How This Book Is Organized
This book is organized in four parts. We cover the International Information Systems Security Certifications Consortium (ISC)2 and examination basics in Part I, the Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) domains in Part II, the Part of Tens in Part III, and several useful tools in the appendixes in Part IV.
Part I: Certification Basics
In Part I, we introduce the International Information Systems Security Certifications Consortium (ISC)2, how you earn the CISSP certification, and an overview of the Common Body of Knowledge (CBK). Then we provide some helpful guidance for your study efforts. Chapter 3 is a guide for actions and activities that you may consider pursuing to maintain your CISSP certification and your good standing as a security professional.
Part II: Domains
Part II contains the domains of the CBK and covers the core concepts and key information that you need to understand in order to pass the CISSP exam. A CISSP candidate must have practical work experience with many, but not necessarily all, of the concepts and technologies that we cover in this part.
Part III: The Part of Tens
The much-loved and revered Part of Tens contains five chapters that are more than mere lists. We include information to help you prepare for the CISSP exam and to also help you in your career as a security professional.
Part IV: Appendixes
You’ll be glad that we didn’t perform an appendectomy on this book — and you definitely don’t want to skip this part!
Appendix A contains 250 practice exam questions that you can use to simulate the actual testing environment. Building up your stamina and figuring out how to pace yourself can be well worth the effort when it comes time to take your actual CISSP exam.
Finally, Appendix B contains a helpful glossary, but it’s not just any ordinary glossary: The CISSP exam requires you to select the best answer for a given question. You definitely need to know and understand very concise terms and definitions in order to recognize any obviously wrong answers on the exam.