CISSP Certification Training
5 Day CISSP Boot Camp
This guide to CISSP certification explains the experience requirements, exam format and fees, training options and how to keep the credential once you earn it. Whether you are exploring CISSP for the first time or comparing training options, you will find clear guidance to help you move forward with confidence.
What is CISSP Certification?
The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)® is the cybersecurity leadership certification offered by ISC2, the International Information System Security Certification Consortium.
CISSP validates an information security professional’s deep technical and managerial knowledge and experience to design, engineer and manage the overall security posture of an organization.
The credential covers eight domains of security knowledge, from security and risk management to software development security, and it is built for experienced practitioners, managers and executives.
To earn CISSP certification, candidates must meet ISC2’s work-experience requirement, pass the CISSP exam, complete ISC2’s endorsement process and then maintain the certification through continuing education.
Exam Pass Guarantee
Interactive Courses
Expert Guidance
Benefits of CISSP Certification
How CISSP Certification Sets You Apart
The CISSP is one of the most widely recognized credentials in information security. It can strengthen your candidacy for security leadership roles and support your long-term professional growth. Results vary by employer, role and experience. Here is why candidates pursue it:
- Recognized standard: ISC2 notes that CISSP was the first information security credential to meet the ANAB ISO/IEC 17024 accreditation requirements.
- Government relevance: ISC2 lists the CISSP as approved under U.S. DoDM 8140.03, which matters if you work for or support the Department of Defense.
- Membership and community: Certified members join ISC2 and gain access to its resources, educational tools and peer networking.
- Breadth across eight domains: The credential validates your knowledge from governance and risk through operations and software security.
- Ongoing learning: Continuing education requirements keep your skills current after you certify.
Source: ISC2, CISSP certification.
Ready to make it happen? Here’s your path from where you are today to CISSP certified.
Your Path to CISSP Certification
Five steps from here to certified. Select a step to jump to the details.
Step 1 · Check eligibility
CISSP Certification Requirements & Eligibility
Before you can become CISSP certified, you need to show ISC2 that you have the experience. You can sit for the exam before you meet the requirement, but you cannot earn the full certification until you do.
How ISC2 counts your experience
Full-time work
Experience accrues monthly. You need to have worked at least 35 hours a week for four weeks to earn one month of experience.
Part-time work
Part-time work counts if it is between 20 and 34 hours a week. ISC2 treats 1,040 part-time hours as six months of full-time experience and 2,080 hours as twelve months.
Internships
Paid or unpaid internships can count. You will need documentation on the organization's letterhead confirming your position as an intern, or on the registrar's stationery if the internship was at a school.
Your experience must fall in two or more of these eight domains
1. Security and Risk Management
2. Asset Security
3. Security Architecture and Engineering
4. Communication and Network Security
5. Identity and Access Management (IAM)
6. Security Assessment and Testing
7. Security Operations
8. Software Development Security
Credentials that can satisfy one year of experience
A post-secondary degree in computer science, information technology or a related field can satisfy up to one year of the experience requirement, and so can one credential from ISC2's approved list. Only one year can be waived in total, however you qualify.
See ISC2's approved credential list
AWS Certified Security - Specialty; Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP); Certified in Governance, Risk and Compliance (CGRC); Certified Information Security Manager (CISM); Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP); Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Security; Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA); Cisco Certified Network Professional Security (CCNP Security); CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+); CompTIA CySA+; CompTIA Security+; CompTIA SecurityX; GIAC Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional (GICSP); GIAC Information Security Fundamentals (GISF); GIAC Information Security Professional (GISP); GIAC Security Leadership Certification (GSLC); HealthCare Information Security and Privacy Practitioner (HCISPP); Information Systems Security Architecture Professional (ISSAP); Information Systems Security Engineering Professional (ISSEP); Information Systems Security Management Professional (ISSMP); Microsoft Certified Cybersecurity Architect; Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP); Zscaler Digital Transformation Administrator (ZDTA); Zscaler Digital Transformation Engineer (ZDTE); Zscaler Digital Experience Administrator (ZDXA).
ISC2 updates this list, so confirm it on ISC2's experience requirements page before you apply.
Part-time work and internships may also count toward the experience requirement. Source: ISC2 CISSP exam outline and ISC2 experience requirements.
CISSP Requirements FAQs
Is CISSP certification for entry-level cybersecurity?
Which domains does my experience need to fall in?
What can I use to waive a year of experience?
What if I do not meet the experience requirement yet?
Step 2 · Complete training
CISSP Certification Training Courses
A live CISSP boot camp is a structured way to prepare for the exam. Self-study and on-demand content offer flexibility, but an in-person or live online class gives you an expert instructor, peers who share your goal and a fixed schedule. Here is why candidates choose a class.
Expert CISSP coaching
An experienced instructor explains the concepts, answers your questions as they come up and shows you how to apply them across the eight domains.
Exam-focused practice
Interactive exercises, knowledge checks and chapter quizzes help you test what you know as you go.
Structure and focus
Five scheduled days with a group of peers, instead of studying in the gaps of a busy week.
Application support
We help you understand the ISC2 application and what to do after class with a readiness roadmap.
Who should attend a CISSP training class?
Our CISSP Boot Camp is built for seasoned information security professionals who manage, design and oversee enterprise security programs: practitioners, managers and executives who want to validate their knowledge across a wide range of security practices and principles.
When you enroll you get immediate access to a pre-study course, so you arrive prepared. In class you work directly with an expert instructor and a group of peers, which keeps you focused and accountable in a way that studying alone often does not.
CISSP boot camp at a glance
What is included in our CISSP certification course
Everything you need for the class and for exam practice is provided.
CISSP course materials
- Five days of CISSP training with a certified instructor
- Comprehensive ISC2 review manual
- Interactive exercises, examples and knowledge checks
- Chapter quizzes to assess comprehension
- 180-day access to recordings of the daily lessons and content
- Immediate access to a pre-study course when you enroll
Support and guarantee
- Post-course stoplight assessment
- Application assistance and a readiness roadmap
- Post-class support and a complete study resource
- In-depth conversation with other learners in the class
- Exam Pass Guarantee (Terms & Policies)
What you will learn in the CISSP Boot Camp
The CISSP exam is organized around eight domains, and ISC2 weights each one differently. Our class covers all eight. Source: ISC2 CISSP exam outline.
Security and Risk Management
Governance, ethics, legal and compliance requirements, risk management and business continuity.
Asset Security
Classifying, handling and protecting information and assets across the data lifecycle.
Security Architecture and Engineering
Secure design principles, security models, cryptography and facility security.
Communication and Network Security
Designing and securing network architecture, components and channels.
Identity and Access Management
Physical and logical access, authentication and the identity lifecycle.
Security Assessment and Testing
Planning and running assessments, audits and control testing.
Security Operations
Investigations, monitoring, incident response and disaster recovery.
Software Development Security
Building security into the development lifecycle and evaluating acquired software.
CISSP Certification Course Syllabus
This intensive five-day boot camp prepares IT and security professionals for the CISSP exam. It works through the eight domains of the ISC2 CISSP Common Body of Knowledge and builds in test-taking strategy and a practice exam.
Security and Risk Management
- Course introduction: overview, expectations, exam format and study strategies
- Confidentiality, integrity and availability concepts
- Security governance principles
- Compliance, legal and regulatory issues
- Professional ethics
- Security policies, standards, procedures and guidelines
Asset Security and Security Architecture and Engineering
- Information and asset classification
- Privacy protection and appropriate retention
- Data security controls
- Security engineering processes
- Security models and security evaluation models
Communication and Network Security and Identity and Access Management
- Secure network architecture design
- Secure network components and communication channels
- Physical and logical asset control
- Identification and authentication of people and devices
- Identity as a Service
Security Assessment and Testing and Security Operations
- Assessment and test strategies
- Security process data, control testing and test outputs
- Operational resiliency
- Resource protection
- Incident management
Software Development Security and Review Session
- Security in the software development lifecycle
- Development environment security controls
- Software security effectiveness and the impact of acquired software
- Comprehensive review of key topics and exam strategies
- Practice examination
Find a CISSP Boot Camp Near You
Live, instructor-led CISSP training in major cities nationwide
Our 5 day CISSP boot camps are offered in cities across the country. Experience in-person learning with dedicated instructors, focused peer interaction and zero distractions from your daily routine. Choose your city below, or take the same class live online.
See What Our CISSP Boot Camp Students Have to Say
Rated 4.85/5 based on 465 reviews. See our reviews
Step 3 · Study and pass
CISSP Exam Details
The CISSP exam uses computerized adaptive testing (CAT). You have up to three hours to answer 100 to 150 items, in multiple-choice and advanced item formats, and you need a score of at least 700 out of 1,000 to pass. The exam is delivered at Pearson VUE testing centers. Your proctor gives you an unofficial result when you check out, and ISC2 emails your official result afterward.
Exam Domains
The exam is built on the ISC2 CISSP exam outline and covers eight domains with these average weights: Security and Risk Management 16%, Asset Security 10%, Security Architecture and Engineering 13%, Communication and Network Security 13%, Identity and Access Management 13%, Security Assessment and Testing 12%, Security Operations 13% and Software Development Security 10%. Read the full ISC2 CISSP exam outline for the topics in each domain.
What each CISSP domain covers
ISC2 publishes the official, complete exam outline. The summaries below describe in plain language what each domain covers, so you know what to expect before you start studying. Open a domain to read more.
Domain 1: Security and Risk Management (16%)
- Professional ethics, including the ISC2 Code of Professional Ethics
- Core security concepts: confidentiality, integrity, availability, authenticity and nonrepudiation
- Security governance, and how security aligns with business strategy, roles and control frameworks such as ISO, NIST, COBIT, SABSA, PCI and FedRAMP
- Legal, regulatory and privacy requirements, including cybercrime, intellectual property, cross-border data flow and laws such as GDPR and CCPA
- Investigation types, and developing security policies, standards, procedures and guidelines
- Business continuity requirements and business impact analysis
- Personnel security, from screening and onboarding to termination and third-party agreements
- Risk management: identifying threats and vulnerabilities, analyzing and treating risk, selecting controls and monitoring them
- Threat modeling, supply chain risk management, and security awareness and training programs
Domain 2: Asset Security (10%)
- Identifying and classifying information and assets
- Handling requirements and secure provisioning, including ownership and inventory
- The data lifecycle: roles, collection, location, maintenance, retention, remanence and destruction
- Retaining assets appropriately, including end-of-life and end-of-support
- Data security controls and compliance, including data states, scoping and tailoring, and protection methods such as DLP, DRM and CASB
Domain 3: Security Architecture and Engineering (13%)
- Secure design principles such as least privilege, defense in depth, zero trust, privacy by design and shared responsibility
- Fundamental security models and selecting controls based on system requirements
- Security capabilities built into systems, such as memory protection, TPM and encryption
- Assessing and mitigating weaknesses in client, server, database, cloud, distributed, IoT, industrial, container, serverless, embedded and virtualized systems
- Cryptographic solutions, key and algorithm lifecycles, and public key infrastructure
- Methods of cryptanalytic attack
- Site and facility security, from wiring closets and data centers to fire suppression and power
- Managing the information system lifecycle
Domain 4: Communication and Network Security (13%)
- Secure network architecture: OSI and TCP/IP, IPv4 and IPv6, secure protocols, segmentation and micro-segmentation
- Wireless, cellular, content distribution, software-defined and virtual private cloud networks
- Network monitoring and management
- Securing network components, including access control, endpoint security and transmission media
- Securing communication channels such as voice, video, remote access and third-party connectivity
Domain 5: Identity and Access Management (13%)
- Controlling physical and logical access to information, systems, devices, facilities, applications and services
- Identification and authentication strategy for people, devices and services, including multi-factor authentication, single sign-on and federated identity
- Authorization mechanisms such as role-based, rule-based, mandatory, discretionary, attribute-based and risk-based access control
- The identity and access provisioning lifecycle, including account reviews, role changes, privilege escalation and service accounts
Domain 6: Security Assessment and Testing (12%)
- Designing and validating assessment, test and audit strategies, whether internal, external or third-party
- Security control testing: vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, log reviews, code review, misuse case testing and breach attack simulation
- Collecting security process data such as key performance and risk indicators and backup verification
- Analyzing test output and reporting, including remediation and ethical disclosure
- Conducting or facilitating security audits
Domain 7: Security Operations (13%)
- Investigations, evidence handling and digital forensics
- Logging and monitoring: IDPS, SIEM, threat intelligence and user behavior analytics
- Configuration, patch, vulnerability and change management
- Foundational operations concepts: need-to-know, separation of duties, privileged account management, job rotation and service-level agreements
- Resource and media protection, and the incident management lifecycle from detection to lessons learned
- Preventive and detective measures such as firewalls, sandboxing, honeypots, anti-malware and machine-learning tools
- Recovery strategies, disaster recovery processes and testing, and business continuity planning
- Physical security and personnel safety
Domain 8: Software Development Security (10%)
- Building security into the software development lifecycle, including Agile, DevOps and DevSecOps approaches and maturity models
- Security controls in development ecosystems: languages, libraries, tool sets, CI/CD pipelines, code repositories and application security testing
- Assessing how effective software security is, through auditing, logging and risk analysis
- Assessing the security impact of acquired software, including commercial, open source, third-party and cloud services
- Secure coding guidelines and standards, including API security
CISSP Certification Cost
The CISSP exam fee is paid to ISC2 and is separate from the cost of a training class. ISC2 lists these options on its CISSP page:
- CISSP exam: $749. Schedule and take the exam within 365 days of purchase.
- CISSP exam with Peace of Mind Protection: $998. This gives you two exam attempts, which you must use within 180 days of purchase.
Our 5-day CISSP Boot Camp tuition is $3,599 and is shown with each class in the schedule. Fees are set by ISC2 and can change, so check ISC2 before you pay.
If you do not pass the first time
ISC2 sets the retake rules. You may retest after 30 test-free days following your first attempt, after 60 test-free days following your second attempt, and after 90 test-free days following your third and later attempts. You may attempt the exam up to four times within a 12-month period. See ISC2's retake policy.
Step 4 · Get endorsed
Steps After Passing the CISSP Exam
Passing the exam is the first step toward certification. After you pass, ISC2 emails your official results with directions to begin the endorsement process. The application must be endorsed and digitally signed by an ISC2 certified professional in good standing. If you do not know one, ISC2 can act as your endorser.
You also commit to the ISC2 Code of Ethics. Once your endorsement application is approved, ISC2 notifies you and you pay your first annual maintenance fee to begin your membership cycle. See ISC2's after-your-exam guidance.
Step 5 · Maintain it
Maintaining Your CISSP Certification
CISSP holders earn continuing professional education (CPE) credits and pay an annual maintenance fee. ISC2's CPE Handbook sets the requirement at 120 credits in each three-year certification cycle, and suggests about 40 credits a year to stay on track. Credits come from domain-related activities such as courses, conferences, reading and teaching. Check ISC2's current CISSP details and CPE Handbook for the fee amount and policies.
How Hard Is the CISSP Exam?
The CISSP exam is demanding, and experienced security professionals sometimes walk away without a passing score. It is not usually because they did not care or did not prepare. It is because the exam is broad, covering eight domains in one adaptive test, and rewards thinking across them the way a security leader would, which may differ from how your own job works day to day.
Having the experience and being ready for the exam are two different things. A plan matters more than hours alone.
How Our CISSP Boot Camp Closes the Gap
- Instruction aimed at the exam: an expert instructor takes you through all eight domains and connects them to your experience.
- Practice testing: chapter quizzes and knowledge checks throughout the week.
- An honest readiness check: a post-course stoplight assessment shows where you stand.
- A clear next step: application assistance and a readiness roadmap, so you know exactly what to do after class.
Prepare for your CISSP exam with confidence
We are with you every step of the way.
Earning the CISSP is a significant milestone in your career. It can be time-consuming and challenging, and it is a globally recognized certification from ISC2. Our five-day boot camp gives you structure, an expert instructor and a room of peers to get you exam-ready.
CISSP Certification Training FAQs
What is the passing score for the CISSP exam?
How long is the CISSP boot camp, and can I take it online?
How much does the CISSP Boot Camp cost?
Where is the CISSP exam taken?
Are there funding options for government employees, contractors and military members?
What other certifications matter for cybersecurity careers?
Many professionals pair the CISSP with other credentials that cover different parts of the field. Here are the ones we train for:
- CISM (Certified Information Security Manager): focused on managing and governing an enterprise security program.
- CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor): focused on auditing, control and assurance of information systems.
- CRISC (Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control): focused on identifying and managing technology risk.
- CCSP (Certified Cloud Security Professional): focused on cloud security architecture, design and operations.
- CSSLP (Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional): focused on building security into software development.
- Security+: a foundational certification that is a common first step into cybersecurity.
Several of these, including CISM, CCSP, CSSLP and Security+, are on ISC2's list of credentials that can satisfy one year of the CISSP experience requirement.