Tag: cissp

Just The Facts, Ma’am

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Well, another chapter in the Shon Harris book is done: Legal, Regulations, Compliance and Investigation. I thought this would be easier, but some of the quiz questions tripped me up (I’ve got to remember to be careful to look for “not”s–i.e., which of these is not…). This is also tricky because many of the areas are more grey, especially when judging when another organization considers something ethical (such as the IAB, or even (ISC)2 itself, which considers it unethical to talk about what was on the exam… unless, of course, you are teaching a CISSP exam course), or understanding the difference between enticement and entrapment. The next domain: Application Security.

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Jbb-Ubb

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Well, things are moving faster. I’m now through the Cryptography chapter of the Shon Harris book. It was only 109 pages. Next up: Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery. This should be much easier, as there is much less brute force memorization and more common sense. It’s also only 66 pages.

Of course, as I what I was reviewing was cryptography, it is important to remember the following:


[Read more at xkcd_rss]

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Woo-Hoo

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

After what seems like an eternity, I’m finally through the “Networking” chapter of the Shon Harris CISSP Study Book. 178 pages, and it seemed like it took forever to get through it. I’m celebrating with a new icon, switching to a new ink color for notes (from green to red), and getting needles stuck in my back. Oh, wait, that last item is unrelated to the “Networking” chapter.

Now on to the “Cryptography” chapter(that’s only 109 pages). Right now, I’m planning to do the April 18th exam (although I haven’t registered yet).

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I Feel Like I’m 90 Again!

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

[OK, who can identify the source of the title?]

Today, I did something I haven’t done for years. I’ve been trying to study for my CISSP, but keep being distracted by “Shiny! Internet!”. So I took a vacation day, and went over to CSUN (closer than UCLA), and hid in the Oviatt Library stacks, reviewing my CISSP book. Slogged through about 100 pages, which is pretty good for the networking chapter. I think I’ll keep it up, but I sure felt like an out-of-place college student (remember, I’ve been out of college since 1985).

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CISSP: Picking the Date

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

I’ve written before about the CISSP training I’ve been doing. We’re now under pressure to actually sign up for an exam date, on the theory that if you actually have a date, you won’t put off studying. Makes sense. Two problems. The first is the fee ($549): we get to personally pay it up front; we may get reimbursed depending on our organization… if we pass. I’ve got the funds–it’s just me dealing with a head that hates to spend money. The second problem is choosing the date. First, there are a limited number of examinations offered in reasonable driving distance (i.e., Los Angeles or Santa Ana). Each of the dates have different problems (note that the exam is a 6 hour, 250 question, multiple-choice exam):

  • Saturday, September 27, 2008 in Los Angeles. This date is only a few weeks away, and I’m really busy with various tasks so there won’t be a lot of study time. It’s also the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah, and we have tickets to see “9 to 5” the next day. One plus is that I could spend the afternoon before the test studying at CSUN (I have a morning IAB meeting there).
  • Sunday, October 19, 2008 in Santa Ana. I’ve got an event at camp that day, plus it seems to be associated with some form of training camp.
  • Sunday, November 16, 2008 in Santa Ana. We have theatre tickets to the Pasadena Playhouse the night before (so I’ll be home around midnight — a recipe for a migraine the next day). It is also the weekend before my daughter’s birthday. This also seems to be associated with the training camp.
  • Sunday, December 14, 2008 in Santa Ana. I will have lost all of the immediately prior week to ACSAC, and thus will have had no study time (although the conference, which is in Anaheim, wouldn’t be far away… I could spend Saturday studying… but have to pay for two hotel nights (over $200)). This is also associated with a training camp.
  • Saturday, December 20, 2008 in Los Angeles. This is a week after ACSAC, so I could take some days off before the test for last minute studying. On the minus side, it is far away from now, so I might forget what I’m studying now.

Now, if you are trying to figure out why I’m putting myself through this… let’s just say that I need it for work.

So, although I have my leanings, I’d like your opinion. When should I take my CISSP exam:

If you have rationale for your choice, please feel free to leave it in the comments.

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