CompTIA SY0-701 Practice Exam Questions & Answers
CompTIA SY0-701 Exam Details
Key details for this exam, checked against the published exam outline
- Exam Code
- SY0-701
- Full Name
- CompTIA Security+ Certification Exam (2026)
- Issuing Body
- CompTIA
- Question Format (Our Bank)
- Multiple Choice, Hotspot
- Full Question Set
- 934 questions Get All Questions
Free SY0-701 Practice Questions
Each question shows the correct answer and an explanation of why it is right
Question 1 Domain 4 Security Operations
A company with a high-availability website is looking to harden its controls at any cost. The company wants to ensure that the site is secure by finding any possible issues. Which of the following would most likely achieve this goal?
Abug bounty programencourages ethical hackers tofind and report vulnerabilities, helping organizations discover security flaws before they are exploited by malicious actors. Unlikevulnerability scans, bug bounty programs usereal-world testing techniques.
Question 2 Domain 2 Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations
An IT security team is concerned about the confidentiality of documents left unattended in MFPs. Which of the following should the security team do to mitigate the situation?
To mitigate the risk of confidential documents being left unattended in Multi-Function Printers (MFPs), implementing an authentication factor that requires in-person action before printing (such as PIN codes or badge scanning) is the most effective measure. This ensures that documents are only printed when the authorized user is present to collect them, reducing the risk of sensitive information being exposed.
Reference = CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 study materials, particularly in the domain of physical security and access control.
Question 3 Domain 5 Security Program Management and Oversightt
A security engineer receives reports of unauthorized devices on the organization's network. Which of the following best describes a secure and effective way to mitigate the risks?
The best answer is C. Configure a NAC solution to enforce 802.1X authentication with device certificates and implement endpoint security checks.
NAC (Network Access Control) is used to verify devices before granting them access to the network. A strong NAC deployment should validate both identity and security posture. Enforcing 802.1X authentication ensures that devices must authenticate before connecting, and using device certificates strengthens trust in the device itself. Endpoint security checks add posture assessment, such as confirming antivirus, patch level, or compliance state.
This is the most secure and effective approach because it prevents unauthorized or noncompliant devices from joining the network in the first place.
Why the other options are incorrect:
A . Deploy a NAC solution to block wireless connections until devices can be verified against the baseline configuration.This only addresses wireless access and is too limited. Unauthorized devices could still attempt access in other ways.
B . Set the NAC solution to only accept handshakes initiated from a static set of IP addresses.IP addresses are not a reliable basis for device trust and can be spoofed or reassigned.
D . Implement a NAC solution that redirects all devices to the guest Wi-Fi for holding until a security analyst can validate the security compliance.Redirecting all devices is not practical or efficient, and guest Wi-Fi is not the best control for secure admission.
From a Security+ perspective, the strongest NAC implementation uses 802.1X, certificates, and posture assessment, making C correct.
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Question 4 Domain 1 General Security Concepts
Employees located off-site must have access to company resources in order to complete their assigned tasks These employees utilize a solution that allows remote access without interception concerns. Which of the following best describes this solution?
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is the best solution to allow remote employees secure access to company resources without interception concerns. A VPN establishes an encrypted tunnel over the internet, ensuring that data transferred between remote employees and the company is secure from eavesdropping.
Proxy server helps with web content filtering and anonymization but does not provide encrypted access.
NGFW (Next-Generation Firewall) enhances security but is not the primary tool for enabling remote access.
Security zone is a network segmentation technique but does not provide remote access capabilities.
Question 5 Domain 4 Security Operations
A security analyst is reviewing the following logs about a suspicious activity alert for a user's VPN log-ins. Which of the following malicious activity indicators triggered the alert?
Log Summary:
User logs in fromChicago, ILmultiple times, then suddenly a successful login appears fromRome, Italy, followed again by Chicago logins --- all within ashort time span.
Impossible travel (A)refers to logins fromgeographically distant locations within a time period that makes travel between them physically impossible. In this case, a user logging in fromChicago and Rome within a short timeframetriggers this anomaly.
This is a strong indicator of acompromised accountorstolen credentialsbeing used elsewhere.
Question 6 Domain 5 Security Program Management and Oversightt
A security engineer configured a remote access VPN. The remote access VPN allows end users to connect to the network by using an agent that is installed on the endpoint, which establishes an encrypted tunnel. Which of the following protocols did the engineer most likely implement?
The remote access VPN implementation described - where an agent installed on the endpoint establishes an encrypted tunnel - most likely uses:
- IPsec (Internet Protocol Security) - A widely-used protocol suite for VPN that creates encrypted tunnels at the network layer, commonly used with client agents
- OpenVPN - An open-source VPN protocol that uses SSL/TLS encryption and can operate with a client agent on the endpoint
Key characteristics mentioned in the question:
- Agent-based - Software installed on the client endpoint to initiate the connection
- Encrypted tunnel - End-to-end encryption of all traffic through the tunnel
Other VPN types:
- SSL/TLS VPN - Uses browser-based access, typically doesn't require a persistent agent
- PPTP - Older protocol, generally deprecated due to security weaknesses
- L2TP/IPsec - Another agent-based option combining Layer 2 tunneling with IPsec encryption
The description most closely matches IPsec or OpenVPN deployments commonly used in enterprise remote access scenarios.
Question 7 Domain 2 Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations
A security administrator wants to implement a security information and event management system. The administrator must first collect network traffic on the switch to gain visibility of the network. Which of the following is the most appropriate method?
The correct answer is B. Port mirroring.
Port mirroring, also known as SPAN, copies network traffic from one or more switch ports or VLANs to another port where a monitoring tool, packet analyzer, IDS, or SIEM-related sensor can inspect the traffic. This is the most appropriate method when the goal is to collect network traffic directly from a switch to gain visibility into network activity.
Why the other options are incorrect:
A . Syslog
Syslog collects log messages from systems, applications, and network devices. It is useful for SIEM log ingestion, but it does not capture full network traffic from a switch.
C . Port forwarding
Port forwarding redirects traffic from one port or IP address to another, commonly used for NAT or remote access. It is not used to monitor switch traffic.
D . Load balancer logs
Load balancer logs provide information about traffic passing through a load balancer, but they do not provide broad switch-level network visibility.
Therefore, the best answer is port mirroring.
What the CompTIA SY0-701 Exam Covers
Exam domains verified against the Official CompTIA SY0-701 exam guide, last checked October 2026.
Domain 1 General Security Concepts
12%IT security professionals and system administrators learn various security controls and fundamental security principles. This domain emphasizes the importance of change management in maintaining security and the significance of using appropriate cryptographic solutions.
Sample question from this domain above Q4
Domain 2 Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations
22%Cybersecurity analysts and risk managers compare different threat actors and their motivations. The domain covers common threat vectors, attack surfaces, types of vulnerabilities, indicators of malicious activity in different scenarios, and mitigation techniques to secure enterprises.
Domain 3 Security Architecture
18%Security architects and infrastructure designers study the security implications of different architecture models. This domain applies security principles to protect enterprise infrastructure, compares data protection strategies, and emphasizes resilience and recovery.
Domain 4 Security Operations
28%Security operations teams and IT managers apply common security techniques to computing resources. The domain addresses security implications of managing hardware, software, and data assets, manages vulnerabilities, explains security alerting and monitoring concepts, and implements identity and access management.
Domain 5 Security Program Management and Oversightt
20%This domain discusses elements of effective security governance and the risk management process. It covers third-party risk assessment and management processes, security compliance requirements, types and purposes of audits and assessments, and implementing security awareness practices.
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