CWSP - Certified Wireless Security Professional

{LANG_NAVORIGIN} Certifications
J. Whitted 07/15/2005

The CWSP exam is an advanced level wireless LAN certification developed by Planet3 Wireless. This exam is a part of the Certified Wireless Network Program (CWNP). The exam tests your ability on how well you are able to protect your company’s valuable data from hackers. For anyone desiring a career in IT or Security this is a certification you cannot afford to be without.

The CWSP is the first nationally recognized wireless security exam offering in the United States. While this exam is has been around for several years, it is probably one of the best kept secrets. However when securing employment with major corporations in the area of wireless security, you will find that employers are looking for this certification.

One of the great fears around wireless is security. The one thing that beats fear is education. I applaud Planet3 Wireless on the job they have done in providing an exam that is both comprehensive and accurate. This vendor neutral exam really outlines the security solutions that are available today and more importantly how the solution should be utilized. The exam looks at the customer’s infrastructure and not the vendor’s product. You will find that the exam leaves no stone unturned.

Test Preparation:

The best study material to date other than real world experience is a combination of the following

CWSP Instructor-led Training
CWSP Study Guide
Practice Test

Ideally, your chances are better for passing the exam when you combined all three of these methods. However, money and time constraints sometimes prevent this from happening.

CWSP Instructor-led Training

The CWSP training is a full five days. This Instructor-led training is coupled with hands-on lab based exercises. You will find that some vendors will take a “cram session” approach and deliver the training in four days by stripping out labs. This however is not recommended especially for individuals who have limited wireless LAN experience. There are a number of certified training vendors that offer the training throughout the United States and abroad. For a complete lists of authorized training vendors, check out the Planet3 Wireless website http://www.cwnp.com. Make sure your training provider is approved by Planet3 to ensure a quality training experience. All of the instructors, if approve by Planet3 have been taught directly by Devin Akin the author of the course or by a Planet3 Wireless authorized training center. As you might imagine when something is in high demand you often have imitators coming out of the woodwork. It is up to the consumer to make sure they shop around and do their due diligence when looking for a training provider. You want to make sure that your vendor of choice meets these minimum requirements:

Is listed on the CWNP web site as a training provider
Uses only Enterprise equipment to deliver the training
Uses a Certified Instructor that are approve by Planet3 Wireless to deliver the training

The cost of the training ranges from $2495.00 to $2995.00. This is a small price to pay when you look at the detailed labs that are being performed and all the enterprise equipment that is used to deliver the training. Some of the vendor products that are used in the training are; AirMagnet, Airespace Networks, Proxim, Colubris, Aruba, BlueSocket, AirWave, Cisco, Funk Software, Network Chemistry, Fortress Technologies, Trapeze Networks, and Vernier Networks just to name a few. Not to mention the level of expertise that is required to deliver the training.

The class is about 85% hands-on lab based. From a preparation prospective nothing beats true hands-on lab experience. The class represents an important part of the preparation since you get to use the equipment in the class. Let’s face it, if you are going to work for a major corporation they are using enterprise equipment! So it would only make sense that you use the same type of equipment in your training environment.

The course has just gone through a major overhaul to reflect all the latest and greatest in wireless LAN security solutions. So you can expect the test to change in the next three months or so.

CWSP Study Guide:

The Study Guide is a comprehensive book that consists of 500+ pages on how to secure 802.11 wireless LANS. The book in addition to being an excellent study guide is an invaluable reference/resource guide that all wireless LAN professionals need to have at their fingertips. The study guide has review questions at the end of each chapter along with detailed design drawings of various security solutions.

The book also contains a thorough collection of material on how to secure enterprise wireless networks. You will find that the study guide goes into detail about layer 2, layer 3 and layer 7 hardware and software solutions.

The cost of the book is 69.99 USD. If you purchase the book from the vendor site you can get the online practice test bundled in for free. Note, you can purchase the study guide from other vendors but the online practice tests won’t be included. For my money, it just makes sense to purchase it from the vendor site. The book is published by McGraw Hill and written by Devin Akin. ISBN is 0-07-223012-6

Practice Test:

Practice tests are available through the vendor. Tester will receive a 90-day unlimited use license which will give them access to 120 online practice questions. The cost of the license is $49.95 USD. You can purchase the license online at www.cwnp.com or over the phone by calling 1-866-438-2963. The 90-day license starts when you login. So don’t attempt to view the test until you are really ready to prepare for the exam. The practice questions were written by the same wireless networking experts who wrote the CWSP certification exam.

Exam Prerequisites:

There is only one prerequisite. Individuals attempting to take this exam must be CWNA certified. (Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA) is another wireless certification through Planet3 Wireless which deals with wireless administration). While not a requirement, it is recommended that testers have their Security+ and/or SCP certification.

Exam Registration #:

PW0-200

Exam Cost:

The exam can be purchased for $175.00 USD.

Exam Format:

The CWSP exam is a 90 minute timed exam which consists of 60 scenario based questions. You are required to obtain a passing score of 70%. Should you have an interests in being an instructor, the passing score requirements are a little more stringent. A passing score of 80% is required.

Exam Content

You will find that the exam covers three basic areas; Wireless LAN Security Solutions, Wireless LAN Intrusion, and Wireless LAN Security Policies. The exam goes into deeper detail by highlighting the topic below:

Wireless Security Principles
Intrusion Techniques
How Networks are Compromised
Intrusion Detection Systems
Layer 2 Wireless VPNs
SOHO/SMB 802.1X/EAP Security
Enterprise Wireless Gateways
Secure Wireless Bridging
Wireless LAN Switching
Wireless VLANs and EAP Types
Secure Wireless LAN Management
Wireless VPN Routers

Exam Location:

The exam is nationally recognized and can be taken through any Authorized Thompson Prometric Testing Center. For locations in your area, check out http://www.2test.com.

I highly recommend anyone who is going into the field of security wired or wireless to take this exam.

About the Author

J. Whitted is the CEO of TechNet Training Centers, a Premier Certified Wireless Education Center. TechNet was the first institution to offer vendor neutral Wireless LAN training. TechNet trains hundreds of people each year on the wireless LAN technology. Some of her clients include Bellsouth, Thailand Government, LL Bean, Fujitsu, Georgia Department of Labor, SunTrust Bank, Delta Airlines, Sony, IBM, US Army, Department of Defense, and Turner Broadcasting just to name a few.

In addition to being the CEO of TechNet she is also the Founder of the Georgia Wireless User Group and Annual Who’s Who WiFi Conference which is held in Atlanta, GA. J holds certifications in Wireless, Networking, Web Design, Administration and Security. Before coming CEO of TechNet Training Centers, J held several training and network administration positions with major companies throughout the United States. J was also nominated 2005 Technology Woman of the Year.

J can be contacted via e-mail at whittedj AT gmail DOT com or 770-455-4477. For information on the Georgia Wireless User Group, check out http://www.gawug.com.

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