The CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA+ certification is an intermediate, vendor-neutral credential that proves you can detect, analyze, and respond to threats in security operations and vulnerability management roles.
| Quick answer | Detail |
| Difficulty | Intermediate, by CompTIA’s own classification |
| Pass rate | Not published by CompTIA; any online percentage is unofficial |
| Realistic prep time | 25 to 105 study hours, based on experience |
| US exam cost | $425 retail voucher |
| Current exam | CS0-004 (V4); CS0-003 (V3) bookable in English until December 22, 2026 |
| Passing score | 750 on a 100 to 900 scale |
This guide is for: Security+ holders, junior SOC analysts, and IT administrators in the US deciding whether, when, and how to earn CySA+.
Key Takeaways
- Start on CS0-004 unless your CS0-003 practice scores already pass today.
- Incident response gained the most weight in V4 (+4 points); vulnerability management lost the most (-4 points).
- Total first-cycle ownership cost is $575 (voucher plus one CE fee).
- The voucher equals under 7 hours of median US analyst pay.
- A free home lab covers every V4 domain; the objective-to-tool map is below.
What Is CySA+ Certification and Who Is It For?
CySA+ validates threat detection, analysis, and response skills for security operations and vulnerability management roles, according to the CompTIA CySA+ v4 page. It sits above Security+ and below SecurityX in CompTIA’s security track.
CompTIA recommends about four years in a SOC analyst or vulnerability analyst role. The CompTIA CySA+ V3 page describes the exam as intermediate and high-stakes and maps it to DoD 8140 work roles including cyber defense analyst, cyber defense incident responder, and vulnerability assessment analyst.
How Does CySA+ Compare With Security+ and PenTest+?
| Certification | Level | Focus | Best next step for |
| Security+ | Core | Broad security fundamentals and controls | Help desk and IT staff entering security |
| CySA+ | Intermediate | Detection, vulnerability management, incident response, reporting | Defenders in SOC and vulnerability roles |
| PenTest+ | Intermediate | Offensive testing and exploitation | Red team and assessment roles |
Choose CySA+ if your job involves reading alerts and closing vulnerabilities. Choose PenTest+ if your job involves finding them through attack simulation.
CySA+ V4 (New Version) or CySA+ V3 (Retiring Version): Which Exam Should You Book?
Book V4 unless you are already exam-ready on V3. The CompTIA CySA+ certification hub retires English V3 learning products on November 22, 2026, the English V3 exam on December 22, 2026, and translated V3 exams on March 23, 2027.
| Your situation on Sep 29, 2026 | Days left | Recommended exam |
| Starting study now | Not applicable | CySA+ V4 (New Version), CS0-004 |
| Finished V3 study, passing V3 practice exams | 84 days to V3 English exam retirement | CySA+ V3 (Retiring Version), CS0-003, test within 2 to 4 weeks |
| Midway through V3 CertMaster content | 54 days to V3 English learning-product retirement | Switch to V4 unless you can finish and test before Nov 22 |
| Holding a V3 voucher with Retake Assurance | 84 days | Sit attempt one by early December so attempt two also lands before Dec 22 |
Both versions award the same CySA+ credential. The version affects only which objectives you study.
Can You Reuse CS0-003 Study Materials for CS0-004?
Partly. All four V4 domains carry over from V3, but V4 adds an AI objective, identity-system indicators, and named SIEM and EDR tooling. Use V3 books for core concepts, then close gaps with the V4 objectives checklist.
What Is on the CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA+ Certification Exam?
| Exam detail | CS0-004 (V4) | CS0-003 (V3) |
| Launch date | June 23, 2026 | June 6, 2023 |
| Maximum questions | 85 | 85 |
| Duration | 165 minutes | 165 minutes |
| Passing score | 750 on a 100 to 900 scale | 750 on a 100 to 900 scale |
| Question types | Multiple-choice and performance-based | Multiple-choice and performance-based |
| Languages | English; French, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese coming | English, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish |
With 165 minutes for up to 85 items, you average under 2 minutes per question. Flag performance-based questions (PBQs), finish the multiple-choice set, then return with banked time.
Scaled score warning: 750 is a scaled score, not 750 out of 900 correct. CompTIA does not publish a raw-to-scaled conversion, so claims like “83% to pass” are guesses.
Can You Take the CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA Certification Online?
Yes. You can sit the CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA+ certification exam at a Pearson VUE test center or through OnVUE online proctoring. Online delivery requires a private room, a webcam, and a passed system check before exam day.
What Are the CySA+ Exam Objectives for CS0-004?
The CySA+ exam objectives for V4 cover four domains. The table compares V4 weights with the CS0-003 CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA certification exam and estimates question counts (weight × 85, rounded).
| Domain | V4 weight | V3 weight | Change | Est. V4 questions |
| Security Operations | 34% | 33% | +1 | 29 |
| Vulnerability Management | 26% | 30% | -4 | 22 |
| Incident Response and Management | 24% | 20% | +4 | 20 |
| Reporting and Communication | 16% | 17% | -1 | 14 |
Weights come from the V4 and V3 pages linked above. Question counts are estimates; CompTIA does not publish per-domain item counts.
Learn more about: Unlocking the Worth of CySA+ Certification in 2026: Exam Cost, Salary Trends and In-Demand Jobs
What Does Each V4 Domain Test?
Security Operations (34%)
- System and network architecture concepts, including identity and logging
- Indicators of malicious activity across network, endpoint, cloud, and identity systems
- Tool use: SIEM, EDR, packet analysis, threat intelligence platforms
- Threat intelligence and threat-hunting concepts
- Efficiency and process improvement through automation
- AI in security operations: use cases, risks, governance
Vulnerability Management (26%)
- Selecting the right scanning method
- Analyzing vulnerability assessment tool output
- Prioritizing and mitigating with scoring, threat intelligence, and business context
- Control types, risk, and compliance concepts
Incident Response and Management (24%)
- Attack frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK and the Cyber Kill Chain
- The incident response lifecycle from preparation through recovery
- Techniques: triage, evidence handling, escalation, remediation, root cause
Reporting and Communication (16%)
- Vulnerability reporting, dashboards, and escalation
- Incident documentation, post-incident reviews, and metrics such as detection time and response time
What Changed in the CySA Exam Objectives?
- New: A dedicated AI-in-security-operations objective.
- Expanded: Identity systems and cloud now appear inside malicious-activity indicators.
- Reweighted: Incident response gains roughly 3 to 4 questions; vulnerability management loses roughly 3 to 4.
- Sharpened: Reporting now explicitly names time-based metrics.
Download the full CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA certification exam objectives PDF free from CompTIA’s V4 page. Mark each sub-objective red, amber, or green every week.
How Much Does the CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA Certification Cost?
CompTIA lists the US retail CySA+ V4 voucher at $425 in its CySA+ V4 questions answered post. Some resellers advertise different list prices after 2026 price changes, so confirm the amount at checkout.
| Cost item | Amount | Notes |
| Exam voucher (US retail) | $425 | One attempt |
| CE fee per renewal cycle | $150 | Waived if renewed by a qualifying higher CompTIA cert |
| First-cycle ownership cost | $575 | Voucher plus one CE fee |
| Retake without Retake Assurance | $425 | A second full voucher |
Employer reimbursement tip: Submit the $575 first-cycle figure, not just the voucher. It covers the credential through its first renewal and avoids a second approval request.
What Is the CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA+ Certification Cost in India?
The CompTIA CySA+ certification cost in India varies by voucher provider and available discounts. Current listings show the CySA+ CS0-003 exam voucher at around ₹15,000 to ₹32,000. Trainotrack lists the voucher at ₹15,000, while Secuneus Tech lists it at ₹22,000 including tax. Certizon lists it at ₹28,779 including tax, and FireShark lists it at ₹32,000. These are reseller prices and can change based on discounts, taxes, and voucher availability, so candidates should verify the current price and exam version before purchasing.
What Is the CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA+ Certification Cost in the USA?
The CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) certification cost in the USA is currently around $439 USD for the exam voucher. CompTIA uses regional pricing, so the final amount shown in its purchase process can vary by country and currency. Candidates should verify the current price directly through CompTIA before purchasing. The current CySA+ exam is CS0-004, which launched in June 2026, while the previous CS0-003 exam is scheduled for retirement in December 2026.
Is the CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA Certification Free Anywhere?
No free voucher is available to the general public. Free components include the official objectives PDF, the lab tools listed below, employer tuition programs, and workforce or academic voucher programs at some US community colleges.
Read more: CySA+ CS0-004 Exam: $425 or $439, and What Score Passes?
How Long to Study for CySA+?
Study time depends on hands-on SOC exposure. These estimates combine the CertMaster duration ranges CompTIA publishes on its V4 page.
| Your background | Recommended stack | Est. hours | Weeks at 8 hrs/week |
| Working SOC or vulnerability analyst | Practice (10 to 20) + Labs (15 to 25) | 25 to 45 | 4 to 6 |
| IT pro holding Security+, limited SOC work | Perform (30 to 60) + Practice (10 to 20) | 40 to 80 | 5 to 10 |
| Career changer under 2 years in IT | Perform + Practice + Labs | 55 to 105 | 7 to 14 |
Career changers below the recommended experience should weigh Security+ first, since PBQs assume you have read real alerts and scan output.
What Does a 10-Week CySA+ Study Plan Look Like?
This plan fits the middle profile at 8 hours per week (80 hours), with weeks allocated by V4 domain weight.
| Week | Focus | Output that proves progress |
| 1 | Security Operations: architecture, identity, logging | Log-source inventory for your lab |
| 2 | Security Operations: indicators and SIEM/EDR analysis | 10 triaged alerts with verdicts |
| 3 | Security Operations: threat hunting, automation, AI | One ATT&CK-mapped hunt hypothesis |
| 4 | Vulnerability Management: scanning methods and output | Credentialed vs non-credentialed scan comparison |
| 5 | Vulnerability Management: prioritization and controls | Ranked remediation list with business context |
| 6 | Incident Response: frameworks and lifecycle | Written IR playbook for one scenario |
| 7 | Incident Response: triage, evidence, root cause | Timeline and chain-of-custody log |
| 8 | Reporting and Communication | One executive summary and one metrics dashboard |
| 9 | Full timed practice exam; weak-objective review | Score by domain |
| 10 | PBQ labs and second timed exam | Go or no-go decision |
Are You Ready to Book the Exam?
Book only when every item is true:
- Two timed practice exams scored at or above your provider’s pass benchmark
- No V4 objective still marked red on your checklist
- You can triage a SIEM alert to a verdict without notes
- You can rank five vulnerabilities using exploitability and asset value, not CVSS alone
- You can name the IR phase for any action in a scenario
How Can You Practice Every CySA+ Domain for Free?
A home lab on one laptop covers all four domains. This map pairs each V4 objective area with a free tool and a task that mirrors PBQ style.
| V4 objective area | Free tool | Practice task |
| SIEM and log analysis | Wazuh or Security Onion | Ingest Windows and Linux logs; write one detection rule |
| Packet analysis | Wireshark | Identify beaconing intervals in a capture file |
| Data decoding | CyberChef | Decode a Base64 PowerShell command from a log |
| Threat intelligence and hunting | MITRE ATT&CK Navigator | Map a hunt to techniques and gaps |
| Vulnerability scanning | Greenbone OpenVAS, Nmap | Run credentialed and non-credentialed scans; compare findings |
| Prioritization | FIRST CVSS calculator, CISA KEV catalog | Re-rank scan output using known-exploited status |
| Incident response process | NIST SP 800-61 | Map each playbook step to an IR phase |
| Reporting metrics | Wazuh or Kibana dashboards | Build a detection-time and response-time panel |
Which CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA Certification Course and Books Fit Your Level?
| Resource | Best for | Format |
| CertMaster Perform | Building skills with live VM labs | Official, online |
| CertMaster Learn | Concept coverage with simulated labs | Official, online |
| CertMaster Practice | Readiness check and gap closing | Official, online |
| CertMaster Labs | Hands-on SIEM, EDR, and scanning tasks | Official, online |
| All in One Exam Guide | Self-study reference | Print or eBook |
| Instructor-led boot camp | Fixed deadlines and live Q&A | Online or in person |
Pick a CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA certification course by the gap you need to close: concepts (Learn), hands-on (Perform or Labs), or readiness (Practice).
Delve into the details of: Are CompTIA Certifications Worth It? The Honest Answer Nobody’s Giving You
Does the CompTIA CySA+ Cybersecurity Analyst Certification All in One Exam Guide Cover V4?
The CompTIA CySA+ Cybersecurity Analyst Certification All in One Exam Guide, Third Edition (McGraw Hill) targets CS0-003. Check the cover for “CS0-004” before buying for V4.
Searches for the CompTIA CySA+ Cybersecurity Analyst Certification All in One Exam Guide PDF often lead to unauthorized copies. Buy the publisher’s eBook: pirated files infringe copyright, often carry malware, and are frequently an older edition.
Where Do Reliable CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA Certification Questions Come From?
Use a CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA certification practice test from CertMaster Practice or an established training publisher. Avoid sites selling “actual” CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA exam questions. The CompTIA Candidate Agreement allows CompTIA to terminate your certification agreement for policy violations, and memorized dumps do not prepare you for PBQs.
Sample CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA Certification Questions and Answers
These original questions mirror V4 objective style. Each includes the reasoning, because CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA certification answers are scored on the best choice, not a merely correct one.
Question 1 (Incident Response and Management): A SIEM shows 40 failed logins for one user from 12 countries within 10 minutes, followed by a success. What is the first action?
- Answer: Disable the account and revoke active sessions, then collect authentication logs.
- Why: Containment precedes root-cause analysis when compromise is likely in progress.
Question 2 (Vulnerability Management): Which do you patch first: a CVSS 9.8 flaw on an isolated lab server, or a CVSS 7.5 flaw on an internet-facing server listed in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?
- Answer: The internet-facing CVSS 7.5 flaw.
- Why: V4 requires prioritization using threat intelligence and business context, not base score alone.
Question 3 (Security Operations): An EDR alert shows winword.exe spawning powershell.exe with an encoded command. Which ATT&CK tactic does this first indicate?
- Answer: Execution.
- Why: An Office process launching a scripting interpreter is a classic malicious-document execution pattern.
Question 4 (Reporting and Communication): Leadership asks whether the SOC improved after a tooling change. Which metric pair answers this most directly?
- Answer: Mean time to detect and mean time to respond, before and after the change.
- Why: V4 reporting objectives name detection and response time as core effectiveness metrics.
Explore more: A Complete Guide to CompTIA IT Certification Roadmap – 2026
What Is the Cybersecurity Analyst CompTIA CySA+ Certification Salary?
BLS does not track pay by certification, so no official CompTIA CySA+ salary figure exists. The closest benchmark is the occupation CySA+ roles map to.
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook reports a May 2025 median annual wage of $129,180 for information security analysts. The lowest 10 percent earned under $75,090, and the highest 10 percent earned over $199,850.
| BLS metric (information security analysts) | Value |
| Median annual wage, May 2025 | $129,180 |
| Median hourly wage | $62.11 |
| Projected growth, 2025 to 2035 | 21% |
| Average annual openings | 14,100 |
ROI math: The $425 voucher equals under 7 hours of median analyst pay and 0.33% of the median annual wage. The $575 first-cycle cost equals 0.45%.
What Jobs Can You Get With CySA+?
| Job title | CySA+ domain it uses most |
| SOC Analyst (Tier 2) | Security Operations |
| Threat Hunter | Security Operations |
| Vulnerability Analyst | Vulnerability Management |
| Incident Responder | Incident Response and Management |
| Security Engineer (detection) | Security Operations |
| Compliance or Risk Analyst | Reporting and Communication |
What Certifications Do You Need to Be a Cyber Security Analyst?
No single certification is legally required. BLS notes that employers may prefer certified candidates and that a bachelor’s degree is the typical entry education.
A common US progression:
- Network+: Networking fundamentals for packet and log analysis.
- Security+: Baseline security knowledge and a frequent HR screening filter.
- CySA+: Analyst-level detection, vulnerability management, and response.
- SecurityX: Advanced architecture and engineering; also renews CySA+.
Learn more about: How Much Does The CompTIA Security+ Cost In 2026?
What Happens If You Fail the CySA+ Exam?
The CompTIA Certification Retake Policy sets no waiting period between a first and second attempt but requires at least 14 calendar days before a third or later attempt. Each attempt requires full payment unless your voucher includes Retake Assurance.
After passing, you cannot retake the same exam code without CompTIA’s consent. V3 holders who want V4 content should renew through CE activities rather than rebooking CS0-003.
How Do You Renew CySA+ After Passing?
CompTIA’s certification renewal reference lists 60 CEUs and a $150 fee for CySA+, with no fee when you renew by earning a qualifying higher-level CompTIA certification before expiration.
CEU sources include training, conferences, higher CompTIA certifications, and approved non-CompTIA credentials. Log each activity when you complete it, not at cycle end.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CySA+ harder than Security+?
Yes. CySA+ assumes years of analyst experience and tests judgment in scenarios, while Security+ tests broad foundational knowledge.
Does earning CySA+ renew Security+?
Yes. Passing a higher-level CompTIA certification such as CySA+ renews an active Security+ under CompTIA’s continuing education program.
Is CySA+ worth it without SOC experience?
It is harder to pass and harder to monetize. Hiring managers screen for hands-on alert and scan work, so build lab evidence alongside the credential.
Do CySA+ V3 and V4 holders get different credentials?
No. Both earn the same CompTIA CySA+ certification; only the objectives studied differ.
Can you use AI tools on the CySA+ exam?
No. Exam delivery prohibits outside resources, although V4 does test AI concepts in security operations.
