CISSP Summary 2002

BY JOHN WALLHOFF (CISA, CISSP)

I wrote this summary as a part of the preparation for my CISSP exam. It is based on books and different sources found on the Internet. You may use it as a part of your preparation, but it doesn't replace the CISSP seminars or books available.

The summary covers all the ten Common Body of Knowledge Domains (CBK) that are required for the CISSP Exam.  I have also added a page for related links and references that might be useful. This page is far from complete and there is a lot more to be found.

My recommendation to anyone planning to sit for the exam, is to make a study plan of your own. Some of you might have been involved in all of the domains already, but I guess most of you will find a few domains easier and other domains a bit harder. I studied for 2 1/2 month on my spare time (late in the evening when my kids went to bed), all the time uncertain if I read too much or too little. I did pass the exam but still I don't know if I read too much or too little.

During my preparation, I have seen questions about CISSP versus CISA. The focus of those two certifications is different. While CISSP is focused on building and maintain security, CISA is more focused on auditing and assessing risks and controls. Your choice of certification should be based on what you really want to work with. If you want to be a security professional, CISSP is the choice. If you want to be an IT/IS auditor instead, then you should take CISA. As I've been an IT/IS auditor and now is an IS consultant, I ended up with both.  So far I have used the knowledge supported by both CISA and CISSP.

Last but not least for your preparation. Once upon a time, a teacher at the university told my class "four in - five out". That wasn't about how many hours you should use for your exam. That was how many hours you should allow yourself to sleep, to be able to pass the exam. If you slept four hours at the most each night, you would probably make it. If you slept five hours, you were likely to fail. For your comfort I slept more than five hours each night and I passed. So for all of you preparing for the exam, quality time is much better than quantity.

Good luck to all of you still convinced to take the exam.

John Wallhoff

john.wallhoff@mailbox.swipnet.se




CISSP Summary 2002Related links | References

CBK#1 Access Control Systems & Methodology | CBK#2 Telecommunications & Network Security | CBK#3 Security Management Practices | CBK#4 Applications & Systems Development Security | CBK#5 Cryptography | CBK#6 Security Architecture & Models | CBK#7 Operations Security | CBK#8 Business Continuity Planning & Disaster Recovery Planning | CBK#9 Law, Investigations & Ethics | CBK#10 Physical Security

Contact:

E-mail: john.wallhoff@mailbox.swipnet.se
Written by: J.Wallhoff January - April 2002
Updated by: J.Wallhoff April 2002