EC-Council Chief Information Security Officer® (CCISO®) Version 4

Develop the strategic, leadership, and technical knowledge required to operate effectively at CISO level with the latest version of Firebrand's C|CISO® course, v4.

Designed for experienced and aspiring cyber security leaders, C|CISO v4 goes beyond technical security to focus on the governance, business, and executive responsibilities of today's CISO. You'll learn how to lead enterprise security programmes, communicate cyber risk to senior stakeholders, make informed investment decisions, align security strategy with business objectives, and govern emerging technologies.

The programme combines key areas of cyber security leadership, including governance, risk management, security programme management, executive leadership, finance, procurement, strategic planning, and technical oversight. You'll gain the skills to assess organisational risk, prioritise security investments, measure security performance, and support informed decision-making at board level.

C|CISO v4 also reflects today's evolving cyber security and digital-resilience landscape, incorporating perspectives from key UK and European regulatory frameworks, including NIS Regulations, NIS2, DORA, the Cyber Resilience Act, and GDPR. Rather than viewing these purely as compliance requirements, you'll explore their impact on governance, resilience, supply-chain security, assurance, and executive accountability.

C|CISO® is ANSI-accredited and GCHQ Certified, providing independent recognition of the knowledge and capabilities expected of senior information and cyber security leaders.

At Firebrand, we are proud to be an award-winning EC-Council Accredited Training Center (ATC) and Partner (ATP).

Our courses are delivered through our time-tested Lecture | Lab | Review method that immerses you in the course material and helps you retain information more efficiently.

On this course, you will learn to:

• Leverage AI for governance, compliance, and security monitoring
• Conduct AI-enabled risk management, auditing, and strategic planning
• Develop AI security strategies aligned with global standards and 
  frameworks
• Ensure AI is integrated securely into enterprise operations while maintaining business continuity
• Lead AI adoption securely and responsibly
• Address emerging regulatory requirements for AI usage across multiple jurisdictions
• Balance innovation and risk while guiding AI adoption within the 
  enterprise
• Communicate AI risks effectively to boards and executives, strengthening organisational trust

C|CISO® v4 is structured across five core domains:

Domain 1 – Governance, Risk, Compliance and Audit Management

Develop and maintain effective information security governance, risk, and compliance arrangements.

You'll explore how CISOs establish governance structures, policies, and security objectives; identify and manage enterprise cyber risk; respond to legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations; and use audit and assurance to demonstrate that security controls and management arrangements remain effective.

The domain also considers how cyber security governance integrates with wider organisational risk management and how security leaders provide meaningful assurance to senior management and other stakeholders.

Domain 2 – Organisational Executive Leadership

Develop the leadership capabilities required to operate effectively at senior and executive level.

You'll examine organisational culture, stakeholder management, communication, leadership styles, ethics, decision-making and the CISO's role in influencing wider business strategy.

The focus moves beyond managing a security team towards leading security across an organisation — building relationships, influencing executives, managing competing priorities, and translating complex cyber risks into language that enables informed business decisions.

Domain 3 – Information Security Controls, Security Programme Management and Operations

Learn how to design, govern, and continually improve an enterprise information security programme. You'll cover security programme management, control selection and oversight, operational security, metrics and performance, resource management, security awareness, incident management and the practical delivery of security capabilities across an organisation.

You'll also consider how CISOs measure whether their security programme is achieving its objectives and how operational information can be transformed into meaningful reporting for senior decision makers.

Domain 4 – Information Security Core Competencies

Build the broad technical understanding required to lead and challenge security teams effectively. Topics include identity and access management, network security, endpoint security, cloud computing, vulnerability and configuration management, business continuity and disaster recovery, cryptography, application security, incident response and other core security technologies and practices.

The objective is not to turn CISOs into specialist engineers. It is to provide security leaders with sufficient technical understanding to ask the right questions, evaluate risk, challenge assumptions, and make informed decisions.

Domain 5 – Strategic Planning, Finance, Procurement and Third-Party Management

Understand how cyber security strategy is translated into sustainable organisational investment and delivery. You'll examine strategic planning, business alignment, budgeting, financial analysis, procurement, outsourcing, vendor management and third-party risk.

The domain develops the commercial and financial awareness required to prioritise security investment, evaluate competing options and explain cyber security expenditure in terms that senior executives and business leaders understand.

In order to sit the C|CISO® exam, you are first required to submit an application to EC-Council and provide references who can verify your experience across the 5 C|CISO® knowledge domains. Without approval from EC-Council, you cannot sit the exam.

Once approved, you'll be eligible to sit the official exam at the Firebrand Training Centre, covered by your Certification Guarantee.

The C|CISO v4 exam is designed to assess more than factual recall. Candidates should be prepared to interpret scenarios, consider competing organisational priorities and identify the most appropriate response from the perspective of a senior information security leader.

This means understanding not simply what a security technology or control does, but why a CISO would select a particular course of action in a given organisational situation.

• Exam Title: EC-Council Certified Chief Information Security Officer (C|CISO)
• Exam Code: 712-50
• Number of Questions: 150
• Duration: 2.5 hours
• Availability: ECC Exam Portal
• Passing Score: 60-85%
• Test Format: Multiple-Choice/Scenario-Based Questions

A note on Passing Score: In order to maintain the high integrity of our certifications exams, EC-Council exams are provided in multiple forms (i.e. different question banks). Each form is carefully analysed through beta testing with an appropriate sample group under the purview of a committee of subject matter experts that ensure that each of our exams not only has academic rigor but also has real-world applicability. EC-Council also have a process to determine the difficulty rating of each question. The individual rating then contributes to an overall Cut Score for each exam form. To ensure each form has equal assessment standards, cut scores are set on a per-exam-form basis. Depending on which exam form is challenged, cut scores can range from 60% to 85%.

There are no prerequisites to sit this course. However, to sit the exam, you must demonstrate five years' experience in three of the five CCISO Domains verified via the EC-Council's exam eligibility application.

If you do not have five years of domain experience, you can take the Associate C|CISO Certification programme instead.

Experience waivers are available for some professional certifications (including CISSP®, CISM®, CISA®, CRISC®, CGEIT®, LPT, EDRP, CIPP®, PMP®, ITIL®) and relevant higher education qualifications.

Who is C|CISO® for?

C|CISO is designed for experienced information and cyber security professionals who are moving into, or already operating within, senior leadership responsibilities.

Typical delegates include:

• Chief Information Security Officers, Deputy CISOs and aspiring CISOs
• Heads of Cyber Security and Information Security
• Security Directors and senior security managers
• Senior cyber security consultants
• Security architects moving towards leadership roles
• Governance, risk and compliance leaders and regulatory (or regulated) specialists
• Professionals responsible for directing or influencing enterprise cyber security strategy

The programme is particularly valuable for technically experienced professionals who want to develop the governance, leadership, financial and strategic capabilities required to operate at executive level.

Should I take the C|CISO® or Associate C|CISO®?

Candidates wishing to achieve the full C|CISO certification must satisfy EC-Council's eligibility and professional-experience requirements.
Professionals who complete the programme and examination but do not yet meet the required experience criteria may be eligible for the Associate C|CISO route.

This provides aspiring security leaders with an opportunity to develop their understanding of the CISO role while continuing to build the professional experience required for full certification.

It also means professionals do not need to wait until they hold a CISO job title before beginning to develop executive-level cyber security knowledge.

Why should I take the C|CISO® with Firebrand?

Firebrand's immersive delivery is designed to help experienced professionals develop the breadth of knowledge required across all five C|CISO domains within an intensive learning environment.

Your instructor will combine structured teaching with examination preparation, discussion, practical examples and scenario-based exercises to reinforce key concepts.

The emphasis throughout is on understanding the material rather than memorising isolated facts — helping you prepare for the examination while also developing knowledge that can be applied within real cyber security leadership roles.

By the end of the course, you should have a stronger understanding of how governance, technology, risk, finance, leadership and strategy combine within the modern CISO role.

What's included in the Firebrand C|CISO® course?

• Official EC-Council C|CISO® course materials
• Official EC-Council C|CISO® exam voucher
• Official EC-Council C|CISO® exam, steps away from the classroom, during your course
• Learn from a Certified EC-Council Instructor
• 27 CPE (Continuing Professional Education) hours
• 144 ECE (EC-Council Continuing Education) credits

When you achieve your C|CISO® certification, you will be awarded a digital badge. You can download it from EC-Council’s Aspen Portal.

What is the C|CISO® exam like? What is the cost?

The EC-Council Certified Chief Information Security Officer (C|CISO) exam is designed to assess the skills and knowledge of high-level Information Security executives. The exam focuses on strategic security management, governance, and the operational aspects of information security in an organization. It's a complex exam that lasts 2 1/2 hours.

At Firebrand, the C|CISO exam cost is included in the course fee; in addition, delegates also enjoy the Certification Guarantee: if they don't pass the exam the first time, they can take the course again for free within a year of their first one, only paying for accommodation, the exam, and incidental costs.

Six reasons to sit your course with Firebrand Training

• Three training options. Choose between residential classroom-based, live online, or city-centre courses
• All-inclusive course. A one-off fee covers all course materials, exams**, accommodation* and meals*. No hidden extras.
• Pass the first time or train again for free. This is our guarantee. We’re confident you’ll pass your course the first time. But if not, come back within a year and only pay for accommodation, exams and incidental costs
• You’ll learn more. Our expert instructors cover exclusive additional materials not taught through the official curriculum
• You’ll learn faster. Chances are, you’ll have a different learning style compared to those around you. We combine visual, auditory and tactile styles to deliver the material in a way that ensures you will learn faster and more easily
• You’ll be studying with the best. We’ve been named in the Training Industry’s “Top 20 IT Training Companies of the Year” every year since 2010. As well as winning many more awards, we’ve trained and certified over 145,000 professionals

*For residential training only. Doesn't apply to online courses
**Some exceptions apply. Please refer to the Exam Track or speak with our experts

Are you ready for the course? 

Get access to free practice tests here:  Free Practice Test