If you want to elevate your career in the field of information security and join the ranks of like-minded security analysts, then acquiring a CISSP Certification can give you an opportunity to authenticate your skills and competence in the cyber security world. in today’s modern era, Cybersecurity is increasingly important in preserving our crucial data due to our society’s growing dependency on technology.
Businesses and organizations all over the world are implementing more security measures to protect their digital assets, and they are looking for competent cybersecurity analysts who can offer new solutions to address the increased incidence of security threats.
In this article, we will go through the CISSP certification in detail, as well as the actions you must take to obtain the certification.
What is CISSP?
The Certified Information Systems Security Professional, also known as the CISSP certification, is one of the most well-known and widely recognized information security certifications.
It attests to a professional’s extensive technical and managerial expertise and knowledge, as well as their ability to successfully design, engineer, and manage an organization’s overall security posture. The International System Security Certification Consortium, or (ISC)2, provides it.
The ANSI/ISO/IEC Standard 17024’s stringent requirements were first met by the CISSP certification, the first in the field of information security. Additionally, the Department of Defense (DoD) of the United States has expressly certified it to meet its DoDD 8570 certification requirements for the Information Assurance Technical (IAT), Managerial (IAM), and System Architect and Engineer (IASAE) categories.
Who can earn the CISSP?
The cyber security bootcamp is perfect for anyone in the following positions who want to demonstrate their mastery of a wide range of security approaches and principles, including seasoned security practitioners, managers, and executives:
- Head of Information Security
- Information Officer in Chief
- IT Director/Manager
- Security Systems Engineer
- Security Manager
- Security Auditor
- Security Architect
- Security Consultant
- Network Architect
- Director of Security
CISSP domains
The CISSP tests the candidate’s cybersecurity knowledge in a broad spectrum of topics across all disciplines in the information security domain, which is laid out in the form of 8 domains that is included in the CISSP Common Body of Knowledge (CBK).
The domains have undergone numerous updates and curriculum revisions. Candidates need to prove their knowledge in these 8 domains to obtain the certification. the top 8 domains are namely:
Domain 1 – Security and Risk Management
This domain is one of the most important domains that covers 15% of the CISSP exam. It gives a complete summary of information management systems and lays the foundation for all the other domains to build upon.
Domain 2 – Asset Security
This CISSP domain covers about 10% of the CISSP exam and is about safeguarding assets. This domain deals with the identification and classification of assets and securing those assets through data protection methods like DRM, DLP, and CASB.
We will learn about securing and managing data lifecycle, asset retention, data security controls, and compliance requirements as well.
Domain 3 – Security Architecture and Engineering:
This CISSP domain covers about 13% of the CISSP exam and is about implementing and managing engineering processes using secure design principles.
In this domain, you will learn about the fundamental concepts of security models and security capabilities of Information Systems, assess, and mitigate the vulnerabilities of security architectures, designs, and solution elements, understand cryptographic solutions and methods of cryptanalytic attacks, and learn how to design and apply security controls.
Domain 4 – Communication and Network Security:
This CISSP domain is one of the most important domains and covers about 13% of the CISSP exam. you will learn about implementing secure design principles in network architectures.
Understanding how to secure networking models, Network Access Control (NAC) devices, wireless networks, network protocols, hardware components, Multimedia collaboration, Remote access, and Data communications is vital to information security.
Domain 5 – Identity and Access Management:
This CISSP domain teaches one how to control who can access valuable resources by managing the identification and authentication of people, devices, and services.
It casts a light on implementing and managing authorization mechanisms, thereby verifying a subject’s authenticity before authorizing access. This domain covers about 13% of the CISSP exam and gives one knowledge about implementing authentication systems thus mitigating potential threats and assuring that only proper interactions take place.
Domain 6 – Security Assessment and Testing:
This domain, which covers about 12 %of the CISSP exam, provides knowledge of tools and techniques that help you evaluate the effectiveness of your security measures by designing and validating assessment, test, and audit strategies to find areas of vulnerabilities. By collecting security process data and reviewing logs, analyzing test outputs, and learning to undergo security audits you can gain insight into your security status.
Domain 7- Security Operations:
From conducting incidence management to performing configuration management, to eliciting response that involves investigation of evidence, implementing recovery strategies and Disaster Recovery (DR) processes and testing it, this domain covers about 13% of the CISSP exam and teaches you to operate and maintain detective and preventative measures using firewalls, honeypots, anti-malware as well as Machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) based tools.
Domain 8 – Security in the Software Development Life Cycle:
In this domain, you will learn about integrating security in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), the important concepts of software ecosystems, and teaches you in executing security regulations on software systems, and assess the effectiveness of software security.
How to get CISSP certified?
1. Know about The CISSP exam structure
The CISSP is a CAT certification exam, which is four hours long and comprises 125-175 multiple-choice questions. The passing grade for the exam is to obtain a minimum of 700 out of a possible 1000 points. If you do not pass the exam on your first, you can retake it 30 days following your initial attempt and up to four times within a 12-month period.
2. Register for the exam
The exam costs $749, and you can register for it on the (ISC)2 website. Pearson VUE administers the test, which is held at ISC2 Authorized PPC and PVTC Select Pearson VUE Testing Centers.
3. Meet the CISSP exam eligibility requirements
Candidates must satisfy specific eligibility requirements and pass the examination to earn the CISSP certification.
- Candidates must meet the necessary educational qualifications as well as work experience criteria, which include five years of cumulative, practical work experience in at least two of the eight CISSP CBK domains.
- A four-year undergraduate degree in a related field or a (ISC)2 ISC-recognized credential can be used to satisfy the need for one year of experience.
- You must retake the exam every three years and pay the annual maintenance fee of $125 at the end of each certification year to maintain your CISSP certification.
- You can keep your certification current by completing 40 CPEs annually and paying the annual maintenance fee.
4. Undergo CISSP training
You need to enroll in a CISSP training program to help you prepare for the exam and to gain a comprehensive understanding. (ISC)2 advises one of the three training paths listed below depending on one’s personal learning style:
- Online Self-Paced Training
- Online courses with instructors
- Instructor-led
You can also Enroll in other digital platforms like Simplilearn, which offers top-notch training programs in line with the most recent (ISC)2 guidelines that will help you fully comprehend the course modules.
CISSP concentrations
Professionals who currently hold the CISSP credential can advance in their careers by adding three other specialized certifications to their name.
They are:
- CISSP-ISSAP (Information Systems Security Architecture Professional),
- CISSP-ISSEP (Information Systems Security Engineering Professional), and
- CISSP-ISSMP (Information Systems Security Management Professional
The applicant must already be a CISSP certified professional and have at least two years of work experience in one or more of the concentration’s domains.
There are 125 multiple-choice questions on the three-hour CISSP specialty exams and is offered in English. The full exam fee is $599.
After completing their selected exam with at least 700 points out of a possible 1,000, candidates must go through a procedure like that for the CISSP. Additionally, to fulfill the CISSP CPE requirements, candidates must obtain 20 CPE credits each year.
