Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO)

EC-Council’s Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO) Program has certified leading information security professionals around the world. A core group of high-level information security executives, the CCISO Advisory Board, formed the foundation of the program and outlined the content covered by the exam, body of knowledge, and training. Some members of the Board contributed as authors, others as exam writers, others as quality assurance checks, and still others as instructors. Each segment of the program was developed with the aspiring and sitting CISO in mind and looks to transfer the knowledge of seasoned executives to the next generation of leaders in the areas that are most critical in the development and maintenance of a successful information security program.

Material in the CCISO Program assumes a high-level understanding of technical topics and doesn’t spend much time on strictly technical information, but rather on the application of technical knowledge to an information security executive’s day-to-day work. The CCISO aims to bridge the gap between the executive management knowledge that CISOs need and the technical knowledge that many sitting and aspiring CISOs have. This can be a crucial gap as a practitioner endeavors to move from mid-management to upper, executive management roles. Much of this is traditionally learned as on the job training, but the CCISO Training Program can be the key to a successful transition to the highest ranks of information security management.

• Director, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Google Cloud

• Deputy CISO

• VP & Chief Information Security Officer

• Chief Information Security Officer (VP)

• System Dir, Info Sys. Security – CISO

• Chief Privacy Officer

• Associate Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer

• Chief Security Officer

• CIO COO

• Assistant Executive Director – Chief Information Security Officer

• CISO Threat Intel

• Chief Technical Officer (CTO)

• Chief Data Officer

• VP, Information Security

• Chief Compliance Officer

• Senior Cyber Security CIO SME

• Regional Chief Information Officer

Please see the exam blueprint. In order to earn the CCISO, every applicant must pass the exam covering all 5 CCISO domains, regardless of experience in each domain. The exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions administered over a two and a half hour period. The questions on the exam require extensive thought and evaluation.

There are three cognitive levels tested on the CCISO exam but only two tested on the EISM exam:

• Level 1 – Knowledge: This cognitive level of questions is used to recall memorized facts. This is the most basic cognitive level rarely accepted on certifications as it merely recognizes the candidate’s ability to memorize information. It can be effectively used when asking for basic definitions, standards or any concrete fact. This level appears on both the CCISO and EISM exam.

• Level 2 – Application: This cognitive level of questions is used to identify the candidate’s ability to understand the application of a given concept. It differs from Knowledge based questions in the sense that it requires the understanding and correct applicability of a given concept – not just the concept itself. This type of question often quires additional context before the actual question is provided in the stem. This level appears on both the CCISO and EISM exam.

• Level 3 – Analysis: This cognitive level of questions is used to identify the candidate’s ability to identify and resolve a problem given a series of variables and context. Analysis questions differ greatly from Application based questions in the sense that they require not only the applicability of a concept but also how a concept, given certain constrain can be used to solve a problem. This level appears on the CCISO and not on the EISM exam.

Experience Requirements

• In order to sit for the CCISO exam, applicants that attend training must apply via the CCISO Eligibility Application showing 5 years of experience in at least 3 of the 5 CCISO domains (experience can be overlapping). Students who do not meeting the eligibility criteria for the CCISO exam can sit for the EC-Council Information Security Manager (EISM) exam & apply for the CCISO exam when they meet the requirements.

Exam Format: Multiple Choice

Total number of questions: 150

Exam duration: 2.5 Hours

Passing Score

• In order to maintain the high integrity of our certifications exams, EC-Council Exams are provided in multiple forms (I.e. different question banks). Each form is carefully analyzed through beta testing with an appropriate sample group under the purview of a committee of subject matter experts that ensure that each of our exams not only has academic rigor but also has “real world” applicability. We also have a process to determine the difficulty rating of each question. The individual rating then contributes to an overall “Cut Score” for each exam form. To ensure each form has equal assessment standards, cut scores are set on a “per exam form” basis. Depending on which exam form is challenged, cut scores can range from 60% to 85%.

Why is Security+ different?

• More choose Security+ - chosen by more corporations and defense organizations than any other certification on the market to validate baseline security skills and for fulfilling the DoD 8570 compliance.

• Security+ proves hands-on skills – the only baseline cybersecurity certification emphasizing hands-on practical skills, ensuring the security professional is better prepared to problem solve a wider variety of today’s complex issues.

• More job roles turn to Security+ to supplement skills – baseline cybersecurity skills are applicable across more of today’s job roles to secure systems, software and hardware.

• Security+ is aligned to the latest trends and techniques – covering the most core technical skills in risk assessment and management, incident response, forensics, enterprise networks, hybrid/cloud operations, and security controls, ensuring high-performance on the job.

What Skills Will You Learn?

• Attacks, Threats and Vulnerabilities- Focusing on more threats, attacks, and vulnerabilities on the Internet from newer custom devices that must be mitigated, such as IoT and embedded devices, newer DDoS attacks, and social engineering attacks based on current events.

• Operations and Incident Response- Covering organizational security assessment and incident response procedures, such as basic threat detection, risk mitigation techniques, security controls, and basic digital forensics.

• Architecture and Design - Includes coverage of enterprise environments and reliance on the cloud, which is growing quickly as organizations transition to hybrid networks.

• Governance, Risk and Compliance- Expanded to support organizational risk management and compliance to regulations, such as PCI-DSS, SOX, HIPAA, GDPR, FISMA, NIST, and CCPA.

• Implementation- Expanded to focus on administering identity, access management, PKI, basic cryptography, wireless, and end-to-end security.

• Security Administrator

• Systems Administrator

• Helpdesk Manager / Analyst

• Network / Cloud Engineer

• Security Engineer / Analyst

• DevOps / Software Developer

• IT Auditors

• IT Project Manager

CompTIA Security+ is the first security certification a candidate should earn. It establishes the core knowledge required of any cybersecurity role and provides a springboard to intermediate-level cybersecurity jobs. Security+ incorporates best practices in hands-on troubleshooting, ensuring candidates have practical security problem-solving skills required to:

• Assess the security posture of an enterprise environment and recommend and implement appropriate security solutions

• Monitor and secure hybrid environments, including cloud, mobile, and IoT

• Operate with an awareness of applicable laws and policies, including principles of governance, risk, and compliance

• Identify, analyze, and respond to security events and incidents

Security+ is compliant with ISO 17024 standards and approved by the US DoD to meet directive 8140/8570.01-M requirements. Regulators and government rely on ANSI accreditation, because it provides confidence and trust in the outputs of an accredited program. Over 2.3 million CompTIA ISO/ANSI-accredited exams have been delivered since January 1, 2011.

Maximum of 90 questions

Multiple choice and performance-based questions

90 minutes

Passing Score: 750 (on a scale of 100-900)

• Mentoring Security+

• TestPrep Security+ SY0-601: used to test your knowledge on the skills and competencies being measured by the vendor certification exam. TestPrep can be taken in either Study or Certification mode. Study mode is designed to maximize learning while certification mode is designed to test your knowledge of the material within a structured testing environment, providing valuable feedback at the end of the test.

• The Present Threat Landscape

• Types of Malware

• Social Engineering and Related Attacks

• Application and Service Attacks

• Cryptographic and Wireless Attacks

• Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Scanning

• Impacts from Vulnerability Types

• Components Supporting Organizational Security

• Security Assessment Using Software Tools

• Cryptography

• Public Key Infrastructure

• Wireless Security Settings

• Analyzing Output from Security Technologies

• Deploying Mobile Devices Securely

• Implementing Secure Protocols

• Troubleshooting Common Security Issues

• Identity Concepts and Access Services

• Identity and Access Management Controls

• Common Account Management Practices

• Frameworks, Guidelines, and Physical Security

• Implement Secure Network Architecture Concepts

• Secure System and Application Design and Deployment

• Cloud, Virtualization, and Resiliency Concepts

• Policies, Plans, and Procedures

• Business Impact Analysis and Risk Management

• Incident Response, Forensics, and Disaster Recovery

Governance

• Define, implement, manage and maintain an information security governance program that includes leadership, organizational structures, and processes.

• Align information security governance framework with organizational goals and governance, i.e., leadership style, philosophy, values, standards, and policies.

• Establish information security management structure.

• Establish a framework for information security governance monitoring (considering cost/benefits analyses of controls and ROI).

• Understand standards, procedures, directives, policies, regulations, and legal issues that affect the information security program.

• Understand the enterprise information security compliance prog

Risk Management

• Create a risk management program policy and charter

• Create a risk assessment methodology and framework

• Create and manage risk register

• Create risk assessment schedule and checklists

• Create risk reporting metrics and processes

Compliance

• Analyze and understand common external laws, regulations, standards, best practices applicable to the organization, and organizational ethics.

• Be familiar with international security and risk standards such as ISO 27000 and 31000 series

• Implement and manage information security strategies, plans, policies, and procedures to reduce regulatory risk

• Understand the importance of regulatory information security organizations and appropriate industry groups and stakeholders

• Understand information security changes, trends, and best practices

• Understand and manage enterprise compliance program controls, information security compliance process and procedures, compliance auditing, and certification programs

• Understand the information security compliance process and procedures

• Compile, analyze, and report compliance programs

• Understand the compliance auditing and cortication programs

• Follow organizational ethics

Information Security Management Controls

• Identify the organization’s operational process and objectives

• Design information systems controls in alignment with the operational needs and goals and conduct testing prior to implementation to ensure effectiveness

• Identify and select the resources required to effectively implement and maintain information systems controls. Such resources can include human capital, information, infrastructure, and architecture (e.g., platforms, operating systems, networks, databases, applications)

• Design and implement information systems controls to mitigate risk. Monitor and document the information systems control performance in meeting organizational objectives by identifying and measuring metrics and key performance indicators

• Design and conduct testing of information security controls to ensure effectiveness, discover deficiencies, and ensure alignment with the organization’s risk management program

• Design and implement processes to appropriately remediate deficiencies and evaluate problem management practices to ensure that errors are recorded, analyzed, and resolved in a timely manner

• Assess and implement tools and techniques to automate information systems control processes.

• Measure, manage, and report on security control implementation and effectiveness

Audit Management

• Understand the IT audit process and be familiar with IT audit standards

• Apply information systems audit principles, skills and techniques in reviewing and testing information systems technology and applications to design and implement a thorough risk-based IT audit strategy

• Execute the audit process in accordance with established standards and interpret results against defined criteria to ensure that the information systems are protected, controlled and effective in supporting organization’s objectives

• Evaluate audit results, weighing the relevancy, accuracy, and perspective of conclusions against the accumulated audit evidence

• Assess the exposures resulting from ineffective or missing control practices and formulate a practical and cost-effective plan to improve those areas

• Develop an IT audit documentation process and share reports with relevant stakeholders as the basis for decision making

• Ensure that the necessary changes based on the audit findings are effectively implemented in a timely manner

Security Program Management

• For each information systems project develop a clear project scope statement in alignment with organizational objectives

• Define activities needed to successfully execute the information systems program, estimate activity duration, and develop a schedule and staffing plan

• Develop, manage and monitor the information systems program budget, estimate and control costs of individual projects

• Identify, negotiate, acquire and manage the resources needed for successful design and implementation of the information systems program (e.g., people, infrastructure, and architecture)

• Acquire, develop and manage information security project team

• Assign clear information security personnel job functions and provide continuous training to ensure effective performance and accountability

• Direct information security personnel and establish communications, and team activities, between the information systems team and other security-related personnel (e.g., technical support, incident management, security engineering)

Security Program Operations

• Resolve personnel and teamwork issues within time, cost, and quality constraints

• Identify, negotiate and manage vendor agreement and community

• Participate with vendors and stakeholders to review/assess recommended solutions; identify incompatibilities, challenges, or issues with proposed solutions

• Evaluate the project management practices and controls to determine whether business requirements are achieved in a cost-effective manner while managing risks to the organization

• Develop a plan to continuously measure the effectiveness of the information systems projects to ensure optimal system performance

• Identify stakeholders, manage stakeholders’ expectations, and communicate effectively to report progress and performance

• Ensure that necessary changes and improvements to the information systems processes are implemented as required

Access Control

• Identify the criteria for mandatory and discretionary access control, understand the different factors that help in implementation of access controls and design an access control plan

• Implement and manage an access control plan in alignment with the basic principles that govern the access control systems such as need-to-know

• Identify different access control systems such as ID cards and biometrics

• Understand the importance of warning banners for implementing access rules

• Develop procedures to ensure system users are aware of their IA responsibilities before granting access to the information systems

Social Engineering, Phishing Attacks, Identity Theft

• Understand various social engineering concepts and their role in insider attacks and develop best practices to counter social engineering attacks

• Design a response plan to identity theft incidences

• Identify and design a plan to overcome phishing attacks

Physical Security

• Identify standards, procedures, directives, policies, regulations, and laws for physical security

• Determine the value of physical assets and the impact if unavailable

• Design, implement and manage a comprehensive, coordinated, and holistic physical security plan to ensure overall organizational security including an audit schedule and performance metrics

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Planning

• Develop, implement, and monitor business continuity, business recovery, contingency planning, and disaster recovery plans in case of disruptive events and ensure alignment with organizational goals and objectives

• Direct contingency planning, operations, and programs to manage risk

• Design documentation process as part of the continuity of operations program

• Design and execute a testing and updating plan for the continuity of operations program

• Understand the importance of integration of IA requirements into the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP).

Firewall, IDS/IPS and Network Defense Systems

• Understand and manage network cloud security

• Identify the appropriate intrusion detection and prevention systems for organizational information security

• Design and develop a program to monitor firewalls and identify firewall configuration issues

• Understand perimeter defense systems such as grid sensors and access control lists on routers, firewalls, and other network devices

• Identify the basic network architecture, models, protocols and components such as routers and hubs that play a role in network security

• Understand the concept of network segmentation

• Manage DMZs, VPN and telecommunication technologies such as PBX and VoIP

• Identify network vulnerabilities and explore network security controls such as use of SSL and TLS for transmission security

• Support, monitor, test, and troubleshoot issues with hardware and software

• Manage accounts, network rights, and access to systems and equipment

Wireless Security

• Identify vulnerability and attacks associated with wireless networks and manage different wireless network security tools

• Virus, Trojans and Malware, and other Malicious Code Threats

• Assess the threat of virus, Trojan and malware to organizational security and identify sources and mediums of malware infection

• Deploy and manage anti-virus systems

• Develop process to counter virus, Trojan, and malware threats including training both security teams and non-security teams on secure development processes

Secure Coding Best Practices and Securing Web Applications

• Develop and maintain software assurance programs in alignment with the secure coding principles and each phase of System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

• Understand various system-engineering practices

• Configure and run tools that help in developing secure programs

• Understand software vulnerability analysis techniques including static code, dynamic code, and software composition analysis.

• Install and operate the IT systems in a test configuration manner that does not alter the program code or compromise security safeguards

• Identify web application vulnerabilities and attacks and web application security tools to counter attacks

OS Hardening

• Identify various OS vulnerabilities and attacks and develop a plan for hardening OS systems

• Understand system logs, patch management process and configuration management for information system security

Encryption Technologies

• Understand the concept of encryption and decryption, digital certificates, public key infrastructure and the key differences between cryptography and steganography

• Identify the different components of a cryptosystem

• Develop a plan for information security encryption techniques

Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing

• Design, develop and implement a penetration testing program based on penetration testing methodology to ensure organizational security

• Identify different vulnerabilities associated with information systems and legal issues involved in penetration testing

• Develop pre and post testing procedures

• Develop a plan for pen test reporting and implementation of technical vulnerability corrections

• Develop vulnerability management systems

Threat Management

• Create and manage a threat management program including threat intelligence, thirdparty threats, and security bulletins regarding hardware and software, particularly open-source software

Incident Response and Computer Forensics

• Develop a plan to identify a potential security violation and take appropriate action to report the incident

• Comply with system termination procedures and incident reporting requirements related to potential security incidents or actual breaches

• Assess potential security violations to determine if the network security policies have been breached, assess the impact, and preserve evidence

• Diagnose and resolve IA problems in response to reported incidents

• Design incident response procedures including testing, table top exercises, and playbooks

• Develop guidelines to determine whether a security incident is indicative of a violation of law that requires special legal action

• Identify the volatile and persistent system information

• Set up and manage forensic labs and programs

• Understand various digital media devices, e-discovery principles and practices and different file systems

• Develop and manage an organizational digital forensic program

• Establish, develop and manage forensic investigation teams

• Design investigation processes such as evidence collection, imaging, data acquisition, and analysis

• Identify the best practices to acquire, store and process digital evidence

• Configure and use various forensic investigation tools

• Design anti-forensic techniques

Strategic Planning

• Design, develop and maintain enterprise information security architecture (EISA) by aligning business processes, IT software and hardware, local and wide area networks, people, operations, and projects with the organization’s overall security strategy

• Perform external analysis of the organization (e.g., analysis of customers, competitors, markets and industry environment) and internal analysis (risk management, organizational capabilities, performance measurement etc.) and utilize them to align information security program with organization’s objectives

• Identify and consult with key stakeholders to ensure understanding of organization’s objectives

• Define a forward-looking, visionary and innovative strategic plan for the role of the information security program with clear goals, objectives and targets that support the operational needs of the organization

• Define key performance indicators and measure e effectiveness on continuous basis

• Assess and adjust security resources to ensure they support the organization’s strategic objectives

• Monitor and update activities to ensure accountability and progress

Finance

• Analyze, forecast and develop the operational budget of the security department

• Acquire and manage the necessary resources for implementation and management of information security plan

• Allocate financial resources to projects, processes and units within information security program

• Monitor and oversee cost management of information security projects, return on investment (ROI) of key purchases related to IT infrastructure and security and ensure alignment with the strategic plan

• Identify and report financial metrics to stakeholders

• Balance the IT security investment portfolio based on EISA considerations and enterprise security priorities

• Understand the acquisition life cycle and determine the importance of procurement by performing Business Impact Analysis

• Identify different procurement strategies and understand the importance of costbenefit analysis during procurement of an information system

• Understand the basic procurement concepts such as Statement of Objectives (SOO), Statement of Work (SOW), and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

• Collaborate with various stakeholders (which may include internal client, lawyers, IT security professionals, privacy professionals, security engineers, suppliers, and others) on the procurement of IT security products and services

• Include risk-based security requirements in acquisition plans, cost estimates, statements of work, contracts, and evaluation factors for award, service level agreements, and other pertinent procurement documents

• Design vendor selection process and management policy

• Develop contract administration policies that direct the evaluation and acceptance of delivered IT security products and services under a contract, as well as the security evaluation of IT and software being procured

• Develop measures and reporting standards to measure and report on key objectives in procurements aligned with IT security policies and procedures

• Understand the IA security requirements to be included in statements of work and other appropriate procurement documents

Third Party Management

• Design third party selection process

• Design third party management policy, metrics, and processes

• Design and manage the third party assessment process including ongoing compliance management

• Develop measures and reporting standards to measure and report on key objectives in procurements aligned with IT security policies and procedures

• Include risk-based security requirements in acquisition plans, cost estimates, statements of work, contracts, and evaluation factors for award, service level agreements, and other pertinent procurement documents

• Understand the security, privacy, and compliance requirements to be included in Statements of Work (SOW), Master Service Agreements (MSA), and other appropriate procurement documents