(ISC)² Blog

SSCP Spotlight: Timothy Meryweather

Name: Timothy Meryweather Title: IT Auditor Location: Greater Los Angeles Area Degree: Bachelor of Science Years in information security: 6 Cybersecurity certifications: SSCP (ISACA: CISA, CRISC) How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? Our Audit Department’s Senior IT Auditor needed help and I was transferred from Background Licensing. Right place, right time. I possess a guardian spirit and have mostly worked in similar areas of employment: U.S. Marine, Deputy Sheriff, Police Officer, Private Security/Life Safety, casino surveillance, background licensing investigator. With my investigative training background, it was a natural migration into auditing the cybersecurity of information technology. Why... Read more →

SSCP Spotlight: Simon Morgan

Name: Simon Morgan Title: IT Systems Engineer Employer: LSA Systems Ltd. Location: Billericay, U.K. Degree: HND in Computing Years in IT: 15 Years in information security: 3 Cybersecurity certifications: SSCP How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? Information security has always interested me. The ever-present risks that business and individuals face from cyber-attacks and threat actors drives me to try and help protect them to the best of my ability. It is an exciting field to be in that has new and interesting challenges on a daily basis. Not only this, but going forward in my career I... Read more →

CCSP Spotlight: David Schneider

Name: David Schneider Title: Senior Cyber Security Threat Engineer Employer: Garmin International Location: Olathe, KS, U.S.A. Degree: BA, BS, MS Years in IT: 20 Years in cybersecurity: 12 Cybersecurity certifications: CCSP, CISSP, CISM, CISA, GWAPT, CIS LI How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I became interested in cybersecurity while doing software development. When working as a developer, I started becoming interested in secure coding methods and what I could do to make what I was working on more secure from both a technical and end-user perspectives. I started enjoying other aspects around information security and felt that... Read more →

What is the CISSP CAT exam like?

“My exam ended after exactly 100 questions and took me a little more than an hour to complete.” – Keith Yanachik The CISSP exam changed to CAT format in December 2017. We spoke to one of the first to take the CISSP CAT exam, Keith Yanachik, to ask him about his experience. Keith is an Enterprise Architect and has a bachelor’s degree in information systems management, as well as an MBA. Why did you decide to pursue the CISSP certification? I pursued the CISSP certification as a means to recognize my cybersecurity skills and to confirm that I know what... Read more →

SSCP Spotlight: Sohail Awad

Name: Sohail Awad Title: Engineer Employer: Freelancer Location: U.K. Degree: Master of Science in Computer Security Years in IT: 16 Years in information security: 12 Cybersecurity certifications: SSCP, CCNA Security, CCNA R/S What security skills and knowledge would you count as relevant to your current role, and ambitions for the future? Every skill or bit of knowledge I gain is relevant to my role as they help me to see the big picture and better tailor the solutions I create and develop. The SSCP, in essence, is designed to deliver that vision. I have found the secure programming techniques, data... Read more →

4 Things You Need to Know about the (ISC)² CISSP CAT Exam

Starting December 18, 2017 all English CISSP exams will be administered in a Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) format. But what does this actually mean for those preparing for the exam? Let’s look at 4 things to expect when you sit for the CISSP CAT exam: The passing score is the same. You still need to score 700 out of 1000 to pass the CISSP exam. The content is exactly the same as the “old” (linear-based) exam format. The questions come from the same bank, and the pass rate will be unchanged by this format update. You can still take breaks.... Read more →

SSCP Spotlight: Todd Painter

Name: Todd A. Painter Title: Network Engineer Employer: UNG, Inc. Location: Boiling Springs, SC (USA) Years in IT: 7 Years in information security: 3 Cybersecurity certifications: SSCP, Security+, working on CISSP How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? Looking at the current scope of IT, it was apparent to me that the IT security field would have the largest growth in the coming years. With that in mind, I knew that I had a good chance at becoming a valuable asset to any company that needed a security expert, or someone with more of a security mindset rather... Read more →

CISSP Now Registered with Credential Engine

Understanding which certification is right for you can be a daunting task. (ISC)² itself has a portfolio of credentials related to cybersecurity, with specializations in certain areas. Credential Engine hopes to help people navigate the sometimes-cloudy world of certifications. Launched on December 7, 2017, Credential Engine is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting transparency and literacy in the credential marketplace, to make it easier for people to figure out what certification is best for them no matter where they find themselves in their career. The organization came out of the Credential Transparency Initiative (CTI) which started back in 2013. While... Read more →

CISSP Spotlight: James Packer

Name: James Packer Title: Security and Cloud Specialist Employer: Big 4 Firm Location: London, UK Education: Information Technology and Security Years in IT: 10 Years in Cybersecurity: 5 Cybersecurity Certifications: CISSP, CCSP, CIS F ISO27001 How did you get in to a career in cybersecurity? I’d say I’m like countless security professionals out there, I first started in IT and security was just a part of my job, inherent in every role I performed. I started in desktop support, progressing through the service desk lines to a managerial role, before moving in to projects and architecture- “solutionising” as I call... Read more →

Breached Data: Keeping It Secret Doesn't Make It Go Away

When Uber’s massive data breach made it to the public’s ears recently, it became a member of an infamous group of companies who not only had vital customer data stolen, but who sat on the story and did not inform the public or the media until much later. The reasons for data breaches vary, but are heavily tinted by human errors and the presence of unprotected files or weaknesses on cloud servers. This is something that should make all cloud service providers (CSPs) sit up and take notice. Bad PR for one is bad PR for all. The fact is,... Read more →

SSCP Spotlight: Mario Bardowell

Name: Mario Damar Bardowell Title: Security Analyst Employer: Leidos Location: Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. Degree: B.S. in Network Systems Communications Years in IT: 8 Years in information security: 2 Cybersecurity certifications: SSCP, CISSP, CompTIA’s CASP and Security +, CEH How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? The decision to pursue a career in cybersecurity was made due to the impression I received when I got a chance to work with an information security professional in my very first role as a help desk analyst. The man was sharp and always did things by the book. He didn't cut corners... Read more →

SSCP Spotlight: Marco Fernandes

Name: Marco Fernandes Title: Lead Security Solutions Architect Employer: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Location: Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas, U.S.A. Degree: Bachelor of Science in Business Computer Information Systems Years in IT: 4 Years in information security: 8 Cybersecurity certifications: SSCP How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I grew up with a love of technology and cybersecurity, along with a curiosity for business. So when I got to college, I wasn’t sure what I should major in. My brilliant brother, Roger Fernandes, encouraged me to pursue a degree in Business Computer Information Systems (BCIS). After seeing news of so many... Read more →

Cloud Tweaks: How Certification Helps

If you are a cloud service provider (CSP), much of your credibility will come from your transparency. Clients will constantly worry about your ability to remain secure and reliable in all areas of operations, and they will compare it to what they know best – their own in-house system. Bedside manner and customer experience are vital components of a CSP’s offerings, but they are underused commodities. Cloud Tweaks most recent blog, How Security Certification Helps Cloud Service Providers Stay Transparent and Credible, reveals how partnering up with a Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) can make all the difference in ensuring... Read more →

CCSP Spotlight: Greg Harris

Name: Greg Harris Title: Senior Security Consultant and Adjunct Professor Employer: Big 4 Firm and Kennesaw State University Location: Alpharetta, Georgia, U.S.A. Degree: MBA, MS in Information Systems, BS in Computer Science & Mathematics Years in IT: 15+ Years in cybersecurity: 13+ Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP, CCSP, CRISC, CISM, CISA, GCFA How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? McKesson Corporation hired me as a Security Infrastructure Engineer through a campus-recruiting program at Kennesaw State University in 2003. My undergraduate degree was a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Computer Science and Mathematics. With my Navy Electronic Warfare... Read more →

Is legislation key to security in IoT?

(ISC)² Community weighs in on Cyber Shield Act of 2017 Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass) has long been concerned about securing new technology as it bleeds into our everyday lives. In 2015, Sen. Markey, a member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, released the report, Tracking & Hacking: Security & Privacy Gaps Put American Drivers at Risk. Since then, smart cars have made frequent headlines, which has had the residual effect of bringing securing connecting cars to front of mind for the auto industry. We posed the question, “What do you think?” to members of the (ISC)² Community, and received... Read more →

SSCP Spotlight: Tiffany Temple

Name: Tiffany Temple Title: Cyber Security Analyst Employer: City of Greensboro Location: Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.A. Education: Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems - East Carolina University, Master of Science in Information Technology Management - University of North Carolina at Greensboro Years in IT: 5 Years in information security: 4 Cybersecurity certifications: SSCP How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I was encouraged by my current boss to transition from Help Desk duties to an Information Security role after she saw in me the analytical skills necessary to succeed. It was a seamless transition for me and... Read more →

CISSP Spotlight: Tony Harris

Name: Tony Harris Title: Consultant, Cyber Security Employer: KPMG LLP Location: Vancouver, Canada Education: MSc, Cyber Security (in progress) from the University of Liverpool, and Bachelor of Arts in American Studies & International Relations from the University of British Columbia Years in IT: 8 Years in cybersecurity: 7 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP, CISM How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I began my career in general IT processes eight years ago as your typical jack-of-all-trades IT. I wanted to narrow my focus into a specialty that I'd be interested in and cybersecurity ultimately was that choice. The reason was... Read more →

Leadership Problem: Cybersecurity Poorly Understood by Top Management

Organizational culture typically takes shape as a result of decisions and actions by top management, who are responsible for setting vision, values and practices. When leadership doesn’t understand something, it shows in how the organization handles that particular area. When it comes to IT security, research by (ISC)2 reveals a tepid commitment to investing in a strong security stance, both in the areas of technology and human resources. Too often, cybersecurity teams are short-staffed, lack the resources they need to handle a cyberattack, or aren’t given the responsibility to fill a more proactive role in protecting company data and networks.... Read more →

So what makes (ISC)² events different from the rest?

Whether it’s Congress, a two-day Secure Summit, or a one-hour webinar, the experience is a product of the (ISC)² Community By Tisun Rustem, Senior Events Manager in EMEA, (ISC)² With so many industry events and online educational opportunities vying for your attention, particularly in information or cybersecurity, one can be forgiven for wondering whether an (ISC)² event could have something unique to offer. (ISC)² serves its membership with a range of on-line and conference-based educational opportunities, including one-hour webinars and half-day symposia, your annual regional Congress; and new to this year, the two-day Secure Summits - five of which are... Read more →

Security Headlines: Congress Edition

Fresh from Austin, here are the top headlines from (ISC)2's 2017 Security Congress: Let's talk about risk, baby. That's the language c-level executives and board members want to hear from the security team. Keynote speaker and Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI, Donald Freese, spoke about a non-emotional approach to security. CSO Online quotes Dylan Thomas, who was probably talking about cybersecurity practitioners when he said "Do not go gently into that good night." Garfield loves lasagna and hates cyberbullying. Infosecurity Magazine was with us in Austin and spoke to the CISO of the state of Missouri, Michael Roling, CIO... Read more →