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Prepare for your exam with this exclusive CCSP Certification Guide

With the development of the IT world, unique security challenges are also increasing with more intricacy. For that, securing data and applications is becoming crucial. It has become mandatory for every organization and business to shield their data and system from cyberattacks. Thus, every company requires cybersecurity professionals to run their business successfully. In this blog, we will recount the most in-demand cybersecurity certification – CCSP. If you are planning to become part of the certified CCSP workforce, that’s not a bad idea. No one can stop you from advancing in your career. What you have to do is learn new skills and get this trending cybersecurity certification. Let’s begin with a brief overview of CCSP.

(ISC)² Certified Cloud Security Professionals

The CCSP exam was introduced in 2015 by International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2 and Cloud Security Alliance (CSA). No doubt, CCSP is one of the most trending IT certifications that can help you stand out in a crowd of security practitioners. It is a vendor-neutral cert that proves your knowledge and skills in designing, managing, and securing data, web infrastructures, and applications. Unlike other Security certifications, this cert provides a strategic knowledge of cloud governance, risk, and privacy.

CCSP Exam Requirements

Qualifying for this certification is a tough row to hoe. The candidates who want to register for this certification should have a minimum of 5 years of paid experience in the informational technology field. Out of them, three years of experience should be related to any of the CCSP Common Body Knowledge Domains. Then the candidate will take a CCSP Certification exam to avail of the certification.

Elementary Pattern of CCSP Exam

Test Type:	150 multiple-choice questions (25 unscored questions)
Time allotted:	4 hours
Passing score	700/1000
CCSP Cost:	USD 599
Exam Languages	English, Japanese, Chinese, German, Korean, and Spanish
Delivery options:	Pearson VUE
Who can take this exam	Cloud Engineers Cloud Architects Cloud Consultants Cloud Security Analysts Cloud Administrators Cloud Specialists Cloud Computing Service Auditors Cloud Developers
CCSP Exam Outline	Cloud Data Security 20% Legal risk and compliance 13% Cloud Concepts Architecture and Design 17% Cloud Security Operations 16% Cloud Application Security 17% Cloud Platform and Infrastructure Security 17%

To register yourself for the exam click here

CCSP Exam Syllabus

1. Cloud Data Security 20%

Understand cloud computing concepts

Cloud computing definitions
Cloud computing roles and responsibilities
Key cloud computing characteristics Building block technologies

Describe cloud reference architecture

Cloud computing activities
Cloud service capabilities
Cloud service categories
Cloud deployment models
Cloud shared considerations
Impact of related technologies

Understand security concepts relevant to cloud computing

Cryptography and key management
Virtualization security
Identity and access control
Data and media sanitization
Common threats
Network security
Security hygiene

Understand design principles of secure cloud computing

Cloud-secure data lifecycle
Business impact analysis (BIA)
Cloud-based business continuity (BC) and disaster recovery (DR) plan
Security considerations and responsibilities for different cloud categories
Functional security requirements
DevOps security
Cloud design patterns

Evaluate cloud service providers

System/subsystem product certifications
Verification against criteria

2. Legal risk and compliance 13%

Describe cloud data concepts

Cloud data life cycle phases
Data flow
Data dispersion

Design and implement cloud data storage architectures

Threats to storage types
Storage types

Design and apply data security technologies and strategies

Encryption and key management
Keys, secrets, and certificates management
Hashing
Data loss prevention (DLP)
Data obfuscation
Tokenization

Implement data discovery

Structured data
Semi-structured data
Unstructured data
Data location

Plan and implement data classification

Data classification policies
Data labeling
Data mapping

Design and implement Information Rights Management (IRM)

Appropriate tools
Objectives

Plan and implement data retention, deletion, and archiving policies

Data retention policies
Data archiving procedures and mechanisms
Data deletion procedures and mechanisms
Legal hold

Design and implement auditability, traceability, and accountability of data events

Definition of event sources and requirement of event attributes
Chain of custody and non-repudiation
Logging, storage, and analysis of data events

3. Cloud Concepts Architecture and Design 17%

Comprehend cloud infrastructure and platform components

Physical environment
Management plane
Network and communications
Storage
Compute
Virtualization

Design a secure data center

Physical design
Logical design
Design resilient
Environmental design

Analyze risks associated with cloud infrastructure and platforms

Risk assessment
Risk mitigation strategies
Cloud vulnerabilities, threats, and attacks

Plan and implementation of security controls

Physical and environmental protection
System, storage, and communication protection
Audit mechanisms
Identification, authentication, and authorization in cloud environments

Plan business continuity (BC) and disaster recovery (DR)

Business requirements
Business continuity (BC) / disaster recovery (DR) strategy
Creation, implementation, and testing of the plan

4. Cloud Security Operations 16%

Advocate training and awareness for application security

Cloud development basics
Common cloud vulnerabilities
Common pitfalls

Describe the Secure Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) process

Phases and methodologies
Business requirements

Apply the Secure Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

Cloud-specific risks
Secure coding
Threat modeling
Software configuration management and versioning
Avoid common vulnerabilities during development

Apply cloud software assurance and validation

Functional and non-functional testing
Quality assurance (QA)
Security testing methodologies
Abuse case testing

Use verified secure software

Securing application programming interfaces (API)
Third-party software management
Supply-chain management
Validated open-source software

Comprehend the specifics of cloud application architecture

Supplemental security components
Sandboxing
Cryptography
Application virtualization and orchestration

Design appropriate identity and access management (IAM) solutions

Federated identity
Single sign-on (SSO)
Identity providers (IdP)
Cloud access security broker (CASB)
Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Secrets management

5. Cloud Application Security 17%

Build and implement physical and logical infrastructure for the cloud environment

Hardware-specific security configuration requirements
Installation and configuration of management tools
Installation of guest operating system (OS) virtualization toolsets
Virtual hardware-specific security configuration requirements

Operate and maintain physical and logical infrastructure for the cloud environment

Access controls for local and remote access
Network security controls
Secure network configuration
Patch management
Operating system (OS) hardening through the application of baselines, monitoring, and remediation
Availability of clustered hosts
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) strategy
Performance and capacity monitoring
Configuration of host and guest operating system (OS) backup and restore functions
Availability of guest operating system (OS)
Hardware monitoring
Management plane

Implement operational controls and standards

Change management
Information security management
Continuity management
Continual service improvement management
Problem management
Incident management
Deployment management
Release management
Availability management
Configuration management
Service level management
Capacity management

Support digital forensics

Forensic data collection methodologies
Collect, acquire, and preserve digital evidence
Evidence management

Manage communication with relevant parties

Vendors
Partners
Customers
Regulators

Manage security operations

Security operations center (SOC)
Log capture and analysis
Intelligent monitoring of security controls
Vulnerability assessments
Incident management

6. Cloud Platform and Infrastructure Security 17%

Articulate legal requirements and unique risks within the cloud environment

Conflicting international legislation
Legal framework and guidelines
Evaluation of legal risks specific to cloud computing
Forensics requirements
eDiscovery

Understand privacy issues

Difference between contractual and regulated private data
Jurisdictional differences in data privacy
Country-specific legislation related to private data
Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA)
Standard privacy requirements

Understand audit process, methodologies, and required adaptations for a cloud environment

Internal and external audit controls » Impact of audit requirements
Types of audit
Identify assurance challenges of virtualization and cloud
Audit planning
Gap analysis
Internal information security controls system
Internal information security management system
Impact of distributed information technology (IT) model
Specialized compliance requirements for highly-regulated industries

Understand the implications of cloud to enterprise risk management

Assess the provider’s risk management programs
Regulatory transparency requirements
Difference between data owner/controller vs. data custodian/processor
Risk treatment
Metrics for risk management
Different risk frameworks
Assessment of risk environment

Understand outsourcing and cloud contract design

Business requirements
Supply-chain management
Vendor management
Contract management

You can study the Exam outline for more detailed information.

CCSP Exam Preparation

Before starting your exam preparation, learn the objectives of the CCSP exam to make sure the certification is perfect for your career advancement. Boning up the official study guide can provide you with the objectives of the exam. Let’s see how you can prepare for the exam.

CCSP Certification Training

There are two ways to start your CCSP exam preparation. One is self-paced studying and the other is instructor-led courses. You have to choose one that is effective and feasible for you. There is a plethora of courses and learning resources on the web. But, we recommend you prefer the learning resources provided by the ISC2 platform. These sources include:

CCSP Practice Questions

Just preparing for your exam is not enough to ace it on the first go. Your exam preparation should include an assessment process to make sure you are perfectly ready to attempt your exam. At this spot, the dumps are the best choice rather than choosing the practice and mock exams. CCSP dumps contain actual questions fetched from the original exams, to make you discover how the question can be asked.

CCSP Certification Benefits

No site or business is naturally privileged to cyber attacks. Let’s discover the perks of CCSP certification.

Promote Career Advancement

It is one of the globally known cybersecurity certifications. Earning this credential raises your visibility and credibility in a competitive market. Moreover, you may also get this cert to improve your job security and create new opportunities.

Provides Versatile Skills

Being a vendor-neutral certification, it consists of a range of skills that can be applied to different methodologies and technologies.

Help You Earn Respect

Learning new skills and having proof for that always makes you earn more respect you’re your fellows, peers, and employers. Moreover, you can gain an access to the community of cybersecurity leaders.

Develops Solid Foundation

If you are running a company, helping your employees earn this cert can make your business grow well. They will be prepared to halt cyber-attacks and will make your business a secure cyber world.

Open Doors To A Lucrative Career

It has been researched that certified individuals always make more than uncertified ones. On average, (ISC)² certified professionals were seen to earn 35% more than other individuals.

Enhances Your Knowledge

Earning a CCSP certification requires a deeper and broader knowledge of cloud computing and cybersecurity. Gaining new skills and knowledge always helps you excel in your career path.

Certified CCSP Professionals’ Job

Certified Cloud Security Professional individuals can apply for the following job roles

Enterprise Architect
Security Administrator
Security Architect
Security Engineer
Security Manager
Systems Architect
Systems Engineer

You can find jobs at Ziprecruiter

CCSP Certification Salary

According to (ISC)2, the salaries for Certified Cloud Security Professional professionals in different regions are as follows.

Globally	$80,717
Asia Pacific	$61,835
Europe, the Middle East, and Africa	$78,548
Latin America	$16,476
North America	$114,172

Final Notes

Following the pace of the world, many organizations and businesses are moving towards cloud platforms. So, the demand for professionals with web security skills and cloud knowledge is growing rapidly. Being one of the top cybersecurity certifications, Certified Cloud Security Professional is a little bit tricky. To ace, this exam on the first go, dedicate your time and efforts to prepare for the exam. We hope this blog will provide you with every bit of information required to start your exam preparation. What you have to do is utilize the best learning resources to avail of the sought-after cert and advance your career.

FAQ's

Is CCSP Certification beneficial?

According to the Certification Magazine, CCSP is one of the top eight IT certifications. Earning this cert will help you land a better job, advance your career, a high salary, and self-satisfaction.

How long does IT take to study for CCSP?

The learning span depends upon your efforts, dedication, prior knowledge, and preparation resources. There are different courses with 40-60 hours of preparation time. But having the best preparation resources can help you prepare for your exam in minimum time.

How many retakes are allowed for the CCSP exam?

You can attempt the exam four times a year. After your first failed attempt, you have to wait for 30 days before the second attempt. On the other hand, spam is increased up to 60 days if you fail your second attempt.

What are the domains of the CCSP exam?

There are 6 domains of the Certified Cloud Security Professional exam.

Architectural concepts and design requirements
Cloud Data Security
Cloud Platform and Infrastructure Security
Cloud Application Security
Cloud Security Operations
Legal Risk and Compliance

How can I use my CCSP Digital Badge?

You can use your digital badge to share your certification online. For that, you can attach this badge to your digital resume, email signature, and social media sites (such as LinkedIn and Twitter).

What is the exam pattern for CCSP certification?

The CCSP exam contains 150 questions with a duration of 4-hour. To pass this exam one needs to score 700 out of 1000. Moreover, the Certified Cloud Security Professional exam cost is $599.

Can I take the CCSP exam without experience?

To register for this certification, the candidate is required to have a minimum of 5 years of paid experience in the IT field.