(ISC)² Blog

Summary of March Inside (ISC)2 Webinar: Stay Vigilant

As the war in Ukraine rages on, (ISC)² leaders took the opportunity to remind cybersecurity practitioners in the most recent Inside (ISC)² webinar of a simple but essential message: Be vigilant. As the hostilities continue, it is possible the war will spill over into the cyber realm, said Jon France, who joined (ISC)² in January as the organization’s first CISO. Cyber is the “fourth plain after land, sea and air” in the Ukraine war, he said. France joined CEO Clar Rosso and Board of Directors Chairperson Zachary Tudor for the quarterly webinar, during which they provided updates on the organization’s... Read more →

Report: U.S. Workers Worry About Cyberattacks

Safety is the top priority for employees in the American workplace, and one of the issues they worry about most is cyber threats. With COVID-19 still fresh on everyone’s mind, only public health emergencies rated higher than cyberattacks in a newly published report. According to the State of Employee Safety report by AlertMedia, a provider of emergency communication software, the top three threats weighing on U.S. workers are public health emergencies (79%), cyberattacks (65%) and severe weather (65%). Crime, which has been on the rise in the past two years, rated fourth, at 62%. Employers should take note of the... Read more →

HOW CAN YOU WIN BIG IN VEGAS? – Global Achievement Awards Nominations Open Now

Nominations are now open for the 2022 (ISC)² Global Achievement Awards. These annual cybersecurity awards celebrate professionals whose excellence, leadership and efforts have significantly advanced the cybersecurity industry and contributed to the vision of inspiring a safe and secure cyber world. Nominations are open now through May 13 and recipients will be acknowledged at the 12th Annual (ISC)² Security Congress in Las Vegas and online October 10-12. Open to All – The following categories are open for all to nominate and those meeting the eligibility requirements to receive. Self-nomination is not permitted. (ISC)² Rising Star Professional Award - Recognizes the... Read more →

Tips from a CISO: How to Create a Security Program

By Marco Túlio Moraes, CISSP, Director of Information Security, CISO at OITI. Marco is an executive with +20 years of experience in technology, risks and infosec, with 10 years of international experience. He has a multi-industry background in financial, tech, health, retail/marketplace, startups and utilities. Marco developed one of the first cybersecurity programs in Brazil and works as a career mentor, speaker, security evangelist and board advisor. Developing a security program sometimes feels like trying to solve a 3,000 piece jigsaw puzzle while some people are trying to disturb your focus and the clock is ticking. To make the challenge... Read more →

GOING FOR (ISC)² CERTIFICATION? GET THE FACTS BEFORE YOU CHOOSE A TRAINING PROVIDER

When it comes to deciding on a training provider for CISSP and CCSP exam prep, it can be difficult to separate myth from reality as you research your options. World-class (ISC)² certifications like CISSP and CCSP are highly regarded in cybersecurity, and countless companies offer training. But not all course providers are equally qualified to get you ready for exam day. Knowledge is power when it comes to choosing the right training. Too many companies put out false claims to win your business. Don’t believe the hype! They may promise high pass rates, for example — but the fact is,... Read more →

What Concerns Cyber Pros Most About the Invasion of Ukraine

As the invasion of Ukraine continues alongside a pronounced increase in online disruption aimed at the main sanction-imposing economies, speculation is rampant that a barrage of related cyberattacks on Western allies will at some point result in a mega breach or worse – an incident that may affect critical infrastructure and damage public utilities or vital data stores. To better understand how cybersecurity professionals are assessing the situation, we conducted a poll of (ISC)² members. More than 260 (ISC)²-certified cybersecurity professionals from 41 countries participated, including Ukraine and the Russian Federation. They represent 33 different industries, with the most in... Read more →

Meet the Young Women Tackling Gender Bias in Cybersecurity

To celebrate Women’s History Month in March, four female security leaders met for a wide-ranging panel discussion on how they’ve broken through gender biases to forge their career paths, as well as what’s needed to help young women in the cybersecurity profession succeed. This (ISC)² Think Tank webinar is part of the organization’s multi-year commitment to DEI which includes a new DEI series featuring diverse voices and perspectives within cyber and aimed at helping to build a more inclusive cyber profession. The panel was moderated by Sharon Smith, CISSP, cybersecurity strategy and advisory consultant, and included: Ebony Stevens, (ISC)² Security... Read more →

How is the CISSP-ISSMP Exam Changing?

The CISSP-ISSMP exam will be changing on November 15, 2022. This exam is the most recent of the (ISC)² examinations to be updated as part of the Job Task Analysis (JTA) process. All (ISC)² certifications are updated on roughly a triennial basis following the JTA process. Current certification holders are surveyed on how often they use the knowledge, skills and abilities represented in the exam outline. Subject matter experts update the exam outline, and the exam itself, based on that feedback to ensure the CISSP-ISSMP exam reflects the most pertinent issues facing cybersecurity management professionals. These updates ensure that anyone... Read more →

What Can Flexible Work Conditions Do for Cyber?

Flexible work conditions can help decrease the cybersecurity workforce gap by creating more inclusive environments. Practices like work from home and flexible office hours allow companies to widen their recruitment pool. The increase of work from home has been on the move for years, but was escalated in 2020 with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those with transportation challenges, physical limitations, family obligations, or other situations that made the traditional nine-to-five feel previously difficult are now finding themselves able to thrive with more flexible work conditions. In the latest (ISC)² Workforce Study, respondents were asked “How can cybersecurity diversify?”... Read more →

Changes to the CISSP Exam Length Coming Soon

Beginning June 1, 2022, additional pretest items and time will be added to the CISSP exam for the Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) format. The current CISSP CAT exam contains 25 pretest (unscored) items. The addition of 25 more items will bring the total count to 50 pretest items. With these added items, the minimum and maximum number of items candidates will need to respond to during the exam will increase from 100-150 to 125-175. To allow for these additional items, the maximum exam administration time will increase from three to four hours. Pretest items enable (ISC)² to continue expanding our... Read more →

KnowBe4 Spreads Cyber Awareness Training to Their Community

At (ISC)² our vision is to inspire a safe and secure cyber world. Our members and the greater cyber community help to make this possible through (ISC)² Chapters and individual volunteer opportunities that promote cyber education and cyber safe practices. For this interview, we connected with KnowBe4, a company that works with its employees to encourage outreach opportunities to promote and further cyber education and discuss how other companies can create a similar model. Why does KnowBe4 prioritize cyber awareness training? The foundation of KnowBe4 was built on spreading security awareness training to employees to help better protect their organizations.... Read more →

The Dilemma of Defense in Depth

By Ala' F. Wrikat, MSc, CISSP, CISM. Ala' is currently a specialist in policies and strategic studies at the Financial-sector's CERT of Jordan. Defense in depth strategy has proven its effectiveness in preventing cyber threats over the years. At the abstract level, most technical security controls are designed with two main components; 1) a knowledge base, and 2) a matching engine. Each security product has its own version of a growing knowledge base of feeds (whatever these feeds are). The content and how frequent these knowledge bases get updated are often the basis of competition between vendors. In this context,... Read more →

Women in Cyber Webinar - Tackling Gender Bias and Defining Success

Last year’s Celebrating International Women’s Day: Carving a Cybersecurity Career Path webinar featured a panel of accomplished women in cybersecurity for a discussion that captured the female perspective in the field. The group came together to discuss the data surrounding the demographics that make up the workforce and how they are shifting. They also shared their journeys in the profession that led them to the leadership positions they now hold, including the challenges encountered and strategies they employed to succeed. The conversation took a look ahead to the evolution of diverse cybersecurity teams and the principles that inform how they... Read more →

CELEBRATING YOUNG WOMEN IN CYBERSECURITY – WEIJIA YAN, (ISC)² UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT

The (ISC)² Scholarship Program is part of an effort to bridge the cybersecurity workforce gap—which stands at 2.72 million needed professionals—by providing future cybersecurity professionals across the globe with scholarships to prepare them for a rewarding career in this important field. At the same time, the industry urgently needs more diverse perspectives and fresh talent to tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow. With the scholarships, (ISC)² wants to create more opportunities for historically underrepresented individuals and inspire more young people to pursue a career in cybersecurity. In 2021, Weijia Yan was awarded an (ISC)² Undergraduate Scholarship which supported her... Read more →