Significant developments since the publication of its bestselling predecessor, Building and Implementing a Security Certification and Accreditation Program, warrant an updated text as well as an updated title. Reflecting recent updates to the Certified Authorization Professional (CAP®) Common Body of Knowledge (CBK®) and NIST SP 800-37, the Official (ISC)2® Guide to the CAP® CBK®, Second Edition provides readers with the tools to effectively secure their IT systems via standard, repeatable processes.
Derived from the author’s decades of experience, including time as the CISO for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Support Contract, the book describes what it takes to build a system security authorization program at the organizational level in both public and private organizations. It analyzes the full range of system security authorization (formerly C&A) processes and explains how they interrelate. Outlining a user-friendly approach for top-down implementation of IT security, the book:
- Details an approach that simplifies the authorization process, yet still satisfies current federal government criteria
- Explains how to combine disparate processes into a unified risk management methodology
- Covers all the topics included in the Certified Authorization Professional (CAP®) Common Body of Knowledge (CBK®)
- Examines U.S. federal polices, including DITSCAP, NIACAP, CNSS, NIAP, DoD 8500.1 and 8500.2, and NIST FIPS
- Reviews the tasks involved in certifying and accrediting U.S. government information systems
Chapters 1 through 7 describe each of the domains of the (ISC)2® CAP® CBK®. This is followed by a case study on the establishment of a successful system authorization program in a major U.S. government department. The final chapter considers the future of system authorization. The book’s appendices include a collection of helpful samples and additional information to provide you with the tools to effectively secure your IT systems.
Patrick D. Howard, CISSP, CISM, is a senior consultant for SecureInfo, a Kratos Company. He has over 40 years experience in security, including 20 years service as a U.S. Army Military Police officer, and has specialized in information security since 1989. Mr. Howard began his service as the Chief Information Security Officer for the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Support Contract in Centennial, Colorado in March 2012. He previously served as CISO for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Rockville, Maryland from 2008–2012, and for the Department of Housing and Urban Development from 2005–2008. Mr. Howard was named a Fed 100 winner in 2007, and is the author of three information security books: The Total CISSP Exam Prep Book, 2002; Building and Implementing a Security Certification and Accreditation Program, 2006; and Beyond Compliance: FISMA Principles and Best Practices, 2011. He is a member of the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium’s Government Advisory Board and Executive Writer’s Bureau, which he chairs. Mr. Howard is also an adjunct professor of Information Assurance at Walsh College, Troy Michigan. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1971 and a Master’s degree from Boston University in 1984.
