(ISC)²

The Ultimate SSCP Exam Preparation

Start our SSCP course to develop in-demand security skills, advance your career, and enjoy an easy, interactive learning experience.

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About This Course

Enroll in our Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) course to master IT security and earn your globally recognized certification.

In this course, dive into all seven SSCP domains, from Security Operations and Access Controls to Cryptography and Incident Response, with updated content covering the latest exam objectives. Learn through interactive lessons, hands-on labs, and real-world scenarios, so you can confidently implement, monitor, and secure IT infrastructure.

Skills You’ll Get

  • Implementing Security Controls: Learn to enforce access controls, encryption, and network security measures to protect the IT infrastructure.
  • Risk Assessment & Management: Master techniques to identify, monitor, and mitigate cybersecurity risks.
  • Incident Response & Recovery: Develop the ability to detect, contain, and recover from security breaches.
  • Cryptography & Secure Communications: Understand encryption methods, PKI, and secure protocols to safeguard data.
  • Network & Application Security: Gain skills in securing networks, endpoints, and cloud-based systems against threats.
  • Business Continuity Planning: Learn to design disaster recovery strategies and maintain operations during disruptions.
Download Course Outline

1

Introduction

  • About This Course
  • What Is an SSCP?
  • Using This Course
  • Let's Get Started!
2

The Business Case for Decision Assurance and Information Security

  • Information: The Lifeblood of Business
  • Policy, Procedure, and Process: How Business Gets Business Done
  • Who Runs the Business?
  • Summary
  • Exam Essentials
3

Information Security Fundamentals

  • The Common Needs for Privacy, Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability
  • Training and Educating Everybody
  • SSCPs and Professional Ethics
  • Summary
  • Exam Essentials
4

Integrated Information Risk Management

  • It’s a Dangerous World
  • The Four Faces of Risk
  • Getting Integrated and Proactive with Information Defense
  • Risk Management: Concepts and Frameworks
  • Risk Assessment
  • Four Choices for Limiting or Containing Damage
  • Summary
  • Exam Essentials
5

Operationalizing Risk Mitigation

  • From Tactical Planning to Information Security Operations
  • Operationalizing Risk Mitigation: Step by Step
  • The Ongoing Job of Keeping Your Baseline Secure
  • Ongoing, Continuous Monitoring
  • Reporting to and Engaging with Management
  • Summary
  • Exam Essentials
6

Communications and Network Security

  • Trusting Our Communications in a Converged World
  • Internet Systems Concepts
  • Two Protocol Stacks, One Internet
  • Wireless Network Technologies
  • IP Addresses, DHCP, and Subnets
  • IPv4 vs. IPv6: Important Differences and Options
  • CIANA Layer by Layer
  • Securing Networks as Systems
  • Summary
  • Exam Essentials
7

Identity and Access Control

  • Identity and Access: Two Sides of the Same CIANA+PS Coin
  • Identity Management Concepts
  • Access Control Concepts
  • Network Access Control
  • Implementing and Scaling IAM
  • User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA)
  • Zero Trust Architectures
  • Summary
  • Exam Essentials
8

Cryptography

  • Cryptography: What and Why
  • Building Blocks of Digital Cryptographic Systems
  • Keys and Key Management
  • Modern Cryptography: Beyond the “Secret Decoder Ring”
  • “Why Isn't All of This Stuff Secret?”
  • Cryptography and CIANA+PS
  • Public Key Infrastructures
  • Applying Cryptography to Meet Different Needs
  • Managing Cryptographic Assets and Systems
  • Measures of Merit for Cryptographic Solutions
  • Attacks and Countermeasures
  • PKI and Trust: A Recap
  • On the Near Horizon
  • Summary
  • Exam Essentials
9

Hardware and Systems Security

  • Infrastructure Security Is Baseline Management
  • Securing the Physical Context
  • Infrastructures 101 and Threat Modeling
  • Endpoint Security
  • Malware: Exploiting the Infrastructure's Vulnerabilities
  • Privacy and Secure Browsing
  • “The Sin of Aggregation”
  • Updating the Threat Model
  • Managing Your Systems' Security
  • Summary
  • Exam Essentials
10

Applications, Data, and Cloud Security

  • It's a Data-Driven World…At the Endpoint
  • Software as Appliances
  • Applications Lifecycles and Security
  • CIANA+PS and Applications Software Requirements
  • Application Vulnerabilities
  • “Shadow IT:” The Dilemma of the User as Builder
  • Information Quality and Information Assurance
  • Protecting Data in Motion, in Use, and at Rest
  • Into the Clouds: Endpoint App and Data Security Considerations
  • Legal and Regulatory Issues
  • Countermeasures: Keeping Your Apps and Data Safe and Secure
  • Summary
  • Exam Essentials
11

Incident Response and Recovery

  • Defeating the Kill Chain One Skirmish at a Time
  • Harsh Realities of Real Incidents
  • Incident Response Framework
  • Preparation
  • Detection and Analysis
  • Containment and Eradication
  • Recovery: Getting Back to Business
  • Post-Incident Activities
  • Summary
  • Exam Essentials
12

Business Continuity via Information Security and People Power

  • What Is a Disaster?
  • Surviving to Operate: Plan for It!
  • Timelines for BC/DR Planning and Action
  • Options for Recovery
  • Cloud-Based “Do-Over” Buttons for Continuity, Security, and Resilience
  • People Power for BC/DR
  • Security Assessment: For BC/DR and Compliance
  • Converged Communications: Keeping Them Secure During BC/DR Actions
  • Summary
  • Exam Essentials
13

Cross-Domain Challenges

  • Operationalizing Security Across the Immediate and Longer Term
  • Supply Chains, Security, and the SSCP
  • Other Dangers on the Web and Net
  • On Our Way to the Future
  • Enduring Lessons
  • Your Next Steps
  • At the Close
  • Exam Essentials

Any questions?
Check out the FAQs

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Yes, the SSCP is a valuable certification for IT professionals aiming to validate their technical skills in cybersecurity. It’s globally recognized, ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024-accredited, and approved by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for roles like Information Assurance Technical (IAT) Level II. Benefits include:

  • Career Advancement: Qualifies you for roles like Security Analyst, Network Engineer, or Systems Administrator.
  • Salary Boost: SSCP holders earn an average of 75,000–114,000, depending on experience and role.
  • Pathway to CISSP: Acts as a stepping stone for the advanced CISSP certification.

Yes, the SSCP is generally considered more challenging than CompTIA Security+ due to:

  • Experience Requirement: SSCP requires 1 year of work experience (or a relevant degree), while Security+ has no prerequisites.
  • Exam Depth: SSCP certification focuses on hands-on technical skills (e.g., implementing security controls), whereas Security+ tests broader foundational knowledge.
  • Question Style: SSCP questions are scenario-based, demanding critical thinking, while Security+ includes more straightforward multiple-choice questions.

The SSCP is labeled as "entry-level" by (ISC)², but targets early-career professionals with at least 1 year of experience. It’s more advanced than CompTIA Security+ but less rigorous than CISSP. Ideal for:

  • IT administrators transitioning to security roles
  • Recent graduates with cybersecurity degrees

To sit for the SSCP exam, you need:

  • 1 year of cumulative work experience in one or more of the 7 SSCP domains (e.g., Access Controls, Incident Response).
  • Part-time work (20+ hours/week) or internships count.
  • OR a bachelor’s/master’s degree in cybersecurity, computer science, or related fields to waive the experience requirement.
  • No experience? You can pass the exam first and earn an Associate of (ISC)² designation, then gain experience within 2 years.

Prepare and Get SSCP-Certified

  Join our SSCP course to secure networks, stop breaches, and develop cybersecurity skills. 

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