No sooner do we start looking for jobs in the InfoSec industry, we encounter the question “Do you have any certifications?” This post will delve into the most popular certification – the CISSP.
Introduction:
As social media rages ahead so do other forms of sophisticated attacks. Information Security was a term that was barely used about 20 years ago. Yet, it has begun to play a major role today and will continue to do so in the future. The demand for Security professionals has also exponentially increased and the way to step into the most sought after career is to be certified.
Employers will look for a proper mix of certification and experience to short list prospective candidates. Employees will climb up the information security ladder faster if they are certified. What is the CISSP certification? Let’s find out:
The CISSP certification
‘CISSP’ is ‘Certified Information Systems Security Professional.
(ISC)2 is the ‘International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium’ and is one of the most prevalent and widely accepted standards for Information Security certification. (ISC)2 delivers the CISSP certification.
Achieving the CISSP certification is the gold standard for all security professionals. It is the first credential accredited by the ANSI/ISO/IEC Standard 17024:2003. A person who has the achieved the CISSP certification will command international respect.
The requirements for appearing for the exam are as follows:
- Have five years of demonstrated Information Security experience in two or more of the ten domains of the CISSP exam(However, if one does not have the required experience to take the exam, one can become an Associate of (ISC)2 and clear the exam after gaining enough experience to take the exam within 6 years)
- Subscribe to the (ISC)2 code of ethics
- Pass the CISSP exam and complete the endorsement process
The Exam:
Duration: 3 hrs
No. of questions: 100 – 150
Passing grade: 700 out of 1000 points
Domains tested on: 8
Benefits of the CISSP certification:
Since the CISSP certification is what most employers look for in prospective employees of information security, it is “THE” certification to achieve. It is the most sought certification in an employee.
Since the field is a dynamically changing one unlike most other professions CISSPs must recertify every three years and maintain their certification too.
For professionals, who have achieved the CISSP gold standard and are wondering “What next?” there are other CISSP concentrations like CISSP-ISSAP, CISSP-ISSEP, CISSP-ISSMP.
References:
https://www.isc2.org/Certifications/CISSP