The need for professionalism was a serious topic among computer security practitioners for many years. Professionalism was viewed as the way to upgrade this often ill-defined and poorly understood craft to that of a recognized and disciplined profession. By the mid-1980s, a number of professional societies in North America concluded that a certification process attesting to the qualifications of information security personnel, would enhance the credibility of the computer security profession. Through the societies' cooperative efforts, the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, or (ISC)2, was established in mid-1989 as an independent, nonprofit corporation whose sole charter is to develop and administer a certification program for information security practitioners. Now firmly established in North America, the program is quickly gaining international acceptance.
CISSP Certification Requirements:
Examination
The eligibility requirements to sit for the CISSP examination are completely separate from the eligibility requirements necessary to be certified as a CISSP.
CISSP Exam Structure The CISSP Certification examination consists of 250 multiple-choice questions. Candidates have up to 6 hours to complete the examination. Ten CISSP information systems security test domains are covered in the examination pertaining to the Common Body of Knowledge:
Access Control Systems & Methodology
Applications & Systems Development
Business Continuity Planning
Cryptography
Law, Investigation & Ethics
Operations Security
Physical Security
Security Architecture & Models
Security Management Practices
Telecommunications, Network & Internet Security
Certification
To be issued a certificate, a candidate must:
Pass the CISSP exam with a scaled score of 700 points or greater.
