What are 8 CISSP Domains and How to Crack the Exam Like a Boss?

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and it's 8 domains.

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is the gold standard and most sought-after information security certification for demonstrating knowledge in Cybersecurity. This validates the professionals' knowledge and experience in developing and managing security architects for the organization.

The International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2 is a non-profit organization that develops and maintains the CISSP Domains and administers examinations to professionals worldwide.

The CISSP Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) is an 8-domain collection that covers all aspects of information security and CISSP domains explained. To obtain the certification, an applicant must demonstrate expertise in each of the domains.

The 8 security domains are explained in detail. 

CISSP-8 Security Domains

1: Security and risk management

All organizations must develop their security posture. Security posture is an organization’s ability to manage its defense of critical assets and data and react to change. Elements of the security and risk management domain that impact an organization's security posture include:

• Security goals and objectives
• Risk mitigation processes
• Compliance
• Business continuity plans
• Legal regulations
• Professional and organizational ethics

Information security, or InfoSec, is also related to this domain and refers to a set of processes established to secure information. An organization may use playbooks and implement training as a part of their security and risk management program, based on their needs and perceived risk. There are many InfoSec design processes, such as:

• Incident response
• Vulnerability management
• Application security
• Cloud security
• Infrastructure security

As an example, a security team may need to alter how personally identifiable information (PII) is treated in order to adhere to the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

2: Asset security

Asset security involves managing the cybersecurity processes of organizational assets, including the storage, maintenance, retention, and destruction of physical and virtual data. Because the loss or theft of assets can expose an organization and increase the level of risk, keeping track of assets and the data they hold is essential. Conducting a security impact analysis, establishing a recovery plan, and managing data exposure will depend on the level of risk associated with each asset. Security analysts may need to store, maintain, and retain data by creating backups to ensure they are able to restore the environment if a security incident places the organization’s data at risk.

Topics need to be focused on this domain.

• Identification, classification, and ownership of information and assets
• Protecting privacy
• Assets retention
• Establishing data security controls
• Handling

3: Security architecture and engineering

This domain focuses on managing data security. Ensuring effective tools, systems, and processes are in place helps protect an organization’s assets and data. Security architects and engineers create these processes.

One important aspect of this domain is the concept of shared responsibility. Shared responsibility means all individuals involved take an active role in lowering risk during the design of a security system. Additional design principles related to this domain, include:

• Threat modeling
• Least privilege
• Defense in depth
• Fail securely.
• Separation of duties
• Keep it simple.
• Zero trust
• Trust but verify.

An example of managing data is the use of a security information and event management (SIEM) tool to monitor for flags related to unusual login or user activity that could indicate a threat actor is attempting to access private data.

4: Communication and network security

This domain focuses on managing and securing physical networks and wireless communications. This includes on-site, remote, and cloud communications. 

Following are the main topics:

• Implementing and securing design principles in network architecture
• Establishing secure network components
• Securing communication channels as per design

Organizations with remote, hybrid, and on-site work environments must ensure data remains secure, but managing external connections to make certain that remote workers are securely accessing an organization’s networks is a challenge. Designing network security controls—such as restricted network access—can help protect users and ensure an organization’s network remains secure when employees travel or work outside of the main office. 

5: Identity and access management

The identity and access management (IAM) domain focuses on keeping data secure. It does this by ensuring user identities are trusted and authenticated and that access to physical and logical assets is authorized. This helps prevent unauthorized users, while allowing authorized users to perform their tasks.

The main topics are:

• Controlling physical and logical access to the assets
• Controlling and manage authentication and identification of devices, people, and services
• Understanding and integrating identity as a third-party service
• Implementing Authorization mechanism
• Identity and access lifecycle 

Essentially, IAM uses what is referred to as the principle of least privilege, which is the concept of granting only the minimal access and authorization required to complete a task. As an example, a cybersecurity analyst might be asked to ensure that customer service representatives can only view the private data of a customer, such as their phone number, while working to resolve the customer's issue; then remove access when the customer's issue is resolved.

6: Security assessment and testing 

The security assessment and testing domain focuses on identifying and mitigating risks, threats, and vulnerabilities. Security assessments help organizations determine whether their internal systems are secure or at risk. Organizations might employ penetration testers, often referred to as “pen testers,” to find vulnerabilities that could be exploited by a threat actor. 

The main topics are as follows:

• Building internal, external and third-party audit strategies
• Assessing security control testing
• Collecting secure data
• Analyzing test outputs and generating a report
• Facilitating security audits

This domain suggests that organizations conduct security control testing, as well as collect and analyze data. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of conducting security audits to monitor for and reduce the probability of a data breach. To contribute to these types of tasks, cybersecurity professionals may be tasked with auditing user permissions to validate that users have the correct levels of access to internal systems.

7: Security operations 

The security operations domain focuses on the investigation of a potential data breach and the implementation of preventative measures after a security incident has occurred. This includes using strategies, processes, and tools such as:

• Training and awareness
• Reporting and documentation
• Intrusion detection and prevention
• SIEM tools   
• Log management
• Incident management
• Playbooks
• Post-breach forensics
• Reflecting on lessons learned

The cybersecurity professionals involved in this domain work as a team to manage, prevent, and investigate threats, risks, and vulnerabilities. These individuals are trained to handle active attacks, such as large amounts of data being accessed from an organization's internal network, outside of normal working hours. Once a threat is identified, the team works diligently to keep private data and information safe from threat actors.  

8: Software development security

The software development security domain is focused on using secure programming practices and guidelines to create secure applications. Having secure applications helps deliver secure and reliable services, which helps protect organizations and their users.

Security must be incorporated into each element of the software development life cycle, from design and development to testing and release. To achieve security, the software development process must have security in mind at each step. Security cannot be an afterthought.

• Understand and implement security throughout the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
• Executing security controls in development environments
• Effectiveness of software security (Auditing, logging, risk analysis, and mitigation)
• Evaluation of security impact
• Setting and applying secure coding standards and guidelines

CISSP Linear Examination Marking Scheme- [2023]

Those who take the CISSP Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) exam will be tested on these CISSP 8 domains. The three-hour CISSP exam consists of 100–150 multiple-choice questions. The candidate must score at least 70% on the test to succeed. All applicants debate the CISSP pass rate because of how challenging the exam is. 

The CISSP has been revised, including recommended practices for mitigating such flaws, to underline the most important concerns that cybersecurity professionals are experiencing right now. Following are the domains and their respective weightage overall.

Sr. No.	Domain Name	Percentage in the CISSP exam (total 100%)
1.	Security and Risk Management	15%
2.	Asset Security	10%
3.	Security Architecture and Engineering	13%
4.	Communications and Network Security	14%
5.	Identify and Access Management	13%
6.	Security Assessment and Testing	12%
7.	Security Operations	13%
8.	Software Development Security	10%

Candidates must demonstrate that they have five years of expertise in information security to sit for the CISSP Exam. At least two of the (ISC)2 CISSP security domains must be represented in your experience (CBK). If you fall under one of the following criteria, you may be eligible for a one-year remission of the professional experience requirement: 

• You graduated from a four-year college. 
• You graduated with honors from the National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Security in the United States (CAEIAE) 
• You possess a credential from the (ISC)2-approved list, which includes the titles of Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), and CompTIA Security+. 
• You cannot combine two of these categories. Therefore, if a person has both an MCSE and a bachelor's degree, they can only take one year off the five-year professional experience requirement. 

How To Crack the CISSP Exam Like a Boss?

Undoubtedly, CISSP is a tough nut to crack. But with the right guidance and experts by your side, you can certainly make it. Here are a few tips to help you score high in this exam - 

1. Learn About Your Examination 

The first step to success is understanding the challenge you will encounter. For additional information about the examination and how to prepare, including exam topics, sample questions, study materials, and more visit our CISSP certification site. 

2. Make Your Unique Study Schedule

(ISC)²'s CBK for the CISSP consists of eight domains that cover a wide range of topics. The exam's material has been revised to reflect the most current problems and best practices cybersecurity professionals must deal with.  

You must ensure that you have enough time to complete the entire CBK at least once, which entails not just studying but also taking practice tests, participating in online forums, and devoting more time to analyzing weaker areas. 

3. Enroll in an Exam Preparation Program

Even though choosing to simply employ a self-study approach could seem daring, it might not be the wisest course of action. It's critical to realize that, even for entry-level credentials, passing exams necessitates in-depth knowledge of multiple different topics. Along with a CISSP certification, it stands out amongst the crowd with a Cyber Security training program. 

4. Give Mock Tests 

There should be no CISSP candidate who attempts the test without using practice questions. Mock tests are almost as crucial for determining strengths and weaknesses and focusing study efforts accordingly. Additionally, they must become accustomed to the brisk pace required to complete all questions within the allocated time.  

When choosing your question database source, any of the official (ISC)2 CISSP study guides are a great place to start, but make sure to also take into account additional possibilities from reliable training organizations to obtain a thorough picture of what to expect. 

Final Thoughts

Preparing for the CISSP domains 2023 exam is not something to take lightly. It is a very extensive examination that checks the knowledge of security professionals in multiple areas. Many people who take the exam are not expecting the amount of information they are expected to retain, and some are not prepared for how intense the whole process is. The test is designed this way because the CISSP is considered one of the most prestigious security certifications in the world. 

However, there are ways to pass the test despite the difficulty, and every candidate has a chance of passing it if they prepare well and have a strong study strategy. Prepare yourself to succeed with KnowledgeHut’s Information Systems Security Professional certification course.