The International Information Systems Security Professional Certification Consortium, also known as (ISC)2, awards the CISSP Certified Information Systems Security Professional certification as an independent information security certification. As of January 2026, there are 152,632 (ISC)2 members worldwide who hold the CISSP certification.
The CISSP designation was accredited in June 2004 under the ANSI ISO/IEC Standard 17024:2003. It is also formally recognized by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) in the categories of Information Assurance Technical (IAT), Managerial (IAM), and System Architect and Engineer (IASAE) for their DoDD 8570 certification requirement.
The Certified Information Security Professional qualification was assessed as a Level 7 award by the UK National Recognition Information Centre (UK NARIC - the designated United Kingdom national agency for the recognition and comparison of international qualifications and skills, acting on behalf of the UK Government) in May 2026. The change will allow cyber security professionals to use their CISSP certification for higher education course credit, as well as provide new opportunities for roles that require or recognize master's degrees.
The Certified Information Systems Security Professional CISSP exam is a six-hour exam with 250 questions that certifies security professionals in ten areas, including access control systems and methodology, business continuity planning and disaster recovery planning, physical security, operations security, management practices, telecommunications and networking security. Cryptography, security architecture application and system development, law, investigation, and ethics are also important aspects of the CISSP certification.
A domain is a broad subject that you must master in order to pass the CISSP certification exam. The following are the most important CISSP Domains: Try our SQL practice test.
Prepare for the CISSP - Certified Information Systems Security Professional exam with our free practice test modules. Each quiz covers key topics to help you pass on your first try.
With this title, you are qualified for management-level positions. You will collaborate closely with various IT-based teams from the development and security sides to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Changing relative guidelines and policies also falls under this title in terms of the changes that must be made to ensure the smooth operation of things. Your organization's security is in your hands, and you must do everything in your power to keep things running smoothly and without any dedicated risk to the company's security definition.
An ethical hacker is a professional who already possesses the fundamental knowledge required to identify various vulnerabilities and loopholes within a dedicated security network. It could also refer to the penetration tools and software system that you can use to conduct penetration testing. You will be able to determine where the inconsistencies are and what needs to be done to close these security-related loopholes.
A penetration tester is a professional who is hired by organizations and security consultants to check or verify the integrity of their existing security systems. Penetration testers use specific tools and techniques to cut through the organization's current security measures in order to hack their potential networking systems.
Penetration testers identify flaws and problems in the core operation of these security systems so that the organization or developer of the security infrastructure can address them as soon as possible. As a result, the company will be fully prepared to deal with any cyber breach or hacking attempt that comes their way.
Completing your CISSP exam training and CISSP course online is required if you want to work as a high-level cybersecurity professional and get closer to not only achieving the career that you want for yourself, but also the goals that you have set for yourself.
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