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CISSPFree Study Guide

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)The Complete Beginner's Guide

This guide covers all eight domains of the (ISC)² CISSP Common Body of Knowledge, providing a structured curriculum for exam preparation.

15 chapters
~3 hours total read
Free — no signup required
By Johnson Ajibi · Senior Network & Security Engineer · MSc IT Security

How to use this guide

This guide works best as a loop: read a chapter, test yourself with practice questions, look up unfamiliar terms in the glossary, then move to the next chapter.

① Read a chapter② Answer practice questions③ Review missed answers④ Repeat
Study Chapters

15 chapters covering every exam objective. Each chapter includes key concepts, exam tips, common traps, comparison tables, and a 5-question quiz at the end.

Start Chapter 1
Practice Questions

Free timed and untimed practice with instant feedback and full explanations. Pick 10–120 questions per session. Filter by domain to drill your weak areas.

Go to practice test
Glossary

Every CISSPterm defined and searchable. Use it when a chapter mentions a concept you haven't seen before or want a quick refresher on.

Browse glossary
Exam Overview

Exam blueprint, domain weights, passing score, duration, cost, and registration links. Start here if you're new to this certification.

View exam guide

Chapters — CISSP

1

Security Governance and Principles

Objective 1.1 · Understand and apply concepts of confidentiality, integrity, and availability

12m
2

Security Architecture and Models

Objective 1.2 · Evaluate and apply security governance principles

12m
3

Asset Security: Classification and Handling

Objective 2.1 · Identify and classify information and assets

12m
4

Asset Security: Privacy and Data Retention

Objective 2.2 · Determine and maintain information and asset ownership

12m
5

Cryptography and Its Applications

Objective 3.1 · Understand and apply cryptography concepts

12m
6

Secure Network Architecture and Components

Objective 3.2 · Implement secure design principles in network architectures

12m
7

Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Objective 4.1 · Manage identification and authentication of people, devices, and services

12m
8

Access Control Models and Mechanisms

Objective 4.2 · Integrate identity as a third-party service

12m
9

Security Assessment and Testing

Objective 5.1 · Design and validate assessment and test strategies

12m
10

Security Operations Foundations

Objective 6.1 · Understand and support the security operations process

12m
11

Incident Response and Business Continuity

Objective 6.2 · Manage incident response and business continuity plans

12m
12

Disaster Recovery Planning

Objective 6.3 · Implement and manage disaster recovery processes

12m
13

Software Development Security

Objective 7.1 · Understand and integrate security in the software development lifecycle

12m
14

Physical Security and Environmental Controls

Objective 8.1 · Implement and manage physical security controls

12m
15

Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance Issues

Objective 8.2 · Understand legal and regulatory issues related to information security

12m

Ready to test your knowledge?

Free CISSP practice questions with full explanations. Test what you learn chapter by chapter.

CISSP Practice Questions