(ISC)² Blog

LATEST CYBERTHREATS AND ADVISORIES - FEBRUARY 3, 2023

Cybercriminals for hire, Hive ransomware is busted and the JD Sports breach impacts millions of sportswear buyers. Here are the latest threats and advisories for the week of February 3, 2023. Threat Advisories and Alerts U.S. Security Agencies Warn of Malicious Use of RMM Software A joint cybersecurity advisory issued by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) warns that legitimate remote monitoring and management (RMM) software is being used for malicious purposes. After cybercriminals gain access to target networks, they use the software as a “backdoor... Read more →

Essential Team Building for Strong Cloud Security

Dependence on the cloud in the modern era is no secret. The growth in cloud applications for both professional and personal use has proved unrelenting as critical applications and services are made solely available through cloud access. In a press release, Gartner predicted a 20.4% increase in end-user spend on cloud applications in 2022, and forecasts another 20% growth in 2023. As spend increases, so does availability, creating an ongoing chicken-and-egg dynamic that will only strengthen the need for robust security measures. The Importance of Cloud Security Despite its ubiquity, cloud adoption remains a point of concern for many organizations.... Read more →

Cybersecurity Industry News Review – 31 January 2023

By: Joe Fay U.S. looks for half a million cybersecurity professionals, ransomware victims less likely to pay up, analyst warns on Chinese smart device spy threat…but RSA encryption safe from Quantum cracking for now. U.S. struggles with shortage of cybersecurity pros New research suggests the U.S. is short over half a million cyber security workers, though demand cooled slightly in the last two months of 2022. The total number of employed cybersecurity workers held steady at 1.1 million through 2022, according to figures from Cyberseek, the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education at NIST and CompTIA-backed workforce analytics site. The supply-demand... Read more →

Royal Mail “cyber incident” is an ongoing cyberattack CEO admits to MPs

By: Joe Fay Simon Thompson, CEO of the U.K.’s Royal Mail, has confirmed in a session with MPs that the crippling of its ability to send parcels and letters abroad was down to a “cyberattack” and that it was “ongoing”. Thompson said that investigations into the attack on the U.K. postal operator – one of the most high-profile attacks on the country’s critical infrastructure to date – were continuing, but so far there was no evidence that personal data of customers had been compromised. The U.K. National Crime Agency (NCA) and National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) have been investigating the... Read more →

How are you marking data privacy day?

By: Joe Fay Data Privacy Day (known as Data Protection Day in Europe) falls this Saturday (January 28) and if you haven’t worked out how to mark the day yet, tech vendors and organizations are more than willing to help. The international event began as Data Protection Day in Europe in 2007, under the auspices of the Council of Europe, and has since been taken up in the U.S. and other countries. Cisco marked it by releasing its 2023 Data Privacy Benchmark Study, which found that 92% of organizations recognized they need to do more to reassure customers about how... Read more →

Latest Cyberthreats and Advisories - January 27, 2023

Alerts from national cybersecurity agencies, gaming developer attacks and the Mailchimp/FanDuel breach. Here are the latest threats and advisories for the week of January 27, 2023. Threat Advisories and Alerts CISA Publishes Report to Help Protect Schools from Cyberthreats The recent surge in cyberattacks against the education sector has led the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to release a report addressing the issue. The COVID-19 pandemic made educational institutions increasingly vulnerable to cyberthreats, as virtual learning became widespread and led to the rapid adoption of new and untested technologies. The report titled “Partnering to Safeguard K-12 Organizations from... Read more →

No experience, No Problem – (ISC)² Recruits 140,000 Individuals Interested in a Cybersecurity Career

(ISC)² launched a new initiative for individuals pursuing or considering a career in cybersecurity. The goal? To create new pathways to cybersecurity career success and decrease the global workforce gap. Within three months of launching this initiative, we had more than 110,000 individuals sign up to become (ISC)² Candidates. The offering provides education courses, study materials and resources to help prepare those looking to enter cybersecurity. Additionally, the aim is to encourage (ISC)² Candidates to pursue the recently launched entry-level certification (ISC)² Certified in Cybersecurity (CC). The immediate success of (ISC)² Candidates showed us there was no shortage of interest... Read more →

How to Earn Your (ISC)² Certification

We are excited to have more than 130,000 individuals become (ISC)² Candidates since launching in September 2022. Many of them will go on to earn their Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) as part of our One Million Certified in Cybersecurity pledge. For those new to (ISC)², or those who’ve had their sights set on their CISSP for years now, you may not be sure exactly how you become (ISC)²-certified. Your certification is more than a single exam. There are three steps to earn your (ISC)² certification: Step 1: Pass your exam Step 2: Submit your certification application Step 3: Pay your... Read more →

Latest Cyberthreats and Advisories - January 20, 2023

TikTok is fined for a privacy violation, major corporations suffer breaches and Vice Society attacks another school. Here are the latest threats and advisories for the week of January 20, 2023. Threat Advisories and Alerts U.K. School Survey Reveals Surprising Findings A new survey by London Grid for Learning (LGfL) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) revealed that the uptick in cyberattacks on the U.K. school system may not be as bad as first thought. The survey, of more than 800 schools, revealed that 78% of them had suffered at least one cybersecurity incident. Other interesting findings showed that... Read more →

Real Talk with CCSPs An interview with Vanessa Leite, CCSP, CISSP

We often hear that cybersecurity certifications have a global reach. When we spoke with Vanessa Leite we learned how true that actually is. Vanessa holds several certifications, including vendor-specific ones, along with the CISSP and CCSP credentials from (ISC)². She exemplifies the idea of “stepping out of one’s comfort zone”. Vanessa’s joy of sharing her knowledge, as well as her thirst for continual learning, are deeply motivating. Q: What job do you do today, Vanessa? A: I am a principal cyber strategy and consulting with a Global Cyber Security company. What that means, is basically it is an executive-level role,... Read more →