Example coursework · Independent teaching demonstrations
← All syllabiCOURSE 201 / EIGHT-WEEK HYBRID / SY0-701
CompTIA Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals syllabus
Apply security principles to protect endpoints, identities, networks and cloud workloads. Analyze vulnerabilities and incidents, validate recovery and justify operational, governance and risk decisions.
Course overview and resources · Instructor: justinfreres@gmail.com
Course outcomes and preparation
- Select and validate controls for data, devices, identity and infrastructure.
- Interpret security evidence, prioritize vulnerabilities and investigate incidents in authorized labs.
- Document recovery, residual risk, compliance and professional security decisions.
This is one intensive eight-week Security+ course, not two concurrent cores. Plan 10–14 hours of independent reading, handouts, practice, NETLAB work and remediation each week, plus the three-hour classroom meeting (13–17 hours total). Fifteen textbook modules are introduced in seven weeks before the comprehensive lab. The pace assumes working familiarity with operating systems, TCP/IP, accounts and basic troubleshooting. These are planning estimates, not a college credit-hour determination. Reserve several study sessions and weekend lab time, allow time for unsuccessful attempts, and ask for support early. Reading and handouts must be finished before class; attendance alone does not complete this hybrid course.
Class meets Mondays, January 11–March 1, 2027, 5:45–8:45 PM Central. These sample offerings share a calendar; only 107 and 108 are arranged as a concurrent pair.
Prepare → Quiz → Chapter labs → Closeout
Read assigned material, review authorized slides and submit the completed graded handout before class at 5:45 PM. Include reading references, original explanations, lab planning and two questions. Opening quiz: 5:45–6:00. Supervised labs: 6:00–8:10, including a 7:00–7:10 break. Closeout: 8:10–8:45 lecture, corrections, Q&A and announcements.
Outside class, complete at least 45 exam-matching MeasureUP practice questions each week, submit results and remediate three weak concepts. Complete every approved matching NETLAB or licensed remote-lab title with a separately documented section in the graded weekly portfolio. Submit a reflection and professional handoff.
Hybrid deadlines are the following Sunday at midnight, end of day, Central (12:00 AM the next day). Preparation and supervised classwork retain their earlier deadlines. Eight-week study requires substantial dedicated outside time, reliable lab access and attendance.
Unique weekly reading and lab plan
Week 1 · Information security foundations and attack surfaces
January 11 · Hybrid due January 17
Read before class: CompTIA Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals, 8th Edition, ISBN 9798214000749. Textbook modules 1–2: 1: Introduction to Information Security; 2: Pervasive Attack Surfaces and Controls. Read before class; review instructor-assigned licensed slides when available.
Outcome: Classify assets and threat actors, explain security principles and select physical, human and data controls.
- Given a fictional organization and asset inventory, classify data, identify threat actors and attack surfaces, and justify preventive, detective and corrective controls using confidentiality, integrity and availability requirements.
- Review synthetic social-engineering messages and a physical-access scenario. Demonstrate an identity-verification response, identify data exposure, and produce a safe reporting and escalation plan.
Closeout: Debrief information security foundations and attack surfaces: compare findings, correct misconceptions, connect procedures to SY0-701 objectives, answer questions and announce the next reading and Sunday deadline. Present evidence for one decision and one remaining question.
Full handout, quiz scope and hybrid assignments →Week 2 · Cryptography, certificates and secure communication
January 18 · Hybrid due January 24
Read before class: CompTIA Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals, 8th Edition, ISBN 9798214000749. Textbook modules 3–4: 3: Fundamentals of Cryptography; 4: Advanced Cryptography. Read before class; review instructor-assigned licensed slides when available.
Outcome: Verify data integrity, distinguish cryptographic functions and diagnose certificate trust and key-management issues.
- Hash disposable files, alter a test copy and compare digests. Encrypt and recover a disposable document with an approved lab tool; explain what hashing, encryption and signing each prove and do not prove.
- Inspect a sample certificate chain and lab TLS configuration. Identify subject, issuer, validity and trust errors, recommend secure protocols, and document certificate renewal, revocation and key-protection decisions.
Closeout: Debrief cryptography, certificates and secure communication: compare findings, correct misconceptions, connect procedures to SY0-701 objectives, answer questions and announce the next reading and Sunday deadline. Present evidence for one decision and one remaining question.
Full handout, quiz scope and hybrid assignments →Week 3 · Endpoint, mobile and embedded-device defense
January 25 · Hybrid due January 31
Read before class: CompTIA Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals, 8th Edition, ISBN 9798214000749. Textbook modules 5–6: 5: Endpoint Vulnerabilities, Attacks, and Defenses; 6: Mobile and Embedded Device Security. Read before class; review instructor-assigned licensed slides when available.
Outcome: Analyze endpoint threats, apply a hardening baseline and evaluate mobile or embedded-device protections.
- Analyze benign malware indicators and an isolated endpoint configuration. Record the baseline, select patching, service, application and host-firewall controls, apply an authorized correction and verify operation. Do not obtain or execute live malware.
- Review supplied mobile and IoT configurations or an authorized emulator. Correct excessive permissions, authentication and update settings; document device ownership, encryption, segmentation and lost-device response.
Closeout: Debrief endpoint, mobile and embedded-device defense: compare findings, correct misconceptions, connect procedures to SY0-701 objectives, answer questions and announce the next reading and Sunday deadline. Present evidence for one decision and one remaining question.
Full handout, quiz scope and hybrid assignments →Week 4 · Identity controls and infrastructure monitoring
February 1 · Hybrid due February 7
Read before class: CompTIA Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals, 8th Edition, ISBN 9798214000749. Textbook modules 7–8: 7: Identity and Access Management; 8: Infrastructure Threats and Security Monitoring. Read before class; review instructor-assigned licensed slides when available.
Outcome: Prove least-privilege access decisions and use network and host evidence to triage infrastructure threats.
- Build a role/access matrix for a fictional team. Configure isolated lab accounts or policy fixtures, test permitted and denied actions, and document MFA, account lifecycle, passwordless and privileged-access recommendations.
- Correlate supplied authentication logs, network captures and intrusion alerts. Record time zones, baseline traffic, suspicious observations and alternative explanations; prioritize a justified response and escalation.
Closeout: Debrief identity controls and infrastructure monitoring: compare findings, correct misconceptions, connect procedures to SY0-701 objectives, answer questions and announce the next reading and Sunday deadline. Present evidence for one decision and one remaining question.
Full handout, quiz scope and hybrid assignments →Week 5 · Secure infrastructure and wireless defense
February 8 · Hybrid due February 14
Read before class: CompTIA Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals, 8th Edition, ISBN 9798214000749. Textbook modules 9–10: 9: Infrastructure Security; 10: Wireless Network Attacks and Defenses. Read before class; review instructor-assigned licensed slides when available.
Outcome: Design segmentation, verify network restrictions and assess wireless authentication and exposure.
- Design segmented access for a small organization. Apply or evaluate isolated firewall rules and secure service configurations; demonstrate allowed and denied traffic with repeatable tests and a rollback plan.
- Evaluate a supplied wireless configuration and capture. Identify weak authentication, encryption and placement decisions; correct an authorized lab configuration or produce a validated remediation plan. Restrict tests to the provided environment.
Closeout: Debrief secure infrastructure and wireless defense: compare findings, correct misconceptions, connect procedures to SY0-701 objectives, answer questions and announce the next reading and Sunday deadline. Present evidence for one decision and one remaining question.
Full handout, quiz scope and hybrid assignments →Week 6 · Cloud security and vulnerability management
February 15 · Hybrid due February 21
Read before class: CompTIA Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals, 8th Edition, ISBN 9798214000749. Textbook modules 11–12: 11: Cloud and Virtualization Security; 12: Vulnerability Management. Read before class; review instructor-assigned licensed slides when available.
Outcome: Allocate cloud responsibilities, review virtual workload controls and prioritize validated vulnerabilities by risk.
- Assess a fictional cloud workload and isolated VM configuration. Create a shared-responsibility matrix, evaluate IAM, network and logging controls, and validate an authorized correction and rollback.
- Interpret an instructor-supplied scan or run an approved scanner only against assigned isolated hosts. Validate scope and findings, prioritize exposure and business impact, and specify remediation ownership, exceptions and retest evidence.
Closeout: Debrief cloud security and vulnerability management: compare findings, correct misconceptions, connect procedures to SY0-701 objectives, answer questions and announce the next reading and Sunday deadline. Present evidence for one decision and one remaining question.
Full handout, quiz scope and hybrid assignments →Week 7 · Incident investigation, security operations and management
February 22 · Hybrid due February 28
Read before class: CompTIA Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals, 8th Edition, ISBN 9798214000749. Textbook modules 13–15: 13: Incident Preparation and Investigation; 14: Oversight and Operations; 15: Information Security Management. Read before class; review instructor-assigned licensed slides when available.
Outcome: Preserve evidence, validate recovery and defend governance, operational and risk-management decisions.
- Hash supplied evidence, preserve the original and analyze a working copy. Build an incident timeline, chain of custody and response sequence; restore a disposable dataset and verify integrity against recovery objectives.
- Build a risk register and policy change for a fictional organization. Assign owners, treatments and residual risks; evaluate supplier and privacy evidence, and specify compliance checks and change approval.
- Review a security-operations automation or AI-assisted triage proposal. Identify permitted inputs, data-handling risks, human review, false-positive checks and escalation; verify conclusions against original evidence.
Closeout: Debrief incident investigation, security operations and management: compare findings, correct misconceptions, connect procedures to SY0-701 objectives, answer questions and announce the next reading and Sunday deadline. Present evidence for one decision and one remaining question.
Full handout, quiz scope and hybrid assignments →Week 8 · Security+ comprehensive defense lab and certification readiness
March 1 · Hybrid due March 7
Read before class: CompTIA Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals, 8th Edition, ISBN 9798214000749. Textbook modules 1–15 review: Review all fifteen textbook modules and your remediation log; no new reading unit. Read before class; review instructor-assigned licensed slides when available.
Outcome: Independently assess and defend a fictional environment, respond to an incident and justify residual-risk and recovery decisions.
- Comprehensive practical station 1: use the supplied asset inventory, configuration snapshots and logs to identify an exposure and suspicious activity. Prioritize risk, propose and apply authorized hardening or access changes, and demonstrate functional and security validation in the isolated lab.
- Comprehensive practical station 2: preserve supplied incident evidence, document a response timeline, validate a disposable-data restore and present a customer handoff with residual risks, rollback, monitoring and escalation. Submit the linked portfolio across both stations.
Closeout: Debrief security+ comprehensive defense lab and certification readiness: compare findings, correct misconceptions, connect procedures to SY0-701 objectives, answer questions and announce the next reading and Sunday deadline. Present evidence for one decision and one remaining question.
Full handout, quiz scope and hybrid assignments →
Assessment and grading
| Category | Weight |
|---|
| Eight opening quizzes | 7.5% |
| Eight weekly practices, minimum 45 questions each | 7.5% |
| Eight graded preparation handouts and eight reflections | 5% |
| Weeks 1–7 classroom labs and eight graded remote-lab portfolios | 20% |
| Week 8 comprehensive practical, assigned stations equally weighted | 30% |
| Actual official certification exam | 30% |
Items share their category equally. A 90–100; B 80–89.99; C 70–79.99; D 60–69.99; F below 60. Missing/ungraded items count zero provisionally. Pre-final coursework is normalized over the combined 70%. At least 70% pre-final coursework and a passing final guarantee at least 70% overall, or the higher weighted result.
Lab rubric: correct result/procedure 40%, reasoning/evidence 30%, permissions/safety/data handling 20%, documentation 10%. Handouts: accuracy 50%, completeness/references 30%, explanations/questions 20%. Practice: verified minimum count 50%, result evidence 25%, remediation 25%. Reflection: technical reasoning 50%, evidence 30%, handoff 20%. Quiz prompts share credit equally.
College policies govern accommodations, integrity, late work, absences, withdrawal and final grade approval. Arrange supervised make-ups and any extensions with the instructor. Use only authorized environments and submit original work. Do not upload exam questions, dumps, live credentials or private customer data. Exact licensed chapter/page assignments, slides and installed remote-lab titles must be approved before delivery; this portal does not provide vendor licenses.
COURSE FINALE / TWO SEPARATE ASSESSMENTS
Comprehensive lab → Official certification exam
1. Comprehensive lab day — 30% of the course
The week 8 meeting is the comprehensive lab day: Monday, March 1, 2027, 5:45–8:45 PM. After the opening readiness quiz, complete one integrated practical with the assigned lab activities as its stations. All stations share the 30% equally. Work independently in the supervised, authorized lab environment; the instructor supplies the fault scenario and permitted tools.
Defend a fictional organization in one integrated security incident: review assets, configurations and logs; identify and prioritize a vulnerability or attack indicator; implement authorized controls; preserve supplied evidence; validate recovery; and justify remaining risk and escalation. Use the assigned stations to document the full response.
Submit a single organized service portfolio across the assigned station submissions: intake and baseline, diagnosis and alternatives, procedure log, before/after evidence, validation tests, rollback or recovery plan, and a customer handoff. Rubric: correct procedure/result 40%; reasoning/evidence 30%; safety, permissions and data handling 20%; documentation 10%. Closeout includes a short explanation of your diagnosis, questions and exam-readiness announcements.
2. Actual certification exam — 30% of the course
After the lab day, take the official CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 through an authorized testing provider. Schedule a separate appointment after the comprehensive lab and submit result evidence by Sunday, March 7, 2027 at midnight, end of day, America/Chicago. Arrange voucher/payment, identification and testing requirements in advance; this portal does not deliver or book the official exam. MeasureUP is practice and does not replace it. The instructor must announce any approved deadline extension or retake arrangement.
Submit the exam code, date, official scaled score and pass/fail result through the private CertificationExam submission. Provide the official score report through the instructor-approved private method for verification; do not share exam questions or answers. The instructor verifies the result and records the scaled score in administration.
The published passing score for this exam is 750 on a 100–900 scale. For this course only, 100 maps to 0%, the passing score maps to 70%, and 900 maps to 100%, using linear interpolation below and above passing. This is the college course conversion, not CompTIA's percentage score. See the official certification exam information. This course follows the exam version named in its syllabus. Confirm version availability and testing-provider deadlines before buying a voucher or booking.
C-or-better course guarantee
If your pre-exam coursework average is at least 70% and you pass this course's official exam, your final course grade will be at least 70% (C). Pre-exam coursework includes the comprehensive lab and all other non-exam work, normalized over its combined 70% weight. Higher weighted results earn the corresponding higher grade. Missing or unverified exam results remain ungraded and count as zero until verified; they do not trigger the guarantee.