A picture is worth a thousand words.
There are a ton of IT certifications but the monster of all certifications is the Certified Information Security Professional (CISSP) Certification by ISC2.
There are a number of reasons that the CISSP is one of the most sought after and highly acclaimed certifications in the IT industry.
Reading an older article? Use the brief to stay current.
This Article Gives You the Background. The Brief Gives You What Changed Next.
Get the weekday cyber brief for new policy moves, CISA actions, and risk developments this article could not cover when it was published.
Free. Weekday mornings. 5 minutes or less.
Built from 100+ trusted cybersecurity sources.
First, the CISSP exam is very difficult to pass. The pass rate usually hovers right around 50%. The difficulty of the test means that the folks who are able to pass really know their stuff. The test is mind bending and even people who are highly knowledgeable in the cybersecurity field often have a very difficult time with this exam.
Secondly, passing the test is just the beginning. CISSP holders need to prove that they have the required years of full time experience working in cybersecurity. They also have to get someone to sponsor them and vouch for their expertise and experience.
Finally, the CISSP certification proves knowledge that is not just specific to technical aspects of cybersecurity. A mastery of cybersecurity management, cybersecurity governance, and cybersecurity policy is required in order to obtain this IT Certification.
Also worth reading: Readers considering certifications for cloud-oriented security roles can pair this with our guide to the best cloud security tools in 2026 to understand the platform categories teams actually use.
Reading an older article? Use the brief to stay current.
This Article Gives You the Background. The Brief Gives You What Changed Next.
Get the weekday cyber brief for the developments, risk shifts, and new signals that changed the picture after this article was published.
Free. Weekday mornings. 5 minutes or less.
Built from 100+ trusted cybersecurity sources.
Also worth reading: Readers considering cloud-oriented security careers can pair this with our guide to the best CNAPP tools in 2026.
Also worth reading: Readers considering cloud-oriented security careers can pair that path with our guide to the best CSPM tools in 2026.
Also worth reading: Readers considering cloud-oriented security careers can pair that path with our guide to the best CWPP tools in 2026.
Newer CyberExperts coverage on this topic
This article still works as background. If you want the current picture, start with the freshest related coverage below and today's brief.
CASP vs. CISSP – My Experience
I decided to take the CASP exam for only one reason... There is only one reason that I initially took the CASP...
The Top 20 Cities for CISSPs
We analyzed the job postings, crunched the data, and determined the actual value of the CISSP certification to list the top 20...
There are 2.9 Million Open Cyber Security Jobs in the US
Companies are finding it very difficult to hire qualified Cyber Security professionals. Cyber Seek has completed a study that shows that there...
The 5-Minute Cyber Brief: August 28, 2026
The fastest way to catch up on what changed after this article was published.
