Cybersecurity · Free online course

CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Prep

Prepare for CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 with Professor Messer's complete free video course: every exam objective across the five domains, with EDWartens notes, worked calculations, practice questions and an optional security project. Exam preparation only: the EDWartens certificate is not the CompTIA Security+ certification, which is earned only by passing CompTIA's exam.

13 modules
15h 11m of video
Beginner
English
₹0, free

CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Prep course cover

₹0Free for good

Worth ₹7,999 by length and depth against classroom training. It has always been free; that is not a former price.

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Overview

About CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Prep

CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Prep is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for candidates preparing for the CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 exam, and IT staff moving into security. It has 13 modules and 15h 11m of video lessons by Professor Messer, with written notes and worked problems, a practical project with a document pack and a 15-question final assessment (pass mark 60%). Learning is free with an account; an optional certificate with a public verification code is issued when you pass. Last updated 27 September 2026.

Who it is for: Candidates preparing for the CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 exam, and IT staff moving into security

This course includes

15h 11m of video lessons
13 modules with written notes and diagrams
One final assessment: 15 questions, pass mark 60%
Ask-an-engineer support from practising engineers
Lifetime access, the course does not expire
Optional verifiable certificate when you finish

Step 1 of 3
Learn the 13 modules
15h 11m of video lessons, written notes and a practice task per module, at your own pace.
Step 2 of 3
Pass the final assessment
15 questions drawn from every module, pass mark 60%, 3 attempts.
Step 3 of 3
Take the certificate, if you want it
Optional, paid once, only if you choose it. The course stays free either way.
See the certificate and its price

A look inside

CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Prep: Syllabus at a glance — Syllabus at a glance

CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Prep: What you will be able to do — What you will be able to do

CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Prep: Tools and credits — Tools and credits

From the lessons

How the Security+ exam works
by Professor Messer
Change management and cryptography (1.3 to 1.4)
by Professor Messer
Types of vulnerability (2.3)
by Professor Messer
Mitigation and security architecture (2.5 to 3.2)
by Professor Messer
Hardening, assets and vulnerability management (4.1 to 4.3)
by Professor Messer
Identity, automation and incident response (4.6 to 4.9)
by Professor Messer

Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits and are shown from YouTube.

What you learn

What you will be able to do

Explain every SY0-701 objective in the exam's own vocabulary: security controls and concepts, cryptography and PKI, threat actors and social engineering, vulnerabilities and attacks, mitigations and secure architecture, data protection and resilience, hardening, vulnerability management, monitoring, identity and access, incident response, and governance, risk and compliance; calculate SLE and ALE; and apply the concepts in a small-office security assessment.

Classify security controls and explain CIA, AAA and zero trust
Explain PKI, encryption, hashing and digital signatures
Recognise threat actors, vectors, social engineering and attacks
Match vulnerabilities to their controls and read indicators of compromise
Place firewalls, IPS, proxies and zones in a secure architecture
Protect data in every state and plan RTO, RPO and backups
Run vulnerability management, monitoring, IAM and incident response
Calculate SLE and ALE and choose a risk strategy

Syllabus

Course content, module by module

In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.

Modules: 13
Video lessons: 121
Of video: 15h 11m
Final questions: 15

01
How the Security+ exam works
1 lesson · 10m
02
Security controls and fundamental concepts (1.1 to 1.2)
8 lessons · 1h 4m
03
Change management and cryptography (1.3 to 1.4)
10 lessons · 1h 27m
04
Threat actors, vectors and social engineering (2.1 to 2.2)
6 lessons · 48m
05
Types of vulnerability (2.3)
14 lessons · 1h 14m
06
Malicious activity and indicators (2.4)
15 lessons · 1h 45m
07
Mitigation and security architecture (2.5 to 3.2)
13 lessons · 1h 55m
08
Protecting data and building resilience (3.3 to 3.4)
8 lessons · 1h 2m
09
Hardening, assets and vulnerability management (4.1 to 4.3)
11 lessons · 1h 29m
10
Monitoring, tools and enterprise security (4.4 to 4.5)
9 lessons · 1h 18m
11
Identity, automation and incident response (4.6 to 4.9)
9 lessons · 1h 19m
12
Governance, risk and compliance (5.1 to 5.6)
17 lessons · 1h 40m
13
Final Assessment
0 lessons · 0m
Final assessment · 15 questions, pass mark 60%

Show all 13 modules

Project

The course project

Optional practice that ends in the kind of job the course prepares you for, with the documents that go with it.

About 10 hours

A security assessment of a small accounting office, mapped to Security+ domains: asset list, risk register, incident procedure and report

Apply the Security+ domains to a real-sized problem: assess a 25-person accounting office's security, build its asset list and risk register with ALE figures, write its incident response procedure, and deliver a prioritised report mapped to the SY0-701 domains. The sample pack shows each document for an office in Geelong, Australia. Use your own workplace or the scenario; do not scan or test any network you are not authorised to test.

Sample document pack, 4 documents, filled in for the scenario

Asset inventoryAsset list: Parkside Tax Consultants
Risk registerRisk register with annualised loss
ProcedureIncident response: ransomware and email account takeover
ReportSecurity assessment report and priorities

Read inside the course and download as a workbook. The project is optional practice, marked when you submit it; the certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.

Tools

Software, hardware and lessons

Software

None required. A free virtual lab (for example a Linux virtual machine) is useful for the project.

Hardware

Any computer with a browser.

Who it is for

Beginner in security. Basic networking knowledge (IP addresses, ports, what a firewall does) helps; CompTIA recommends some IT experience before sitting the exam.

Video lessons by

Professor Messer

Independent creators, credited in full under Credits.

Software you need

What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.

Nothing is required

A free Linux virtual machine is useful for the project.

Optional

Useful, not needed to finish the course.

01
Oracle VirtualBox
Oracle
Free
Runs on
Windows, macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), Linux and Solaris hosts
Account
None needed
The VirtualBox platform packages are free and open source under GPL version 3. The separate Extension Pack is free only for personal and educational use (PUEL licence); business use of the Extension Pack needs a commercial licence from Oracle.
Show the 4 stepsHide the steps
Steps
1. 1.Open virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads.
2. 2.Click the package for your host system (for example, Windows hosts).
3. 3.Run the installer and accept the network driver prompts.
4. 4.Open VirtualBox, click New, choose your ISO file (for example Ubuntu or Windows) and follow the wizard.
- Turn on hardware virtualisation (Intel VT-x or AMD-V) in your PC's BIOS or UEFI if VirtualBox says it is not available.
- You do not need the Extension Pack for normal lab work. Install it only if you need its extra features and your use is personal or educational.
Official download pagevirtualbox.org
02
Ubuntu Desktop
Canonical
Free
Runs on
64-bit PC (Intel or AMD) or ARM 64-bit. Recommended: 2 GHz dual-core processor, 6 GB RAM, 25 GB free disk space.
Account
None needed
Size
About 5.9 GB ISO (Intel or AMD 64-bit, current LTS)
Free to download and use. LTS releases get five years of free security updates, which Ubuntu Pro can extend.
Show the 4 stepsHide the steps
Steps
1. 1.Open ubuntu.com/download/desktop and download the LTS ISO. For ROS 2 courses, get 24.04 LTS or 22.04 LTS from releases.ubuntu.com instead.
2. 2.To try it safely, create a new virtual machine in VirtualBox and attach the ISO.
3. 3.To install on a real PC, write the ISO to a USB stick (8 GB or more) and boot from it.
4. 4.Follow the installer, then run Software Updater when it finishes.
- Your course may name a specific release. ROS 2 Humble needs Ubuntu 22.04 and ROS 2 Jazzy needs Ubuntu 24.04.
- Give a virtual machine at least 25 GB of disk space.
Official download pageubuntu.com
Alternatives
- Ubuntu 24.04 LTS: Use for ROS 2 Jazzy.
- Ubuntu 22.04 LTS: Use for ROS 2 Humble.
- Windows Subsystem for Linux: Run Ubuntu inside Windows 10 or 11 without a virtual machine.

Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.

What you walk away with

Your certificate for CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Prep

Finish the course, pass the final, and this is the document with your name on it.

Sample Wartens Certificate of Completion for CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Prep, issued through the EDWartens training portal — Sample. The issued certificate carries your name, your final score, a unique certificate ID and its own QR code.

Verifiable by anyone
A unique certificate number and a public verification page. A recruiter checks it in ten seconds.
Adds to LinkedIn in one click
Issuer, credential ID and URL prefilled, with 5 matching skills to pin to your profile.
QR code on the certificate
Scans straight to the verification page, so a printed copy proves itself.
Names what you can do
Lists the topics covered, from general security concepts, controls, cryptography and pki to security programme management: governance, risk, compliance and awareness.
A permanent link
Put it on a CV, a portfolio or an application. The URL never changes.
Earned, not attended
Issued only after every module and a final assessment at 60%, with 3 attempts. That is why it stands up.

Learning is free. The certificate is optional.

Add it now and pay only when you have finished the course, or come back for it later. One-off, US$23.99, with a receipt.

Issued by Wartens Ltd (England and Wales, company no. 15262249) through the EDWartens training portal, as a Certificate of Completion for this self-paced course. Sold in India by Wartens Automation Private Limited. It is not a vendor certification, a university award or a CPD-accredited activity, and it does not certify competence on live equipment. Delivered electronically; see the refund policy.

FAQ

Common questions

Is this the official Security+ course?

No. It is an independent free course built on Professor Messer's free SY0-701 videos, credited on every module. CompTIA and Security+ are trademarks of CompTIA, and neither CompTIA nor Professor Messer is affiliated with EDWartens.

Does passing this course give me the Security+ certification?

No. The certification is awarded only by passing CompTIA's exam, booked and paid for through CompTIA. This course prepares you for it and gives you an EDWartens certificate of completion.

Does it cover every exam objective?

Yes. The course follows Professor Messer's complete SY0-701 series, which covers every objective across the five domains, in 12 teaching modules.

How long does the CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Prep course take?

About 19 hours of lessons, notes and practice questions, plus about 10 hours for the project. Spread over several weeks, with time for revision, is a realistic plan before booking the exam.

Do I need experience?

No, though basic networking knowledge helps. CompTIA recommends some IT experience before sitting the exam itself.

Is the CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Prep course really free?

Yes. Every module, the notes, the 130 practice questions, the project and the final assessment. The only paid item is the EDWartens certificate, if you want it.

Is SY0-701 still the current exam?

Yes, as of September 2026. CompTIA expects to launch Security+ V8 (SY0-801) on or around 17 November 2026, and SY0-701 stays available for a period after that, so check CompTIA's retirement date before you book.

What is the project in the CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Prep course?

A security assessment of a 25-person accounting office in Geelong, Australia: an asset list, a risk register with SLE and ALE figures, an incident response procedure and a prioritised report mapped to the five exam domains. It doubles as a revision checklist and a portfolio piece.

Is the CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Prep course free in India, and what does the certificate cost?

Yes. Learning costs ₹0 in India: every module, the written notes, the practice tasks and the final assessment, with no card and no trial period. The only paid item is the optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, ₹499 including GST for this beginner course, paid in rupees through Razorpay, and only if you want it after passing the final assessment.

All course facts

Price: ₹0, free for good. No trial, no card. Comparable classroom training of this length costs about ₹7,999.
Who it is for: Candidates preparing for the CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 exam, and IT staff moving into security
Format: 13 self-paced modules, 15h 11m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
Level: Beginner. Beginner in security. Basic networking knowledge (IP addresses, ports, what a firewall does) helps; CompTIA recommends some IT experience before sitting the exam.
Brand: CompTIA
Software: None required. A free virtual lab (for example a Linux virtual machine) is useful for the project.
Hardware: Any computer with a browser.
Certificate: Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, ₹499 inclusive of GST for learners in India, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
Video lessons by: Professor Messer (independent creators, credited below)
Language: English
Last updated: 27 September 2026

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Credits

Who made the video lessons

The video lessons in this course were created by the people below, not by EDWartens. Every lesson streams from its creator's own YouTube channel; EDWartens neither hosts nor sells that footage, and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens and do not endorse this course. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.

Professor Messerthe complete free CompTIA SY0-701 Security+ Training Course, every lesson in this course

If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.