(ISC)² Blog

Security Congress: Securing a Rapidly Changing Environment

The cyber ecosystem is changing faster than ever, creating new attack surfaces and increasing the challenge of defending against new and evolving threats. The fast-changing landscape requires new ways of thinking and approaches to protect environments that spread across on-premise and cloud infrastructures and connect IT with OT (operational technology) systems. Just accepting that the expansion of the ecosystem – and the growing presence of technology in our lives – will increase risk isn’t good enough. This is a point (ISC)2 CEO David Shearer made clear at the kickoff of the organization’s Security Congress 2019 this week in Orlando. We... Read more →

Security Congress Day 2: From PAM to Cyber Insurance to Finding a Voice

While cybersecurity spending is expected to hit $124 billion this year, only a small portion of it will go toward identity management. Yet, a disproportionate number of breaches occur because of flaws in access management and dangerous practices such as the sharing of passwords, according to Tariq Shaikh, CISSP, Senior Security Advisor for CVS Health. Identity management spending accounts for 5% to 10% of total cybersecurity spend. When it comes to privileged access management (PAM), Shaikh said the portion is even smaller -- 1%. It’s time to change that, he argued during a session on PAM at the (ISC)2 Security... Read more →

Security Expert: AI Not Ready for Cybersecurity

While artificial intelligence (AI) has gotten a lot of attention in recent years as a possible solution for cybersecurity issues, Winn Schwartau argues there’s a long way to go before we can trust AI and its siblings, machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL), to deliver the results we need. During a presentation on the ethical bias of AI-based systems at the (ISC)2 Security Congress 2019, Schwartau said significant problems with AI need to be overcome before we can fully trust it with something as important as cybersecurity. Schwartau, a top expert on security and privacy, is the Chief Visionary... Read more →

Privacy Regulations: More Work for Cyber Professionals

Whenever new data privacy and cybersecurity laws go into effect, they create more work and responsibilities for cyber professionals. This reality hasn’t gone unnoticed by attorney Scott Giordano, who reminded cybersecurity professionals during a session about the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) that the law will create new duties for them. Giordano, Vice President of Data Protection at Spirion, went over details of the law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2020, and how organizations should prepare for it. His was one of a series of presentations at the 2019 (ISC)² Security Congress, taking place in Orlando this week, about... Read more →

Security Congress Keynote Speaker: Put Down Your Phone

At public events, speakers and performers often ask the audience to turn off their mobile phones, but Catherine Price really meant it. She asked attendees of Tuesday’s keynote speech at (ISC)2 Security Congress 2019 to actually press their phones’ power button. “I’m going to guess a lot of people are feeling uncomfortable. A lot of you faked it. A lot of you are probably hating me right now,” said Price, a journalist and author of the book, “How to Break Up with Your Phone.” For the next hour, Price discussed the reasons we are so tethered to our phones, what... Read more →

Cybersecurity Ethics: How Far Is Too Far?

When doing their work, cybersecurity professionals often come across situations that put their skills to the test. And sometimes those tests have far less to do with technology or business than with questions of ethics. When cyber professionals discover vulnerabilities while performing penetration tests or some other security-related work, is it OK to disclose those vulnerabilities publicly? What happens if system owners are made aware of issues but decide to ignore them? And at which point, while testing systems containing private information, do cyber professionals reach a line they should not cross? These questions were part of a lively panel... Read more →

Security Congress Kickoff: Creating a Safe World

The spotlight was on safety at the kickoff this morning of (ISC)² Security Congress 2019, taking place this week in Orlando. First, (ISC)² CEO David Shearer talked about the role that association members have in protecting society through their cybersecurity work. Then, Capt. Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot of flight 1549, which landed on the Hudson River in January 2009, related the events of that day and how he and his co-pilot, Jeff Skiles, safely landed their U.S. Airways Airbus with everyone aboard surviving the event. Shearer spent much of his kickoff address on the importance of abstracting what... Read more →

Filling the Need of Healthcare Cybersecurity Professionals Requires Collaboration

It is widely known within the cybersecurity field that there is a severe talent shortage. Organizations across all industries are facing major challenges in staffing their security teams to protect themselves from cyber threats. Healthcare, along with finance and retail, is one of the most commonly-targeted industries by cybercriminals. As the (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study revealed, the deficit of cybersecurity professionals has reached critical levels, at nearly 3 million worldwide. According to the March 2018 McAfee Labs Threat Report, healthcare is the most targeted of any sector for cybersecurity attacks. Ransomware attacks, specifically in the healthcare sector, increased by 210... Read more →

PCI Compliance in AWS - Simplified

by Adam M. Lechnos, CISSP Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards or PCI DSS, are a set of 12 requirements with over 300 controls which apply to any organization which stores, processes or transmits credit card data. Today, I will attempt to add some clarity around PCI compliance within AWS. Concepts and practices were sourced from the referenced document below and here I will break it down further. I do suggest you first read the Architecting for PCI DSS Scoping and Segmentation on AWS and come back to enhance your understanding of the methods being applied and its rationale. For... Read more →

Cybersecurity Infrastructure Viewed as a ‘Tangible Asset’ in M&A

When M&A auditors look at a target company’s tangible assets, in the vast majority of cases that includes cybersecurity. In a new (ISC)² study about the impact of cybersecurity in M&A, 95% of respondents say they consider cybersecurity infrastructure “a tangible part” of the value calculation. The stronger the infrastructure, including soft assets such as risk management policies and security awareness training programs, the higher a target company’s value will be, according to 82% of respondents. If an audit reveals weak security practices, 52% of respondents would view the cybersecurity program as a liability. What this means for organizations considering... Read more →

How gamification can improve employee cybersecurity compliance

As published in the July/August edition of InfoSecurity Professional Magazine By Crystal Bedell As a former cyber analyst for the government, Masha Sedova has seen firsthand what a Russian state-sponsored attacker is capable of. So, when she was charged with building a security culture at Salesforce in 2012, she knew an employee newsletter and animated videos wouldn’t prepare end users in the event of a targeted corporate attack. “I thought, ‘There’s no way this will work. It’s a waste of time,’” says Sedova, co-founder of Elevate Security in Berkeley, Calif. “In order for an organization to withstand an attack like... Read more →

What Are You Doing for Cybersecurity Awareness Month?

As published in the July/August edition of InfoSecurity Professional Magazine By Pat Craven, Director of the Center for Cyber Safety and Education As cybersecurity and cyber safety continue to become a growing global conversation, there are an increasing number of themed days and events to help promote the industry and highlight the need to educate people on how to be safe online. One of the biggest promotions of the year is Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October. October is a busy time of year for your Center for Cyber Safety and Education. We plan all year for Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and... Read more →