Cybersecurity is still a popular and continuously growing field with varying paths to entry. One way to start a cybersecurity career is by obtaining the right certification(s). Certifications are also useful to the experienced professional. You can use many options to prepare for exams, including self-study, on-demand training, or live boot camps. How you choose to study is a personal decision, often based on preference, but it is worth noting that live boot camps offer the most throughout the preparation. You have a qualified instructor who can teach the material, answer questions, and facilitate practice exams. Many live boot camps offer a voucher for the exam as part of the purchase price. Many times, these vouchers are discounted. Another benefit of live boot camps is having someone else invested and interested in your success. Every student that passes after taking a live boot camp gets added to the pass rate of the organization giving your instructor incentive and interest in your passing. So, you gain an educated instructor who may help hold you accountable.
With the number of incentives a live boot camp offers, it comes at a higher cost than many other training options, but with the GI Bill extending benefits, why not take advantage. As an authorized training partner with many certification issuers, Infosec offers numerous live boot camp offerings. Most bootcamps are five days and designed to prepare you to take the certification at the end of the training. Below we will discuss some live boot camp options and the certifications they prepare for.
- CompTIA boot camps with GI Bill A+ boot camp
Full Certification Name: CompTIA A+
Level of Experience: Entry-level Certification.
What you’ll learn: Computing fundamentals which include operating systems, networking, mobile devices, and security fundamentals. The bootcamp teaches everything necessary to pass the A+ certification exams.
Full Certification Name: CompTIA Network+
Level of Experience: CompTIA recommends having 9-12 months of direct networking experience.
What you’ll learn: Networking principles, current best practices, and how to configure, troubleshoot and manage networks.
Full Certification Name: CompTIA Security+
Level of Experience: entry-level certification, one year of security-related experience recommended.
What you’ll learn: Security theory, how to configure technical security controls, and how to identify and respond to real-world security threats.
Full Certification Name: CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst Certification
Level of Experience: CompTIA suggests a minimum of 4 years of hands-on experience with information security.
What You’ll learn: How to configure threat detection tools, perform data analysis to detect vulnerabilities, incidence response, software security, architectural security, assessment, and compliance requirements.
Full Certification Name: CompTIA PenTest+ Certification
Level of Experience: 3-4 years of hands-on, technical, information security.
What you’ll learn: How to compromise servers, virtual machines, databases, routers, and firewalls. Infosec offers a 10-day boot camp with hands-on labs that allow for Capture the Flag events where you can directly practice your newly gained skills.
Full Certification Name: CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner
Level of Experience: A minimum of 10 years of technical security experience, with a minimum of 5 years of in-depth technical, hands-on experience.
What you’ll learn: How to best implement cybersecurity solutions, secure architecture, security operations, security engineering, cryptography- including PKI implementation, comparing governance and compliance regulations.
- ISACA boot camp with GI Bill CISA boot camp
Full Certification Name: ISACA Certified Information Systems Auditor
Level of Experience: Entry to Mid-level certification requires a minimum of 5 years of experience in information systems auditing, control, or security.
What you’ll learn: The boot camp will cover all five information systems auditing domains: 1. Auditing process 2. Governance 3. Acquisition, development, and implementation 4. Operations, maintenance, and services management, and 5. Asset protection.
Full Certification Name: ISACACertified Information Security Manager
Level of Experience: 5 years of experience in information security.
What you’ll learn: The boot camp will cover details about the four CISM domains. The four domains are Security Governance, Risk Management, Information security program development, and management.
Full Certification Name: ISACA Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control
Level of Experience: A minimum of three years of work experience in IT risk management and IS controls.
What you’ll learn: The four domain areas tested on the certification are Domain 1: Governance, Domain 2: IT Risk Assessment, Domain 3: Risk Response and Reporting, and Domain 4: Information Technology and Security. The bootcamp will instruct on the best ways to Identify risks related to internal and external business and IT environments; Identify potential threats and vulnerabilities directed towards people, processes, and technology; Develop and analyze IT risk scenarios to determine potential impact; Identify the effectiveness of existing controls.
Full Certification Name: ISACACertified in the Governance of Enterprise IT
Level of Experience: 5 years of experience in a management, advisory, or assurance role relating to IT governance.
What you’ll learn: Information and techniques related to the four domain areas, includingDomain 1: Governance of enterprise IT; Domain 2: IT resources; Domain 3: Benefits realization; andDomain 4: Risk optimization.
Full Certification Name: ISACA Certified Data and Privacy Solutions Engineer
Level of Experience: 5 years of experience in data privacy governance, privacy architecture, and data lifecycle.
What you’ll learn: Fundamental concepts, tasks, and knowledge related to the expected responsibilities of a privacy practitioner.
- (ISC)² boot camp with GI BillSSCP boot camp
Full Certification Name: ISC2 Security Certified Practitioner
Level of Experience: One year of security-related experience. A degree in a cybersecurity program can suffice the one-year requirement.
What you’ll learn: Concepts included in the Security + exam, with more of a focus on security-based IT administration. According to ISC2, you will learn to “implement, monitor and administer IT infrastructure using best security practices, policies, and procedures.”
Full Certification Name: Certified Cloud Security Professional
Level of Experience: A minimum of five years of work experience in information technology, with three of them in information security and one year in one or more of the six domains of the CCSP.
What you’ll learn: Cloud concepts, architecture, design, and security as it relates to the six domains to include
Domain 1. Cloud Concepts, Architecture and Design
Domain 2. Cloud Data Security
Domain 3. Cloud Platform & Infrastructure Security
Domain 4. Cloud Application Security
Domain 5. Cloud Security Operations
Domain 6. Legal, Risk, and Compliance
Full Certification Name: ISC² Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional
Level of Experience: minimum of four years of cumulative Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) work experience in one or more of the eight domains of the (ISC)² CSSLP CBK, or three years of cumulative SDLC work experience in one or more of the eight domains of the CSSLP CBK with a B.S. degree in Computer Science, Information Technology (IT) or related fields.
What you’ll learn: Secure software concepts, requirements, architecture and design, implementation, testing, lifecycle management, deployment, operations, maintenance, and supply chain.
Full Certification Name: ISC2 Certified Authorization Professional
Level of Experience: Two years of work experience in one or more of the seven domains of the CAP.
What you’ll learn: Best practices, policies, and procedures used to authorize and maintain information systems using the RMF. You will also learn information related to each of the seven domains:
Information security risk management program
Categorization of information systems
Selection of security controls
Implementation of security controls
Assessment of security controls
Authorization of information systems
Continuous monitoring
Full Certification Name: ISC2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional
Level of Experience: minimum of five years cumulative paid work experience in two or more of the eight domains of the CISSP CBK.
What you’ll learn: Topics pertaining to any of the eight domains.
Full Certification Name: Information Systems Security Architecture Professional
Level of Experience: A valid CISSP certification and two years of work experience in any of the certification’s domain areas.
What you’ll learn:
Techniques related to developing, designing, and analyzing security solutions as they relate to the six domain areas include
Domain 1: Architect for Governance, Compliance, and Risk Management
Domain 2: Security Architecture Modeling
Domain 3: Infrastructure Security Architecture
Domain 4: Identity and Access Management (IAM) Architecture
Domain 5: Architect for Application Security
Domain 6: Security Operations Architecture
Full Certification Name: Information Systems Security Engineering Professional (CISSP-ISSEP)
Level of Experience: CISSP and two years of experience in one or more of the five domains of the CISSP-ISSEP.
What you’ll learn: essential information related to the five domain areas designed to ensure relevancy across all disciplines of security engineering.
Full Certification Name: Information Systems Security Management Professional (ISSMP)
Level of Experience: CISSP and two years of experience in one or more of the six domains of the CISSP-ISSMP.
What you’ll learn: Project management, risk management, setting up and delivering a security awareness program, and managing a business continuity planning program.
- IACRB boot camp with GI Bill
- Certified Security Awareness Practitioner boot camp
Full Certification Name: Certified Security Awareness Practitioner (CSAP)
Level of Experience: Expert-level experience
What you’ll learn: Skills useful in planning, developing, and implementing a successful enterprise security awareness training program.
Full Certification Name: Certified Computer Forensics Examiner (CCFE) and Certified Mobile Forensics Examiner (CMFE)
Level of Experience: Prior Forensics experience
What you’ll learn: Key technologies used in computers and mobile devices.
Full Certification Name: Certified Cyber Threat Hunting Professional
Level of Experience: Prior pentesting experience
What you’ll learn: How to find and investigate malware, phishing, lateral movement, data exfiltration, and other common threats.
Full Certification Name: Certified Data Recovery Professional (CDRP)
Level of Experience: No specific experience requirements
What you’ll learn: Data recovery fundamentals of hardware, including proper diagnoses of dead drives, and logical recovery for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, RAID arrays, Exchange server, and solid-state flash NAND drives.
Full Certification Name: Certified Mobile and Web App Penetration Tester (CMWAPT)
Level of Experience: Prior pentesting experience or knowledge.
What you’ll learn: How to use pentesting tools and methodologies to attack Web and mobile apps and assess their security.
Full Certification Name: Certified Red Team Operations (CRTOP)
Level of Experience: Entry-level certification
What you’ll learn: Information related to the seven CRTOP domains, Red team roles and responsibilities, Red team assessment methodology, Physical reconnaissance tools and techniques, Digital reconnaissance tools and techniques, Vulnerability identification and mapping, Social engineering, and Red team assessment reporting.
Full Certification Name: Certified Reverse Engineering Analyst (CREA)
Level of Experience: Some prior experience in reverse engineering.
What you’ll learn: How to analyze malicious code and malware, including ransomware, worms, viruses, Trojans, rootkits, and bots.
Full Certification Name: Various SCADA certs available
Level of Experience: 3-5 years of experience is suggested, but basic knowledge is needed at a minimum.
What you’ll learn: SCADA security standards, best practices, and policy development.
- Other boot camps with GI Bill
Full Certification Name: Certified Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Professional (CCP)
Level of Experience: Entry-level certification requires a college degree and at least two years of assessment experience.
What you’ll learn: How to properly perform an CMM assessment.
Full Certification Name: CertifiedCybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Assessor Level 1 (CCA-1)
Level of Experience: Requires a college degree and a minimum of four years of cyber or assessment experience.
What you’ll learn: How to conduct CMMC ML-1 assessments.
Full Certification Name: CiscoCertified Cisco Network
Level of Experience: At least two years of networking experience.
What you’ll learn: How to configure and administer Cisco networking appliances.
Full Certification Name: EC Council Certified Ethical Hacker
Level of Experience: Minimum of 2 years of experience in cybersecurity.
What you’ll learn: Network security, how to ethically hack a system, Intrusion Detection, DDoS Attacks, Buffer Overflows, Virus Creation, Policy Creation, and Social Engineering techniques. Infosec combines the CEH and Pentest+ certifications in their boot camp, including a cyber range used to perform Capture the Flag exercises.
- IAPP privacy boot camps
Full Certification Name: Infosec offers multiple IAPP Bootcamp options, including CIPP/US, CIPP/E, CIPM and CIPT
Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States
Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe
Certified Information Privacy Manager
Certified Information Privacy Technologist
Level of Experience: There is no specified required level of experience. However, some experience in privacy would be beneficial as the exams are extensive.
What you’ll learn: Privacy concepts and considerations.
Full Certification Name: Dual Certification Bootcamp for the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate and Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate
Level of Experience: At a minimum, some prior system administrator and cloud experience.
What you’ll learn: Administrative and security techniques used in Microsoft Azure cloud environments.