CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Fifth Edition [Hardcover]

Shon Harris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0071602178 | ISBN-13: 978-0071602174 | Edition: 5

Get complete coverage of the latest release of the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) exam inside this comprehensive, fully updated resource. Written by the leading expert in IT security certification and training, this authoritative guide covers all 10 CISSP exam domains developed by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC2). You'll find learning objectives at the beginning of each chapter, exam tips, practice exam questions, and in-depth explanations. Designed to help you pass the CISSP exam with ease, this definitive volume also serves as an essential on-the-job reference.

COVERS ALL 10 CISSP DOMAINS:

• Information security and risk management
• Access control
• Security architecture and design
• Physical and environmental security
• Telecommunications and network security
• Cryptography
• Business continuity and disaster recovery planning
• Legal regulations, compliance, and investigations
• Application security
• Operations security

THE CD-ROM FEATURES:

• Hundreds of practice exam questions
• Video training excerpt from the author
• E-book

Shon Harris, CISSP, is a security consultant, a former member of the Information Warfare unit in the Air Force, and a contributing writer to Information Security Magazine and Windows 2000 Magazine. She is the author of the previous editions of this book.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Shon Harris, MCSE, CISSP, is a security consultant, a former member of the Information Warfare unit in the Air Force, and a contributing writer to Information  Security Magazine and Windows 2000 Magazine. She is the author of the previous editions of this book.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1216 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 5 edition (January 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071602178
• ISBN-13: 978-0071602174
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.6 x 2.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Computers & Technology > Computer Science > Software Engineering > Information Systems
  • #6 in Books > Computers & Technology > Business & Culture > Privacy
  • #6 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Algorithms > Cryptography

More About the Author

Shon Harris, CISSP is the founder and CEO of Logical Security, a computer security consultant, a former engineer in the Air Force's Information Warfare unit, an instructor and an author. She has authored three best selling CISSP books, was a contributing author to the book Hacker's Challenge, a contributing author to the book Gray Hat Hacking, a contributing author to the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Implementation book and a technical editor for Information Security Magazine. Ms. Harris has developed a full digital information security product series for Pearson publishing.

Ms. Harris has consulted for several Fortune 500 companies in the U.S., including American Express, Warner Brothers, Bridgestone\Firestone, CitiBank, CitiFinancial, AOL, Cisco and many more. Her competencies range from setting up risk management programs and developing enterprise network security architectures to constructing enterprise-wide security programs that connects computer security and business needs in a synergistic manner.

Ms. Harris has extensive knowledge and practical experience pertaining to legal and regulatory compliance. She has worked with the largest corporations within the U.S. to become compliant with OCC, SOX, GLBA, HIPAA, PCI and SAS70. Ms. Harris specializes in risk management, governance and the development of and implementation of security metrics.

Ms. Harris has taught information security to a wide range of clients, some of which have included Microsoft, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, National Security Agency, Bank of America, Defense Information Systems Agency, RSA, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and many financial institutions.

Ms. Harris was recognized as one of the top 25 women in the Information Security field by Information Security Magazine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I passed the CISSP using only this book and a TON of preparation, May 30, 2010

By 

S. L. Fulton "wildcatcrusader" (Durham, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Fifth Edition (Hardcover)

There is no simple formula to prepare for the CISSP certification, and no single resource which can guarantee success on the certification exam since every applicant's background is unique. However, this book (fifth edition) was my only resource in preparing for the exam and I passed on my first attempt (April 24, 2010).

I spent 60+ hours in preparation for the exam... that's 60+ hours of DEDICATED individual study using this book and CD, not 60+ hours spent web surfing during lunch hours or commercial breaks. My recent background is in middle management, with 20 years experience in network architecture and data security, so I already had a firm technical foundation for the test areas dealing with protocols and encryption variations. I also have an MS in Computer Science. Nonetheless, the exam was so broad, with topics covering general principles and concepts, that I could have prepared twice as long and still left the exam with questions about the outcome.

My personal opinion is that formal classroom instruction, through one of the many organizations offering CISSP preparation courses, is a worthwhile companion to Shon Harris' book. A study group is also a good idea. You will not obtain CISSP certification if you take the exam without preparation. This book (fifth edition) was sufficient, but not 100% comprehensive, to prepare me for passing the CISSP test.

Note: Some reviewers do not appreciate Shon's frequent analogies and humor. Most of her analogies helped me internalize the complex topics, but that's my personal learning style. The efforts at humor were generally awful, but every once in a while she was subtle and brilliant enough to make me laugh out loud. Working through Shon's unique writing style was not a problem for me... I actually found it refreshing.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Useful, but hardly a technical book, March 26, 2010

By 

Chiradeep Chhaya "Genetically Alien" (Jersey City, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Fifth Edition (Hardcover)

From a perspective of preparation for the CISSP examination this book is one of the standard places to start from. In that respect, I would give it a 4-start simply because it follows the core notion of the exam itself in that it is a mile wide and an inch deep.

However, do not expect this book to provide technical details or even technical language consistently. There's a lot of verbiage, needless attempts at humor - which really degrades the overall standing of the book - and just the right amount of information, but no more.

Also, do not make this book the sole resource for preparation. You *may* pass the exam but will be none the wiser for most of what the book covers.

Given that this is a technical examination after all, I would have much appreciated if the author did not try and frame the same statement in multiple ways in the same paragraph, stuck to using consistent technical language and provided more links to resources for additional information. It would also have been nicer if the key technical points, definitions, important values were better highlighted - or even repeated in a prominent tip - after every section so that a second reading becomes a lot less demanding. The exam is challenging in itself and the book and author can do a lot more to make preparation a less demanding experience.

It is difficult to come across books that are worthy of technical appreciation and I am afraid the above points make this a middle of the road effort.

I have no particular affinity to either the author or publication but would recommend giving the Mike Chapple book a shot. You will be a lot less frustrated reading technical matter for a technical examination than with the narrative-style of the Shon Harris book.

34 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Edition comparison, February 24, 2010

By 

Old Timer - See all my reviews

This review is from: CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Fifth Edition (Hardcover)

I bought the third edition of this book in October 2009 to prepare for the exam. The reason for buying that instead of this fifth edition is obvious. It cost me only $2.95 plus $4.00 shipping. I was a little worry at the beginning because of the new material that was added since 2005. However, I though I can supplement with material in the internet. At the end, I don't have the time because the exam was on January 16, 2010 which gave me less than 4 months. During the exam, I did not see anything that I have not seen in the third edition. If you know something about the exam, you know they are not going to ask you directly about a concept or technology. So, you really have to understand the material. Since CISSP is more about principle and concept and less about specific technology, using a third or fifth edition is not going to make a big different. I passed the exam in one shot. Don't get me wrong. Getting the latest and the greatest is always good and I will consider getting the fifth in the near future when I need to brush up the knowledge. But if you want to save a little of money, consider getting the fourth or the third.