(ISC)² Blog

Top Webinars of 2020

This year presented us all with challenges we never could have expected. Our vacations were cancelled, our parties were virtual, and most of us started living at work. Isn’t that what working from home feels like sometimes? Beginning in March, conferences started to get postponed, cancelled or eventually pivoted to a virtual format. Our own (ISC)² Security Congress happened last month online and while we were excited to welcome our largest group of attendees yet, we know that many cybersecurity professionals weren’t able to find the time, or budget, for a conference, even a virtual one. As cybersecurity professionals, you... Read more →

Security Predictions for 2021 from the (ISC)² Community of Security Professionals (PART 1)

By Diana-Lynn Contesti, CISSP-ISSAP, ISSMP, CSSLP, SSCP, John Martin, CISSP-ISSAP, and Richard Nealon, CISSP-ISSMP, CISSP, SSCP, SCF, CISM, CISA 2020 was a year of change. It changed the way that folks work and how they interact with each other. Wondering what 2021 might look like for information security professionals? This is the first in a series of posts where we will discuss what we believe 2021 may have in store for information security professionals. Some of the issues faced by security professionals in 2021/2022 will include (but are not limited to) the evolving landscape of privacy, and the ongoing necessity... Read more →

Holiday Message from Clar Rosso, (ISC)² CEO

As 2020 draws to a close, (ISC)² CEO Clar Rosso shares her thoughts on the year that was, expresses her gratitude and relays heartfelt holiday wishes! Read more →

Cybersecurity Consultant: Are More CISSPs Embracing the Gig Economy?

The gig economy has grown rapidly in recent years and now includes more than one third of U.S. workers who describe themselves as consultants, freelancers or self-employed. It isn’t surprising then that 31% of organizations say that consultants and contractors are the top source they tap into for cybersecurity talent, according to the (ISC)² 2020 Cybersecurity Workforce Study. In fact, this group is the second-most popular talent source overall, just after new university graduates. The largest number of consultants (40%) work with small and mid-sized businesses (SMB), which could include small sole-proprietary businesses (think a self-employed CISSP starting his or... Read more →

Can I Ask You A Question?

The Many Advisory Roles of a CISSP A Long and Prosperous Career Throughout your cybersecurity career, you will spend a lot of time in the world of identify, protect, detect, respond, and recover. Sometimes, the skills required for the job can range from the mundane, such as running a phishing campaign, to some nail-biting, all-nighters of remediation (after someone ignored your carefully crafted phishing campaign and clicked on a malicious link). Your skills were not easily acquired. Perhaps you derived these skills from tinkering with machinery, dumpster-diving, and everything in between. Information security research has transitioned to more sophisticated tools... Read more →

Absolute Zero

By Allan Caton, CISSP, CISM, CCSP, CISMP Most companies are migrating from an environment of legacy, on-premise systems to the cloud which will result in a hybrid environment. Market forces are driving the push toward usable, mobile technology and the always-on, always-available, ubiquity of web-based applications. This shift will include both customers and all types of enterprise users – including employees, contractors, vendors, partners, etc. This shift to a decentralized, identity-centric operating model brings with it the absolute requirement to consider the security of the user identities, devices and data which comprise the enterprise estate. The future of identity management,... Read more →

A Recipe for Avoiding Software Failures

Have you ever baked something, only to see it fail due to the lack of a key ingredient? For instance, a cake will not rise if you add baking powder after you realize it was forgotten in the original ingredient list. The same is true for many failed endeavors. The addition of a critical component after the project is completed does little to improve the original plan. In many cases, it introduces unintended complexity that sets off a cascading series of problems. As a security professional, you probably can name a list of software that was released too early, requiring... Read more →

Workforce Study: Reviewing Cybersecurity’s Pandemic Response

In a year that presented so many challenges – a global pandemic, social unrest and an economic downturn – one success is worth noting: When cybersecurity professionals were called upon to secure remote environments in a hurry, they stepped up. As many companies were forced to shift to a work-from-home model because of COVID-19 for most or all employees, cybersecurity teams went to work on securing both these newly created remote environments and existing corporate networks. Data from (ISC)²’s 2020 Cybersecurity Workforce Study shows respondents believe those efforts were largely successful. Even though 30% of cybersecurity professionals had a deadline... Read more →

Patch Management in IT and OT Environments

The evolution of the cyber threat landscape highlights the emerging need for organizations to strengthen their ability to identify, analyze, and evaluate cyber risks before they evolve into security incidents. Although the terms “patch management” and “vulnerability management” are used as if they are interchangeable, this is not the case. Most are confused because applying patches is one of the many ways available in our arsenal to mitigate cyber risks. What is Patch Management? Patch management is a strategy for managing patches or upgrades for software applications and technologies and involves the acquisition, testing, and installation of multiple patches to... Read more →

The Benefits of HCISPP Extend Beyond Certification

Rebel, Yell! In late 2019, the phrase “OK, Boomer” started being used by millennials toward the elders who preceded them mockingly. This behavioral pattern isn’t new. Younger generations have always rebelled against their elders. Even in cultures where the elderly population is highly respected, the younger generations have developed their own language, music, art, literature and customs. The difference now is that this is the first time that the elderly out-number the younger members of society. This trend is projected to continue for the next 40 years. While some may see this as a troubling number, for those who work... Read more →

CISSPs from Around the Globe: An Interview with Jerome Leach

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In support of this, (ISC)² has launched a series of interviews to explore where CISSP certification has led security professionals. In our first interview, we met Javvad Malik and heard about his experiences. This installment features Jerome Leach. He works as Cyber Officer in the Coast Guard... Read more →