Rating: ![1 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-1-0.gif) Summary: An embarassment Review: Among the many laughable errors in the Security+ All-in-One Exam Guide, my favorite comes in chapter 18, on risk managment. It comes on page 488, in figure 18-7, where we are trying to calculate which security problems are most important to fix. "Cost to fix" and "difficulty to fix" should _subtract_ from the total score for a problem, not add to it, since the more expensive or difficult a problem is to fix, the _less_ likely it makes economic sense to fix it. That an error as fundamental as this could slip by shows how poorly this book was edited.All in all, this is a disastrously bad book. To some degree, too many cooks have spoiled the soup (the book has several co-authors, and they seem not to have read each others' contributions). There's an immense amount of duplication of material, while at the same time there are many terms and concepts that are invoked without ever being defined. At the least, this book should state that a reader needs a casual familiarity with networking (equivalent to that required by the Network+ exam, which I passed) to have any hope of understanding a good 40% of the book's material. The only valuable chapters are the ones on security baselines (specifically the info on operating system and application hardening), cryptography (though much of the math used there is not explained), and public key infrastructures--conveniently, these are chapters 9 through 11. Though this is the only Security+ book I have read, I feel confident in recommending any other book over it.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: This All-in-One is All You Need to Know to Pass Security+ Review: Assuming you've had some general IT background and are capable of learning new concepts on your own, this book covers about everything you should know in order to pass the test. It took me about 4 days to read the book and pass the test. However, how much time and how many resources you need to prepare for the test depends on your prior background in systems security. (it, of course, is true for every certification out there) The sections of the book I liked the most are the ones on cryptography, PKI, risk and change management. Cryptography and PKI sections provide great technical in-depth understanding of how different encryption and public key technologies work. Risk and change management sections introduces a lot of crucial fundamental concepts regarding control/security aspects of IT operations that might be completely new to some readers. I highly recommend this book if you're planning to take the Security+ test or you just need a good reference for systems security.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: to pass or not to pass Review: I BOUGHT THIS BOOK OVER A MONTH AGO AS BACKUP STUDY MATERIAL AND FOUND THAT IT PROVIDED MUCH OF THE INFORMATION THAT WAS MISSING IN THE OTHER BOOK WRITTEN BY M. PASTORE (SYBEX) I FINALLY TOOK THE TEST AND SCORED 806, THIS BOOK WAS THE ABSOLUTE BEST FOR PREPARATION.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: A good study guide Review: I found Gregory White's Security+ A-I-O Exam Guide to be a good resource for studying for the CompTIA Security+ exam. I used this book along with on the job experience (I also have a SANS/GIAC security cert) to prepare for and pass the test. No Sec+ study book out there seems to cover EVERYTHING, but I thought this book did a good job of covering most things. I would recommend an additional study resource but if I could only have one book, of the ones I've seen, I would pick this one. The test engine that comes on the CD is OK, but nothing great. I would recommend something like Transcender or Boson (the Boson practice exam I used was quite good and fairly cheap at $40) for a more accurate gauge of how'll you do on the test. Also, look for an exam voucher online for the Security+ test. The normal price is $225 but you should be able to get a voucher for around $165.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: A good study guide Review: I found Gregory White's Security+ A-I-O Exam Guide to be a good resource for studying for the CompTIA Security+ exam. I used this book along with on the job experience (I also have a SANS/GIAC security cert) to prepare for and pass the test. No Sec+ study book out there seems to cover EVERYTHING, but I thought this book did a good job of covering most things. I would recommend an additional study resource but if I could only have one book, of the ones I've seen, I would pick this one. The test engine that comes on the CD is OK, but nothing great. I would recommend something like Transcender or Boson (the Boson practice exam I used was quite good and fairly cheap at $40) for a more accurate gauge of how'll you do on the test. Also, look for an exam voucher online for the Security+ test. The normal price is $225 but you should be able to get a voucher for around $165.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: A good grounding but no book covers everything you need Review: I found this book to be excellant preparation/background for the exam. As noted in other reviews, there is not enough detail in all areas and no single book covers everything you need to know, hence only 4 stars.
I combined this book with the Exam Cram 2 book and a set of Transcender practice exams bought from one of the discount sites, with my exam voucher, and passed.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: Great Book! Review: I love this book the author does a great a job discussing all the topics beyond the scope of the test. However,the book does not cover good bit of the tough questions on the test. I do not blame the author as the test goes out of it's way to obscure the questions. I have 10yrs of IT experience, my MCSE, CCNA, CNA, A+ certs and have read [4] books on computer security. The Security+ exam has questions that do not exist in any of the books I have read.
Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: Not Adequate! Review: I took the Security+ exam and passed the first time.
For a study guide, I used the All in One for Security+. The guide is inadequate in that in completely omits some popular test subjects while going into too much detail on other items. If I depended on this one source solely, I probably would not have passed. Thank God I had the Sybex CISSP book to help me through!
In retrospect, I can understand the recommendation to use many sources because you might be missing important test topics if you don't. When taking the exam, the questions I had trouble with were ones that were nowhere to be found in any of the study materials I used. Even if I had memorized the entire "All in One" book, or had it in my lap when taking the exam, it would not have helped me on some of the questions.
In sum, if you depend on the "All in One" for Security+, it is likely you will have a hard time passing even if you memorize the book cover to cover. My advice - use another source or many other sources.
Good Luck!
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: Timing is everything these days. Review: One thing about certifications and study guide I have seen over the years is he who gets there first is the book that most people choose. While this is the generally accepted rule, rules do have exceptions. Having worked on and currently working on Security+ material, this book is objective complete. Greg White, the author, has an excellent grasp of the material. He uses excellent examples and note to illustrate his points. For he most part the book is detailed, I was especially impressed with the Cryptography section and the algorithm breakdown. I have never seen this in any book before. There are certainly a good number of practice questions both in the book and on the cd-rom, and they appear to have the exam covered. Overall the book is a good source of information; timing is the big issue here.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: to pass or not to pass Review: This book fits the billing! It was clear, concise and easy to understand. It prepared me to take the Security+ exam well, and explains concepts thoroughly without assuming that the reader is an idiot. The book deals with all the infomation that will be on the test, following the Domains in their order, but it still also flows in a forward direction, building on one concept with another. That is a challenge nowdays in the tech world were every concept is intertwined with others. That said, don't expect to come to this book with no knowledge of computers at all. I have found that this book serves more as a reminder of "Oh Yeah, I knew that," than as a device to impart new knowledge into my skull. I learned some new things from this book, but the most beneficial part of this book was bringing all the things I know about computers back to the forefront of my mind so that they are fresh while taking the test. It is also good for building up strength in the "security as a whole" areas. It's good to know how to lock down a system, but the test also wants to know if you understand what constitutes good information security as a concept, not a password. The book, despite its thickness (~600 pages) is actually a relatively quick read. I got through it in about a month, reading it in my off time and as a nightcap. It took me about two days of direct study to review the majority of the stuff for the test after having read it. *************** Final Thoughts: There is a time and a place for everything. If you want to learn more about computer security, there are other books out there that will help teach you more about how to lock down a system and disable protocols. If you want to take what you already know and refresh it, as well as supplement it with a little bit of new information, this is the book for you.
|