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How to study for CISSP

Dave Farquhar security February 25, 2012August 6, 2018CBK, christmas, cissp, isc, New Year, reference book, trenches

I got the letter this week. The one from (ISC)². If the first word is “congratulations,” it means you passed. But if the first two words are “thank you,” you didn’t. If you want the letter that says “congratulations” in your future, it helps to know how to study for CISSP. Here’s how I studied for mine. Hopefully it will help you. It’s a long road. But it’s doable.

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.

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And on a personal note, I passed the CISSP

Dave Farquhar Personal February 24, 2012cissp

I can’t believe I forgot to post this, but yesterday I got word that I passed the CISSP. So, after a vetting process that can take up to six weeks, I’ll be able to sign off with a “, CISSP” after my name.

Now that I can give advice on taking the test without being presumptuous, I’ll write about that this weekend.

Dave Farquhar

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What I would say to someone starting to study journalism today

Dave Farquhar Journalism February 5, 2012certifications, CISM, cissp, journalism

One of my former classmates sent out a query, asking what we’d tell someone who was thinking about studying journalism today. Predictably, a lot of people wrote “Don’t do it!” or “Newspapers aren’t hiring anyone,” or something similar. I never had time to change careers; my IT career essentially started a week after I started taking journalism classes and I was working full-time in IT a good three months before the dean of the school shook my hand and gave me my diploma.

Although I’ve had to explain my education virtually every time I’ve been interviewed for a job, I don’t regret it.
Read more

Dave Farquhar

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Open-source licenses, the CISSP, and the real world

Dave Farquhar Copyright, security February 4, 2012July 14, 2017BSD, buffer overflow, cissp, cissp exam, debian, demonstration, firewall, project management, vulnerability

You may have a question about open-source licenses on your CISSP exam. I don’t remember the specifics and wouldn’t be able to repeat them anyway, but I had a question on my exam where knowing the differences was helpful in finding the right answer.

And I had to deal with an issue this past week involving open-source technologies where the licenses made a big difference.

Dave Farquhar

dfarq.homeip.net

Time to make a new rule for work

Dave Farquhar Uncategorized February 3, 2012cissp, cissp exam, CPE, marathon

I propose a new rule. I think it’s a very modest and very reasonable proposal. It has two parts.

1. No meeting can last longer than 6 hours (the length of the CISSP exam)

2. Material presented in said meetings may have no more than 250 items (the same number of questions in a CISSP exam)

Dave Farquhar

dfarq.homeip.net

CISSP melted my brain

Dave Farquhar security January 28, 2012December 5, 2015cissp, OSI, osi model, UDP

Five and a half hours ago, I turned in my test and departed the CISSP test site. It took me four hours to answer the nastiest 250 test questions I’ve ever seen in my life.

I felt better about it than the other guys milling around the lobby, but….

Dave Farquhar

dfarq.homeip.net

Why computerized information systems frequently fail to meet the needs of users

Dave Farquhar security January 10, 2012cissp, isc, project management

Let’s take a look at another CISSP-type question today, because I think it has broad implications for more than just CISSPs.

Here’s the question.

Which of the following best explains why computerized information systems frequently fail to meet the needs of users?
A)Inadequate QA (quality assurance) tools
B)Constantly changing user needs
C)Not enough project management.
D)Inadequate user participation in defining system requirements

Dave Farquhar

dfarq.homeip.net

I’m doing my homework

Dave Farquhar Personal December 29, 2011cissp

As I continue studying for my CISSP, I’m rebalancing things a little bit. I plan to still post most days (probably weekdays), but until I pass the test, I’m probably going to be posting shorter pieces than I usually do. I don’t know exactly how much time I spend writing every day, but it would be prudent for me to limit myself to 30 minutes or less until I reach my goal. I write fast, but I know I can’t write 1,000 words worth reading in 30 minutes.

Once my life returns to normal, I expect the length and content mix will also.

Dave Farquhar

dfarq.homeip.net

My buddy Halon-2402

Dave Farquhar security December 29, 2011August 4, 20171980s, cissp

Halon-2402 and I have met. Some years ago, I saw an old sign in a computer room. The sign had to be old, because smoking in offices has been banned since the 1980s, and the sign appeared to be hand-lettered in colored permanent marker. It read something like this:

No smoking is allowed. Smoke in this room will cause the release of an expensive gas (Halon) and require its replacement. Absolutely no smoking is allowed!

The sign omitted one relatively significant detail. Not only is (was) Halon-2402 expensive, it will also kill you!

Dave Farquhar

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Is Anonymous trying to get a CEO jailed or fined?

Dave Farquhar security December 27, 2011cissp, computer security

The hacking group Anonymous hacked security contractor Stratfor, stealing its customer list including names, addresses, and credit card numbers, which they then used to go on a charity shopping spree.

My former boss’ wife asked him on Facebook what these guys want. And that brought a CISSP question to mind.

Dave Farquhar

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