CCNA vs. CompTIA Security+ 자격증

Exam Code

200-301 CCNA

SY0-701

Issuing Organization

Cisco Systems, Inc.

CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association)

Target Audience

• Aspiring network engineers
• IT support specialists
• Network administrators
• Telecommunications technicians

• Entry-level cybersecurity professionals
• Help desk technicians, network and system admins, and other IT professionals looking to specialize in security
• Government and military personnel (DoD 8570-compliant)

Prerequisites

No formal prerequisites. However, the following are recommended:

• Basic concepts about networking and network security
• Familiarity with routers, switches, and network devices
• Some hands-on experience with Packet Tracer, GNS3 or real Cisco hardware

No formal prerequisites. However, CompTIA recommends at least 2 years of IT administration experience with a security focus.

Cost

$300

$392 (varies by location)

Questions

100 multiple-choice, drag-and-drop, simulation and performance-based questions

90 multiple-choice, drag-and-drop and performance-based questions

Exam Length

120 minutes

90 minutes

Passing Score

Cisco does not disclose the passing score. The passing score varies across Cisco tests but is usually 80–85%

Scaled score of 750/900 (approximately 83%)

Exam Content and Topics

• Networking fundamentals (OSI model, IP addressing, VLANs)
• Routing & switching concepts (OSPF, STP, EtherChannel)
• Network security basics (firewalls, ACLs, VPNs)
• Wireless networking
• Automation and programmability (basic scripting, SD-WAN)

• Threats, attacks, and vulnerabilities
• Security architecture and design
• Network security and protocols
• Identity and access management
• Risk management and compliance
• Cryptography and PKI

Validity and Recertification Requirements

• 3 years
• Requires recertification via Cisco

• 3 years
• Requires renewal via CompT
• IA Continuing Education (CE) program (earning CEUs, retaking the exam, or earning higher-level certifications)

Difficulty Level

High

Entry-level to intermediate; more conceptual than hands-on

Industry Recognition and Value

Highly respected in networking roles. High demand in job markets

Globally recognized (government, DoD, IT security) High demand in job markets

Career Paths

• Network administration
• Engineering
• Infrastructure

• Cybersecurity
• IT support
• Risk management

Network Fundamentals (20%)

IPv4 and IPv6 addressing and subnettingTCP/IP and OSI modelsSwitching concepts (MAC addresses, VLANs, trunks)Routing concepts (static & dynamic routing, OSPF)Wireless networking fundamentals (standards, security, SSIDs)IP services (DHCP, DNS, NAT, NTP, SNMP, Syslog)

Network Access (20%)

• VLANs and trunking (802.1Q)
• Spanning Tree Protocol (STP, RSTP)
• EtherChannel (LACP, PAgP)
• Wireless LAN architecture and components
• WPA2, WPA3, and other security mechanisms

IP Connectivity (25%)

• IPv4 and IPv6 routing
• Static and dynamic routing (OSPFv2, OSPFv3)
• First hop redundancy protocols (HSRP, VRRP, GLBP)
• IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, subnetting, summarization

IP Services (10%)

• NAT (Network Address Translation)
• DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
• QoS (Quality of Service) concepts
• Network Time Synchronization (NTP)
• Syslog and SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)
• QoS (Quality of Service) concepts
• Network Time Synchronization (NTP)
• Syslog and SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)

IP Services (10%)

• NAT (Network Address Translation)
• DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
• QoS (Quality of Service) concepts
• Network Time Synchronization (NTP)
• Syslog and SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)

Security Fundamentals (15%)

• Network device security (AAA, TACACS+, RADIUS)
• Secure access to network devices (SSH, HTTPS)
• Layer 2 security (DHCP snooping, ARP inspection, port security)
• Wireless security (WPA, WPA2, WPA3, EAP)
• VPN concepts (site-to-site VPN, remote access VPN)

Automation and Programmability (10%)

• Network automation basics (REST APIs, JSON, Python scripting)
• Cisco DNA Center and SDN (Software-Defined Networking)
• Controller-based networking concepts
• Infrastructure as code (Ansible, Puppet, Chef)

Fundamental Security Concepts

• CIA Triad (confidentiality, integrity, availability)
• Least privilege and Zero Trust models
• Defense in depth (layered security)
• Security controls: administrative, technical and physical
• Security frameworks (ISO 27001, NIST, CIS, COBIT)
• Compliance and legal regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS)

Threats, Attacks and Vulnerabilities

• Types of malware: viruses, worms, Trojans, ransomware, spyware, rootkits and adware
• Social engineering: phishing, spear phishing, vishing, smishing, tailgating and impersonation
• Application and network attacks: SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), cross-site request forgery (CSRF), buffer overflows, DoS/DDoS
• Wireless attacks: evil twin, rogue access points, jamming, WEP/WPA vulnerabilities
• Vulnerability management: CVE, vulnerability scanning, patching, penetration testingIndicators of compromise (IoCs): logs, SIEM alerts, endpoint detection

Architecture and Design

• Secure network design: segmentation, firewalls, IDS/IPS, VPNs, NAC
• Cloud security: shared responsibility model, SaaS/IaaS/PaaS, cloud security risks
• Virtualization security: hypervisor attacks, snapshots, VM escape
• Security zones: DMZ, extranet, intranet, air-gapped networks
• IoT and embedded system security: smart devices, SCADA, ICS
• Security best practices: hardening systems, secure baseline configurations

Identity and Access Management

• Authentication models: multifactor authentication (MFA), single sign-on (SSO), federation
• Access control models: DAC, MAC, RBAC, ABAC
• Identity federation: SAML, OAuth, OpenID Connect
• Account security: privileged account management, password policies, least privilege enforcement
• Biometrics and smart cards: MFA, hardware tokens, behavioral authentication

Cryptography and PKI

• Encryption algorithms: AES, DES, 3DES, RSA, ECC, Diffie-Hellman
• Hashing algorithms: MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, HMAC
• Digital certificates & PKI: CA, certificate lifecycle, revocation, OCSP
• Secure communication protocols: TLS and SSL
• Cryptographic attacks: birthday attack, downgrade attack, man-in-the-middle (MITM)

Risk Management and Business Continuity

• Risk management process: threat assessment, risk analysis (qualitative vs. quantitative)
• Incident response: identification, containment, eradication, recovery, lessons learned
• Disaster recovery & business continuity: RTO, RPO, failover, backups, redundancy
• Security policies and procedures: Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), security awareness training
• Forensics & legal considerations: chain of custody, evidence handling, forensic tools

Examination

• Successfully completing any of the following exams will renew your CCNA certification for another three years: An associate-level exam — Options include passing CCNA (again), Cisco Certified DevNet Associate (200-901 DEVASC), or Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate (200-201 CBROPS).
• A technology core exam — Cisco offers a technology core exam for each of the five CCNP tracks including Enterprise, Data Center, Security, Service Provider and Collaboration. In addition, Cisco Certified DevNet Professional and Cisco Certified CyberOps Professional certification each has a core exam that you can pass to renew your CCNA.
• A professional concentration exam — Options include the exam associated with each of the five CCNP certifications, Cisco Certified CyberOps Professional, or Cisco Certified DevNet Professional.

Continuing Education (CE) Credits

Earn 40 CE credits by taking Cisco courses, attending Cisco Live technical sessions or writing exam items for Cisco. To submit your CE credits:

• Log in to the Cisco Continuing Education portal using your Cisco.com ID.
• Navigate to the “Submit Items” section.
• Provide necessary details about the completed activity, such as the item name, provider and completion date.
• Upload any required documentation, like certificates of completion.
• Submit the claim for validation.

Earn CEUs

Earn 50 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) by conducting security-related training, attending conferences and webinars, publishing articles and blogs, volunteering in cybersecurity events, and other activities. Use the CompTIA Continuing Education Portal to log your CEUs and pay an annual fee of $50 per year ($150 for three years).

Complete CompTIA’s CertMaster CE Program

Take CertMaster CE for Security+, which is a self-paced, online renewal course. The fee is $199. No exam is required; just finish the course to renew your certification.

Pass the Latest Security+ Exam

Take the latest version of the Security+ exam before your current certification expires.

Take a Higher-Level CompTIA Exam

Complete a higher-level certification, such as: CompTIA CySA+ (Cybersecurity Analyst)CASP+ (Advanced Security Practitioner)CompTIA PenTest+ (Penetration Testing)

Understand the Exam Objectives

Familiarize yourself with the official CCNA exam topics. Review the detailed syllabus that Cisco provides, and download the official CCNA 200-301 Exam Blueprint from Cisco’s website.

Create a Study Plan

Draft an 8-week study plan. Here’s a sample one:

• Week 1–2: Networking basics, OSI model, subnetting
• Week 3: VLANs, spanning tree, switching concepts
• Week 4: IP routing (static & dynamic), OSPF
• Week 5: IP services (NAT, DHCP, QoS)
• Week 6: Security fundamentals, ACLs, wireless
• Week 7: Automation, programmability, troubleshooting
• Week 8: Practice exams & revision Dedicate at least 2 hours per day to studying and lab work.

Hands-on Lab Practice

Set up labs to practice:

• Configuring VLANs and trunks
• Setting up static & dynamic routing (OSPF, EIGRP)
• Configuring ACLs and NAT
• Troubleshooting network issues 
• Use Packet Tracer for simple scenarios and GNS3/EVE-NG for more advanced setups.

Take Practice Exams

Take multiple full-length mock tests. Be sure to simulate the real exam environment (no distractions, time yourself). Review your mistakes and focus on your weak areas.

CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide Library (Volumes 1 & 2) by Wendell Odom

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0138221391/ref=sspa_dk_hqp_detail_aax_0

31 Days Before Your CCNA Exam by Allan Johnson

https://www.amazon.com/Days-Before-your-CCNA-Exam/dp/0138214255/

Cisco Networking Academy

A series of three courses on Cisco’s official training platform:

• https://www.netacad.com/courses/ccna-introduction-networks?courseLang=en-US
• https://www.netacad.com/courses/ccna-switching-routing-wireless-essentials?courseLang=en-US
• https://www.netacad.com/courses/ccna-enterprise-networking-security-automation?courseLang=en-US

Udemy: Cisco CCNA 200-301 – The Complete Guide to Getting Certified

https://www.udemy.com/course/ccna-complete/?srsltid=AfmBOorgFK3a8WDX5U7WUV4Bx5vS_8W4jiw4KacEY5xoxg6BToIaXsU3&couponCode=PMNVD25A

Video-based training with labs

• CBT Nuggets: https://www.cbtnuggets.com/it-training/cisco/ccna
• INE: https://ine.com/blog/ccna-200-301-practice-labs

Cisco Packet Tracer (free simulator from Cisco)

https://www.netacad.com/learning-collections/cisco-packet-tracer?courseLang=en-US 

GNS3 (More advanced)

https://www.gns3.com/ 

EVE-NG (similar to GNS3 but web-based)

https://www.eve-ng.net/ 

Boson NetSim (paid but great for CCNA practice)

https://www.boson.com/netsim-cisco-network-simulator

Understand the Exam Objectives

Download the official Security+ SY0-701 exam objectives from CompTIA’s website. Review the five Security+ domains:

• Threats, attacks and vulnerabilities
• Network security and architecture
• Identity and access management (IAM)
• Risk management and compliance
• Cryptography and PKI

Create a Study Plan

Suggested study timeline (8-week plan):

• Weeks 1–2: Study threats and vulnerabilities (malware, attacks, social engineering) and mitigations.
• Weeks 3–4: Focus on network security & identity access management (IAM).
• Week 5: Learn risk management, compliance and cryptography.
• Week 6: Take full-length practice exams and review weak areas.
• Weeks 7–8: Do hands-on labs & final study before the exam.

Focus on Performance-Based Questions (PBQs)

PBQs are scenario-based questions that test practical security skills. Examples include configuring a firewall, analyzing security logs, identifying vulnerabilities and managing access control settings. Practice PBQs on platforms like CompTIA Labs, Cyber Ranges and TryHackMe.

Practice Time Management

The exam is 90 minutes long with up to 90 questions. To succeed:

• Spend no more than 1 minute per MCQ.
• Save PBQs for last since they take longer to complete.
• Use the “Flag for Review” option to revisit difficult questions later.
• Aim to complete the first pass in 60–70 minutes and use the remaining time to review flagged questions.

CompTIA Security+ Study Guide (Sybex) by Mike Chapple & David Seidl

hhttps://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Security-Study-Guide-Exam/dp/1119736250/

CompTIA Security+ Get Certified Get Ahead by Darril Gibson

https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Security-Get-Certified-Ahead/dp/1939136059/

CompTIA Security+ Certification Guide by Mike Meyers

https://www.amazon.com/Meyers-CompTIA-Security-Certification-SY0-601/dp/1260473694

Professor Messer’s free Security+ course

https://www.youtube.com/c/professormesser

Security+ video course (Udemy)

https://www.udemy.com/course/total-comptia-security-certification-sy0-601/?srsltid=AfmBOor2HYu19Pk5td1UDmSh5hr1Fma5894TOry8MS-FPJnGPs-c1DVB

CompTIA Security+ Online Training (CBT Nuggets)

https://www.cbtnuggets.com/it-training/comptia/security-plus

CertMaster Practice for Security+ (Official)

https://www.comptia.org/training/certmaster-practice/security

CompTIA® Security+ (701) Complete Course, Labs, & Practice Exams

https://www.diontraining.com/courses/comptia-security

Hands-on security training

• TryHackMe: https://tryhackme.com
• Hack The Box: https://www.hackthebox.com

Focus

Networking: routing, switching, wireless, automation

Cybersecurity: threats, risk management, cryptography, compliance

Vendor-Specific?

Yes (Cisco)

No (vendor-neutral)

Required Experience

Basic IT knowledge recommended

No formal prerequisites, but basic IT/security knowledge helps

Exam Code

200-301

SY0-701

Cost

$300

$392 (varies by location)

Validity

3 years

3 years

You want a career in networking, working with routers, switches and network infrastructure.

You are interested in cybersecurity, risk management and security policies.

You are aiming for a role like Network Administrator, Network Engineer or IT Support Specialist.

You are aiming for a role like Security Analyst, SOC Analyst, IT Security Specialist or Compliance Officer.

You are interested in hands-on technical work with Cisco devices and networking concepts.

You need a certification that meets US Department of Defense (DoD) 8570 requirements.

You plan to specialize in advanced networking (e.g., CCNP, CCIE) later.

You plan to pursue more advanced security certifications (e.g., CISSP, CEH, CySA+, CASP+).

You want to work in areas like telecommunications, cloud networking, enterprise IT or service providers.

You want to work in security-focused sectors like government, finance or healthcare.