AI is now embedded in enterprise applications, cloud services, analytics platforms and security tooling itself, making cybersecurity teams increasingly responsible for protecting AI systems and managing the risks they introduce.
This FAQ explains what CompTIA SecAI+ is, who it is designed for, how the exam and learning experience work, and how the certification fits into modern cybersecurity and AI security career paths.
What does SecAI+ stand for?
SecAI+ stands for Security Artificial Intelligence Plus, CompTIA’s expansion certification focused specifically on AI security.
What is CompTIA SecAI+?
CompTIA SecAI+ is a vendor-neutral AI security certification designed for experienced cybersecurity and IT professionals. It validates practical skills for securing AI systems, applying AI responsibly within security operations, and managing governance, risk and compliance for AI-enabled environments.
Unlike general cybersecurity certifications, SecAI+ focuses on how security teams interact with AI systems across development, deployment, and operations, rather than on traditional infrastructure and application security alone.
Why is AI security knowledge now essential for cybersecurity professionals?
Organizations are adopting generative AI, machine learning platforms, and intelligent automation far faster than they are building security and governance maturity around those systems.
Adoption of AI introduces new attack surfaces, including training data pipelines, model repositories, inference services, and AI-driven automation workflows.
Security teams are also facing new misuse scenarios such as prompt injection, training-data poisoning, and adversarial machine learning. At the same time, attackers are using AI to automate reconnaissance, social engineering, and malware development at scale.
Who is CompTIA SecAI+ designed for?
SecAI+ is designed for professionals with approximately three to four years of IT experience, including about two years in cybersecurity.
Typical candidates include:
- Security analysts and SOC professionals working with AI-enabled detection and response tools (or current CySA+ certified professionals).
- Cloud and DevSecOps professionals securing AI workloads and deployment pipelines (or Cloud+ certified professionals)
- Security engineers supporting AI platforms and services (or current Security+ professionals)
- Governance, risk, and compliance professionals overseeing enterprise AI initiatives (or PenTest+ certified professionals)
It is intended for practitioners expanding existing responsibilities, not for individuals entering cybersecurity for the first time.
Is SecAI+ vendor-neutral?
Yes. CompTIA SecAI+ is a vendor-neutral certification. It applies across cloud providers, AI platforms, development frameworks, and deployment environments. The certification focuses on security principles, operational practices, and governance models that are relevant regardless of the tools or vendors used.
What does “expansion certification” mean?
An expansion certification is designed to build on and extend an existing skills foundation, rather than stand alone as a broad, primary job-role certification. SecAI+ helps cybersecurity professionals deepen their expertise in the rapidly emerging area of AI security by validating targeted knowledge and hands-on ability in AI security concepts and operational practices.
As part of the CompTIA Expansion series, SecAI+ is a powerful complement to broader cybersecurity certifications and real-world experience, enabling professionals to showcase advanced, in-demand depth in AI security alongside their core job-role credentials or skill set.
What skills and responsibilities does SecAI+ validate?
SecAI+ validates applied skills that security teams need when AI systems are deployed in production environments.
These include:
- Understanding foundational AI and machine learning concepts relevant to security teams
- Securing AI data, models, and pipelines across the AI lifecycle
- Applying structured threat modeling to AI systems and workflows
- Monitoring AI systems for misuse, abuse, and operational degradation
- Using AI-enabled security tools responsibly within detection and response operations
- Managing AI governance, risk, and compliance obligations
It also includes coverage of AI-specific threats and misuse scenarios such as adversarial machine learning, data poisoning, model manipulation, and prompt-based exploitation.
How is SecAI+ different from other cybersecurity or AI certifications?
SecAI+ focuses on securing AI systems and managing AI-related risk, intentionally narrow and focused on AI security rather than on general AI development or data science.
Many AI certifications, by contrast, are designed for data scientists, developers, or platform specialists, or they are vendor specific. SecAI+ is designed for cybersecurity professionals.
Is SecAI+ a replacement for Security+, CySA+ or PenTest+?
No. SecAI+ complements existing CompTIA cybersecurity certifications.
- Security+ establishes core cybersecurity skills.
- CySA+ focuses on monitoring, detection and analysis.
- PenTest+ validates offensive security and testing skills.
- SecAI+ adds AI security depth across all those roles, designed to layer AI-specific security knowledge on top of existing credentials.
Is SecAI+ useful if my job title does not include “AI”?
Yes. In many organizations, AI capabilities are embedded into platforms and services without being labeled as formal AI projects. Security teams may already be responsible for AI-enabled security tools, automated workflows driven by machine learning, third-party AI services, or internal data and analytics platforms that rely on models.
What is the SecAI+ exam format?
The CompTIA SecAI+ exam includes up to 60 questions and has a 60-minute time limit. The exam contains a mix of multiple-choice questions and performance-based questions. Performance-based questions are designed to assess applied skills and understanding as well as operational decision-making rather than just assessing knowledge of concepts.
How difficult is the SecAI+ exam?
The exam is intended for professionals with hands-on cybersecurity experience. It assumes familiarity with enterprise security operations, cloud environments, and risk management practices. Candidates are expected to understand how AI systems are built and deployed in real organizations and how security teams interact with those systems across their lifecycle.
How should I prepare for the SecAI+ exam?
Preparation should focus on applied understanding rather than memorizing definitions.
Candidates benefit from:
- Reviewing how AI systems are developed, deployed, and operated in enterprise environments
- Studying AI-specific threat scenarios and governance requirements
- Practicing decision-making around AI risk, controls, and operational tradeoffs
- Using hands-on learning tools that simulate real security tasks
Understanding how security teams engage with AI systems is more important than learning algorithmic detail.
What learning products are available for SecAI+?
CompTIA offers several learning products for SecAI+, including:
- CertMaster Study delivers an interactive, platform-based learning experience that combines multimedia content, built-in knowledge checks, and mobile-friendly study tools.
- CertMaster Labs provides browser-based, hands-on practice with real-world software, virtual machines, networks, and cloud environments.
- CertMaster Perform typically represents approximately 20 to 25 hours of learning, depending on a candidate’s background.
How is the learning experience structured?
The learning experience is designed around practical scenarios that reflect how security teams work with AI systems in production. Candidates are exposed to activities such as assessing AI-related risks, identifying control gaps, evaluating AI-enabled tools, and supporting governance and compliance workflows. The goal is to build operational confidence in managing AI security responsibilities.
What does SecAI+ signal to employers?
SecAI+ signals that a professional understands how to secure AI systems, how to evaluate AI-related risk, and how to support governance and compliance programs involving AI. It demonstrates readiness to work with AI-enabled platforms and services responsibly and to engage with emerging regulatory and organizational requirements around AI.
How does SecAI+ fit into cybersecurity career progression?
SecAI+ supports professionals who want to remain relevant as AI becomes embedded into business-critical systems.
It can strengthen career paths toward:
- Senior security operations roles
- Cloud and platform security roles
- Security architecture and engineering positions
- Governance, risk, and compliance leadership paths
Rather than representing a new career track, it enables professionals to expand their current role into higher-impact responsibilities involving AI systems and risk management.
Is CompTIA SecAI+ accredited?
CompTIA has applied for ISO 17024 accreditation and is already mapping SecAI+ to related DoD 8140 work roles. Candidates should treat these alignments as pending until officially confirmed.
What can I do after earning SecAI+?
After earning SecAI+, professionals can immediately apply AI security principles within their current role. This may include supporting AI initiatives with stronger risk assessments, improving controls around AI data and model pipelines, strengthening monitoring for AI misuse, and contributing more effectively to enterprise AI governance programs.
For many professionals, SecAI+ provides formal validation that they are prepared to support the growing AI security responsibilities now appearing across security operations, cloud security, and compliance teams.
Who should consider SecAI+ now?
SecAI+ is most appropriate for cybersecurity professionals who already work in environments where AI systems or AI-enabled tools are present and who expect those systems to become more central to their organization’s operations.
As AI continues to expand into core business processes, the ability to secure AI systems, manage AI-related risk, and support responsible AI governance is becoming a defining capability for modern cybersecurity roles. SecAI+ is designed to support that transition.
Ready to bridge the AI skills gap? Explore CompTIA SecAI+ and get certified today.