The CISSP is a highly sought-after certification, and for good reason. The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) credential was developed by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC2). It’s designed to ensure that information security professionals have the knowledge and skills required to protect organizations from security breaches and other cyber threats.
If you’re interested in earning this coveted certification, we’ve put together top things you’ll learn at CISSP prep that will help you ace the exam.
The CISSP exam tests your ability to apply security principles and practices to real-world situations. You’ll learn how to use the fundamental concepts of information security to design, build, test and implement secure solutions for organizations.
The exam also covers the areas of law and ethics, risk management, security architecture and engineering, communication and network security, identity and access management, cryptography, physical (environmental) security, software development security and operational/analytical procedures.
Cryptography is an important part of information security, and it’s also one of the most difficult topics to study. To pass the exam, you’ll have to have a strong grasp of encryption algorithms like RSA and Diffie-Hellman, as well as other topics like key management systems and protocols like IPsec or SSL/TLS. Fortunately, CompTIA offers a free training course that’s designed specifically for people preparing for their CISSP certification exam — but even with this resource at your disposal, you should expect some challenges along the way!
Access control systems are used for authentication and authorization purposes, and to restrict access to resources. They work by using something you know, something you have or something you are. Typical access control systems include:
Biometrics – This is a very secure way of controlling access to restricted areas because it uses physical characteristics that are difficult to duplicate, like fingerprints.
Tokens – These can be anything from a card with a magnetic strip on it to a key fob that has a chip in it.
Smart Cards – These have an embedded chip that can store information about the user and allow them to access different systems within an organization.
Biometric readers – These are devices that scan fingerprints or other physical characteristics to verify who is trying to gain access. The CISSP exam expects candidates to understand how each of these works and what their advantages and disadvantages are in different situations when compared with one another.
Telecommunications security refers to any technology used to protect computer networks from unauthorized access or intrusion from outside sources such as hackers or foreign governments, while network security refers specifically to protecting computers within the network from malicious activity performed by insiders (employees).
Security architecture is the design of a security system. It is the process of developing the logic and structure to support a specific security policy or set of policies. A security architecture provides a framework for implementing, operating, monitoring, maintaining, and improving an organization’s security controls. It addresses the confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA) of information assets. A good security architecture has to be flexible enough to adapt to changing business requirements over time while providing adequate protection against both known and unknown threats.
Security operations are the process of protecting an organization’s assets and resources from security threats. It includes the management of security controls and the monitoring of their effectiveness against threats. Security operations also include the management of risk, which is the likelihood that a threat will exploit a vulnerability to cause harm to an asset or resource.
The next domain of knowledge tested on the CISSP exam is Risk Management. This domain covers identifying threat sources (both internal and external), monitoring their activities, mitigating those threats through risk mitigation strategies, establishing policies and procedures for reducing risks in the workplace, performing periodic risk assessments based on changing circumstances and new information, etc…
Software security engineering is a type of information security engineering concerned with the application of software security principles to software development processes. It is a relatively new field that has evolved from the combination of traditional methods for securing systems (such as penetration testing, vulnerability assessment and secure coding) with modern practices of software development.
The CISSP credential is highly regarded in the information security industry. It is one of the most recognized certifications in the world. The CISSP certification has a huge career impact and opens up many opportunities for you to work with several industries.
The following are some of the career opportunities that you can avail after earning your CISSP:
Information Security Consultant: After attaining the CISSP, you can become an information security consultant and provide your services to different companies. You can use your knowledge and expertise in information security to help companies protect their assets from cyber attacks and other threats.
Systems Engineer: If you want to work on the infrastructure level, then system engineer is one of the best career opportunities for you after achieving this certification. You can work as systems engineers for third-party vendors who will provide technical support for various IT systems like networking, data center, database management etc.
Security Analyst: If you want to go deep into the field of IT security, then becoming a security analyst is one of the best options available for you after achieving this certification. You can work with different companies as a security analyst where you will be responsible for identifying threats against their networks or applications and taking measures accordingly to prevent any breaches from happening in the future.
Security Administrator: A security administrator is responsible for implementing an organization’s security policies and procedures. These policies define how data should be handled, stored and transmitted within an organization’s network infrastructure.
Security administrators may also configure firewalls, virtual private networks (VPNs) and intrusion detection systems (IDS) to protect their organization’s network infrastructure from unauthorized access attempts by outsiders or internal employees who want to steal valuable data from company databases.
