ISC2 Blog

Center Names 2020 Volunteer and Partner of the Year

As the charitable arm of (ISC)², the Center for Cyber Safety and Education relies heavily on the support of volunteers and business partners to continue its mission of making it a safer cyber world for everyone. As a global foundation, these external forces, help the Center grow its message and impact worldwide. Without their commitment and passion, the Center wouldn’t be where it is today. To acknowledge the efforts of those who have gone above and beyond, each year the Center chooses an individual for its Julie Peeler Franz “Do It For The Children” Volunteer Award and a company for... Read more →

Positive View of Cybersecurity Professionals And How To Attract People to the Field

The cybersecurity profession is suffering from a peculiarly positive perception problem: People outside the industry view the job with such high regard that it seems beyond their reach as a viable career option for themselves. The newly released 2020 (ISC)² Cybersecurity Perception Study, which polled 2,500 people across the U.S. and the U.K. who are not working in the cybersecurity field, found that the traditional image of cybersecurity professionals as mysterious characters working in the shadows has been replaced by one of smart, talented people and the “good guys fighting cybercrime.” It’s a welcome change for those in the industry... Read more →

Remote Working Underscores the Need for Qualified Cybersecurity Professionals

Remote working is here to stay The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many changes to our lives: social distancing, face masks, and WFH (work from home). Based on health scientists’ advice to protect society and driven by the need to maintain business continuity, private and public sector organizations have directed their employees to work from home. The change in work habits is enormous: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 29 percent of Americans were able to work from home before the COVID-19 era. However, remote working is here to stay. According to a recent Gartner survey, 74% of enterprises... Read more →

How Important Is Cybersecurity in M&A?

Even though cybersecurity considerations have become part of the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) process, data breaches remain commonplace at acquired companies, raising suspicions that cybersecurity doesn’t get as much attention as it should, according to a recent TechCrunch article. “The fact that data breaches are still increasing and can cause negative financial impact that will be felt long after the deal has closed highlights a greater need for acquirers to continue to improve their approach and address cyber threats,” the article says. The author makes it a point to mention that “past or potential cyber threats are no longer ignored... Read more →

Garfield for Virtual Classrooms

The nonprofit Center for Cyber Safety and Education (Center) launched a new “Garfield Virtual” internet safety program for distance learning. “Schools worldwide are choosing to continue their classes online. This poses two challenges: looking for quality online educational programs and teaching vital internet safety to students. Garfield for virtual classrooms does both,” says Patrick Craven, Director of the Center. Garfield Virtual allows teachers to introduce digital citizenship education in a fun and engaging environment without having to acquire additional software. The program is based on the Center’s printed award-winning Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures Educator Kit targeting children ages 6 to... Read more →

Can the U.S. election process be hacked?

While election security has been a concern for many countries, the possibility of cybersecurity threat impacting the U.S. presidential election is of top concern. (ISC)² member Dr. Carnell Council, CISSP addresses the multiple steps in the voting process that could face vulnerabilities and how each step can be better secured. With different systems, networks and devices come a different set of vulnerabilities. Dr. Council's full article can be found in Security Magazine. Read more →

Keeping Your Cup From Overflowing

As published in the July/August 2020 edition of InfoSecurity Professional Magazine By Michael M. Hanna, CISSP Defenders of the cyber domain carry a significant weight because of the demands placed upon them. In addition to the technical skills needed to protect companies and entire communities, cybersecurity professionals must have the know-how to protect information systems and data that support national security requirements, critical infrastructure and/or sensitive customer details. Our actions directly serve to protect and sup-port our families, significant others, friends and colleagues. These responsibilities surely carry a weight for us all and incur considerable stress. How could they not?... Read more →

How HR can Improve Corporate Cybersecurity

Cybercrime is one of the greatest threats to business Security breaches are becoming more targeted and costly. IBM estimates that the average cost of a data breach in the United States being $8.19 million. In the U.K., the government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2019 shows that one in three businesses (32%) suffered an attack or breach in the previous 12 months. As businesses adopt emerging technologies to boost their productivity, enhance collaboration and minimize spending, they open themselves to new risks and challenges. The overall business risk has increased because of the expanding threat landscape. Cyber criminals are also leveraging... Read more →

#ISC2Congress Recap: Sessions to Catch Up On (Part 4)

Last month we announced our keynote speakers for Security Congress – Bruce Schneier, Graham Cluley and Juliette Kayyem – and now the full agenda has been released! As you get excited for the first ever virtual Security Congress, let’s take a look back at a few of our top sessions from 2019. Getting Started with SDL Steven B. Lipner, CISSP, who is the Executive Director for SAFECODE, shared how practitioners can use the security development lifecycle (SDL) if they’re operating in small-to-midsized organizations. The Future of Digital Identity in the Era of Digital Transformation With digital transformation being a top... Read more →

under pressure. under control.

As published in the July/August 2020 edition of InfoSecurity Professional Magazine By Deborah Johnson How to stay sane and manage stress during a most unusual time, no matter where you live and work. Every day, cybersecurity professionals face pressure, from the daily demands of protecting data and people’s privacy to the worst-case scenarios of a breach’s financial and reputational repercussions. That’s nothing we didn’t already know. But what’s changed in the past six months is the level and severity of those demands since the world’s response to COVID-19 required companies, citizens and cybersecurity professionals to abruptly pivot in almost all... Read more →

The Value of CSSLP Certification Is Surging

The (ISC)² Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP) certification has earned a place in a list of 10 IT certifications with the most increased value over the past year. Researcher Foote Partners collected compensation data from more than 3,300 employers in the U.S. and Canada to compile the list as part of its 2020 IT Skills and Certifications Pay Index report. The index calculates certification value based on the percentage of salary that accounts for a certification. CSSLP holders earn 13% on top of their base salary, according to the research. The index gives holders – or those planning to... Read more →

The Problem With Cyberhygiene

Alert fatigue, password change resistance, and poor cyberhygiene are just a few of the challenges that security specialists face. Human beings do not like being forced into habits, even when it is for their own well-being or that of the organization they work for. It’s a quirk of human nature that we have a hard time contemplating abstract notions of danger, especially when it’s introduced to us by others. Humans are guided in part by instinct and reflex. So if we cannot perceive danger through our physical senses, then we cannot process it accurately. When it comes to cyberhygiene activities,... Read more →