RE: CISSP-ISSMP

["Williamson, Clyde" <CWilliamson () Limitedbrands com>]

I have to agree with Nat here.

Our team is made up of CISSP and non-CISSP alike. The only functional
difference between us that I have found seems to be that some of us have a
piece of paper. However, we have had similar years of experience and tend to
work at the same highly professional level. Of course, I'm spoiled with
quite possibly one of the best IT security teams in existence (not that I'm
biased). The experience, not the cert seems most valuable to me. Heck, we've
been interviewing for a new position and while we can find degrees and certs
out the wazoo... We can't find experience and experience is what we need.

Clyde Williamson, CISSP and Stuff

PS: Anyone who has experience with application pen testing and would like to
enjoy the exciting world of Columbus Ohio... feel free to email me. *sigh*

-----Original Message-----
From: nat () morgothan com [mailto:nat () morgothan com] On Behalf Of Nathaniel
Hirsch
Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 9:47 AM
To: Angelacci, Anna M CTR SPAWAR, J616
Cc: Mohamed Abdel Kader; pen-test () securityfocus com
Subject: Re: CISSP-ISSMP

Well filling out an SSAA is not all that complex.  Hell if you use our tool
XIAM it pretty much does everything for you.  You fill out your min sec
check list, go threw adding all the systems and what they have It checks
them against all the stigs and you say if it passed or failed for each
thing.  It does pretty much everything except the actual testing and real
analysis.  And if you wanted to you could have it do the testing, I just
don't trust it with out checking it myself.
As for working well in a team I'm not sure what you are implying here.
 If it is that I do not work well in a team, you are mistaken, in every
single one of my performance reviews I have always been commented on how
good of a "team player" I am and what an asset I am to the  team.  As for
bashing your coworkers, I feel, as does the rest of my office that if you
are not pulling your weight around then its a problem and you are not
working well.  Now the guy I was talking about is clueless and does not pull
his own weight, he is a CISSP, and a CEH, and an Oracle certified something
or other, and he has his masters, and is working on his PHd.  So on paper he
looks like he is top notch, but after working with him for more then a hour
you quickly realise that he does not know what he is doing. And that is my
point, getting a cert or a degree is good as it gets your foot in the door
in some places, but it is no substitute to real world experience and skill.

On 5/9/06, Angelacci, Anna M CTR SPAWAR, J616 <anna.angelacci () navy mil>
wrote:
> I disagree Nathaniel. I work with peers that do not have the CISSP. 
> They do know how to fill out templates required for submission of an 
> SSAA, but they have no clue about application of security controls and 
> attributes. They can't even complete a proper sentence if were not for 
> a spelling and grammar checker. They can run the scanners, mitigate 
> the risks based on the STIG references, but still have no clue what 
> they are doing.
>
> I lucked out by getting an NSA test bank for the CISSP. If I did not 
> have 7 years experience plus, in scanning networks, I would have failed.
> I also must admit, I am an MCT, CCNA, CNE, Dell Certified Server Tech, 
> a 3COM Certified Fiber Installer, have over 238 college credits, and 
> have worked for 27 years in the field. The CISSP does only test you on 
> security attributes if that is the test bank you were lucky enough to 
> draw. The test banks are designed to test you on application of the 
> attributes, not application of the DITSCAP. The point to remember in 
> all this is," Not one single person knows it all!" Working as a team 
> and not bashing your peers is a formula for success, not just certs.
> Annie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nat () morgothan com [mailto:nat () morgothan com] On Behalf Of 
> Nathaniel Hirsch
> Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 4:19 PM
> To: Mohamed Abdel Kader
> Cc: pen-test () securityfocus com
> Subject: Re: CISSP-ISSMP
>
>
> I recently got my CISSP.  The company that I work for paid for me to 
> go to a class, and take the test assuming I passed. If I failed then 
> the $500 would be on my nickle.  Thankfully I did not fail.  The main 
> reason they wanted me to get my CISSP is now they can charge more for 
> the work they contract me out to, this and you need it or some other 
> equivalent to do level 3 and 4 DITSCAP testing.  As for an ROI after I 
> passed a got a 15% raise which was nice, but I was also up for a 
> raise, so I can not tell you how much that was due to the CISSP, and 
> how much was due to my overall performance at the company.  Personally 
> I feel that the exam and certification process is a waste of time, and 
> so does everyone else at the company, but they are needed, or so they 
> say.  However we have a guy who works here who is a CISSP and a 
> CEH(certified ethical hacker), and to be truthful, he is quite 
> possible the most worthless tester I have ever had to work with, and 
> everyone else in the office knows this.  So having the cert doesn't 
> make you good, and doesn't prove to anyone that you have experience or 
> skill.  It just proves that you can pick the correct answer out of a 
> four possible answer on a 250 question multiple choice exam. As for 
> giving an out of 10 scale for everything you mentioned I guess they 
> would all be 5s because it all really depends on a lot of other 
> things.  As for what job its good for, I would have to say more 
> managerial then anything else.  The topics covered are really only 
> puddle deep, not enough to know whats going on, just enough to know that
it is going on though.
> Nathaniel Hirsch, CISSP
> Xacta Corporation
> 656 Shrewsbury Ave.
> Shrewsbury, NJ 07702
>
> On 5/8/06, Mohamed Abdel Kader <makster12 () hotmail com> wrote:
> > Hi all,
> > I was wondering if anyone out there did the CISSP-ISSMP concentration.
>
> > I want to know the value added in the areas listed below, in an out 
> > of
>
> > 10 scale for example:
> >
> >     Total ROI
> >     Career Advancement
> >     Industry Demand
> >     Raise Potential
> >
> >     Suitable for what job/position (not an out of 10 answer of 
> > course
> > :))
> >
> > I also want to know the material to study from.
> >
> > Thanks a million.
> > MAK
> >
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rise, you need to proactively protect your applications from hackers. Cenzic
has the most comprehensive solutions to meet your application security
penetration testing and vulnerability management needs. You have an option
to go with a managed service (Cenzic ClickToSecure) or an enterprise
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This List Sponsored by: Cenzic

Concerned about Web Application Security? 
Why not go with the #1 solution - Cenzic, the only one to win the Analyst's 
Choice Award from eWeek. As attacks through web applications continue to rise, 
you need to proactively protect your applications from hackers. Cenzic has the 
most comprehensive solutions to meet your application security penetration 
testing and vulnerability management needs. You have an option to go with a 
managed service (Cenzic ClickToSecure) or an enterprise software 
(Cenzic Hailstorm). Download FREE whitepaper on how a managed service can 
help you: http://www.cenzic.com/news_events/wpappsec.php 
And, now for a limited time we can do a FREE audit for you to confirm your 
results from other product. Contact us at request () cenzic com for details.
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