How I Passed CompTIA SecAI+ (CY0-001)

I recently passed the CompTIA SecAI+ and my first certification of 2026 AI is already being integrated into real world systems and understanding how to secure it is becoming important.

Zinet Kemal

4/27/20263 min read

How I Passed CompTIA SecAI+ (CY0-001)

I recently passed the CompTIA SecAI+ and my first certification of 2026

AI is already being integrated into real world systems and understanding how to secure it is becoming important.

My Learning Path Into AI Security

I didn’t jump straight into learning AI security.

In 2024, I started building foundational knowledge learning AI terminology, understanding how AI systems work at a high level and taking certifications such as Azure AI Fundamentals then AWS AI Practitioner (this one while it was on Beta version).

After that, I moved to governance by pursuing IAPP’s AI Governance Professional (AIGP) certification early 2025 which at the time of preparation for the exam I had the opportunity to shadow an AI governance committee at my previous job.

That helped me understand policy, ethics, and risk more heavy on AI governance instead of deep into AI security.

I am also fortunate on top of my main role as a senior cloud security engineer involved in AI security project work. So naturally, I wanted to go deeper into how these systems are actually secured.

What the COMPTIA SecAI+ Exam Is Like

The SecAI+ exam tests your ability to

  • Understand how AI systems function

  • Identify where they can be attacked

  • Apply security controls in real world scenarios

Exam format

  • 54 questions

  • Multiple choice + performance-based (around 3 questions)

  • 60 minutes

  • Intermediate level

Time management is important, especially for scenario-based questions. Don’t get nervous if you encounter them at the beginning back to back. Do your best and move on flagging them. You can come back to it later. That is what I did myself.

Key Topics You Need to Know

The exam covers 4 domains

1. AI Fundamentals (17%)

You need a clear understanding of

  • Machine learning basics

  • Data pipelines (training vs inference)

  • Model behavior etc

2. Securing AI Systems (40%)

This is a major focus area.

Focus on protecting AI models, data, and infrastructure using strong security controls.

Frameworks to read on

  • OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications

  • OWASP Top 10 for Machine Learning

  • MITRE ATLAS - think threat modeling

3. AI-Assisted Security (24%)

You’ll also need to understand using AI to enhance threat detection, automate workflows, and improve incident response. This includes applying AI in monitoring, behavior analysis, and security operations.

4. Governance, Risk & Compliance (19%)
Understand global frameworks and regulations, and how to apply governance, risk, and compliance throughout the AI lifecycle to ensure responsible and ethical AI use.

Be familiar with

  • EU AI Act - risk based. Unacceptable, high risk, etc

  • ISO/IEC 42001

  • NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF) -> Govern, Map, Measure, Manage

Think of which one is voluntary and legally binding.

Skills You Will Learn

Al Access & Data Protection

Al Fundamentals for Cybersecurity

Al Attack Detection & Mitigation

Al Governance

Al-Enabled Security Automation

Al Monitoring & Auditing etc

How I Prepared

I used

  • LinkedIn Learning cert prep course by Mike Chapple and Frederick ( only the first domain) but I heard from forums that the course is great. My attention span is getting worse with videos and (it’s sad because I am a LinkedIn Learning instructor myself). But don’t worry, I can still read well. Everyone learns differently. Even better, I learn best from folks conversing on a topic.

  • Official Comptia Certmaster study material covering the topics of the domain. This one is paid reading material with a few quizzes at the end.

  • Documentation and frameworks OWASP Top 10 for LLM and ML etc

  • Your general security knowledge helps

  • Practice questions. I used the quizzes at the end of the study material from. Certmaster, anything I could find online or YouTube, I even used ChatGPT to quiz me from time to time.

Two things stood out during this process:

1. AI security is evolving fast

You won’t “finish” learning this space, you stay current by continuously learning.

2. Fundamentals still matter

Even with AI, core principles remain critical

  • Access control

  • Data protection

  • Privacy

  • Visibility/monitoring etc

If you are preparing for Comptia SecAI+, focus on building a strong foundation first.

Understand how AI systems work.
Understand how they can be attacked.
Then focus on securing them.

AI security is not separate from cybersecurity. Think of it as an extension of it.

More info -> https://www.comptia.org/en-us/certifications/secai/

Thank you for reading!

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