(ISC)² Blog

The Career-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

As published in the September/October 2020 edition of InfoSecurity Professional Magazine By Anita J. Bateman, CISSP We are all plagued by technical debt in the form of legacy systems that can no longer be patched but must be kept up and running. Critical business processes, legacy data retention, lack of system knowledge or “pet” projects might keep us from retiring these difficult-to-maintain systems. From the very first operating system updates on the original IBM 360 to the latest Windows 10 updates today, we still struggle with this common challenge to fully patch and maintain our technical systems. Might there be... Read more →

Study: Certifications Boost Salaries Substantially

While skills shortages remain a major challenge in cybersecurity, those who work in the field have ample opportunities to boost their salaries. And one sure way to get better pay is by earning certifications, according to a new study by training services provider Global Knowledge. “Learning a new skill or earning a certification can result in a raise upwards of $12,000 a year,” according to the Global Knowledge 2020 IT Skills and Salary Report. The figure applies to IT professionals as a whole but is especially relevant to cybersecurity professionals considering that the report says, “cloud computing and cybersecurity certifications... Read more →

#ISC2CONGRESS ‘We Got This:’ Adaptability Is Nothing New to Cybersecurity

During her (ISC)2 Security Congress 2020 keynote speech, Juliette Kayyem used three words that tidily sum up the can-do spirit of the cybersecurity community: “We got this.” Kayyem, a former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, was speaking within the context of society’s ability to adapt, learn and build resilience during the COVID-19 crisis. Still, her remarks reflect the general ethos of the cybersecurity profession. Cybersecurity professionals recognize that if they can’t say, “we got this,” the alternative is too alarming to fathom. Cybersecurity workers have to adapt – all the time. Just like what society at large... Read more →

The Center wants to send you to college. Interested?

Are you pursing a degree (or another) in cyber or information security? Know someone who is? The Center for Cyber Safety and Education can help! The high demand for skilled cybersecurity experts and lack of qualified candidates equals a world of opportunity for students and those looking to change careers. The Center for Cyber Safety and Education is excited to kick off our biggest scholarship year in our 10-year history! Thanks to partners like (ISC)², SAIC, Raytheon and KnowBe4, we will be awarding in 2021 a record $235,000 in financial aid to some 70 students from around the world. Who... Read more →

#ISC2CONGRESS: Post-Incident Reviews As Prevention

If there is one thing adversity can teach you, it’s how to avoid bad situations in the future. Or so you would think. But when it comes to incident response, most organizations fail to conduct a post-incident review (PIR) or when they do, it tends to be ineffective, according to Faranak Firozan, who works in Incident Response for NVIDIA. As part of the (ISC)2 Security Congress 2020, Faranak delivered a presentation on PIR components and goals. She stressed the importance of PIRs in determining the causes of a security incident, its effects and the lessons an organization can learn to... Read more →

Until Further Notice: #ISC2Congress Keynote Prescribes Adaptive Recovery and Resilience in Cybersecurity to Deal With Ongoing Pandemic

For anyone hoping the COVD-19 crisis will come to a quick end, former Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Juliette Kayyem offered some sobering words today: The virus will be with us for the foreseeable future. “I have to be blunt and tell you this period is going to exist until further notice. We are going to have to learn to live with the virus. Once you get your head around that, then the solution becomes clear,” Kayyem said. She delivered her remarks virtually as the third and final keynote speaker at (ISC)2 Security Congress 2020. Kayyem focused her talk on what... Read more →

#ISC2Congress: Recruiter: COVID Had a Minimal Impact on the Cybersecurity Job Market

The COVID-19 pandemic delivered a serious blow to the global economy, but plenty of job opportunities remain in the cybersecurity field, according to Kris Rides, CEO of cybersecurity staffing company Tiro Security. There were cybersecurity layoffs, Rides said, but in much smaller numbers than in industries such as travel and entertainment, which have taken the brunt of the pandemic’s economic impact. Cybersecurity “is one area where companies couldn’t really afford to lay off people,” Rides said, during a virtual presentation as part of the (ISC)2 2020 Security Congress taking place this week. Kris Rides, CEO of Tiro Security The pandemic’s... Read more →

What Do You Do When No One Is Watching

The Internal and External Struggles of Ethics and the CISSP Credential As Old As Mythology All students of information security have heard of the Caesar cipher and the Spartan Scytale. These early encryption methods demonstrate the craftiness of the human mind. Encryption has evolved and become more sophisticated. Encryption has been instrumental in the advancement of society. Can you think of another ancient mental construct of humanity that has remained static, yet is no less important to the functioning of society? Let’s consider the topic of ethics. The concept of ethics has existed since ancient times, and the subject is... Read more →

#ISC2Congress: Light Bulb Moment: The Job of Cybersecurity Professionals Is About Assessing Risk

Cybersecurity expert Joseph Carson, CISSP, learned a valuable lesson after conducting a penetration test at a power station that took him four months of preparation: How you communicate your findings to an organization’s leadership makes all the difference in how they decide to act on the information. During a virtual presentation as part of the (ISC)2 2020 Security Congress, Carson, who serves as Thycotic’s chief security scientist and advisory CISO, said he was shocked when the power utility’s board essentially shrugged off his findings. After all, he thought the findings were pretty damning. Get this: After spending a morning inside... Read more →

#ISC2CONGRESS – Tuesday Keynote: Protecting Yourself During the Pandemic

Graham Cluley Despite the substantial increase in remote working since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, security breaches have stayed about the same for the vast majority of people and businesses, according to security expert Graham Cluley, an award-winning blogger who provided the Tuesday keynote speech at this year’s virtual (ISC)2 Security Congress. Only one in 10 businesses say they have experienced a dramatic increase in attacks, Cluley said, before quickly adding that attacks don’t always result in breaches. As a matter of fact, research shows breaches increased by only one percentage point over the past 12 months, to 16%... Read more →