CompTIA CS0-004 Real Exam Dumps [September 2026 Update]

The Security Operations domain accounts for 34% of the CS0-004 exam – the single largest slice – and the biggest content change in this version is a genuine block of new AI material that CS0-003 never tested. Security Operations in CS0-003 covered threat detection, SIEM analysis, threat intelligence, and MITRE ATT&CK. CS0-004 adds: using AI tools for analysis and investigation in SOC workflows, evaluating and interpreting AI-assisted threat intelligence, recognizing AI-enabled attack techniques (AI-generated phishing campaigns, AI-assisted malware, deepfake-based social engineering), and understanding the risks that AI introduces into your own security stack (model hallucinations in threat analysis output, model poisoning affecting detection, data exposure through AI tools processing sensitive log data). Candidates who completed CS0-003 preparation and are transitioning to CS0-004 without specifically studying the AI content are missing an entire category within the exam’s heaviest domain. That is not a marginal risk – it is a material portion of the 34% that determines whether you pass.

The CompTIA CS0-004 (CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst, CySA+, Version 4) launched on June 23, 2026, simultaneously retiring CS0-003. It is the current and only version of CySA+ available. CS0-004 validates the ability to detect and analyze malicious activity, manage vulnerability programs, execute incident response, and communicate security findings – with explicit new coverage of AI-enabled operations, cloud-native environments, SOAR automation, zero trust, and breach attack simulation tools. The exam has up to 85 questions (multiple-choice and performance-based) in 165 minutes, with a passing score of 750 on a 100-900 scale.

Cert Empire’s CS0-004 exam questions cover all four domains with specific alignment to the V4 content additions: AI in security operations, cloud infrastructure assessment tools (ScoutSuite, Prowler, Trivy), breach attack simulation (Atomic Red Team, Caldera), and UEBA – the new content that candidates transitioning from CS0-003 materials most need to add.

Exam Snapshot

What Changed: CS0-003 vs. CS0-004

Beyond the weight shifts, the major substantive additions are:

• Artificial intelligence in security operations (new category entirely in CS0-004)
• Cloud-native and hybrid environment tooling (ScoutSuite, Prowler, Trivy)
• Breach attack simulation tools (Atomic Red Team, Caldera)
• UEBA (User and Entity Behavior Analytics) in threat detection
• SOAR automation in incident response
• Zero Trust / SASE architecture in security operations context

Domain 1: Security Operations (34%) – Largest Domain

Logging and Data Collection

Log ingestion, normalization, and retention: SOC analysts work with log data from dozens of source types: firewalls, endpoints, cloud APIs, identity platforms, application servers, and network devices. Logs from different systems use different formats, timestamps, and field naming conventions. SIEM normalization maps diverse log formats to a common schema for correlation and query. The CS0-004 exam tests the implications of normalization choices: poorly normalized logs create false negatives in correlation rules, and inconsistent timestamp handling causes event sequences to appear in the wrong order.

Log types by source category: Host logs (Windows Event Logs with specific IDs: 4624/4625 for authentication, 4688 for process creation, 7045 for service installation), network logs (firewall permit/deny, NetFlow, proxy logs), cloud audit logs (AWS CloudTrail, Azure Activity Log, GCP Cloud Audit Logs), and application logs. The exam tests which log type reveals which type of activity – process creation logs reveal execution of malicious commands; cloud audit logs reveal unauthorized API access; proxy logs reveal C2 beaconing.

Log retention and integrity controls: Logs must be retained for defined periods (regulatory requirements drive minimum retention: PCI-DSS requires 1 year, HIPAA requires 6 years for audit logs). Log integrity controls (write-once storage, cryptographic hashing) prevent tampering. The exam tests why attackers target logs (to cover their tracks) and what technical controls make log manipulation detectable.

Threat Intelligence

Threat intelligence types: Strategic (for leadership – high-level threat landscape), tactical (TTPs – techniques, tactics, procedures – for security engineers), operational (specific attack campaign details – for SOC analysts), and technical (specific IOCs: IP addresses, file hashes, domain names – for automated detection). The exam tests which type of threat intelligence is actionable at which organizational level.

MITRE ATT&CK framework application: ATT&CK maps adversary behaviors to tactics (high-level goals: Initial Access, Execution, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, etc.) and techniques (specific methods for achieving each tactic). CS0-004 tests ATT&CK at the applied analysis level: given an observed behavior or alert, which ATT&CK technique does it represent, and what other techniques should the analyst look for as part of the same TTP chain?

Threat feeds and IOC management: Consuming threat intelligence from ISAC feeds, commercial threat intelligence platforms, and open-source feeds (VirusTotal, AlienVault OTX). The exam tests how IOCs age (IP addresses stale faster than TTPs) and how to prioritize which IOCs to action when feed volumes exceed analyst capacity.

AI in Security Operations (New CS0-004 Content)

This is the most significant new content area in CS0-004 and is directly testable in the Security Operations domain.

AI tools for SOC analysis: AI-assisted threat hunting, AI-powered anomaly detection, and AI-generated investigation summaries are increasingly deployed in modern SOCs. The exam tests how AI tools augment (not replace) analyst judgment: AI can surface patterns in large data volumes that would take analysts hours to find manually, but AI output must be validated before acting on it.

AI hallucination risks in security operations: AI tools used for threat analysis (including SIEM AI assistants, threat intelligence summarizers, and investigation copilots) can produce incorrect or fabricated information with apparent confidence. The exam tests the analyst’s responsibility to validate AI-generated findings independently rather than treating AI output as authoritative.

AI-enabled attack techniques: Attackers use AI to: generate highly convincing spear-phishing emails at scale (AI removes grammar and cultural markers that traditionally helped identify phishing), create deepfake audio/video for business email compromise schemes, automate vulnerability scanning and exploitation, and generate polymorphic malware variants that evade signature detection. The exam tests how AI-enabled attacks differ from traditional variants and what detection techniques can still identify them.

Model poisoning and data exposure in AI tools: When organizations deploy AI tools that process security logs, incident data, or threat intelligence, those tools may expose sensitive data to external AI providers or introduce poisoned model outputs if the underlying AI model has been compromised. The exam tests organizational controls for AI tool deployment in security-sensitive environments.

ZTNA and SASE in SOC Context

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA): The principle that no user or resource is implicitly trusted based on network location. All access is continuously authenticated and authorized based on identity, device posture, and context. The exam tests ZTNA from the SOC analyst’s monitoring perspective: what telemetry ZTNA generates, how ZTNA access logs differ from traditional VPN logs, and how ZTNA policy violations appear as security events.

SASE (Secure Access Service Edge): Converges network security (CASB, SWG, ZTNA) and WAN capabilities into a cloud-delivered service. The exam tests SASE from a security operations perspective: what visibility SASE provides to SOC analysts about user access to cloud resources and how SASE telemetry integrates with SIEM.

Domain 2: Vulnerability Management (26%)

Vulnerability Scanning and Assessment

Scanning methodologies: Unauthenticated scans (external attacker perspective, limited visibility) versus authenticated scans (agent-based or credential-supplied, full OS and application vulnerability inventory). The exam tests when each is appropriate and what an unauthenticated scan misses (privilege escalation vulnerabilities, patch status of installed software, internal configuration weaknesses).

Cloud infrastructure assessment tools (New CS0-004 Content):

• ScoutSuite: Multi-cloud security auditing tool that evaluates cloud configuration against security best practices across AWS, Azure, GCP, and others. Produces findings categorized by service and severity.
• Prowler: AWS-focused security and compliance tool aligned with CIS benchmarks and AWS security best practices.
• Trivy: Container and image vulnerability scanner that identifies vulnerabilities in container images, file systems, and IaC configurations.

The CS0-004 exam explicitly added these tools. Knowing what each tool scans (cloud configuration vs. container vulnerabilities vs. IaC misconfigurations) and what output format each produces is tested.

Breach attack simulation (BAS) tools (New CS0-004 Content):

• Atomic Red Team: An open-source library of atomic tests (small, discrete tests of individual ATT&CK techniques) that let security teams validate whether specific attack techniques are detectable in their environment.
• Caldera: An automated adversary emulation platform that chains atomic techniques into full attack scenarios.

The exam tests the purpose of BAS: continuous validation that security controls detect what they claim to detect, rather than assuming controls work because they are deployed.

Vulnerability Prioritization

CVSS and EPSS together: CVSS scores the inherent severity of a vulnerability. EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) predicts the probability that a specific vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The exam tests using CVSS and EPSS together: a high CVSS score on a rarely exploited vulnerability may be lower priority than a medium CVSS score on a vulnerability with high EPSS and active exploitation.

Asset criticality in prioritization: The same vulnerability on a public-facing customer data server versus an internal developer workstation has very different risk implications. The exam tests how asset criticality, exposure, and compensating controls modify vulnerability priority beyond raw CVSS/EPSS scores.

Domain 3: Incident Response and Management (24%)

This domain grew the most in CS0-004 (from 20% to 24%), reflecting that rapid, well-documented incident response is increasingly the focus of security operations hiring.

NIST SP 800-61 Incident Response Lifecycle

Preparation: IR plan, playbooks, communication trees, and tooling. The exam tests what constitutes adequate preparation evidence versus reactive-only IR capabilities.

Detection and analysis: Identifying that an incident has occurred, determining its scope, and documenting initial findings. The exam tests how analysts triage a potential incident: which indicators confirm an incident versus a false positive, and how to determine initial scope from available evidence.

Containment, eradication, and recovery:

• Containment: Limiting damage without destroying evidence (network isolation, account lockout, firewall rule changes).
• Eradication: Removing the attacker’s foothold (malware removal, backdoor closure, unauthorized account deletion).
• Recovery: Restoring systems to production (from clean backups, with enhanced monitoring during the return).

Post-incident activity: Root cause analysis, lessons learned documentation, and process improvement. The exam tests post-incident deliverables and timelines.

SOAR in Incident Response (New CS0-004 Content)

Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR): Automates repetitive IR tasks that would otherwise consume analyst time. Common SOAR automations: blocking an IP across firewalls when SIEM detects confirmed C2 traffic, enriching an alert with threat intelligence without analyst intervention, creating and routing tickets for confirmed incidents. The exam tests what SOAR automates versus what requires analyst judgment (automated response appropriate for high-confidence, well-defined scenarios; analyst escalation appropriate for ambiguous or high-impact decisions).

Playbooks in SOAR: Playbooks define the automated response workflow for specific incident types. The exam tests playbook design principles: what triggers a playbook, what actions it can take automatically, and what requires a human approval step before proceeding.

UEBA in Threat Detection

User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA): UEBA establishes behavioral baselines for users and systems and detects anomalies. Particularly effective for: insider threat detection (legitimate users behaving abnormally), compromised account detection (attacker behavior differs from the account’s normal patterns), and data exfiltration detection (unusual data access or transfer volumes). The exam tests what UEBA detects that signature-based rules cannot and how UEBA findings are validated before escalation.

Domain 4: Reporting and Communication (16%)

Vulnerability Reporting

Report audiences: Technical teams need specifics (CVE identifiers, affected systems, remediation steps). Management needs business impact language (what is the risk to the organization, what is the remediation timeline, what is the cost of not remediating). The exam tests translating technical findings into executive-appropriate risk language.

Inhibitors to remediation: The exam tests common barriers that prevent timely vulnerability patching: vendor dependencies (patch requires vendor coordination), change management processes (emergency patches require approval), availability requirements (production systems cannot be patched during business hours), and legacy systems (unsupported software with no available patches). Documenting inhibitors is part of a mature vulnerability management program.

IR Communication and Post-Incident Documentation

Incident status communication: During an active incident, stakeholders need regular updates. The exam tests communication frequency, content at different incident stages, and escalation criteria (when does an incident require C-suite notification, legal counsel, or regulatory disclosure).

Root cause analysis (RCA) reporting: The exam tests RCA structure: what happened (timeline), why it happened (root cause identification), what contained it, and what prevents recurrence (control improvements). RCA reports are reviewed by internal audit, legal, and regulators in regulated industries.

Effectiveness metrics: The exam tests IR effectiveness KPIs: Mean Time to Detect (MTTD), Mean Time to Respond (MTTR), Mean Time to Contain (MTTC). These metrics drive investment decisions and SOC staffing.

Performance-Based Questions (PBQs)

CS0-004 includes performance-based questions that present interactive scenarios rather than text-only multiple-choice questions. Common PBQ formats in CS0-004:

• Log analysis: Review simulated log data and identify indicators of malicious activity.
• SIEM query construction: Write or evaluate a SIEM query to detect a specific threat pattern.
• Vulnerability prioritization: Given a list of vulnerabilities with CVSS scores, EPSS data, and asset descriptions, rank them by remediation priority.
• IR decision-making: Given an incident scenario, select the correct containment, eradication, or recovery actions in sequence.
• Configuration review: Evaluate a security configuration and identify misconfigurations.

PBQs appear early in the exam. Many candidates flag them and return – allocate time carefully.

5 Study Tips for CompTIA CS0-004

• Tip 1: Study the AI in security operations content specifically. This is the largest new addition to CS0-004 and sits in the largest domain (Security Operations 34%). AI hallucination risks, AI-enabled attacks, and AI tool validation are confirmed new exam objectives that CS0-003 materials do not cover.
• Tip 2: Allocate study time proportional to domain weights. Spend significantly more time on Security Operations (34%) and Vulnerability Management (26%) than on Reporting and Communication (16%). Most candidates over-study Reporting because it feels straightforward – it is worth fewer points.
• Tip 3: Study the new V4 tools specifically: ScoutSuite, Prowler, and Trivy for cloud assessment; Atomic Red Team and Caldera for breach attack simulation. Know what each tool scans and what output it produces.
• Tip 4: Practice PBQs by working through log analysis exercises, SIEM query construction, and vulnerability prioritization scenarios. PBQs take more time than MCQs and appear early – do not let them consume the entire exam window.
• Tip 5: Practice with Cert Empire’s CS0-004 exam questions aligned to V4 objectives with explicit AI content coverage and domain-weighted question distribution reflecting the June 23, 2026 exam.

Best Study Resources

• Cert Empire CS0-004 exam questions PDF and practice simulator (June 2026 V4 edition).
• Official CompTIA CS0-004 exam objectives (comptia.org/certifications/cybersecurity-analyst).
• CompTIA CySA+ Study Guide (Sybex/Wiley, V4 edition – confirm alignment to CS0-004 before purchasing).
• TryHackMe or Hack The Box: hands-on SOC analyst labs.
• MITRE ATT&CK Matrix (attack.mitre.org) for framework familiarity.
• Jason Dion CS0-004 Udemy course and practice exams.

Career Opportunities After CS0-004

• SOC Analyst (Tier 2 / Tier 3)
• Vulnerability Analyst
• Threat Hunter
• Security Operations Engineer
• Incident Response Analyst
• Cybersecurity Analyst

CySA+ bridges CompTIA Security+ (foundational) and CompTIA SecurityX CAS-005 (expert). It is the recognized credential for practitioners working in security operations who want a vendor-neutral mid-level credential. SOC Tier 2 analysts with CySA+ earn between USD 80,000 and USD 120,000.

How CS0-004 Fits in the CompTIA Certification Track

CySA+ sits alongside PenTest+ at the intermediate level, with CySA+ focusing on the defensive SOC analyst role and PenTest+ on offensive testing. SecurityX is the natural next step for experienced CySA+ holders moving toward security architect roles.

Why Candidates Choose Cert Empire for CS0-004 Preparation

✔ CS0-004 V4 AI content coverage. Our question bank covers the new AI in security operations domain content: AI-enabled attack detection, AI hallucination risk in threat analysis, and organizational controls for AI tools in security-sensitive environments – none of which appears in CS0-003 materials.

✔ New tool questions: ScoutSuite, Prowler, Trivy, Atomic Red Team, Caldera. We test what each tool does, what it produces, and when each is appropriate – the specific tool knowledge the V4 exam added.

✔ UEBA and SOAR scenario questions. We test behavioral analytics concepts and SOAR playbook design decisions at the applied analyst level CS0-004 uses for these new content areas.

✔ Domain-weighted question distribution aligned to V4. Security Operations receives 34% of our question bank, Vulnerability Management 26%, Incident Response 24%, and Reporting 16% – matching the real exam’s revised blueprint.

✔ Performance-based question simulation. Our exam simulator includes PBQ-style interactive questions covering log analysis, vulnerability prioritization, and IR decision-making scenarios.

✔ Practice under real exam conditions with the Cert Empire Exam Simulator. Our CS0-004 simulator runs up to 85 questions in 165 minutes with domain-level tracking across all four CySA+ V4 domains.

✔ Instant access, 90-day free updates, and 24/7 support. As CompTIA updates CS0-004 content, your materials update automatically. Our support team is available around the clock.

✔ Backed by a full money-back guarantee. If our exam questions do not help you pass, we refund your purchase with no conditions.

FAQ’s

What is CompTIA CS0-004?

CS0-004 is the CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) certification exam, Version 4. It launched June 23, 2026, simultaneously retiring CS0-003. It is the current and only available version of CySA+.

What are the four CS0-004 domains and their weights?

Security Operations (34%), Vulnerability Management (26%), Incident Response and Management (24%), Reporting and Communication (16%).

What is the biggest change from CS0-003 to CS0-004?

Two major changes: (1) Incident Response and Management grew from 20% to 24%, and (2) AI in security operations was added as new content to the Security Operations domain – covering AI-assisted SOC tools, AI-enabled attack techniques, and the risks AI introduces into the security stack. CS0-003 did not cover AI at all.

What is the passing score for CS0-004?

750 on a 100-900 scaled score. The exam has up to 85 questions (MCQ and PBQs) in 165 minutes.

What new tools does CS0-004 test compared to CS0-003?

CS0-004 adds cloud infrastructure assessment tools (ScoutSuite, Prowler, Trivy) and breach attack simulation tools (Atomic Red Team, Caldera) as testable content. These were not in CS0-003’s objectives.

Related Certifications Worth Exploring

CySA+ certified professionals advancing to expert-level security will find our CompTIA SecurityX CAS-005 exam questions page covers the expert-level enterprise security credential that CySA+ serves as the recommended stepping stone toward. For those adding offensive skills alongside defensive analysis, our CompTIA PenTest+ PT0-003 exam questions page covers the penetration testing credential at the same career level as CySA+.