Top Entry-Level Cyber Security Certifications for You in 2023

We know from experience how overwhelming it can be for you to choose between all the available cyber security certification options. Not only are there countless organizations claiming their certification is the best available, but there is also no end to the bad advice offered online. The number of times we’ve seen the CISSP certification recommended to beginners is criminal.

Our goal is to provide you with our list of the best entry-level cyber security certifications, tell you what career paths they are best suited for, and what training courses can help you achieve your goals.

Before moving forward, there is an important caveat we need to make clear: entry-level cyber security certifications are not the same as entry-level certifications.

While some of these certifications can be taken without any prior experience or credentials, others are for professionals looking to shift their career paths specifically to information security. We will make clear which is which and what you can do to prepare for each certification exam.

Security Foundations

If you plan on getting into any information security role, you must gain foundational skills and a strong grasp of security concepts. These can apply to both the overall security landscape, and specifically to enterprise networking. Let’s examine the best certifications to start with.

CertMaster Learn for Comptia Security + https://certmaster.org/products/certmaster-learn-for-security

CompTIA Security+

According to the CompTIA website, Security+ is “the first security certification a candidate should earn. It establishes the core knowledge required of any cyber security role and provides a springboard to intermediate-level cyber security jobs.” We agree.

This 90-minute exam consists of no more than 90 multiple-choice and performance-based questions (PBQs). It is a vendor-neutral certification, meaning its concepts can be applied to any hardware manufacturer, operating system, or infrastructure.

The PBQs will have you perform some basic hands-on tasks in a simulated environment. This could mean adding specific firewall rules to a table or drag-and-dropping security hardware into the correct positions of a network map.

The multiple choice questions will often follow a “given this scenario” format where you are expected to look at the circumstances presented and choose the best course of action. Others may ask you to compare and contrast concepts (such as elasticity vs. scalability).

The exam covers the following domains:

Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities (24%)

Architecture and Design (21%)

Implementation (25%)

Operations and Incident Response (16%)

Governance, Risk, and Compliance (14%)

Requirements

There are no hard requirements to write this exam. However, it is expected that you are already familiar with enterprise-level networking.

Cost

$392 USD

Why is this our choice?

There are many choices for a certification covering basic security principles. GIAC Security Essentials and (ISC)2’s Systems Security Certified Practitioner both fall into that category.

However, neither the GSEC nor SSCP certification holds the employer recognition of Security+. GSEC is dramatically more expensive than Security+, and SSCP requires provable paid work experience before you can claim accreditation — you can read our SSCP vs Security+ comparison and GSEC vs Security+ comparison for details.

Security+ covers all the essential concepts required to understand the terminology, function, and best practices an employer excepts from a cyber security professional.

Courses

We recommend the following courses and practice exams in this order to prepare for your CompTIA certification.

• Best Price $ CertMaster Learn for Security+ (SY0-601)
• Best Price $ CertMaster Practice for Security+ (SY0-601)
• Best Price $ CertMaster Labs for Security+ (SY0-601)