(ISC)² Blog

CISSP: A Global Force at 100,000 Strong

Whenever we look toward the future, we have to first look back and think about where we came from. Back in 1989, (ISC)² was established by a handful of passionate volunteers who wanted to create a set of standards for a newer concept, not yet a full-fledged career field, called information security. In the minds of these volunteers, having the initial 500 applicants sign up to take the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP®) was considered quite a success. Little did they imagine that 26 years later, not only would those 500 applicants grow to a cadre of 100,000 CISSP... Read more →

Comments from (ISC)² Leadership on CareFirst Breach

If this breach follows the pattern of other health IT breaches as of late, then this type of intrusion at CareFirst wouldn’t be considered particularly difficult for an advanced team of malicious actors. The main objective would be to steal a set or multiple sets of user credentials. A juicy target would be an administrator or super user with high levels of access. This could be done using malware from a spear phishing attack or a watering hole attack. From there, the bad actors would actually be using legitimate user credentials to steal the data for which they are looking.... Read more →

On the Front Lines – (ISC)² Global Academic Program (GAP) Instructors are Shaping the Workforce of the Future – Introducing Derek A. Smith

(ISC)2 GAP Instructors bring a wealth of experience, wisdom and inspiration to students worldwide. They are the heartbeat of the program and have helped (ISC)2 become the world leader in cybersecurity education. They are helping us fulfill our mission to enhance the cybersecurity workforce through education and certification, one student at a time. But what makes them tick? What drives them to give so much back to the profession? What do they do when they’re not teaching? To give you a glimpse into their world and into the impact they’re having on the next generation, we’re going to profile a... Read more →

U.S. Department of Defense Cyber Strategy: One of Five Strategic Goals to Building and Maintaining the Cyber Workforce

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) just released its new cybersecurity strategy report for 2015. This strategy sets five strategic goals: 1. Build and maintain ready forces and capabilities to conduct cyberspace operations; 2. Defend the DoD information network, secure DoD data, and mitigate risks to DoD missions; 3. Be prepared to defend the U.S. homeland and U.S. vital interests from disruptive or destructive cyberattacks of significant consequence; 4. Build and maintain viable cyber options and plan to use those options to control conflict escalation and to shape the conflict environment at all stages; and 5. Build and maintain robust... Read more →