(ISC)² Blog

IT Security essentials for small and medium enterprises

It is no secret that the cyber criminals are where the money are. If the targets are easy to breach, it is even better since this improves the ratio effort/outcome for them. Usually, small to medium size companies are preferred targets because they fit in this category: they do have money, more than the private users, and are very easy to infiltrate. The tips below help these companies not only to survive in the cyber world, but also keep the attackers away. Read more →

Comments from (ISC)² Leadership on Premera Blue Cross Breach

Those of us within the information security industry have known for some time that the healthcare industry was going to be a prime target for these types of attacks. Unfortunately, we’re likely to continue to see more of these breaches as the healthcare industry scrambles to improve its information security posture. I think we’re all concerned about the broad implications of these breaches regarding potential fraud, identity theft and the other strategies criminals use to monetize healthcare information. -David Shearer, CISSP, PMP, Executive Director, (ISC)² As the hacking assault on medical providers continues, a long-time penetration of Premera Blue Cross’... Read more →

New Online Tool Helps (ISC)² Members Manage Vulnerabilities

(ISC)² members now have a new tool to help corral vulnerabilities and published threats found throughout the Internet. Vulnerability Central is powered by Cytenna's tool, ThreatRank, and is the first module of a larger Security Central portal. New modules are scheduled for release throughout the coming years. With this new online tool, system administrators and other information security professionals can: -Check in to see the latest vulnerabilities and threat reports in one place. -Receive early notification of vulnerabilities to be better prepared to respond. -Research and prioritize detailed vulnerabilities, which are categorized based on criticality. -Filter vulnerabilities based on the... Read more →

Evaluating Cloud Services for Small and Medium Enterprises: The (ISC)² Perspective

As a smaller organization, we balance building out more internal and robust IT infrastructure versus utilizing cloud services to fulfill those needs. More infrastructure also means more personnel and overhead, and we weigh that against cost to determine the value of cloud services to our organization. We then balance whether or not the IT service we are thinking of moving to the cloud is a core or unique service to our business versus merely a commodity. Moving commodity services to the cloud, particularly to those providers with highly evolved and transparent security models, are particularly attractive to (ISC)². The freedom... Read more →

Cybersecurity Jobs are in High Demand; Got what it Takes?

With security attacks dominating news headlines, it’s no secret that global cybersecurity professionals are in high demand. According to the (ISC)² 2013 Global Information Security Workforce Study, two out of three C-level respondents reported security staff shortages. The lack of skilled and qualified information security professionals is having a negative economic impact, with 56% of respondents saying the staffing shortage is causing a huge impact on their organizations. The call to action is clear: We need a global call to arms within academia to develop enough talent to fulfill this critical industry need. I’ve certainly heard the call loud and... Read more →