ISC2 announces a 10th certification and a deliberate build
The cyber nonprofit behind the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) qualification announced its 10th certification during Security Congress 2026 in Denver, Colorado, on October 26. According to ISC2’s CEO Scott Beale, the new credential is being “built by cybersecurity professionals, for cybersecurity professionals” and is intended to serve as “an AI security benchmark for the cybersecurity industry.” Beale also said AI content is being “incorporated across all other ISC2 current certifications.”
Six key domains that will define the exam
ISC2 has published the six domains the pilot exam will assess. The pilot will measure candidates’ knowledge, skills and abilities across:
- AI concepts and security fundamentals
- AI governance, ethics, risk and compliance
- AI data management, privacy and model security
- Secure AI architecture, engineering and identity and access management (IAM)
- Secure AI operations and incident response (IR)
- AI threats, testing and lifecycle management
Each domain includes topics and subtopics intended to clarify the expertise the exam is designed to evaluate.
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See what we buildPilot and beta timetable: October 26 opening to a potential early‑2027 launch
ISC2 opened a pilot exam phase on October 26 to give cybersecurity professionals, employers and the global cybersecurity community insight into the domains and topics the exam will assess. The organization says the pilot phase will provide “critical evidence to evaluate whether the examination measures AI security competence reliably, fairly and defensibly,” a formulation provided in a public statement by Casey Marks, ISC2’s COO.
ISC2 is seeking 3,000 volunteers to enrol in a beta version of the exam in December 2026; interested volunteers must submit their interest by November 4. If the pilot phase is judged successful, the certification will be available to take in the first quarter of 2027, and — Beale estimated — possibly as early as January 2027.
Eligibility rules and experience substitutions
The new credential will be open to both ISC2 members and non‑members, and to professionals who do and do not already hold ISC2 credentials. ISC2 describes the target audience as professionals responsible for securing the design, deployment and maintenance of AI and machine learning systems across the AI lifecycle — work that spans technical defence, governance, ethics, risk-based guidance and enterprise collaboration.
Candidates must meet minimum experience criteria: at least four years of cumulative, paid full‑time experience in cybersecurity or AI‑related fields, including two years in cybersecurity and one year in two or more of the domains on the exam outline. ISC2 will accept active credential holders in lieu of the experience requirement: an active CISSP, ISSAP, ISSEP, ISSMP, CCSP or CSSLP may be substituted for the entire AI security certification experience requirement.
What this means for cybersecurity professionals, employers, and the global cybersecurity community
- Cybersecurity professionals: Individuals who meet the stated experience thresholds will have a new pathway to demonstrate AI‑focused competence — from fundamentals through incident response and lifecycle management — once the exam exits pilot and becomes generally available.
- Employers and procurement leaders: The pilot phase is positioned to give employers early visibility into the domains and topics ISC2 intends to test; Marks framed the pilot as a way to generate “critical evidence” that the exam measures competence “reliably, fairly and defensibly,” language aimed at employer trust in certification rigor.
- The global cybersecurity community: ISC2 says the preliminary phase benefited from input from 10,000 volunteer professionals worldwide through Job Task Analysis surveys, and the organization has recently increased AI-related certificates, webinars, events and professional development offerings. ISC2 also cited the launch of the Cyber AI Workforce Coalition on October 20 as one example of its recent activity in the AI safety and security space.
Conclusion: a structured, member-informed experiment toward an industry benchmark
ISC2’s announcement frames the new credential as a member‑driven, evidence‑based attempt to set an AI security benchmark for cybersecurity professionals. The organization has moved from broad Job Task Analysis input — 10,000 volunteers — to a pilot phase opening on October 26 and a December 2026 beta intended to enrol 3,000 volunteers by a November 4 sign‑up deadline. If the pilot satisfies ISC2’s stated standards for reliability, fairness and defensibility, the exam could be offered in the first quarter of 2027, perhaps as early as January. For now, the certification remains unnamed and under development; the next concrete milestones are the November 4 volunteer deadline and the December beta phase.
