Official (ISC)2 Guide to the CISSP Exam ((ISC)2 Press) [Hardcover]

Susan Hansche CISSP (Author), John Berti CISSP (Author), Chris Hare (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 084931707X | ISBN-13: 978-0849317071 | Publication Date: December 15, 2003

Candidates for the CISSP exam can now go directly to the source for study materials that are indispensable in achieving certification. The Official (ISC)2 Guide to the CISSP Exam is derived from the actual CBK review course created and administered by the non-profit security consortium (ISC)2. In addition to being an invaluable study guide, this book is detailed enough to serve as an authoritative information security resource.

Both of the guide's co-authors are CISSPs, and the entire text has been reviewed and approved by Hal Tipton, Co-Founder and Past President of ISSA and Co-Founder of (ISC)2. The ten subject areas included, each a section from the Common Body of Knowledge (CBK), have been reviewed by multiple CISSPs, all of whom are recognized leaders in their fields.

A CISSP certification garners significant respect, signifying that the recipient has demonstrated a higher standard of knowledge, proficiency, and ethics. This book ensures that a student is fully prepared to face the exam's rigorous criteria. It is crafted to match the overall theme of the exam, which emphasizes a general, solutions-oriented knowledge of security that organizations want.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 902 pages
• Publisher: Auerbach Publications (December 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 084931707X
• ISBN-13: 978-0849317071
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #596,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book to have, March 24, 2004

By 

Phuong D Nguyen "-pn-" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Official (ISC)2 Guide to the CISSP Exam ((ISC)2 Press) (Hardcover)

Guys,

I finally took the CISSP exam, and passed *not* using this book alone. I ordered this book 1 month before taking the CISSP exam, since someone recommended me to buy it, saying that it's an advantage to go through the material in the book prior to the real exam. While that is generally true, some of the sad facts are not :).

The book was written by 3 authors, and reviewed by Hal Tipton (a very well respected and knowledgeable security professional); therefore, the content in the book is superior. And since it was written by 3 authors, it also means you will experience 3 different writing styles throughout the whole book. The format of the book is consistent, but tough luck, the writing style is so inconsistent--making it very unpleasant to digest the presented material.

I found some chapters are easy to digest with, and some are not (because of the 3 different writing styles from 3 authors). The book doesn't present the CBK material in a good way for you to memorize, it acts more like a reference book. I have read All-in-One and Prep Guide Gold Edition, and those 2 books are GREAT to start with. I do like the Official (ISC)2 Guide because it covers material that the other books DON'T. Especially the Physcial Security and Operations Security domain. After reading the Physical Security domain I had a feeling like "Great, I know how to pick a lock now ;)". This book also tells you what you need for the CISSP exam and what you don't, which is a really good thing. It clearly states that "this information is not needed for the CISSP exam... it's being included here for your reference" and I find that's very helpful, saving me from memorizing superfluous information.

The Physcial Security domain also covers the CCTV camera, very nice material indeed. You should expect to see some CCTV questions on the exam. If you don't really want to buy the book, you can easily search for the material on the net. But yeah the included material is worth it folks.

The book also comes with a CD that includes 204 CISSP sample questions, but beware, those questions ain't something that you might be able to see on the exam. I haven't found any practice tests useful, if at all (not even cccure.org). Don't buy practice tests, just concentrate on the CBK and you'll be fine. Don't expect similar or "exact" questions or anything like that popping up in the real CISSP exam. That just won't happen and CISSP practice tests are only of little use.

All in all, the material in the book is great for reference but not for memorizing. If you really want something to start with, please start with All-in-one, I wouldn't go for Krutz book as he has included tons of SUPERFLUOUS information (you do Krutz) in his book. So, before, the CISSP's choice was All-in-One + Prep Guide, but now it should be All-in-One + Official (ISC)2 Guide. You guys should never start preparing for the CISSP exam without All-in-One, the CBK material is presented to you in a very CONCISE and UNDERSTANDABLE manner. Although Shon Harris does love chatting, but I believe it's the only enjoyable way there is to learn and tackle the CISSP exam. Keep in mind this bottom line, All-in-one is a great book to start with and Official (ISC)2 Guide is a great "reference" book to keep.

Sorry, I'm too tired to go back and review what I have typed earlier so I end here ;). I don't give this book 5 stars because of the inconsistency in writing; otherwise, this book is great. You guys should buy it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good reference for the exam, April 1, 2005

By 

Jeremy (Baltimore, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Official (ISC)2 Guide to the CISSP Exam ((ISC)2 Press) (Hardcover)

Honestly folks, the exam is designed for somebody with 3 - 5 years of experience in security. All of the low reviews apply to the ability of this book to serve as a training guide for security - a task for which it is not designed. The book did an excellent job of isolating how the test would ask questions and how ISC2 expects a CISSP candidate to understand and answer questions about security as a security professional. Highly recommended for both a study review and a professional reference.

{For the curious, yes, I passed the test with the assistance of this book.}

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good study guide, flawed practice software, September 17, 2005

By 

Jeff C. Mercer "Jeff The Riffer" (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Official (ISC)2 Guide to the CISSP Exam ((ISC)2 Press) (Hardcover)

I've been using this book for over three months now in preparing for my own CISSP exam. Being the official guide, this book is always your best source for determining the "correct" answer on a topic. Different study materials will not always agree on some material, but you can trust that what's in the official guide reflects what you will be tested on.

The book itself is easy to read, clearly delineating chapters and sections, and has very few typos or other printing errors. There's some doublespeak thanks to authors not being able to articulate things simply (i.e. "Host awareness seminars and consider having an awareness day with seminars on the appropriate topics"), but the material is presents in a pretty direct fashion.

Some people will undoubtedly find the book unclear or difficult to follow. This is, IMO, often going to be because some of the material presented is by nature quite abstract. Business Continuity Planning and Security Architecture Models are not easy to follow for those who are used to thinking in hard technical terms.

The biggest flaw with this book is the practice test software included on CD. While it takes over 300 megs to install the full software to your PC, it only provides a few hundred questions. I'm at a loss to understand why 250 questions requires 300 MEGABYTES of storage, especially since there is no sound, animation or image involved.
Much worse, however, are the multiple questions that the software incorrectly grades. I've found no less than SEVEN questions that the program will claim you answered incorrectly, when in fact it explicitly states the correct answer is what you chose. But the grader component will highlight a different, obviously bogus answer as incorrect.

Because of this, the reliability of the practice test software as an assessment of your progress is compromised. However, most of the self-test questions are also in the book and those appear to have the correct answers listed.