems, hardware, and cloud environments
• Malware types, password attacks, and injection attacks
• Hands-on lab: analyzing common attacks in CertMaster Labs

Session 5: Indicators and Mitigations

• Indicators of malicious activity in logs, traffic, and system behavior
• Mitigation techniques from segmentation to least privilege
• Hands-on lab: identifying indicators of compromise

Students learn how secure environments are designed. Enterprise, cloud, virtualized, IoT, and industrial control environments, the appliances and access technologies that protect them, and data protection and recovery strategy are all covered here. By the end, students can compare the security implications of different architecture models, place security appliances correctly in a network design, and explain how backups, failover, and continuity planning keep organizations running through an incident.

Session 6: Architecture Models and Infrastructure Security

• Security implications of enterprise, cloud, virtualized, IoT, and ICS environments
• Network appliances, secure communication, and access technologies
• Hands-on lab: configuring secure network segments

Session 7: Data Protection, Resilience, and Recovery

• Protecting data at rest, in transit, and in use
• Backup strategies, failover, and high availability
• Continuity planning and recovery concepts

The largest module in the program, because it is the daily work of the analyst roles this certificate targets. Students practice system hardening, vulnerability management, identity and access management, SIEM monitoring, and incident response. By the end, students can harden a system against a baseline, run and interpret vulnerability scans, investigate SIEM alerts, and work an incident from detection through documentation the way a working SOC analyst does.

Session 8: Hardening, Assets, and Vulnerability Management

• Secure baselines and hardening targets across systems and devices
• Asset management and the vulnerability management lifecycle
• Hands-on lab: running vulnerability scans and interpreting results

Session 9: Identity and Access Management

• Provisioning, deprovisioning, and account types
• Multifactor authentication and password best practices
• Privileged access management

Session 10: Monitoring, Security Tools, and Automation

• SIEM monitoring and log analysis workflows
• Enterprise security tools an analyst works with daily
• Automation and orchestration concepts in security operations

Session 11: Incident Response and Digital Forensics

• The incident response lifecycle from preparation to lessons learned
• Digital forensics fundamentals: evidence handling and documentation
• Hands-on lab: working an incident from detection through reporting

Students learn the governance layer that turns security work into a security program. Governance structures, risk management, third-party risk, compliance, audits, and security awareness are all covered here. By the end, students can perform the risk calculations that appear on the exam, evaluate third-party and supply chain risk, and explain how audits, penetration testing, and awareness programs keep an organization compliant and its users alert.

Session 12: Governance and Risk Management

• Governance structures, policies, standards, and procedures
• The risk management process and risk analysis
• Hands-on lab: performing key risk calculations

Session 13: Third-Party Risk and Compliance

• Vendor assessment and supply chain risk
• Compliance monitoring and consequences of non-compliance
• Privacy requirements and data roles

Session 14: Audits, Penetration Testing, and Security Awareness

• Audit and assessment types, internal and external
• Penetration testing concepts and rules of engagement
• Building security awareness programs that change user behavior

Students consolidate everything into exam readiness and a portfolio-worthy capstone. Structured review across every Security+ domain, performance-based question practice, and a full timed practice exam are all covered here. By the end, students have calibrated their readiness against the real exam format and completed a capstone incident scenario, analyzing evidence, responding, and reporting findings the way a working analyst would.

Session 15: Exam Review and PBQ Practice

• Structured review across all Security+ exam domains
• Practice questions with instructor explanations
• Dedicated performance-based question (PBQ) practice in the exam format

Session 16: Practice Exam and Capstone Incident Scenario

• Full timed practice exam mirroring the real exam
• Capstone: analyze, respond to, and report on a simulated security incident
• Exam scheduling, voucher use, and test day preparation

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) provides federal grant funding for job training to unemployed and dislocated workers, managed through local American Job Centers and workforce boards. Qualified students can have training paid through an Individual Training Account, and this program’s tuition sits within typical WIOA training account limits. The private instruction format is a real advantage here: there is no cohort calendar to wait for, so your training can begin as soon as your funding is approved. Eligibility is determined individually by your local workforce center based on employment status and income. Read our WIOA funding guide, see what WIOA pays for, or ask admissions to help you connect with your local workforce center and confirm this program’s eligibility in your state.

If you have a documented disability, your state’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation or an equivalent agency may fund your training. DWC has worked with vocational rehabilitation students and counselors for years and can coordinate directly with your VR office, including assessments and custom training plans where needed. Read our vocational rehabilitation guide or ask admissions how to start the conversation with your counselor.

DWC awards scholarships to eligible students through the following programs.

The Tech Skills Scholarship is for unemployed individuals who are returning to the workforce and need financial support to complete their training. Scholarship amounts vary and are determined on a case-by-case basis.

The Women in Tech Scholarship is for women pursuing careers in technology, design, IT, data analytics, cybersecurity, or other technical fields. Cybersecurity remains one of the most understaffed areas of the technology industry, and this scholarship is designed to help women enter the field and fill that gap.

The Next Mission Scholarship is for eligible U.S. veterans and qualifying active-duty service members within 180 days of separation. The Next Mission Scholarship provides 80% off standard tuition on this program. For the CompTIA Security+ Certificate, that means a qualifying veteran pays $1,059 instead of $5,295, with the exam voucher and official CompTIA labs still included. The remaining balance can typically be paid directly to DWC in two equal installments rather than requiring financing. Eligibility requires verified veteran status (DD-214 or equivalent), individual annual income between $30,000 and $75,000, and separation within the past 7 years. Veterans with income below $30,000 may qualify for fully funded training through WIOA or VA Vocational Rehabilitation (Chapter 31) at no out-of-pocket cost. Veterans with income above $75,000 qualify for the Community Heroes Discount of 40% off standard tuition. See if you qualify or visit the Next Mission Scholarship page for full details, eligibility criteria, and required documentation.

CompTIA Security+ may also satisfy foundational qualification requirements under the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) 8140 Cyber Workforce Qualification Program, which makes it especially relevant for veterans and active-duty service members pursuing federal, military, or defense contractor positions.

Scholarships can be combined with other funding sources including WIOA and DVR. To inquire about current availability, contact the admissions team or visit the financial aid page.

Many employers fund Security+ training for IT staff moving into security roles, because a certified analyst on payroll costs far less than a breach. DWC invoices employers directly, provides the documentation your manager or HR team needs, and issues certificates of completion for reimbursement programs. If your company is training more than one person, ask about group rates.

Flexible financing is available through Climb Credit, including a 0% interest option, with payments beginning on the first day of class. Payment plans are available regardless of where you live. See current options on our payment plan page or ask admissions.

WIOA funding covers job training for eligible unemployed and dislocated workers through local American Job Centers, and this program’s tuition sits within typical WIOA training account limits. Because training is scheduled privately, you can start as soon as your funding is approved instead of waiting for a cohort, which counselors and students both appreciate. Start with our WIOA funding guide and what WIOA pays for, then ask admissions to help you connect with your local workforce center and confirm eligibility in your state.

Security+ opens entry-level cybersecurity roles including SOC Analyst (Tier 1), Security Analyst, Incident Response Analyst, and Compliance Analyst, and it strengthens applications for security-adjacent roles like Systems Administrator and Network Security Administrator. Employers hiring at this level look for the certification plus evidence you can work the tools, which is what the CertMaster Labs work in this program provides, and your tuition includes career coaching for resume, portfolio, and interview preparation targeted at these roles.

Yes. Your $5,295 tuition includes the CompTIA Security+ exam voucher, a $425 value, along with official CompTIA courseware and CertMaster Labs access, so there are no separate fees to sit the exam the first time. Retakes, if needed, are purchased separately at CompTIA pricing, and CompTIA certifications renew through continuing education every three years. Payment plans and Climb Credit financing are available for tuition regardless of where you live.

The program is 100% live online over Zoom, taught in real time by your instructor, never pre-recorded video. Private scheduling means sessions fit around your job, and lab work happens in your browser through official CompTIA CertMaster Labs, so all you need is a computer, webcam, and reliable internet. If you want to see how live online training works before enrolling, attend a free info session.