About me
Hi, I’m Terry—a cybersecurity enthusiast with a passion for protecting digital landscapes and a strong desire to make a difference in the world of information security. My journey into cybersecurity began with a fascination for how technology shapes our lives and a determination to safeguard it from evolving threats.
I started my career with a background in IT, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that cybersecurity was where my true passion lay. I have always been driven by a curiosity to understand how systems work and, more importantly, how they can be protected from those who seek to exploit them. This curiosity led me to pursue the CISSP certification, the gold standard in the field of information security.
While my path has not been without its challenges—including a disappointing boot camp experience that taught me the importance of due diligence—I believe every experience offers a valuable lesson. That particular ordeal, where I was misled by false promises and outdated training, fueled my determination to seek out genuine, high-quality education and to share my story with others to prevent them from facing the same pitfalls.
I am committed to continuous learning and am always looking for new ways to expand my knowledge and skills. Whether it’s through official training, hands-on experience, or staying up-to-date with the latest trends and threats, I am dedicated to becoming a cybersecurity expert who not only understands the technical aspects but also the ethical and strategic considerations essential to the field.
I believe in the power of community, transparency, and integrity, both in life and in work. My goal is to not just secure networks, systems, and data, but also to help build a safer and more trustworthy digital world for everyone.
Thank you for joining me on this journey—I’m excited to see where it takes us next!
My Story
My Story of why Infosec Institute Sucks
Disappointed Customers Online
Negative Reviews
Customer Struggles Found
Reported Issues
My name is Terry, and I’ve always been passionate about cybersecurity. As a young professional eager to build a solid foundation in the industry, I decided to pursue the CISSP certification—the gold standard for information security professionals. I knew this certification would open doors to better job opportunities and help me advance my career.
“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”
— Mark Twain
After some research, I came across a boot camp offered by Infosec Institute. They advertised themselves as an “official ISC2 training partner,” with promises of a comprehensive course that would thoroughly prepare us for the CISSP exam. The icing on the cake? An exam voucher included in the package, and ONSITE testing on the last day. It all sounded perfect, so I took the plunge, paid the high fees, and eagerly enrolled in their CISSP boot camp.
But from the moment I arrived, things started to feel off.
A Rough Start
On day one of the boot camp, I spotted something odd right away – their training materials looked pretty outdated. I figured it might just be intro stuff and we’d get to the current content later in the week. But nope. As the days passed, it became obvious the whole course wasn’t matching up with the latest CISSP exam requirements. I started getting that uneasy feeling, though I tried to convince myself maybe I was missing something.
When I asked the instructor about the outdated material, he gave me this vague answer like, “The fundamentals don’t change” – not exactly what you want to hear. I expected better from an “official” training partner. I even asked if the courseware was the same book I’d already bought from Amazon, and got told “It is all the same.” The more I sat through it, the more I realized this course wasn’t at all what they’d led me to believe.
The Deception Unfolds
The real wake up call hit me midweek. I was reviewing a practice exam when one of the questions mentioned checking ISC2’s official website for training resources. So I did just that and found an email listing their officially endorsed training partners. My stomach dropped when I scanned through it. Infosec Institute wasn’t even on the list! I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. Here I was, dumping all this time and money into a boot camp that ISC2 didn’t even recognize. When I asked the trainer, he said he was an official ISc2 trainer. When questioned by a different person, he quickly changed his awsner that he was “retired”, but it did not matter.
On the next break, I confronted the Infosec rep about this. Instead of a straight answer, I got this wishy washy response that basically told me nothing. That’s when I knew for sure something fishy was going on. The rest of the class went as you would expect, a very unimpressive trainer, and the same book I already did not like.
But wait, it gets worse.
One of the main reasons I picked Infosec Institute was because they promised an exam voucher with the package. That was a big deal since the CISSP exam costs a pretty penny. After finishing the boot camp, I waited for my voucher to show up. A few days went by. Then a week. Then more. Nothing.
I started emailing and calling them, probably way too many times, but I was getting desperate. After being bounced around and ignored, they finally told me there had been “a mistake” and they couldn’t give me the voucher after all.
I was beyond angry. Not only had I wasted a week of my life on useless training, but now I was also stuck paying for the exam that was supposed to be included! Talk about adding insult to injury.
A big reason I chose Infosec Institute was their promise of including an exam voucher. This was huge for me since the CISSP exam isn’t cheap. After the boot camp ended, I expected my voucher to arrive pretty quickly. First a couple days passed. Then a full week. Then another. Still nothing.
So I started reaching out to them. Emails, phone calls, probably annoying them but I was getting worried. After getting transferred around and ignored for days, they finally came clean. Apparently the voucher was only available if you signed up for the test during the actual class. And it meant no retakes either. None of this was explained beforehand, and it definitely wasn’t in any of their marketing materials I saw.
I was livid. I’d not only burned a week on training that was basically worthless, but now I was on the hook for the exam fee they promised to cover with conditions they never mentioned! The whole thing felt like a total scam.
I decided to reach out to some other folks from my class, and wow, I wasn’t alone in this mess. Everyone was dealing with the same nightmare. One guy told me he couldn’t use his voucher either because he needed more time to study before scheduling the test. Another woman was furious because she specifically asked about the voucher policy before signing up and got totally different information.
And it wasn’t just the voucher situation. People were complaining about how the trainer rushed through complex topics but would spend forever on basic stuff we all already knew. One person mentioned how the instructor would check his phone during our questions! Someone else pointed out that whenever anyone asked something challenging, the trainer would just say “that’s beyond the scope of the exam” and move on.
We ended up starting a group chat to share resources and help each other actually prepare for the exam. It was nice to have the support, but it’s crazy that we had to basically create our own study group just to get what we paid for in the first place. Honestly, the whole experience felt like a giant money grab from a company that clearly doesn’t care about actually helping people get certified.
Learning the Hard Way
This whole experience taught me something important: always check out a training provider thoroughly before handing over your money. The fact that they weren’t officially recognized, had outdated materials, and played games with the exam voucher left me feeling completely burned.
But you know what? I didn’t let it stop me. Instead, I used it as a wake-up call. I did way more research the second time around. This time I actually verified and confirmed in writing everything, no strings attached.
The best part? I reached out directly to ISC2 to tell them about my experience with Infosec Institute. I got connected with this super helpful person named Sarah in their certification department. When I explained everything that happened, she was genuinely shocked. She listened to my whole story, asked for some documentation of what happened, and then did something amazing – she arranged for me to get an exam voucher completely FREE! Sarah told me they take their training partnerships seriously and wanted to make things right even though it wasn’t their mistake. That single act of kindness restored my faith in the whole certification process. Sometimes it really pays to speak up!
A Warning to Others
I’m sharing my story because I don’t want others to go through what I did. If you’re considering a CISSP boot camp, please make sure you’re choosing a provider that is officially endorsed by ISC2. Don’t just take their word for it—verify their claims.
Remember, your time, money, and effort are valuable. Don’t let misleading marketing and false promises derail your journey to becoming CISSP certified like it did mine. Be careful, do your homework, and invest in your future wisely.
My Suggestions for Exam Success
After my disastrous boot camp experience with Infosec Institute, I had to rebuild my study strategy from scratch. Here’s how I finally passed the CISSP exam by creating a methodical approach using quality resources:
My Study Strategy
I started by breaking down the material by covering one domain per week. This was absolutely crucial because the CISSP has such an overwhelming amount of content that trying to learn everything simultaneously is a recipe for failure. Taking it domain by domain allowed me to truly digest the concepts before moving on.
The Resources I Used
Official (ISC)² CISSP Study Guide by Mike Chapple: Honestly, this was painfully dry reading. While somewhat helpful for covering the basics, there were sections that were so dense and technically written that I found myself rereading paragraphs multiple times. It got the job done, but it wasn’t enjoyable.
11th Hour CISSP by Eric Conrad: This slim volume was solid for last-minute review, though I noticed some topics were a bit outdated. Still, for condensing the massive amount of CISSP content into something digestible before the exam, it was worth every page.
ITProTV CISSP Course: Complete garage trash. I wasted hours trying to follow along with rambling explanations that never seemed to get to the point. The production quality was decent, but the content organization and delivery left a lot to be desired.
Destination Certification CISSP MindMap Videos: The mind maps themselves are OK as visual aids, but I found some of the presenters a bit cocky in their delivery. There were times when I’d lose focus because the instructor seemed more interested in showing off their knowledge than teaching effectively. Hard to stay in flow with their presentation style.
Quantum Exams: Hands down the best question engine I used. I’m not typically a big fan of practice questions, but these were genuinely helpful in teaching me how to think through scenarios from a management perspective. The questions challenged me in ways that directly translated to the actual exam.
Boson CISSP Practice Exams: A coworker let me access his Boson account for a couple of weeks, and I was impressed with how well-written the questions were. The explanations were thorough and helped clarify concepts I was struggling with.
LearnZapp Official App: I used this for quick study sessions on my phone. While the questions were a bit easier than the actual exam, it was perfect for reinforcing terminology and basic concepts during spare moments.
Reddit r/cissp: This community kept me sane! Reading success stories, study tips, and having people to commiserate with was tremendously helpful. The weekly study threads kept me accountable.
My Biggest Insight
The most important realization was understanding that the CISSP isn’t testing whether you’ve memorized facts—it’s testing if you can think like a security manager. Once I shifted from “getting the right answer” to “making the best security decision for the organization,” everything clicked.
I also learned not to get too hung up on practice test scores as the sole judgment of my knowledge. Understanding the underlying theory and concepts proved far more important than memorizing answers. When I could comfortably explain a concept to someone else without notes, that’s when I knew I truly understood it.
Remember, your comfort level with each domain will vary based on your background. Some areas will click immediately, while others might feel like learning a foreign language—that’s completely normal!
Reviews
What others says about infosec
Infosec’s CISSP course was a huge letdown. The material was outdated, poorly structured, and lacked alignment with ISC2 exam objectives. The practice questions were inaccurate, and the instructors simply read from slides without adding value.
Found on reddit.com
I feel that InfoSec has failed to deliver what was sold to me when I registered for the course and took no steps to remediate the situation. This failure has left me with no confidence that they can or will be able to provide me with an adequate solution. So at this time I seeking a refund of $6,400 for the class and reimbursement for my Hotel/Travel expense totaling another $2,300.
Found on yelp.com
I took a bootcamp course with them and I would avoid them at all costs. Bad experience all around with them. If there are any specific questions I will answer, but suffice it to say once they had my money they did not care about anything else.