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Rating:  Summary: Don't / Do Buy This Book! Review: First, the bad part about this book. If you can only buy one book for this exam, this "ain't" the one. The book has no index, is poorly written, and the authors never, met, a, comma, they, didn't, like,,,,,. (Tip to the authors concerning commas - "When in doubt, leave it out", AND hire a grammarian. Now, the good part about this book. Having read two books for the exam, it IS clear that the authors really do know the subject matter. They just have difficulty expressing things. Also, as other reviews have noted, there is a fantastic collection of URL's (web links) on almost every page. If you are in the business, are planning to enter, or just like researching computer stuff (including you hackers, crackers, script kiddies, etc.) these alone may well make the book worth the price. About things in general. I have A+, I-Net+, Network+, Server+, and now, having passed with just a "squeaker", Security+. Once again, CompTIA has shown their ability to charge through the nose for a poorly worded, can't find accurate study materials, shabby (a good southern word), nonsensical exam. But hey, what's new? As an aside, all of the books I used to pass all of my exams - including a few MS ones - have been purchased through Amazon, so you ARE looking in the right place. I used this book along with "Security+ Exam Guide [Testtaker's Guide Series] by Cristopher A. Crayton", some practice exams from the internet, 18 years in the computer business, and some common sense. Don't underestimate this exam, and don't waste your time with the "cheats" or "dumps". Spend some money on a couple of books as it is cheaper than paying another $ to retake the exam, (and you'll make more friends at Amazon).
Rating:  Summary: Don't / Do Buy This Book! Review: First, the bad part about this book. If you can only buy one book for this exam, this "ain't" the one. The book has no index, is poorly written, and the authors never, met, a, comma, they, didn't, like,,,,,. (Tip to the authors concerning commas - "When in doubt, leave it out", AND hire a grammarian. Now, the good part about this book. Having read two books for the exam, it IS clear that the authors really do know the subject matter. They just have difficulty expressing things. Also, as other reviews have noted, there is a fantastic collection of URL's (web links) on almost every page. If you are in the business, are planning to enter, or just like researching computer stuff (including you hackers, crackers, script kiddies, etc.) these alone may well make the book worth the price. About things in general. I have A+, I-Net+, Network+, Server+, and now, having passed with just a "squeaker", Security+. Once again, CompTIA has shown their ability to charge through the nose for a poorly worded, can't find accurate study materials, shabby (a good southern word), nonsensical exam. But hey, what's new? As an aside, all of the books I used to pass all of my exams - including a few MS ones - have been purchased through Amazon, so you ARE looking in the right place. I used this book along with "Security+ Exam Guide [Testtaker's Guide Series] by Cristopher A. Crayton", some practice exams from the internet, 18 years in the computer business, and some common sense. Don't underestimate this exam, and don't waste your time with the "cheats" or "dumps". Spend some money on a couple of books as it is cheaper than paying another $ to retake the exam, (and you'll make more friends at Amazon).
Rating:  Summary: So far, I like what I'm seeing in this book Review: I have not yet taken the exam, but so far am impressed with this book. I saw the free electronic version put out by the same people (read it during beta, but didn't feel ready to take the plunge on the test), and the "real" version of the book contains much more information and seems to be very technically accurate. To follow up on another poster's comments, since it's late December now and the exam just came out in early December, I can't imagine any books truly based on the final exam (rather than the beta) being out before April or so next year, if the final exam has changed THAT much from the beta. Major updates to books take time, and publication cycles are measured in months, not days. At least in the past, CompTIA betas have looked a lot like the finals, so I feel pretty safe using this book and the web study boards as my primary resources, rather than waiting longer to take the exam. (I have a preference for getting my certifications early, before all the "braindumps" come out, so that no one can question that I earn them the hard way. It's more difficult, but good for professional credibility.) While I'd like to see more hands-on details on some topics, like how to use certain tools, I've also read on the web that the Security+ exam is more concept-based, and NOT hands-on detailed, because CompTIA didn't want to tie it to any operating system (Windows, Linux, anything). So this book apparently adheres closely to the "word on the street" about scope of the exam in that regard. If you want information outside the scope of the exam, on using particular tools on those systems or implementing specific security measures on them, supplement this book with your OS-specific security books of choice and probably web-reading, since tools and security/counter-hacking techniques tend to evolve too rapidly for a print publication to keep up with them. This is a prep book, not the latest word on securing Windows 2000 Server. And judging from how well it maps to my independent research on some of the objectives before this book was available, it does what it does well. For example, it explains public key encryption, one of the exam topics I was least familiar with, very clearly, in a minimal number of words. One thing this book does better than any cert book I've ever read (with 12+ certifications, I have read a few), is offer footnotes to web sites and books with further information on just about every topic discussed in the book. I've checked some of the web links and they seem on-target. So, overall, 5 stars. I'll report back after I take my exam as to whether the content matches the exam as well as it matches CompTIA's official exam objectives. -- Barbara D.
Rating:  Summary: Incorrect Information! Review: I read the preview, its a complete work, it takes you by the hand, leading you to be prepare to deal with real problems, it also prepares you to pass your test. (Luisjo)
Rating:  Summary: Very helpful Review: I used this book in its initial PDF format as well as beachfront quizzer. Even in its earlier stages of development it was adequate for passing Security+. Providing you meet the requirements set by comptia. Definately not for someone wanting to learn Security from scratch. But if you have some solid experience network/systems administration "at least a year and a half" then this is a good guide to the exam.
Rating:  Summary: Very helpful Review: The ExamInsight for Security really, really helped me. The subjects were presented in a clear concise format and was well laid out. I've been in the security field for about a year and a half and I passed my test two weeks ago and this was a tremendous help not only in my studies but in my job as well.
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