The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) exam is a globally recognized certification exam that tests the knowledge and skills of information security professionals. The exam covers a wide range of topics, including access control, cryptography, security operations, and risk management.
In the cybersecurity field, the CISSP certification is highly respected and demonstrates an individual’s expertise and commitment to the profession. Obtaining the CISSP certification can lead to career advancement opportunities and increased earning potential.
The topic of this article is to explore the difficulty of the CISSP exam. Many individuals considering taking the exam may wonder how challenging it is and what factors can impact their experience. This article will provide an overview of the exam, discuss factors that can affect its difficulty, and offer tips for exam preparation and success.
Overview of the CISSP Exam
The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) exam is a computer-based test that is administered by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, also known as (ISC)². The exam consists of 250 multiple-choice questions and is designed to test the knowledge and skills of information security professionals.
The exam is divided into eight domains, including:
- Security and Risk Management
- Asset Security
- Security Architecture and Engineering
- Communication and Network Security
- Identity and Access Management (IAM)
- Security Assessment and Testing
- Security Operations
- Software Development Security
Candidates have up to six hours to complete the exam, which is administered in English. A passing score is 700 out of a possible 1000 points. The exam is designed to test the candidate’s knowledge of the concepts and principles of information security rather than specific technical skills or software products.
Obtaining the CISSP certification is a rigorous process that requires candidates to have a minimum of five years of full-time professional experience in at least two of the eight domains of the CISSP Common Body of Knowledge (CBK). Candidates may substitute a year of experience with a relevant four-year college degree or other qualifications, such as holding other industry certifications.
Glossary of Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) exam
- Access Control: The process of granting or denying permission to a resource based on a set of predefined rules.
- Asset: Any tangible or intangible object that has value and requires protection.
- Authentication: The process of verifying the identity of a user, system or device.
- Availability: The characteristic of a system or resource that ensures it is accessible and usable when needed.
- Business Continuity Planning (BCP): The process of creating a plan to ensure the continuity of business operations in the event of a disaster.
- Confidentiality: The characteristic of information that ensures it is only accessible by authorized individuals or systems.
- Cryptography: The process of transforming information to make it unreadable without a key or password.
- Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP): The process of creating a plan to recover from a disaster and restore normal business operations.
- Encryption: The process of encoding information so that it is unreadable without a key or password.
- Firewall: A network security device that controls access to a network by examining incoming and outgoing traffic and allowing or blocking it based on a set of predefined rules.
- Hacker: A person who attempts to gain unauthorized access to a system or network.
- Incident Response: The process of identifying, containing, and mitigating the effects of a security incident.
- Information Security: The process of protecting information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction.
- Integrity: The characteristic of information that ensures it is accurate, complete, and trustworthy.
- Malware: Any software that is designed to harm a system or network, including viruses, worms, Trojans, and ransomware.
- Network Security: The process of securing a network from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction.
- Patch Management: The process of applying updates or patches to software or systems to address known vulnerabilities or weaknesses.
- Penetration Testing: The process of testing a system or network to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses that could be exploited by attackers.
- Physical Security: The process of securing physical assets, such as buildings, equipment, and people, from unauthorized access, theft, or damage.
- Risk Management: The process of identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks to an organization’s assets and operations.
- Security Audit: The process of examining a system or network to identify security vulnerabilities and weaknesses.
- Security Awareness Training: The process of educating users and employees about security risks and best practices for protecting information.
- Security Policy: A set of rules and guidelines that govern the security of an organization’s information assets and operations.
- Threat: Any potential danger or risk to an organization’s assets or operations.
- Vulnerability: A weakness or flaw in a system or network that could be exploited by attackers.
What makes the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) exam difficult?
The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) exam is widely considered to be a challenging and difficult exam due to several factors:
- Prior Knowledge and Experience: Candidates who have prior knowledge and experience in the field of information security may find the exam less challenging. However, those who are new to the field may find the exam more difficult and require more preparation.
- Breadth and depth of knowledge: The CISSP exam covers a wide range of topics related to information security, including security and risk management, asset security, security engineering, communications and network security, identity and access management, security assessment and testing, and security operations. The exam requires a deep understanding of these topics, which can be challenging for many candidates.
- Technical and non-technical content: The CISSP exam covers both technical and non-technical aspects of information security. While technical topics such as cryptography and network security can be challenging for non-technical professionals, non-technical topics such as security policies and governance can be challenging for technical professionals.
- Length and complexity of the exam: The CISSP exam consists of 250 multiple-choice questions and takes up to 6 hours to complete. The questions are designed to test the candidate’s understanding of complex security concepts and require a great deal of focus and attention to detail.
- Exam Changes: The CISSP exam is regularly updated to reflect changes in the field of information security. Candidates who take the exam shortly after an update may find it more difficult due to changes in the exam content.
- Adaptive testing: The CISSP exam uses adaptive testing, which means that the difficulty of the questions adjusts based on the candidate’s responses. This can make the exam more challenging as candidates are required to demonstrate a high level of proficiency in each domain.
- Professional experience requirement: The CISSP exam also requires candidates to have at least five years of professional experience in information security, which can be a challenge for those who are new to the field.
Overall, the CISSP exam is challenging due to the breadth and depth of knowledge required, the technical and non-technical content, the length and complexity of the exam, adaptive testing, and the professional experience requirement. However, with proper preparation and study, candidates can successfully pass the exam and earn the CISSP certification.
Why become a Certified Information Systems Security Professional?
The need for Certified Information Systems Security Professionals is continually expanding. As a result, obtaining certification to demonstrate your knowledge is critical in advancing your professional career. Furthermore, this qualification can help you command greater pay and qualify for additional possibilities and responsibilities than the market norm. In addition, Cybersecurity Ventures estimates that 3.5 million Cyber Security positions would be available by 2021. By 2024, the worldwide cyber security market is estimated to reach USD $282.3 billion, with an annual growth rate of 11.1 percent.
Therefore, to prove your skills, advance your career, and bridge the gap to your dream job you must take the Certified Information Systems Security Professional certification exam.
Certified Information Systems Security Professional Exam Outline
The CISSP exam outline covers all the concepts and domains. These domains form the syllabus for the exam. This is to help candidates prepare for the exam by identifying specific content within each topic that may be tested. So you must focus and put your whole heart while learning and understanding the following domains:
Domain 1: Security and Risk Management
1.1 – Understand, adhere to, and promote professional ethics
- ISC2 Code of Professional Ethics
- Organizational code of ethics
1.2 – Understand and apply security concepts
- Confidentiality, integrity, and availability, authenticity and nonrepudiation
1.3 – Evaluate and apply security governance principles
- Alignment of the security function to business strategy, goals, mission, and objectives
- Organizational processes (e.g., acquisitions, divestitures, governance committees)
- Organizational roles and responsibilities
- Security control frameworks
- Due care/due diligence
1.4 – Determine compliance and other requirements
- Contractual, legal, industry standards, and regulatory requirements
- Privacy requirements
1.5 – Understand legal and regulatory issues that pertain to information security in a holistic context
- Cybercrimes and data breaches
- Licensing and Intellectual Property (IP) requirements
- Import/export controls
- Transborder data flow
- Privacy
1.6 – Understand requirements for investigation types (i.e., administrative, criminal, civil, regulatory, industry standards)
1.7 – Develop, document, and implement security policy, standards, procedures, and guidelines
1.8 – Identify, analyze, and prioritize Business Continuity (BC) requirements
- Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
- Develop and document the scope and the plan
1.9 – Contribute to and enforce personnel security policies and procedures
- Candidate screening and hiring
- Employment agreements and policies
- Onboarding, transfers, and termination processes
- Vendor, consultant, and contractor agreements and controls
- Compliance policy requirements
- Privacy policy requirements
1.10 – Understand and apply risk management concepts
- Identify threats and vulnerabilities
- Risk assessment/analysis
- Risk response
- Countermeasure selection and implementation
- Applicable types of controls (e.g., preventive, detective, corrective)
- Control assessments (security and privacy)
- Monitoring and measurement
- Reporting
- Continuous improvement (e.g., Risk maturity modeling)
- Risk frameworks
1.11 – Understand and apply threat modeling concepts and methodologies
1.12 – Apply Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) concepts
- Risks associated with hardware, software, and services
- Third-party assessment and monitoring
- Minimum security requirements
- Service level requirements
1.13 – Establish and maintain a security awareness, education, and training program
- Methods and techniques to present awareness and training (e.g., social engineering, phishing, security champions, gamification)
- Periodic content reviews
- Program effectiveness evaluation
Domain 2: Asset Security
2.1 Identify and classify information and assets
- Data classification
- Asset Classification
2.2 Determine and maintain information and asset ownership
2.3 Provision resources securely
- Information and asset ownership
- Asset inventory (e.g., tangible, intangible)
- Asset management
2.4 – Manage data lifecycle
- Data roles (i.e., owners, controllers, custodians, processors, users/subjects)
- Data collection
- Data location
- Data maintenance
- Data retention
- Data remanence
- Data destruction
2.5 – Ensure appropriate asset retention (e.g., End-of-Life (EOL), End-of-Support (EOS))
2.6 – Determine data security controls and compliance requirements
- Data states (e.g., in use, in transit, at rest)
- Scoping and tailoring
- Standards selection
- Data protection methods (e.g., Digital Rights Management (DRM), Data Loss Prevention (DLP), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB))
Domain 3: Security Architecture and Engineering
3.1 – Research, implement and manage engineering processes using secure design principles
- Threat modeling
- Least privilege
- Defense in depth
- Secure defaults
- Fail securely
- Separation of Duties (SoD)
- Keep it simple
- Zero Trust
- Privacy by design
- Trust but verify
- Shared responsibility
3.2 – Understand the fundamental concepts of security models (e.g., Biba, Star Model, Bell-LaPadula)
3.3 – Select controls based upon systems security requirements
3.4 – Understand security capabilities of Information Systems (IS) (e.g., memory protection, Trusted Platform Module (TPM), encryption/decryption)
3.5 – Assess and mitigate the vulnerabilities of security architectures, designs, and solution elements
- Client-based systems
- Server-based systems
- Database systems
- Cryptographic systems
- Industrial Control Systems (ICS)
- Cloud-based systems (e.g., Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS))
- Distributed systems
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Microservices
- Containerization
- Serverless
- Embedded systems
- High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems
- Edge computing systems
- Virtualized systems
3.6 – Select and determine cryptographic solutions
- Cryptographic life cycle (e.g., keys, algorithm selection)
- Cryptographic methods (e.g., symmetric, asymmetric, elliptic curves, quantum)
- Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
- Key management practices
- Digital signatures and digital certificates
- Non-repudiation
- Integrity (e.g., hashing)
3.7 – Understand methods of cryptanalytic attacks
- Brute force
- Ciphertext only
- Known plaintext
- Frequency analysis
- Chosen ciphertext
- Implementation attacks
- Side-channel
- Fault injection
- Timing
- Man-in-the-Middle (MITM)
- Pass the hash
- Kerberos exploitation
- Ransomware
3.8 – Apply security principles to site and facility design
3.9 – Design site and facility security controls
- Wiring closets/intermediate distribution facilities
- Server rooms/data centers
- Media storage facilities
- Evidence storage
- Restricted and work area security
- Utilities and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
- Environmental issues
- Fire prevention, detection, and suppression
- Power (e.g., redundant, backup)
Domain 4: Communication and Network Security
4.1 – Assess and implement secure design principles in network architectures
- Open System Interconnection (OSI) and Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) models
- Internet Protocol (IP) networking (e.g., Internet Protocol Security (IPSec), Internet Protocol (IP) v4/6)
- Secure protocols
- Implications of multilayer protocols
- Converged protocols (e.g., Fiber Channel Over Ethernet (FCoE), Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP))
- Micro-segmentation (e.g., Software Defined Networks (SDN), Virtual eXtensible Local Area Network (VXLAN), Encapsulation, Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN))
- Wireless networks (e.g., Li-Fi, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, satellite)
- Cellular networks (e.g., 4G, 5G)
- Content Distribution Networks (CDN)
4.2 – Secure network components
- Operation of hardware (e.g., redundant power, warranty, support)
- Transmission media
- Network Access Control (NAC) devices
- Endpoint security
4.3 – Implement secure communication channels according to design
- Voice
- Multimedia collaboration
- Remote access
- Data communications
- Virtualized networks
- Third-party connectivity
Domain 5: Identity and Access Management (IAM)
5.1 Control physical and logical access to assets
- Information
- Systems
- Devices
- Facilities
- Application
5.2 Manage identification and authentication of people, devices, and services
- Identity management implementation
- Single/multi-factor authentication
- Accountability
- Session management
- Registration, proofing, and establishment of identity
- Federated Identity Management (FIM)
- Credential management systems
- Single Sign On (SSO)
- Just-In-Time (JIT)
5.3 Integrate identity as a third-party service
- On-premise
- Cloud
- Federated
5.4 Implement and manage authorization mechanisms
- Role Based Access Control (RBAC)
- Rule-based access control
- Mandatory Access Control (MAC)
- Discretionary Access Control (DAC)
- Attribute Based Access Control (ABAC)
- Risk based access control
5.5 Manage the identity and access provisioning lifecycle
- Account access review (e.g., user, system, service)
- Provisioning and deprovisioning (e.g., on /off boarding and transfers)
- Role definition (e.g., people assigned to new roles)
- Privilege escalation (e.g., managed service accounts, use of sudo, minimizing its use)
5.6 – Implement authentication systems
- OpenID Connect (OIDC)/Open Authorization (Oauth)
- Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML)
- Kerberos
- Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS)/Terminal Access Controller Access Control System Plus (TACACS+)
Domain 6: Security Assessment and Testing
6.1 Design and validate assessment, test, and audit strategies
- Internal
- External
- Third-party
6.2 Conduct security control testing
- Vulnerability assessment
- Penetration testing
- Log reviews
- Synthetic transactions
- Code review and testing
- Misuse case testing
- Test coverage analysis
- Interface testing
- Breach attack simulations
- Compliance checks
6.3 Collect security process data (e.g., technical and administrative)
- Account management
- Management review and approval
- Key performance and risk indicators
- Backup verification data
- Training and awareness
- Disaster Recovery (DR) and Business Continuity (BC)
6.4 Analyze test output and generate report
- Remediation
- Exception handling
- Ethical disclosure
6.5 Conduct or facilitate security audits
- Internal
- External
- Third-party
Domain 7: Security Operations
7.1 Understand and support investigations
- Evidence collection and handling
- Reporting and documentation
- Investigative techniques
- Digital forensics tools, tactics, and procedures
- Artifacts (e.g., computer, network, mobile device)
7.2 Conduct logging and monitoring activities
- Intrusion detection and prevention
- Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
- Continuous monitoring
- Egress monitoring
- Log management
- Threat intelligence (e.g., threat feeds, threat hunting)
- User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA)
7.3 – Perform Configuration Management (CM) (e.g., provisioning, baselining, automation)
7.4 – Apply foundational security operations concepts
- Need-to-know/least privilege
- Separation of Duties (SoD) and responsibilities
- Privileged account management
- Job rotation
- Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
7.5 – Apply resource protection
- Media management
- Media protection techniques
7.6 – Conduct incident management
- Detection
- Response
- Mitigation
- Reporting
- Recovery
- Remediation
- Lessons learned
7.7 – Operate and maintain detective and preventative measures
- Firewalls (e.g., next generation, web application, network)
- Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS)
- Whitelisting/blacklisting
- Third-party provided security services
- Sandboxing
- Honeypots/honeynets
- Anti-malware
- Machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) based tools
7.8 – Implement and support patch and vulnerability management
7.9 – Understand and participate in change management processes
7.10 – Implement recovery strategies
- Backup storage strategies
- Recovery site strategies
- Multiple processing sites
- System resilience, High Availability (HA), Quality of Service (QoS), and fault tolerance
7.11 – Implement Disaster Recovery (DR) processes
- Response
- Personnel
- Communications
- Assessment
- Restoration
- Training and awareness
- Lessons learned
7.12 – Test Disaster Recovery Plans (DRP)
- Read-through/tabletop
- Walkthrough
- Simulation
- Parallel
- Full interruption
7.13 – Participate in Business Continuity (BC) planning and exercises
7.14 – Implement and manage physical security
- Perimeter security controls
- Internal security controls
7.15 – Address personnel safety and security concerns
- Travel
- Security training and awareness
- Emergency management
- Duress
Domain 8: Software Development Security
8.1 Understand and integrate security in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
- Development methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, DevOps, DevSecOps)
- Maturity models (e.g., Capability Maturity Model (CMM), Software Assurance Maturity Model (SAMM))
- Operation and maintenance
- Change management
- Integrated Product Team (IPT)
8.2 Identify and apply security controls in software development ecosystems
- Programming languages
- Libraries
- Tool sets
- Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
- Runtime
- Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD)
- Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR)
- Software Configuration Management (SCM)
- Code repositories
- Application security testing (e.g., Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST))
8.3 Assess the effectiveness of software security
- Auditing and logging of changes
- Risk analysis and mitigation
8.4 Assess security impact of acquired software
- Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS)
- Open source
- Third-party
- Managed services (e.g., Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS))
8.5 Define and apply secure coding guidelines and standards
- Security weaknesses and vulnerabilities at the source-code level
- Security of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)
- Secure coding practices
- Software-defined security
Are you feeling perplexed after this huge syllabus? Well we have the perfect solution in our next section!
Certified Information Systems Security Professional CISSP Exam Preparation Guide
Preparing for an exam is quite a difficult task. It becomes easier when you have access to the best preparatory resources. The resources you choose define your success rate. Therefore, select the ones that are suited to your type and your level of understanding. However, to help you with this difficult choice we have curated a special list of all the resources that will enrich your learning experience. Follow our CISSP exam study guide to pass the exam with flying colours
1. Ultimate CISSP Study Guide
The CISSP Ultimate Guide is your one-stop destination to all the doubts related to the CISSP exam. There is nothing wrong to say that the CISSP exam guide serves as complete coverage of the CISSP exam and its related domains. Moreover, candidates who are looking for a comprehensive review of information must visit and bookmark this guide so that they can get access to it anywhere and anytime they want.
2. Develop a Study Plan
Create a study plan that is tailored to your learning style and schedule. This plan should include dedicated study time, as well as breaks to avoid burnout. Utilize a variety of study materials, such as textbooks, practice exams, online courses, and study groups. Choose materials that align with your learning style and offer a comprehensive review of the exam topics.
3. Online Training
(ISC)² Online Training is an alternative to traditional training classrooms. Candidates may learn at their own pace with interactive study materials in these sophisticated and unique training courses. Remember that after you’ve paid for the course, you’ll have access to the materials for 120 days. Additionally, these online courses come in the following formats:
- Firstly, Classroom Based Training
- Secondly, Online Instructor-Ied
- Thirdly, Online Self-Paced
- Also, Private Onsite
4. CISPP Flashcards
Candidates preparing for the CISSP exam can now study anytime and anywhere for the certification exam. This is possible with CISSP Flashcards provided by (ISC)² helps candidates get immediate feedback relating to their queries. Also, these flashcards provide the ability to flag individual cards for a separate study. The cards are sectioned for each domain to make learning easier and more efficient.
5. Online Tutorials
Online Tutorials enrich your preparations and set you on the right track. They are easy to digest and provide in-depth information about the exam. Moreover, they provide clarity about the exam concepts and strengthen your learning.
6. Evaluate yourself with CISSP Practice Tests
Reviewing your study materials is a crucial phase of getting ready for the test. Practice exams are crucial since they not only help you identify your strengths but also point out any potential weak points in your knowledge. They are regarded as one of the best resources for test preparation since they provide actual CISSP exam experience. A practice exam is a terrific method to mix up your study plan and guarantee the greatest performance on the real thing.Therefore, passing practice exams might provide you the assurance you need to be stress-free. Start Practising Now!
Final Words
On exam day, it’s important for candidates to arrive early, get plenty of rest the night before, and stay calm throughout the exam. Additional tips for approaching the exam questions include reading the questions carefully, eliminating incorrect answer choices, and not spending too much time on any one question.
It’s important to remember that the CISSP exam is a challenging and rigorous certification exam, but it’s also a valuable credential in the cybersecurity field. By preparing effectively and utilizing study strategies, candidates can increase their chances of success.
Further, the CISSP exam is a difficult but important certification exam for information security professionals. It tests a broad range of knowledge and skills in the field of information security, and obtaining the certification can lead to career advancement opportunities and increased earning potential. With the right preparation and mindset, candidates can overcome the challenges of the CISSP exam and achieve their certification goals.
