Army COOL Snapshot - Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP)

Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP)

Renewal Period: 3 years

The International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc. (ISC)², Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) is an intermediate skill level certification for individuals involved in network and systems security administration responsible for developing the information security policies, standards, and procedures. Candidates manage implementation across various hardware and software programs in their organization. The SSCP is targeted toward those working towards positions such as Network Security Engineers, Security Systems Analysts, or Security Administrators. It is also appropriate for personnel in other non-security disciplines that require an understanding of security but do not have information security as a primary part of their job description, including information systems auditors; application programmers; system, network and database administrators; business unit representatives, and systems analysts. Candidates must meet work experienve requirements to be eligible for the SSCP exam. Candidates must pass a written exam.

More information can be found on the certifying agency's website.

Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP)

The following Army Occupations provide training and/or experience that contributes to attaining this credential. Please review the "Civilian" tab, if present, for information about which DOL Job Families this credential falls under.

Personnel Category	Occupation	Occupation Type	Related As	CA Eligible	Promotion Points	Skill Level
Enlisted	12Y Geospatial Engineer	MOS	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	13F Joint Fire Support Specialist	MOS	Other	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	15C MQ-1 Operator	MOS	Other	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	15W RQ-7 Operator	MOS	Other	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	17C Cyber Operations Specialist	MOS	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	18E Special Forces Communications Sergeant	MOS	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	1D Digital Media Collector (DMC)	ASI	Other	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	25B Information Technology Specialist	MOS	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	25C Radio Operator-Maintainer	MOS	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points	Skill Level III
Enlisted	25D Cyber Network Defender	MOS	Most	CA Eligible	Promo Points	Skill Level III
Enlisted	25L Cable Systems Installer-Maintainer	MOS	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points	Skill Level III
Enlisted	25N Nodal Network Systems Operator-Maintainer	MOS	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points	Skill Level III
Enlisted	25P Microwave Systems Operator-Maintainer	MOS	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points	Skill Level IV
Enlisted	25Q Multichannel Transmission Systems Operator-Maintainer	MOS	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points	Skill Level I
Enlisted	25S Satellite Communications Systems Operator-Maintainer	MOS	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points	Skill Level IV
Enlisted	25T Satellite/Microwave Systems Chief	MOS	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points	Skill Level IV
Enlisted	25U Signal Support Systems Specialist	MOS	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points	Skill Level III
Enlisted	25W Telecommunications Operations Chief	MOS	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points	Skill Level IV
Enlisted	25X Chief Signal NCO	MOS	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	31B Military Police	MOS	Other	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	31D CID Special Agent	MOS	Other	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	31E Corrections and Detention Specialist	MOS	Other	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	31Z Senior Military Police Sergeant	MOS	Other	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	35L Counter Intelligence Agent	MOS	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	35P Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) Voice Interceptor	MOS	Other	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	35T Military Intelligence (MI) Systems Maintainer/Integrator	MOS	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	E6 Interactive On-Net Operator	ASI	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	L8 Joint Operational Fires and Effects (JOFE)	ASI	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	P7 Digital Forensic Examiner (DFE)	ASI	Most	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	Q9 Traffic Management and Collision Investigator	ASI	Other	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	R3 Digital Network Exploitation Analyst (DNEA)	ASI	Other	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	S7 Foreign Counterintelligence (FCI)	ASI	Some	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	T5 Target Digital Network Analyst	ASI	Other	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Enlisted	Z8 Technical ELINT Collection and Analysis	ASI	Other	CA Eligible	Promo Points
Warrant Officer	125D Geospatial Engineering Technician	WOMOS	Some	CA Eligible
Warrant Officer	170A CYBER Operations Technician	WOMOS	Other	CA Eligible
Officer	17A Cyber Operations Officer, General	AOC	Some	CA Eligible
Officer	17B Cyber Electromagnetic Operations Officer	AOC	Some	CA Eligible
Officer	17X Designated Cyber Operations Officer	AOC	Some	CA Eligible
Warrant Officer	255A Information Services Technician	WOMOS	Some	CA Eligible
Warrant Officer	255N Network Management Technician	WOMOS	Some	CA Eligible
Warrant Officer	255S Information Protection Technician	WOMOS	Some	CA Eligible
Warrant Officer	255Z Senior Network Operations Technician	WOMOS	Most	CA Eligible
Officer	26A Network Systems Engineering	AOC	Some	CA Eligible
Officer	26B Information Systems Engineering	AOC	Some	CA Eligible
Officer	26Z Senior Network Systems Engineering	AOC	Some	CA Eligible
Warrant Officer	311A CID Special Agent	WOMOS	Other	CA Eligible
Warrant Officer	352S Signals Collection Technician	WOMOS	Other	CA Eligible
Officer	51A Systems Development	AOC	Other	CA Eligible
Officer	51R Systems Automation Acquisition and Engineering	AOC	Most	CA Eligible
Officer	51S Research and Engineering	AOC	Other	CA Eligible
Officer	51T Test and Evaluation	AOC	Other	CA Eligible
Officer	70D Health Services Systems Management	AOC	Some	CA Eligible

This credential is related to the following DOL Job Families:

	Civilian Job	Job Family	Bright Outlook	Registered Apprenticeship	Local Salary Info
	Information Security Analysts	Computer and Mathematical	Bright Outlook		find local salary

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Attainability:

Eligibility Requirements (View Details)

Credential Prerequisite
Experience: 1 year
Education
Training
Membership
Other
Fee

Note: This credential may have multiple options for a Service member to meet eligibility requirements. Requirements listed here are based on the minimum degree required. To view other options, see the Eligibility tab.

Exam Requirements (View Details)

Exam
Written Exam
Oral Exam
Practical Exam
Performance Assessment

Exam Administration (View Details)

In-person exam
Remote proctored on-line exam
Third-party test vendor

RECERTIFICATION SUMMARY

Renewal Period: 3 years

Continuing Education
Exam
Continuing Education OR Exam
Fee
Other

AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc. (ISC)²

311 Park Place Blvd
Suite 400
Clearwater, FL 33759

Phone: (866) 331-4722

Fax: (703) 356-7977
Email: communications@isc2.org

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Education and/or Experience REQUIREMENTS

Candidate must have a minimum of one year of cumulative paid full-time work experience in one or more of the seven domains of the SSCP.

A one year prerequisite pathway will be granted for a candidate who received a degree (bachelors or masters) in a cybersecurity program.

Other REQUIREMENTS

The Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) credential has the following other requirements:

Candidate must subscribe to the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc. (ISC)² Code of Ethics.

Individuals who pass a SSCP exam must have their qualifications endorsed by another (ISC²) credential holder.

Written Exam

Access Controls (16%)
- Implement and maintain authentication methods
- Support internetwork trust architectures
- Participate in the identity management lifecycle
- Implement access controls
Security Operations and Administration (15%)
- Comply with codes of ethics
- Understand security concepts
- Document, implement, and maintain functional security controls
- Participate in asset management
- Implement security controls and assess compliance
- Participate in change management
- Participate in security awareness and training
- Participate in physical security operations (e.g., data center assessment, badging)
Risk Identification, Monitoring, and Analysis (15%)
- Understand the risk management process
- Perform security assessment activities
- Operate and maintain monitoring systems (e.g., continuous monitoring)
- Analyze monitoring results
Incident Response and Recovery (13%)
- Support incident lifecycle
- Understand and support forensic investigations
- Understand and support Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) activities
Cryptography (10%)
- Understand fundamental concepts of cryptography
- Understand reasons and requirements for cryptography
- Understand and support secure protocols
- Understand Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) systems
Network and Communications Security (16%)
- Understand and apply fundamental concepts of networking
- Understand network attacks and countermeasures (e.g., DDoS, man-in-the-middle, DNS poisoning)
- Manage network access controls
- Manage network security
- Operate and configure network-based security devices
- Operate and configure wireless technologies (e.g., bluetooth, NFC, WiFi)
Systems and Application Security (15%)
- Identify and analyze malicious code and activity
- Implement and operate endpoint device security
- Operate and configure cloud security
- Operate and secure virtual environments

Exam Preparation Resources

There are a number of resources available to help you prepare for the Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) examination:

Best Sources

General References
- (ISC)² Code Of Ethics
- (ISC)² Continuing Professional Education (CPE)

Related Courses
- (ISC)² Training

Related Training
- Federal Virtual Training Environment (FedVTE) Free Online Cybersecurity Courses

An additional resource is O'Reilly Learning Safari Books Online, a searchable digital library that provides online access to thousands of books, training videos and conference sessions. See the Educational Resources section on the Related Sites page here on COOL to learn how to get free access.

Testing Information

Exam Administration
Credential exams may be administered in-person at a testing site, proctored on-line remotely, or have options for both. If an exam is administered through a test vendor, the third-party test vendor box will be checked. The following test administration options apply to the Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) credential where checked:
- In-person exam
- Remote proctored on-line exam
- Third-party test vendor

For more information on the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc. (ISC)² testing process, visit the agency website.

Third-Party Test Vendor Information
Testing for this credential is handled by the following vendor:

Pearson VUE

The test centers are located in the U.S. They also have some test centers on military bases.

To find out more, use the following links on the Pearson VUE website:

RECERTIFICATION

Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP)

Renewal Period: 3 years

The Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) credential has the following recertification information:

The SSCP credential must be renewed every three years by meeting continuing education requirements. All (ISC)² certifications also require an annual maintenance fee. More information on Continuing Professional Education (CPE) requirements and annual maintenance fees can be found on the (ISC)² website.

Additional considerations for the Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) include:

A candidate who does not have the required experience to become an SSCP may become an Associate of (ISC)² by successfully passing the SSCP examination. The Associate of (ISC)² will then have two years to earn the one year required experience.