WGU MSCIA: Thoughts after 18 days

Blucodex

Original post will not allow editing anymore.

Classes Completed
C701 - Ethical Hacking (CEH Certification) 8/11
JIT2 - Risk Management 8/17
C700 - Secure Network Design 8/24
TFT2 - Cyberlaw, Regulations, and Compliance 8/28
C706 - Secure Software Design 8/31
C688 - Cyberwarfare 9/19

In Progress
C702 - Forensics and Network Intrusion

Remaining
FXT2 - Disaster Recovery Planning, Prevention and Response
VLT2 - Security Policies and Standards - Best Practices
LQT2 -Information Security and Assurance Capstone Project

Blucodex

Assessment requested for C702. I'll be taking the CHFI exam next week. Let's hope it's a pass. That would leave me with 3 classes to complete by end of January.

mgeoffriau

Great progress! One term is definitely within reach.

SecAdmin1981

Hello everyone,

I am stuck on C706 secure software design. For the life of me I can not pass the assessment and I am currently working with a course mentor. I can not seem to grasp CMM and CMMI! I have looked up several things on the internet to try and remember the levels but so far no good. If anyone could suggest anything to help me remember I would be forever grateful! I am serious need, they are currently doing an appeal for me to take the test one more time. Please help me!!

Blucodex

Update. I did not pass the CHFI exam on 10/1. I've setup my next exam for Thursday 10/19.

Blucodex

SecAdmin1981 wrote: »

Hello everyone,

I am stuck on C706 secure software design. For the life of me I can not pass the assessment and I am currently working with a course mentor. I can not seem to grasp CMM and CMMI! I have looked up several things on the internet to try and remember the levels but so far no good. If anyone could suggest anything to help me remember I would be forever grateful! I am serious need, they are currently doing an appeal for me to take the test one more time. Please help me!!

My best advice is to go over the course materials until you feel comfortable with the different models and frameworks that are provided.

mgeoffriau

Blucodex wrote: »

Update. I did not pass the CHFI exam on 10/1. I've setup my next exam for Thursday 10/16.

Which version did you take? I took v9 and struggled mightily with it. Since then I have recommended to others that they request the v8 exam while it is still available, as the study materials are much better than what they provide for v9.

Blucodex

mgeoffriau wrote: »

Which version did you take? I took v9 and struggled mightily with it. Since then I have recommended to others that they request the v8 exam while it is still available, as the study materials are much better than what they provide for v9.

I did a dry run on v9. Registered for v8 this time

NotHackingYou

How did your retake go?

Blucodex

NotHackingYou wrote: »

How did your retake go?

Oops, correct day, wrong date. Thursday the 19th. Not the 16th.

NotHackingYou

Here's hoping for a pass! I recently took the CHFI v8 and found it to be more difficult than the CEH in terms of minutia on the exam and questions that didn't make sense to me.

NotHackingYou

Update on your retake? I am on task 4 of VLT2.

Blucodex

NotHackingYou wrote: »

Here's hoping for a pass! I recently took the CHFI v8 and found it to be more difficult than the CEH in terms of minutia on the exam and questions that didn't make sense to me.

Was ready to roll and come to find out I need a new voucher from WGU. Currently navigating those waters. Rescheduled for today but voucher has not come so I just changed to Wednesday evening. Unfortunately ProctorU forces a 3 day lead time...

May be forced to take v9 again. WGU's course docs are for v9 now but the videos are still for v8. TBD, will update as soon as I take the test!

devilbones

Blucodex wrote: »

Was ready to roll and come to find out I need a new voucher from WGU. Currently navigating those waters. Rescheduled for today but voucher has not come so I just changed to Wednesday evening. Unfortunately ProctorU forces a 3 day lead time...

May be forced to take v9 again. WGU's course docs are for v9 now but the videos are still for v8. TBD, will update as soon as I take the test!

You can call proctorU and they will change it sooner than 3 days. I ran into the same issue and there were able to take care of it on the spot.

Blucodex

devilbones wrote: »

You can call proctorU and they will change it sooner than 3 days. I ran into the same issue and there were able to take care of it on the spot.

Thank you! Was able to get it done today with an 89%. Let's go!

Blucodex

CHFIv8 was considerably easier than v9 IMO. On to FXT2 - Disaster Recovery Planning, Prevention and Response. My term ends the last day of January so that gives me 3 full months and a week for the remaining 3 classes. Coming down the home stretch.


Classes Completed
C701 - Ethical Hacking (CEH Certification) 8/11
JIT2 - Risk Management 8/17
C700 - Secure Network Design 8/24
TFT2 - Cyberlaw, Regulations, and Compliance 8/28
C706 - Secure Software Design 8/31
C688 - Cyberwarfare 9/19
C702 - Forensics and Network Intrusion 10/23

In Progress
FXT2 - Disaster Recovery Planning, Prevention and Response

Remaining
VLT2 - Security Policies and Standards - Best Practices
LQT2 -Information Security and Assurance Capstone Project

catscaps

very impressed with your dedication Blucodex. I have been able to accomplish a course a month, and that is a challenge.

McxRisley

So as someone who has worked in Information Assurance for the last few years, one of the posts here about some course tasks bothers me. The post mentions "raising IA levels", Information Assurance is not something that is measured in levels or anything of the sort. Information Assurance is a job duty/task. I just have a big issue with these types of schools teaching people things that are just not right. We use different types of classifications and labels to desgnate the security posture of a network, not "IA levels".

Blucodex

McxRisley wrote: »

So as someone who has worked in Information Assurance for the last few years, one of the posts here about some course tasks bothers me. The post mentions "raising IA levels", Information Assurance is not something that is measured in levels or anything of the sort. Information Assurance is a job duty/task. I just have a big issue with these types of schools teaching people things that are just not right. We use different types of classifications and labels to desgnate the security posture of a network, not "IA levels".

When you say "these schools". Do you mean ALL schools? Other than maybe a few select programs I think academia is lacking across the board when it comes to the security space. It just moves too fast for academic standards to keep up. ASU is allegedly a top school in the nation but I've heard lackluster responses from the students who actually attend. Basically, you can learn more on your own in a few months than the entire MS program from ASU.

As far as raising IA levels. All that's really being done is explaining how you've strengthened security posture. There is no level per say--just that they've been raised. Not that that justifies it but maybe it's a semantics thing?

NotHackingYou

Any tips on FXT2? I have this next when I finish task 4 of VLT2.

Blucodex

NotHackingYou wrote: »

Any tips on FXT2? I have this next when I finish task 4 of VLT2.

I just started Task 1. It's a 2 credit class so it shouldn't be too hard. Using past experience I would just say follow the rubric carefully and practice content over length.

NotHackingYou

Another poster said the FXT2 assignments were huge, is that what you are seeing?

Blucodex

NotHackingYou wrote: »

Another poster said the FXT2 assignments were huge, is that what you are seeing?

I'm only on task 1 and it's a 15 (recommended) page PowerPoint. Doesn't seem huge to me.

Blucodex

FXT2 task 1 submitted last night. 144th in line at this moment.

Going to start cranking on task 2 today.

Blucodex

Worked on papers for FXT2 all weekend. Task 1 was kicked back but I have already re-submitted. Tasks 2 and 3 submitted yesterday and today. Should have this class wrapped up by the end of next weekend.

NotHackingYou

Great progress. I finished VLT2 this weekend and starting on FXT2 today.

Blucodex

NotHackingYou wrote: »

Great progress. I finished VLT2 this weekend and starting on FXT2 today.

Awesome. You’re getting close to the end too right?

To answer your question I didn’t feel FXT2 was necessarily longer than any other papers. I don’t do disaster recovery so I found it boring but my CISSP training despite being 6 years ago and knowledge of DR from being a sysadmin went a long way in helping me really just jam out content. Afterwards I added in some references and tightened up any loose ends.

NotHackingYou

Yes, I only have the DR and capstone left. Hoping to finish this year. Thanks, this is helpful. I've been able to do each class in one month so far

Edit: Which classes do you have left?

Blucodex

Task 2 is a first attempt pass. Waiting on task 3 and Task 1.

Blucodex

NotHackingYou wrote: »

Yes, I only have the DR and capstone left. Hoping to finish this year. Thanks, this is helpful. I've been able to do each class in one month so far

Edit: Which classes do you have left?

All I will have left after this week is VLT2 - Security Policies and Standards and LQT2 - Capstone Project.