CompTIA SecurityX (CASP+)
Exam fee
$529
≈ 418 GBP · 714 CAD · 487 EUR · rolling-avg FX; verify with your bank before any payment
Exam code
CAS-005
Renewal
3yr
The CompTIA SecurityX (CASP+) is a cybersecurity certification from CompTIA with an exam fee of $529 and a 3-year renewal cycle. Approved under DoD 8570. Built from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and CompTIA's official exam requirements.
One syllable before 'plus'; rhymes with 'clasp'.
About the CompTIA SecurityX (CASP+)
SecurityX is CompTIA's advanced technical cert for senior practitioners who want a practitioner-focused alternative to the management-focused CISSP. CompTIA rebranded CASP+ as SecurityX in December 2024 as part of its Xpert Series and retired the old CAS-004 exam on June 17, 2025 in favor of CAS-005, which adds AI threat modeling and post-quantum cryptography to the syllabus. It covers enterprise security architecture, applied cryptography, governance and risk, and security operations, and is heavy on performance-based scenarios, which makes it feel closer to CySA+ than to CISSP. DoD 8570/8140 approved for IAT Level III and IASAE Level II work roles. Useful for engineers who want the senior credential but want to stay hands-on rather than pivot to management.
Who should earn it
Senior security engineers who want an advanced cert without the CISSP management pivot, federal contractors needing IASAE Level II, and architects in non-CISSP environments.
Exam details
- Provider
- CompTIA
- Exam code
- CAS-005
- Questions
- 90
- Duration
- 165 minutes
- Passing score
- Pass/Fail (scaled)
- Exam fee
- $529 (verify with CompTIA)
- Renewal
- Every 3 years via CPE
- Experience level
- Advanced
- DoD 8570/8140
- Approved
Prerequisites
Ten years of hands-on IT experience, with at least five years of hands-on security experience, per CompTIA's recommendation. Network+, Security+, CySA+, Cloud+, and PenTest+ (or equivalent knowledge) recommended. Not enforced.
Key domains
- Governance, Risk, and Compliance (20%)
- Security Architecture (27%)
- Security Engineering (31%)
- Security Operations (22%)
Federal and DoD relevance
The CompTIA SecurityX (CASP+) is approved under DoD Directive 8570.01-M (now 8140), so cybersecurity roles supporting US Department of Defense information systems can use it to satisfy the baseline certification requirement for their IAT, IAM, or CSSP workforce category. That matters for federal contractors, cleared facilities, and agencies where 8140 compliance is a hiring gate.
Salary impact
SecurityX typically adds $15,000-$25,000 for senior security engineer roles and is required by a subset of federal contract positions that mandate IASAE Level II.
Most relevant roles
This role lives inside a packaged path
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Certification details are sourced from official certifying body websites. Verify current pricing, exam format, and requirements directly with the certifying organization before making decisions. DecipherU is not affiliated with any certifying body.
Exam code CAS-005. CompTIA publishes 4 domains: Governance, Risk, and Compliance (20%), Security Architecture (27%), Security Engineering (31%), Security Operations (22%). Practice questions on DecipherU are grouped by those domains.
Up to 90 questions in 165 minutes, with a passing score of Pass/Fail (scaled), according to CompTIA. Formats and counts change between exam versions, so confirm on the CompTIA site before you book.
CompTIA lists the exam fee at $529 USD. Vouchers, bundles and regional pricing differ; the fee on the CompTIA site at checkout is the one that applies.
3 years, per CompTIA. Renewal is through continuing education credits or by passing a current exam; CompTIA sets the credit count and the deadline.
Ten years of hands-on IT experience, with at least five years of hands-on security experience, per CompTIA's recommendation. Network+, Security+, CySA+, Cloud+, and PenTest+ (or equivalent knowledge) recommended. Not enforced.
Sources
- CompTIA official website · Certification pricing, exam format, and renewal requirements
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024
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DecipherU's career insights are developed by Julian Calvo, Ed.D., with AI-assisted research and drafting, then reviewed and edited by DecipherU Editorial. Career and compensation data come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, and industry compensation databases. Assessment frameworks are grounded in peer-reviewed psychometric research, learning sciences (University of Miami), organizational learning (Barry University), and applied AI (Northeastern University). AI is used as a research and drafting tool; all methodology, framework design, scoring, and editorial standards are owned by the DecipherU team.