ISC2 CCSP Exam Syllabus Topics:
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
Cloud Concepts, Architecture and Design (17%) | |
| Understand Cloud Computing Concepts | - Cloud Computing Definitions - Cloud Computing Roles (e.g., cloud service customer, cloud service provider, cloud service partner, cloud service broker) - Key Cloud Computing Characteristics (e.g., on-demand self-service, broad network access, multi-tenancy, rapid elasticity and scalability, resource pooling, measured service) - Building Block Technologies (e.g., virtualization, storage, networking, databases, orchestration) |
| Describe Cloud Reference Architecture | - Cloud Computing Activities - Cloud Service Capabilities (e.g., application capability types, platform capability types, infrastructure capability types - Cloud Service Categories (e.g., Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS)) - Cloud Deployment Models (e.g., public, private, hybrid, community) - Cloud Shared Considerations (e.g., interoperability, portability, reversibility, availability, security, privacy, resiliency, performance, governance, maintenance and versioning, service levels and Service Level Agreements (SLA), auditability, regulatory) - Impact of Related Technologies (e.g., machine learning, artificial intelligence, blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), containers, quantum computing) |
| Understand Security Concepts Relevant to Cloud Computing | - Cryptography and Key Management - Access Control - Data and Media Sanitization (e.g., overwriting, cryptographic erase) - Network Security (e.g., network security groups) - Virtualization Security (e.g., hypervisor security, container security - Common Threats |
| Understand Design Principles of Secure Cloud Computing | - Cloud Secure Data Lifecycle - Cloud based Disaster Recovery (DR) and Business Continuity (BC) planning - Cost Benefit Analysis - Functional Security Requirements (e.g., portability, interoperability, vendor lock-in) - Security Considerations for Different Cloud Categories (e.g., Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS)) |
| Evaluate Cloud Service Providers | - Verification Against Criteria (e.g., International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 27017, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)) - System/subsystem Product Certifications (e.g., Common Criteria (CC), Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2) |
Cloud Data Security (19%) | |
| Describe Cloud Data Concepts | - Cloud Data Life Cycle Phases - Data Dispersion |
| Design and Implement Cloud Data Storage Architectures | - Storage Types (e.g. long term, ephemeral, raw-disk) - Threats to Storage Types |
| Design and Apply Data Security Technologies and Strategies | - Encryption and Key Management - Hashing - Masking - Tokenization - Data Loss Prevention (DLP) - Data Obfuscation - Data De-identification (e.g., anonymization) |
| Implement Data Discovery | - Structured Data - Unstructured Data |
| Implement Data Classification | - Mapping - Labeling - Sensitive data (e.g., Protected Health Information (PHI), Personally Identifiable Information (PII), card holder data) |
| Design and Implement Information Rights Management (IRM) | - Objectives (e.g., data rights, provisioning, access models) - Appropriate Tools (e.g., issuing and revocation of certificates) |
| Plan and Implement Data Retention, Deletion and Archiving Policies | - Data Retention Policies - Data Deletion Procedures and Mechanisms - Data Archiving Procedures and Mechanisms - Legal Hold |
| Design and Implement Auditability, Traceability and Accountability of Data Events | - Definition of Event Sources and Requirement of Identity Attribution - Logging, Storage and Analysis of Data Events - Chain of Custody and Non-repudiation |
Cloud Platform and Infrastructure Security (17%) | |
| Comprehend Cloud Infrastructure Components | - Physical Environment - Network and Communications - Compute - Virtualization - Storage - Management Plane |
| Design a Secure Data Center | - Logical Design (e.g., tenant partitioning, access control) - Physical Design (e.g. location, buy or build) - Environmental Design (e.g., Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), multi-vendor pathway connectivity) |
| Analyze Risks Associated with Cloud Infrastructure | - Risk Assessment and Analysis - Cloud Vulnerabilities, Threats and Attacks - Virtualization Risks - Counter-measure Strategies |
| Design and Plan Security Controls | - Physical and Environmental Protection (e.g., on-premise) - System and Communication Protection - Virtualization Systems Protection - Identification, Authentication and Authorization in Cloud Infrastructure - Audit Mechanisms (e.g., log collection, packet capture) |
| Plan Disaster Recovery (DR) and Business Continuity (BC) | - Risks Related to the Cloud Environment - Business Requirements (e.g., Recovery Time Objective (RTO), Recovery Point Objective (RPO), Recovery Service Level (RSL)) - Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery Strategy - Creation, Implementation and Testing of Plan |
Cloud Application Security (17%) | |
| Advocate Training and Awareness for Application Security | - Cloud Development Basics - Common Pitfalls - Common Cloud Vulnerabilities |
| Describe the Secure Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Process | - Business Requirements - Phases and Methodologies |
| Apply the Secure Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) | - Avoid Common Vulnerabilities During Development - Cloud-specific Risks - Quality Assurance - Threat Modeling - Software Configuration Management and Versioning |
| Apply Cloud Software Assurance and Validation | - Functional Testing - Security Testing Methodologies |
| Use Verified Secure Software | - Approved Application Programming Interfaces (API) - Supply-chain Management - Third Party Software Management - Validated Open Source Software |
| Comprehend the Specifics of Cloud Application Architecture | - Supplemental Security components (e.g., Web Application Firewall (WAF), Database Activity Monitoring (DAM), Extensible Markup Language (XML) firewalls, Application Programming Interface (API) gateway) - Cryptography - Sandboxing - Application Virtualization and Orchestration |
| Design Appropriate Identity and Access Management (IAM) Solutions | - Federated Identity - Identity Providers - Single Sign-On (SSO) - Multi-factor Authentication - Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) |
Cloud Security Operations (17%) | |
| Implement and Build Physical and Logical Infrastructure for Cloud Environment | - Hardware Specific Security Configuration Requirements (e.g., Basic Input Output System (BIOS), settings for virtualization and Trusted Platform Module (TPM), storage controllers, network controllers) - Installation and Configuration of Virtualization Management Tools - Virtual Hardware Specific Security Configuration Requirements (e.g., network, storage, memory, Central Processing Unit (CPU)) - Installation of Guest Operating System (OS) Virtualization Toolsets |
| Operate Physical and Logical Infrastructure for Cloud Environment | - Configure Access Control for Local and Remote Access (e.g., Secure Keyboard Video Mouse (KVM), console-based access mechanisms, Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)) - Secure Network Configuration (e.g., Virtual Local Area Networks (VLAN), Transport Layer Security (TLS), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Domain Name System (DNS), Virtual Private Network (VPN)) - Operating System (OS) Hardening Through the Application of Baselines (e.g., Windows, Linux, VMware) - Availability of Stand-Alone Hosts - Availability of Clustered Hosts (e.g., Distributed Resource Scheduling (DRS), Dynamic Optimization (DO), storage clusters, maintenance mode, High Availability) - Availability of Guest Operating System (OS) |
| Manage Physical and Logical Infrastructure for Cloud Environment | - Access Controls for Remote Access (e.g., Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), Secure Terminal Access, Secure Shell (SSH)) - Operating System (OS) Baseline Compliance Monitoring and Remediation - Patch Management - Performance and Capacity Monitoring (e.g., network, compute, storage, response time) - Hardware Monitoring (e.g., Disk, Central Processing Unit (CPU), fan speed, temperature) - Configuration of Host and Guest Operating System (OS) Backup and Restore Functions - Network Security Controls (e.g., firewalls, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), honeypots, vulnerability assessments, network security groups) - Management Plane (e.g., scheduling, orchestration, maintenance) |
| Implement Operational Controls and Standards (e.g., Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 20000-1) | - Change Management - Continuity Management - Information Security Management - Continual Service Improvement Management - Incident Management - Problem Management - Release Management - Deployment Management - Configuration Management - Service level Management - Availability Management - Capacity Management |
| Support Digital Forensics | - Forensic Data Collection Methodologies - Evidence Management - Collect, Acquire and Preserve Digital Evidence |
| Manage Communication with Relevant Parties | - Vendors - Customers - Partners - Regulators - Other Stakeholders |
| Manage Security Operations | - Security Operations Center (SOC) - Monitoring of Security Controls (e.g., firewalls, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), honeypots, vulnerability assessments, network security groups) - Log Capture and Analysis (e.g., Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), log management) - Incident Management |
Legal, Risk and Compliance (13%) | |
| Articulate Legal Requirements and Unique Risks within the Cloud Environment | - Conflicting International Legislation - Evaluation of Legal Risks Specific to Cloud Computing - Legal Framework and Guidelines - eDiscovery (e.g., International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 27050, Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Guidance) - Forensics Requirements |
| Understand Privacy Issues | - Difference Between Contractual and Regulated Private Data (e.g., Protected Health Information (PHI), Personally Identifiable Information (PII)) - Country-Specific Legislation Related to Private Data (e.g., Protected Health Information (PHI), Personally Identifiable Information (PII)) - Jurisdictional Differences in Data Privacy - Standard Privacy Requirements (e.g., International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 27018, Generally Accepted Privacy Principles (GAPP), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)) |
| Understand Audit Process, Methodologies, and Required Adaptations for a Cloud Environment | - Internal and External Audit Controls - Impact of Audit Requirements - Identify Assurance Challenges of Virtualization and Cloud - Types of Audit Reports (e.g., Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE), Service Organization Control (SOC), International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE)) - Restrictions of Audit Scope Statements (e.g., Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE), International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE)) - Gap Analysis - Audit Planning - Internal Information Security Management System (ISMS) - Internal Information Security Controls System - Policies (e.g., organizational, functional, cloud computing) - Identification and Involvement of Relevant Stakeholders - Specialized Compliance Requirements for Highly-Regulated Industries (e.g., North American Electric Reliability Corporation/ Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC/CIP), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Payment Card Industry (PCI)) - Impact of Distributed Information Technology (IT) Model (e.g., diverse geographical locations and crossing over legal jurisdictions |
| Understand Implications of Cloud to Enterprise Risk Management | - Assess Providers Risk Management Programs (e.g., controls, methodologies, policies) - Difference Between Data Owner/Controller vs. Data Custodian/Processor (e.g., risk profile, risk appetite, responsibility) - Regulatory Transparency Requirements (e.g., breach notification, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)) - Risk Treatment (i.e., avoid, modify, share, retain) - Different Risk Frameworks - Metrics for Risk Management - Assessment of Risk Environment (e.g., service, vendor, infrastructure) |
| Understand Outsourcing and Cloud Contract Design | - Business Requirements (e.g., Service Level Agreement (SLA), Master Service Agreement (MSA), Statement of Work (SOW)) - Vendor Management - Contract Management (e.g., right to audit, metrics, definitions, termination, litigation, assurance, compliance, access to cloud/data, cyber risk insurance) - Supply-Chain Management (e.g., International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 27036) |
Prerequisites
The potential candidates for the (ISC)2 CSSP certification should have at least 5 years of cumulative, paid, and full-time professional experience in the Information Technology sector. Three of these five years must be within the domain of information security and at least one year of experience must be in one or more of the six domains of the (ISC)2 CCSP Common Book of Knowledge. Those individuals who already earned the CSA CCSK certificate can substitute it for the prerequisite experience.
Taking Your Exam and Study Tips
You can schedule your CCSP certification test by creating a Pearson VUE account. You can then select your nearest testing center to schedule the actual test. Also, below are some useful study tips you can refer to while preparing for the CCSP validation:
- Seek advice from cloud security experts who have already received their CCSP certification.
- Look into prep exam questions and see what useful information you can gather from them.
- Take advantage of the most up-to-date security prep materials found on the vendor’s website and other reliable and authoritative sources.
- Get an in-depth as well as real-life experience that you can relate to your work and your test.
- Attend online programs aimed at improving your efficiency to face the real exam.
Language of exam questions CCSP:
The language of questions asked in the ISC CCSP exam is English.
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