INTRODUCTION
The importance of IT security increases every day. The news is filled with reports of data breaches where customer data is lost and companies are forced to scramble with crisis management. Rarely a day goes by when users don’t see phishing e-mails in their inbox, with each phishing e-mail trying to trick them into clicking an unsafe link or give up valuable information. Individual botnets commonly control tens of thousands of computers and they’re all ready at a moment’s notice to launch attacks.
All of these risks can cause substantial losses for an organization. Instead of waiting for an incident and then responding, organizations are realizing they must be more proactive with information technology (IT) security. The alternative is to do nothing and then watch profits slip away.
More IT security jobs have become available to fill this void, but there’s still a larger need for skilled security professionals than available professionals with the right skills. Organizations want to have some indication that the people they’re hiring have requisite security knowledge, and that’s where certifications step in. An individual with a security certification such as the Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) is often more likely to get an interview for an IT security job than someone without a certification.
This book can help you learn the material to prepare for the SSCP exam. Just as importantly, it can help you build your IT security knowledge so that you can provide real and lasting assistance to organizations that are seeking to improve their security posture.
Exam Objective Map
The SSCP exam is comprised of questions from seven domains based on the objectives effective in February 1, 2012:
1. Access Controls
2. Security Operations and Administration
3. Monitoring and Analysis
4. Risk, Response, and Recovery
5. Cryptography
6. Networks and Communications
7. Malicious Code and Activity
The following table maps the domain topics for the SSCP exam to the chapter and section where each is covered.
