I was curious about how widespread the different security certifications are. I put together a small statistic using the advanced search in Xing. As search terms I used the abbreviation of the certification (e.g. CISSP) and the keyword “Security”. For OSCP/OSCE I used the keyword “Offensive” instead.
The search in Xing was not limited to Germany; the absolute numbers are certainly imprecise, and not every certified security professional is registered on Xing and has also entered their certifications.
But I think the relative proportions of the certifications compared to one another are reflected reasonably well. The result:
2,135 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
1,484 Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
890 Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
477 Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
255 TeleTrusT Information Security Professional (T.I.S.P.)
74 Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)
35 Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP)
28 ISSECO Certified Professional for Secure Software Engineering (CPSSE)
23 Offensive Security Certified Expert (OSCE)
The CISSP from Isc² is the most widespread certification, followed by the certs from ISACA. The German TISP trails far behind compared to the CISSP. Certifications in the field of secure software development are rare (CSSLP / CPSSE). There are substantially more “Certified Ethical Hacker” than OSCP/OSCE.
Apart from that, 488 CISSPs also hold CISA, 354 also CISM, and 204 also CISM and CISA. There are also only about 8 people on Xing who hold both OSCP and CEH. 153 CISSPs are also CEH, but only 12 CISSPs also hold an OSCP.
Given the very large difference in content between OSCP and CISM, only 6 people have that combination. OSCP and CISA: 7. OSCE plus CISM: only 2, and OSCE plus CISA: only 1. There seem to be very few people who combine security management or auditing with penetration testing / hacking.