CS0-003 Retirement: CySA+ V4 Changes and What to Do Now

If you are partway through CySA+ CS0-003 prep, you have until December 22, 2026 to take the English exam. If you have not started, CompTIA points you to CySA+ V4 (New Version) for the most up-to-date skills and content. Today is November 6, so the choice depends on how many study weeks you have.

Everything below comes from the official CompTIA CySA+ page, checked on November 5, 2026.

The retirement dates in one table

CompTIA labels CySA+ V3 as the Retiring Version and V4 as the New Version. Both are listed under the Security Analyst certification. The retirement dates are staggered:

The first date comes sooner than most people expect. From today, you have 16 days before the English V3 learning products retire. If you plan to rely on official CompTIA V3 study material, buy it before that date.

Who should finish CS0-003 before December 22

CS0-003 is the right call if most of these are true:

• You have already studied for CS0-003 and have notes, labs or a practice-test habit built around it.

• You can fit about 6 weeks of steady study before the exam date.

• You need the credential on your resume soon, for a job application, a promotion or a contract requirement.

• You plan to take the exam in English.

The last point matters. Translations retire later, on March 23, 2027, so non-English candidates have more time on V3.

What CySA+ V4 changes, based on the official page

CompTIA describes CySA+ as validating your ability to detect, analyze, and respond to cybersecurity threats in today's security environments. The page recommends V4 for the most current skills and content.

That is the extent of the comparison on the main page. Each version has its own "Learn More" page there. Read the V4 exam objectives on that page before you decide, because they are the only reliable list of what changed.

A practical way to compare: download both objective lists, put them side by side, and mark every topic you have not studied. If V4 adds topics you have never touched, count those hours into your plan.

Decision table: V3 now or V4

If you are unsure, ask the employer or recruiter which version they expect. Both versions sit under the same CySA+ name, so many hiring teams may not distinguish. Ask rather than guess.

Does a voucher bought now work on both versions?

Our CS0-003 CompTIA CySA+ voucher is for the CS0-003 exam. Treat it as a V3 voucher and plan to use it before December 22, 2026. We have not confirmed that it can be switched to V4, so check the CompTIA page or ask our support before assuming that.

Here is what our store policy says:

• The voucher code is emailed within 12 hours of payment and also shown in your account.

• One voucher covers one exam attempt.

• You can cancel an order for a full refund before delivery.

• A delivered code is non-refundable unless the test provider rejects it as invalid, already used or expired on first use.

• In that case, contact support within 14 days with your order number and a screenshot. We replace or refund the code.

Details are on our refund policy and delivery policy pages.

A 6-week plan that ends before the deadline

Start Monday, November 9. Week 6 ends December 20, two days before the English exam retires. Aim for 8 to 10 hours per week, around 55 hours total. Book your exam slot in week 1, not week 6, so a full calendar cannot push you past the deadline.

1. Week 1 (8 hours): Read the CS0-003 exam objectives. Mark each topic green, yellow or red. Book the exam date.

2. Week 2 (9 hours): Work on your red topics first. Pair each with a short lab, not just reading.

3. Week 3 (10 hours): Practice analyzing logs, network traffic and vulnerability scan output. Write a one-line finding for each sample.

4. Week 4 (10 hours): Cover incident response steps and reporting. Explain each step aloud as if briefing a manager.

5. Week 5 (10 hours): Take a full timed practice test. Review every wrong answer and write down why the right one is right.

6. Week 6 (8 hours): Retake weak areas, take one more timed test, and rest the night before.

If your practice scores stay low in week 5, consider whether V4 with a longer runway is the safer path.

Practice the analyst work, not just the theory

CySA+ is about analysis. Spend lab time on tasks like these in a home VM:

grep -i "failed password" /var/log/auth.log | awk '{print $(NF-3)}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -nr | head
tcpdump -nn -r capture.pcap 'tcp port 443' | head -50
nmap -sV -p- 192.168.56.101
jq '.[] | select(.severity=="high")' scan-results.json

The first command counts failed SSH logins by source address. The second reads a saved packet capture. The third scans a lab host for service versions. The fourth filters scan results by severity. Only scan machines you own or have written permission to test.

After each command, write two sentences: what you saw, and what you would do next. That habit mirrors how scenario questions are commonly framed.

Common mistakes in the final weeks

• Waiting to book. Pick your date first, then build the plan backward.

• Using only video courses. Watching is not analysis. Run the commands above.

• Skipping weak topics. Comfortable topics feel productive, but red topics decide the result.

• Switching versions mid-plan. Changing from V3 to V4 in week 4 usually resets your progress. Decide in week 1.

• Ignoring the November 22 date. Official English V3 learning products retire then.

If you also want a broader security base, our Security+ V8 comparison shows how CompTIA handles version changes elsewhere.

Your next step

If you will study for CS0-003 in time, get the CS0-003 voucher and book your date this week.

Sources

• CompTIA CySA+ certification page