Effective Date: October 1, 2025

CCSP Certification Exam Outline

View and download the latest PDF version of the CCSP Certification Exam Outline in the following languages:

CCSP - English | CCSP - Chinese | CCSP - Japanese | CCSP - German

About CCSP

ISC2 developed the Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) credential to ensure that cloud security professionals have the required knowledge, skills, and abilities in cloud security design, implementation, architecture, operations, controls, and compliance with regulatory frameworks. A CCSP applies information security expertise to a cloud computing environment and demonstrates competence in cloud security architecture, design, operations, and service orchestration. This professional competence is measured against a globally recognized body of knowledge.

The topics included in the CCSP Exam Outline ensure its relevancy across all disciplines in the field of cloud security. Successful candidates are competent in the following six domains:

Cloud Concepts, Architecture and Design
Cloud Data Security
Cloud Platform & Infrastructure Security
Cloud Application Security
Cloud Security Operations
Legal, Risk and Compliance

Experience Requirements

Candidates must have a minimum of five years cumulative, full-time experience in Information Technology (IT). Three years must be in cybersecurity, and one year must be in one or more of the six domains of the current CCSP Exam Outline . Earning a post-secondary degree (bachelors or masters) in computer science, IT or related fields may satisfy up to one year of the required experience. Earning CSA’s CCSK certificate can be substituted for one year of experience. Only one year of experience can be waived. An active CISSP credential can be substituted for the entire CCSP experience requirement. Part-time work and internships may also count towards the experience requirement.

A candidate that doesn’t have the required experience to become a CCSP may become an Associate of ISC2 by successfully passing the CCSP examination. The Associate of ISC2 will then have six years to earn the five years required experience. You can learn more about CCSP experience requirements and how to account for part-time work and internships at www.isc2.org/Certifications/CCSP/CCSP-Experience-Requirements.

Accreditation

CCSP is in compliance with the stringent requirements of ANSI/ISO/IEC Standard 17024.

Job Task Analysis (JTA)

ISC2 has an obligation to its membership to maintain the relevancy of the CCSP. Conducted at regular intervals, the Job Task Analysis (JTA) is a methodical and critical process of determining the tasks that are performed by security professionals who are engaged in the profession defined by the CCSP. The results of the JTA are used to update the examination. This process ensures that candidates are tested on the topic areas relevant to the roles and responsibilities of today’s practicing information security professionals focusing on cloud technologies.

CCSP Examination Information

The CCSP exam uses Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) for all exams.

Length of exam	3 hours
Number of items	100-150
Item format	Multiple choice and advanced item types
Passing grade	700 out of 1000 points
Exam language availability	English, Chinese, Japanese and German
Testing center	Pearson VUE Testing Center

Notice: Chinese language CISSP exams are only available during select appointment windows.

Annual Availability: March 1-31, June 1-30, September 1-30, December 1-31

CCSP Examination Weights

Domains	Average Weight
1. Cloud Concepts, Architecture and Design	17%
2. Cloud Data Security	20%
3. Cloud Platform & Infrastructure Security	17%
4. Cloud Application Security	17%
5. Cloud Security Operations	16%
6. Legal, Risk and Compliance	13%
Total	100%

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Domains

1.1 - Understand cloud computing concepts

Cloud computing definitions
Cloud computing roles and responsibilities (e.g., cloud service customer, cloud service provider, cloud service partner, cloud service broker, regulator)
Key cloud computing characteristics (e.g., on-demand self-service, broad network access, multi-tenancy, rapid elasticity and scalability, resource pooling, measured service)
Building block technologies (e.g., virtualization, storage, networking, databases, orchestration)

1.2 - Describe cloud reference architecture

Cloud computing activities
Cloud service capabilities (e.g., application capability types, platform capability types, infrastructure capability types)
Cloud service categories (e.g., Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS))
Cloud deployment models (e.g., public, private, hybrid, community, multi-cloud)
Cloud shared considerations (e.g., interoperability, portability, reversibility, availability, security, privacy, resiliency, performance, governance, maintenance and versioning, service levels and service-level agreements (SLA), auditability, regulatory, outsourcing)
Impact of related technologies (e.g., data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), containers, quantum computing, edge computing, confidential computing, DevSecOps)

1.3 - Understand security concepts relevant to cloud computing

Cryptography and key management
Identity and access control (e.g., user access, privilege access, service access)
Data and media sanitization (e.g., overwriting, cryptographic erase)
Network security (e.g., network security groups, traffic inspection, geofencing, zero trust network)
Virtualization security (e.g., hypervisor security, container security, ephemeral computing, serverless technology)
Common threats
Security hygiene (e.g., patching, baselining)

1.4 - Understand design principles of secure cloud computing

Cloud secure data lifecycle
Cloud-based business continuity (BC) and disaster recovery (DR) plan
Business impact analysis (BIA) (e.g., cost-benefit analysis, return on investment (ROI))
Functional security requirements (e.g., portability, interoperability, vendor lock-in)
Security considerations and responsibilities for different cloud categories (e.g., Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS))
Cloud design patterns (e.g., SANS security principles, Well-Architected Framework, Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Enterprise Architecture)
DevOps security

1.5 - Evaluate cloud service providers

Verification against criteria (e.g., International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 27017, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS))
System/subsystem product certifications (e.g., Common Criteria (CC), Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2)

2.1 - Describe cloud data concepts

Cloud data life cycle phases
Data dispersion
Data flows

2.2 - Design and implement cloud data storage architectures

Storage types (e.g., long-term, ephemeral, raw storage)
Threats to storage types

2.3 - Design and apply data security technologies and strategies

Encryption and key management
Hashing
Data obfuscation (e.g., masking, anonymization)
Tokenization
Data loss prevention (DLP)
Keys, secrets and certificates management

2.4 - Implement data discovery

Structured data
Unstructured data
Semi-structured data
Data location

2.5 - Plan and implement data classification

Data classification policies
Data mapping
Data labeling

2.6 - Design and implement Information Rights Management (IRM)

Objectives (e.g., data rights, provisioning, access models)
Appropriate tools (e.g., issuing and revocation of certificates)

2.7 - Plan and implement data retention, deletion, and archiving policies

Data retention policies
Data deletion procedures and mechanisms
Data archiving procedures and mechanisms
Legal hold

2.8 - Design and implement auditability, traceability, and accountability of data events

Definition of event sources and requirement of event attributes (e.g., identity, Internet Protocol (IP) address, geolocation)
Logging, storage and analysis of data events
Chain of custody and non-repudiation

3.1 - Comprehend cloud infrastructure and platform components

Physical environment
Network and communications
Compute
Virtualization
Storage
Management plane

3.2 - Design a secure data center

Logical design (e.g., tenant partitioning, access control)
Physical design (e.g., location, buy or build)
Environmental design (e.g., Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), multi-vendor pathway connectivity)
Design resilient

3.3 - Analyze risks associated with cloud infrastructure and platforms

Risk assessment (e.g., identification, analysis)
Cloud vulnerabilities, threats and attacks
Risk mitigation strategies

3.4 - Plan and implementation of security controls

Physical and environmental protection (e.g., on-premises)
System, storage and communication protection
Identification, authentication and authorization in cloud environments
Audit mechanisms (e.g., log collection, correlation, packet capture)

3.5 - Plan business continuity (BC) and disaster recovery (DR)

Business continuity (BC) / disaster recovery (DR) strategy
Business requirements (e.g., Recovery Time Objective (RTO), Recovery Point Objective (RPO), recovery service level)
Creation, implementation and testing of plan

4.1 - Advocate training and awareness for application security

Cloud development basics
Common pitfalls
Common cloud vulnerabilities (e.g., Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Top-10, SANS Top-25)

4.2 - Describe the Secure Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) process

Business requirements
Phases and methodologies (e.g., design, code, test, maintain, waterfall vs. agile)

4.3 - Apply the Secure Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

Cloud-specific risks
Threat modeling (e.g., Spoofing, Tampering, Repudiation, Information Disclosure, Denial of Service, and Elevation of Privilege (STRIDE), Damage, Reproducibility, Exploitability, Affected Users, and Discoverability (DREAD), Architecture, Threats, Attack Surfaces, and Mitigations (ATASM), Process for Attack Simulation and Threat Analysis (PASTA))
Avoid common vulnerabilities during development
Secure coding (e.g., Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Application Security
Verification Standard (ASVS), Software Assurance Forum for Excellence in Code (SAFECode))
Software configuration management and versioning

4.4 - Apply cloud software assurance and validation

Functional and non-functional testing
Security testing methodologies (e.g., blackbox, whitebox, static, dynamic, Software Composition Analysis (SCA), interactive application security testing (IAST))
Quality assurance (QA)
Abuse case testing

4.5 - Use verified secure software

Securing application programming interfaces (API)
Supply-chain management (e.g., vendor assessment)
Third-party software management (e.g., licensing)
Validated open-source software

4.6 - Comprehend the specifics of cloud application architecture

Supplemental security components (e.g., web application firewall (WAF), Database Activity Monitoring (DAM), Extensible Markup Language (XML) firewalls, application programming interface (API) gateway)
Cryptography
Sandboxing
Application virtualization and orchestration (e.g., microservices, containers)

4.7 - Design appropriate Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions

Federated identity
Identity providers (IdP)
Single sign-on (SSO)
Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Cloud access security broker (CASB)
Secrets management

5.1 - Build and implement physical and logical infrastructure for cloud environment

Hardware specific security configuration requirements (e.g., hardware security module (HSM) and Trusted Platform Module (TPM))
Installation and configuration of management tools
Virtual hardware specific security configuration requirements (e.g., network, storage, memory, central processing unit (CPU), Hypervisor type 1 and 2)
Installation of guest operating system (OS) virtualization toolsets

5.2 - Operate and maintain physical and logical infrastructure for cloud environment

Access controls for local and remote access (e.g., Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), secure terminal access, Secure Shell (SSH), console-based access mechanisms, jumpboxes, virtual client)
Secure network configuration (e.g., virtual local area networks (VLAN), Transport Layer Security (TLS), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC), virtual private network (VPN))
Network security controls (e.g., firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), intrusion prevention systems (IPS), honeypots, vulnerability assessments, network security groups, bastion host)
Operating system (OS) hardening through the application of baselines, monitoring and remediation (e.g., Windows, Linux, VMware)
Patch management
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) strategy
Availability of clustered hosts (e.g., distributed resource scheduling, dynamic optimization, storage clusters, maintenance mode, high availability (HA))
Availability of guest operating system (OS)
Performance and capacity monitoring (e.g., network, compute, storage, response time)
Hardware monitoring (e.g., disk, central processing unit (CPU), fan speed, temperature)
Configuration of host and guest operating system (OS) backup and restore functions
Management plane (e.g., scheduling, orchestration, maintenance)

5.3 - Implement operational controls and standards (e.g., Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 20000-1)

Change management
Continuity management
Information security management
Continual service improvement management
Incident management
Problem management
Release management
Deployment management
Configuration management
Service level management
Availability management
Capacity management

5.4 - Support digital forensics

Forensic data collection methodologies
Evidence management
Collect, acquire, and preserve digital evidence

5.5 - Manage communication with relevant parties

Vendors
Customers
Partners
Regulators
Other stakeholders

5.6 - Manage security operations

Security operations center (SOC)
Intelligent monitoring of security controls (e.g., firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), intrusion prevention systems (IPS), honeypots, network security groups, artificial intelligence (AI))
Log capture and analysis (e.g., security information and event management (SIEM), log management)
Incident management
Vulnerability assessments

6.1 - Articulate legal requirements and unique risks within the cloud environment

Conflicting international legislation
Evaluation of legal risks specific to cloud computing
Legal framework and guidelines
eDiscovery (e.g., International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 27050, Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Guidance)
Forensics requirements

6.2 - Understand privacy issues

Difference between contractual and regulated private data (e.g., protected health information (PHI), personally identifiable information (PII))
Country-specific legislation related to private data (e.g., protected health information (PHI), personally identifiable information (PII))
Jurisdictional differences in data privacy
Standard privacy requirements (e.g., International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 27018, Generally Accepted Privacy Principles (GAPP), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR))
Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA)

6.3 - Understand audit process, methodologies, and required adaptations for a cloud environment

Internal and external audit controls
Impact of audit requirements
Identify assurance challenges of virtualization and cloud
Types of audit reports (e.g., Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE), Service Organization Control (SOC), International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE))
Restrictions of audit scope statements (e.g., Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE), International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE))
Gap analysis (e.g., control analysis, baselines)
Audit planning
Internal information security management system
Internal information security controls system
Policies (e.g., organizational, functional, cloud computing)
Identification and involvement of relevant stakeholders
Specialized compliance requirements for highly-regulated industries (e.g., North American Electric Reliability Corporation / Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC / CIP), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, Payment Card Industry (PCI))
Impact of distributed information technology (IT) model (e.g., diverse geographical locations and crossing over legal jurisdictions)

6.4 - Understand implications of cloud to enterprise risk management

Assess providers risk management programs (e.g., controls, methodologies, policies, risk profile, risk appetite)
Difference between data owner/controller vs. data custodian/processor
Regulatory transparency requirements (e.g., breach notification, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR))
Risk treatment (i.e., avoid, mitigate, transfer, share, acceptance)
Different risk frameworks
Metrics for risk management
Assessment of risk environment (e.g., service, vendor, infrastructure, business)

6.5 - Understand outsourcing and cloud contract design

Business requirements (e.g., service-level agreement (SLA), master service agreement (MSA), statement of work (SOW))
Vendor management (e.g., vendor assessments, vendor lock-in risks, vendor viability, escrow)
Contract management (e.g., right to audit, metrics, definitions, termination, litigation, assurance, compliance, access to cloud/data, cyber risk insurance)
Supply-chain management (e.g., International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 27036)

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Additional Examination Information

Supplementary References

Candidates are encouraged to supplement their education and experience by reviewing relevant resources that pertain to the CCSP Exam Outline and identifying areas of study that may need additional attention.

View the full list of supplementary references at www.isc2.org/certifications/references.

Examination Policies and Procedures

ISC2 recommends that CCSP candidates review exam policies and procedures prior to registering for the examination. Read the comprehensive breakdown of this important information at www.isc2.org/register-for-exam.