PREFACE

Computer and network security is a growing field as a result of the increasing number of security attacks and incidents we read about almost daily in the media. The number of individuals in the field is steadily increasing, but with a wide disparity in the levels of security expertise that these individuals exhibit. Employers needing to hire security professionals are often hard-pressed to determine whether the individual whose resume they are looking at is going to meet their needs. Employers need a way to adequately judge the expertise of the individuals who are applying for a job, and increasingly they are turning to what the information technology field has relied on for years—certifications. As a result, certifications are taking on an increasing level of importance for practitioners of security. They serve to not only help employers make hiring decisions, but they also help individuals become more proficient in the field and help them focus their time on the subjects that will be of the most importance to them in their security career.

The objective of this study guide is to prepare you for the CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner exam by familiarizing you with the technology and exam objectives tested on the exam. Because the primary focus of the book is to help you pass the test, we don’t always cover every aspect of the related technology. Although some aspects of the technology are only covered to the extent necessary to help you understand what you need to know to pass the exam, we hope this book will serve as a valuable professional resource after your exam.

In This Book

This book is organized to serve as an in-depth review for the CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner exam for experienced enterprise security professionals. Each chapter covers a major aspect of the exam, with an emphasis on the “why” as well as the “how to” of security at the enterprise level.

Electronic Content

For more information on the electronic content, see the appendix “About the Download” at the back of the book.

Exam Readiness Checklist

At the end of the Introduction you will find an Exam Readiness Checklist. This table has been constructed to allow you to cross-reference the official exam objectives with the objectives as they are presented and covered in this book. The checklist also allows you to gauge your level of expertise on each objective at the outset of your studies. This should enable you to check your progress and make sure you spend the time you need on more difficult or unfamiliar sections. References have been provided for each objective, exactly as the vendor presents it, and the chapter of the study guide that covers that objective.

In Every Chapter

We’ve created a set of chapter components that call your attention to important items, reinforce important points, and provide helpful exam-taking hints. Take a look at what you’ll find in every chapter:

Every chapter begins with Certification Objectives—what you need to know in order to pass the section on the exam dealing with the chapter topic. The Certification Objective headings identify the objectives within the chapter, so you’ll always know an objective when you see it!

Exam Watch notes call attention to information about, and potential pitfalls in, the exam.

On the Job notes describe the issues that come up most often in real-world settings. They provide a valuable perspective on certification- and product-related topics. They point out common mistakes and address questions that have arisen from on-the-job discussions and experience.

Inside the Exam sidebars highlight some of the most common and confusing problems that students encounter when taking a live exam. They are designed to anticipate what the exam will emphasize; getting inside the exam will help ensure you know what you need to know to pass the exam. You can get a leg up on how to respond to those difficult-to-understand questions by focusing extra attention on these sidebars.

The Certification Summary is a succinct review of the chapter and a restatement of salient points regarding the exam.

The Two-Minute Drill at the end of every chapter is a checklist of the main points of the chapter. It can be used for last-minute review.

The Self Test offers questions similar to the multiple-choice questions found on the actual exam. The answers to these questions, as well as explanations of the answers, can be found at the end of each chapter. By taking the Self Test after completing each chapter, you’ll reinforce what you’ve learned from that chapter while becoming familiar with the structure of the multiple-choice exam questions.

The Lab Question at the end of the Self Test section offers a unique and challenging question format that requires the reader to understand multiple chapter concepts to answer correctly. These questions are more complex and more comprehensive than the other questions because they test your ability to take all the knowledge you have gained from reading the chapters and apply it to complicated, real-world situations. These questions are designed to be more difficult than what you will find on the exam. If you can answer these questions, you have proven that you know the subject!

Some Pointers

Once you’ve finished reading this book, set aside some time to do a thorough review. You might want to return to the book several times and make use of all the methods it offers for reviewing the material:

1. Re-read all the Two-Minute Drills or have someone quiz you. You also can use the drills as a way to do a quick cram before the exam. You might want to make some flashcards out of 3×5 index cards that have the Two-Minute Drill material on them.

2. Re-read all the Exam Watch notes and Inside the Exam elements. They highlight what you should expect—and what you should be on the lookout for on the exam.

3. Re-take the Self Tests. Taking the test right after you’ve read a chapter is a good idea, because the questions help reinforce what you’ve just learned. However, it’s an even better idea to go back later and do all the questions in the book in one sitting. Pretend that you’re taking the live exam. When you go through the questions the first time, you should mark your answers on a separate piece of paper. That way, you can run through the questions as many times as you need to until you feel comfortable with the material.