Pearson Vue Certified IT Specialist Cybersecurity

This course prepares you for the INF-105 certification exam, covering all official exam domains:

Domain 1 Security Principles

• Explain common security principles: hardening, defense-in-depth, CIA triad, code of ethics, Zero Trust, privacy (incl. AI use cases), data classification/retention, security governance
• Explain cybersecurity frameworks and best practices: NIST Cybersecurity Framework, ISO/IEC 27001, CIS Critical Security Controls
• Explain vulnerabilities, threats, and common attacks (malware, brute force, SQL injection, privilege escalation, ransomware, DDoS, botnets, MITM, IoT vulnerabilities, insider threats, APT, spoofing)
• Recognize social engineering attacks: tailgating, impersonation, phishing variants (spear/vishing/smishing/whaling), pharming, malicious QR/URL redirection, AI-driven attack sophistication
• Explain access management: AAA, RADIUS, MFA methods, password policies, biometric auth, cloud-based resource sharing
• Explain how encryption protects confidentiality/integrity: symmetric/asymmetric encryption, hashing, PKI, certificates, data in transit/at rest/in use

Domain 2 Securing the Network

• Identify vulnerabilities in commonly used protocols (TCP, ARP, ICMP, DHCP, DNS, SMTP, SNMP, HTTP/HTTPS, FTP/SFTP, Telnet/SSH)
• Describe the role of addressing in network security: segmentation (DMZ, VLANs), NAT, public/private/internal/external/trusted networks
• Describe network security technologies: honeypots, proxy servers, IDS/IPS, firewalls, ACLs, VPN, NAC, cloud security (VPC, security groups), input validation/malware detection/spam filtering
• Validate wireless network security: MAC filtering, wireless encryption standards/protocols, SSID
• Examine network security logs (firewall, IDS/IPS) to identify anomalies

Domain 3 Securing Endpoint Devices

• Apply security settings to harden Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems using CIS benchmarks
• Use endpoint tools for security assessment: netstat, nslookup, nmap, zenmap, ss
• Use packet capture utilities (Wireshark, tcpdump) to identify anomalies
• Demonstrate familiarity with endpoint security policies/standards: PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, BYOD, patch/device management
• Interpret system logs (Event Viewer, audit logs, syslog) to identify anomalies
• Perform malware removal: scanning, remediation, and incident response (containment, quarantine, treatment, inoculation)

Domain 4 Vulnerability Assessment and Risk Management

• Use threat intelligence sources to identify vulnerabilities: CVEs, vulnerability databases, cybersecurity reports/news, collective intelligence
• Explain risk management: vulnerability vs. risk, mitigation strategies, risk severity levels, likelihood of occurrence, IT system security assessments
• Explain the penetration testing process: reconnaissance, port scanning, DAST and SAST application testing, reporting to stakeholders

Domain 5 Incident Handling

• Monitor security events for escalation: role of SIEM/SOAR, true/false positive vs. negative differentiation
• Explain digital forensics process and attack frameworks: evidence handling/chain of custody, Cyber Kill Chain, MITRE ATT&CK, Diamond Model, Pyramid of Pain
• Explain cybersecurity incident response elements: NIST SP 800-61 lifecycle stages, compliance framework impact (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, FERPA, FISMA)
• Explain disaster recovery and business continuity planning: DRP/BCP features, backup types, hot/cold spares, DR controls
• Assist users in restoring data after an incident: restore points, RPO/RTO, hot/warm/cold standby