Latest updates, announcements, and industry news related to CISSP certification and cybersecurity.
On April 2, 2026, ISC2 released its Exam Guidance for Artificial Intelligence — a formal document mapping where AI security concepts now appear across its entire certification portfolio, including the CISSP. If you’re studying for the exam or maintaining your… Read More
The April 1, 2026 deadline for CISSP experience waiver changes is now in effect. Applications submitted from this date forward must use the reduced list of 25 approved credentials, down from approximately 50. Here is a clear-eyed look at what affected candidates should do now.
ISC2’s 2024 Annual Report documented 16% overall membership growth and a 56% year-over-year increase in Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) holders. The report also confirmed ISC2 secured renewal of its ANAB ISO/IEC 17024 accreditation for all certification programs and noted continued strong growth in CISSP, CCSP, and SSCP.
The April 2024 CISSP exam update increased the weight of Domain 1 (Security and Risk Management) and Domain 3 (Security Architecture and Engineering) while making subtle but meaningful shifts toward zero trust architecture and privacy engineering. Candidates preparing in 2026 need to account for these emphases, which are already live in the exam — not coming in a future update.
ISC2 announced in October 2025 that 31 credentials would be removed from the CISSP experience waiver list effective April 1, 2026. With the deadline now weeks away, the ISC2 community forums and r/cissp are showing a mix of accelerated exam scheduling, strategic pivots toward remaining approved credentials, and genuine debate about whether the change serves the profession.
The CISSP launched in 1994 with 46 holders in its first year. Thirty-one years later, more than 165,000 professionals hold the certification worldwide. ISC2’s 2024 Annual Report showed overall organizational membership growing 16% year-over-year, with the entry-level CC credential growing 56% as the pipeline into senior certifications expands.
ISC2 confirmed in April 2025 that its Exam Peace of Mind Protection program — which covers a second exam attempt if a candidate doesn’t pass on the first try — is now a permanent standard option when purchasing eligible ISC2 exam vouchers. The CISSP two-attempt voucher is priced at $998, compared to $749 for a single attempt.
As of October 1, 2025, ISC2 moved three certifications — the Certified in Cybersecurity (CC), SSCP, and CCSP — to Computerized Adaptive Testing format exclusively. All four of ISC2’s major certification exams now run on CAT, following the CISSP’s transition in April 2024.
ISC2 announced updated exam outlines and AI-powered adaptive self-paced training courses for its three most advanced certifications — ISSAP, ISSEP, and ISSMP — effective August 2025. The move also carries direct relevance for the April 2026 CISSP experience waiver changes, as these three credentials were added to the approved waiver list as part of the same update cycle.
Current compensation data from Glassdoor puts the US median salary for CISSP holders at $161,387, with top earners at the 90th percentile reaching $295,338. The BLS projects 33% job growth for information security analysts through 2033 — more than ten times the average for all occupations.