What is CompTIA SecurityX?
CompTIA SecurityX (formerly CASP+, CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner) is the highest-level certification in the CompTIA security track. The current version is CAS-005, which replaced CAS-004 in December 2024; CAS-004 retired on 17 June 2025. It's positioned above both CySA+ and Security+ and is designed for senior security engineers, architects, and practitioners who implement and manage enterprise security solutions.
The key distinction that sets SecurityX apart from other advanced security certifications is its focus on doing rather than managing. SecurityX is explicitly a practitioner cert — the exam assumes you are the person implementing security controls, not the person approving them. If your career goal is to stay hands-on at a senior level rather than move into security management, SecurityX is the CompTIA path that gets you there.
Unlike most CompTIA exams that give you a score out of 900, SecurityX is pass/fail only. You won't receive a numerical score — you either pass or you don't. This is intentional: CompTIA considers SecurityX a mastery-level exam where passing demonstrates expert-level competency, not a gradation of performance.
SecurityX exam domains (CAS-005)
The CAS-005 exam covers four domains. Security architecture and security engineering together account for 58% of the exam — this is fundamentally a design and implementation cert, not a policy cert.
SecurityX vs CISSP — which should you pursue?
This is the most common question about SecurityX, and the answer comes down to career direction rather than which cert is objectively better. Both are respected advanced security credentials. They serve different audiences.
| Category | SecurityX (CAS-005) | CISSP |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | CompTIA | (ISC)² |
| Orientation | Practitioner / hands-on technical | Management / policy / governance |
| Experience required | Recommended, but not enforced | 5 years paid experience (required) |
| Exam cost | ~$544 | ~$749 |
| Questions | Up to 90 (PBQ heavy) | 125–175 adaptive questions |
| Passing score | Pass/Fail | 700 / 1000 |
| Renewal | Every 3 years | Every 3 years (CPE required) |
| DoD 8570 | IAT III, IAM II/III | IAM Level III |
| Best for | Senior engineers and architects staying technical | Security managers, CISOs, governance roles |
| Market recognition | Strong in DoD/government; growing in enterprise | Widely recognized globally, especially in enterprise and finance |
| Salary impact | $100,000 – $140,000+ | $110,000 – $160,000+ |
The practical rule: if you want to stay technical and hands-on, pursue SecurityX. If you want to move into security leadership, management, or CISO-track roles, CISSP is the more recognized credential for that path. Many senior practitioners hold both eventually.
How hard is SecurityX?
SecurityX is widely considered one of the harder CompTIA exams. The performance-based questions are significantly more complex than those on Security+ or CySA+ — you're expected to design solutions, not just identify problems. Scenarios involve enterprise-scale architectures, competing business and security requirements, and situations where there is no single "right" answer, only the most defensible one given the constraints.
The pass/fail grading adds psychological pressure. You put in hundreds of hours of study and walk out not knowing your score — just pass or fail. Candidates who underestimate the exam because they sailed through Security+ or CySA+ are the ones most likely to fail on the first attempt.
You need real-world experience to pass SecurityX, not just study time. CompTIA recommends 10 years of IT experience with 5 in security — not as a gatekeeping requirement, but because the exam scenarios reflect situations you won't understand without having lived them. Candidates who take SecurityX early in their career as a shortcut to advanced credentials often fail multiple times.
Mike Chapple and David Seidl's official study guide is the most comprehensive preparation resource. Supplement with hands-on lab work — SecurityX PBQs require you to actually design and evaluate security architectures, not just describe them.
SecurityX salary and job roles
| Job Title | Typical Salary Range (US) |
|---|---|
| Security Architect | $110,000 – $160,000 |
| Senior Security Engineer | $105,000 – $150,000 |
| Principal Security Engineer | $130,000 – $180,000 |
| Penetration Tester (Senior) | $100,000 – $145,000 |
| Security Operations Manager | $105,000 – $155,000 |
| Information Security Officer | $115,000 – $165,000 |
SecurityX is particularly valuable for DoD and federal contractor positions. It satisfies IAT Level III requirements under DoD 8570/8140, which are required for the most senior technical security roles in government IT environments. If you're on a DoD contractor career path, SecurityX is often required for promotion into senior technical positions.
Who should pursue SecurityX?
Where SecurityX fits in the CompTIA path
SecurityX sits at the top of the CompTIA security certification stack. There is no CompTIA cert above it. Most candidates reach SecurityX after 8–12 years of IT experience, with the last 4–6 spent in security-focused roles.
A+ → Network+ → Security+ → CySA+ → SecurityX
You don't need every cert in this sequence. Many SecurityX candidates skip CySA+ entirely and move from Security+ to SecurityX after accumulating sufficient experience. The sequence matters less than the experience level — SecurityX assumes you've done the work, regardless of which certs you hold.
Start with the foundation
If you're working toward SecurityX, make sure your Security+ and CySA+ knowledge is solid first. See the best study resources for each: