(ISC)² Blog

Cyber Threats Are Spiking as Remote Worker Ranks Soar

The number of people working from home is skyrocketing as the COVID-19 pandemic forces companies to close offices and practice social distancing. The sudden explosion of makeshift home office environments is adding to the burden of already overtaxed cybersecurity workers, who now face the massive task of trying to protect a remote workforce against cyber threats. While cybersecurity professionals put in extra hours to handle the situation, the increasing ranks of remote workers are catching the attention of another group – cyber attackers. Cyber criminals are betting that many of these hastily outfitted work-from-home environments will not have the same... Read more →

(ISC)2 Membership of More Than 150,000 is Helping to Close the Skills Gap

ISC)² continues to grow as it recently surpassed a milestone of 150,000 certified cybersecurity professionals in 175 countries. This is good news considering the data in the 2019 (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study indicates that the cybersecurity workforce needs hire 4.07 million professionals globally to close the skills gap to better defend organizations. “We’re extremely proud of our association’s growth over the past 30 years to support the profession and reach this member milestone,” said David Shearer, CEO, (ISC)². “However, we can’t stop now. The cybersecurity workforce still needs to grow by 145% globally in order to close the widening skills... Read more →

CISO Stress and Tenure – Looking Beyond the Numbers

Being a CISO can be stressful. That should come as no surprise. According to a new report, the stress is bad enough to cause health issues and personal relationship crises, and on average, CISOs stay in each job for just 26 months. The CISO Stress Report by Nominet, a U.K. domain registry, reveals that 95% of CISOs work longer hours than they are contracted for and 88% are “moderately or tremendously stressed.” While CISOs are undoubtedly under a lot of pressure, it’s important to not paint all of cybersecurity with the same brush, and to draw a distinction between job... Read more →

In the Face of a Global Health Crisis, Life (and Business) Goes On

By Clayton Jones, Managing Director, Asia-Pacific for (ISC)² The past few weeks have been challenging. Governments, individuals and organizations are working hard to contain the spread of Covid-19. Many of us across the Asia-Pacific region are still haunted by the SARS epidemic that wreaked havoc back in 2003. At the time, I had a very young family and was new to (ISC)², which in the region was still in its infancy. I feared for the health of my family and was also very conscious of the potential impact an economic downturn in the region could have on my recently created... Read more →

CISSP Ranks Sixth in Salary-Earning Potential

(ISC)²’s Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is currently the sixth highest paying IT certification, according to newly published research. CISSP-certified cybersecurity professionals earn salaries averaging more than $140,000. The CISSP is one of just six IT certifications commanding salaries above $140,000, which places them on the 15 Top-Paying IT Certifications for 2020 compiled by training company Global Knowledge. The list contains salaries ranging from an average of $117,000 for Citrix Certified Professional – Virtualization to nearly $176,000 for Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect. The list’s top four certifications are either in cloud computing or cybersecurity, confirming that demand in... Read more →

Breaches Increased in 2019, but the Number of Exposed Records Declined

The number of U.S. data breaches bumped up 17% in 2019 but despite the increase, the volume of sensitive consumer records that were exposed declined substantially by 65%, according to a newly published report. These statistics are a complete reversal of what happened in 2018, when the number of exposed consumer records soared by 126% and breaches declined by 23%, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) End-of-Year Data Breach Report for 2019 Data breaches tracked in 2019 in the United States jumped to 1,473, from 1,257 in the previous year, the report revealed. Meanwhile, 164,683,455 sensitive records were... Read more →

Register to Learn About Cybersecurity Workforce Study in CIS Webinar

This is one you won’t want to miss. (ISC)² Director of Cybersecurity Advocacy, John McCumber, will walk through the 2019 Cybersecurity Workforce Study results in a webinar hosted by the Center for Internet Security this Wednesday, February 12 at 12:30 p.m. ET. In an era of high-profile data breaches and devastating cyber attacks, cybersecurity impacts every individual and every organization. But (ISC)² research also shows that those in the field are optimistic that those challenges can be overcome if organizations take the right approach to growing the workforce and building strong cybersecurity teams. The presentation, titled “The Cybersecurity Workforce Shortage... Read more →

Security Predictions for 2020 from the (ISC)² Community of Security Professionals (Part 2)

By Diana-Lynn Contesti, CISSP-ISSAP, ISSMP, CSSLP, SSCP and John Martin, CISSP-ISSAP Continued discussion from Security Predictions for 2020 from the (ISC)² Community of Security Professionals (Part 1) Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Operating Technology (OT) related to the state of digital certificates The issue is not just self-signed digital certificates or expired certificates. Many of these devices have digital certificates, which need to be managed via a Key Management System and maintained. The fallout, of course, is that without proper controls, these devices can and will be compromised. Currently, the onus is on the consumer... Read more →

Security Predictions for 2020 from the (ISC)² Community of Security Professionals (Part 1)

By Diana-Lynn Contesti, CISSP-ISSAP, ISSMP, CSSLP, SSCP and John Martin, CISSP-ISSAP Cyber-attacks will impact businesses on a larger scale in 2020 and will affect those who are unprepared, whether it is attributed to human error or other disasters. In an effort to combat some of the issues faced by corporations, it is time for CEOs to grasp the mettle and officially buy-in with their security practitioners’ advice. We have all seen various vendors make predictions for Information Security for 2020. These predictions include an increase in targeted Ransomware, threats to the 2020 Elections in the U.S. and other countries, and... Read more →

Wanted: Cloud Security Skills

As demand for cloud computing grows, so does the need to secure it. In a survey of its Technology Executive Council members, CNBC found that cloud and software-defined security are among the C-suite’s top technology strategies for 2020. As reported in this video, cloud computing tops the list, and it’s followed by machine learning, artificial intelligence and software-defined security. The CNBC Technology Executive Council has nearly 150 executives in various industries, 70% of whom participated in the survey. The survey shows that securing cloud environments is a major priority – not only for the C-suite but also for cybersecurity workers.... Read more →

Switching from Other Fields to Cybersecurity Is Profitable

Here’s a bit of good news for anyone contemplating a career in cybersecurity: Cybersecurity workers who started their careers in other fields tend to get paid more than career-long cybersecurity professionals, according to new research. As reported by Security Boulevard, a survey conducted by Cynet, which makes breach detection tools, reveals that cybersecurity professionals with equivalent experience earn about the same regardless of whether they have a degree in computer science or a related engineering field. But those who started their careers outside of cybersecurity command higher salaries, a strong indication that employers – in the face of a skills... Read more →

Most Employers Don’t Pay Full Cost of Certifications

One of the most common complaints cybersecurity professionals voice about their employers is that they have to pay for certifications out of their own pockets. It’s not a trivial issue, since workers consider certifications their number one career hurdle, according the (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study 2019. Based on study findings, most employers don’t pay their cybersecurity workers’ certification fees. Considerably fewer than half of respondents in the study (37%) say their employers pay for them while 21% say they share the cost with employers. More than one third of respondents (35%) pay for all of their own cybersecurity certification costs.... Read more →

So You Have Decided to Become Cyber Security Certified, Now What?

By Tony Vizza, CISSP, CCSP, Director for Cyber Security Advocacy - APAC at (ISC)² Toward the end of 2019, I met many aspiring women and men who approached me and said, "Tony, I want to become cyber security certified, how do I do it?" If you are reading this article, it is likely that you have made a conscious decision to do so. Congratulations on taking this step in furthering your career, skills and knowledge. You have made the decision to demonstrate to the wider world your hard-gained experience, knowledge and skills in cybersecurity and to prove to yourself that... Read more →

How Culture Makes Us Safer

As published in the September/October 2019 edition of InfoSecurity Professional Magazine By Wesley Simpson, COO There’s an untapped resource hiding in security departments that many of us may consider an intangible or even undefinable asset. When strengthened, it can have a drastic effect on an organization’s security and contribute to its overall value stream. I’m talking about building a strong culture within your cybersecurity team. There are some very tangible practices you can deploy within your team that can have a huge impact on engagement and satisfaction and make your business more secure at the same time. One way to... Read more →

How To Navigate An Uncertain Job Horizon

As published in the September/October edition of InfoSecurity Professional Magazine By Deborah Johnson Advice on how to mitigate a sudden job loss due to redundancy, recession or ‘rightsizing’. Diana Contesti was a business continuity planner at a major steel manufacturer in Hamilton, Ontario, when a recession hit the Canadian steel industry in the early 1990s. The economic contraction forced companies to cut jobs. Her employer called it “rightsizing” when leadership announced it would cut approximately 3,000 positions. The layoffs were based on seniority by department, and based on that criterion, Contesti knew she was out. “I was extremely worried. I’m... Read more →

A Lifeline: Patient Safety and Cybersecurity

By Lee Kim, JD, CISSP, CIPP/US, Director, Privacy and Security, HIMSS The most valuable part of the healthcare system is the patient. Patient safety is paramount in the healthcare sector. With the digitization of healthcare information, the free flow of information comes at a price. We need to be responsible stewards of healthcare information. Patients entrust us with their healthcare information and their lives. Those of us in the healthcare cybersecurity field have the unique task of protecting and securing patient information yet ensuring that the information is available on demand—especially when critical, life threatening situations arise. The Vulnerabilities of... Read more →

AI and Machine Learning In Demand – Top Jobs of 2019

Last week, LinkedIn released its third-annual Emerging Jobs Report, which highlights the fastest-growing jobs around the world. Topping the list in the United States is Artificial Intelligence Specialist, with 74% annual growth over the past four years. “This is the third year in a row a role related to machine learning or artificial intelligence has topped the list, and we can only expect demand to increase,” says Guy Berger, the principal economist at LinkedIn. AI is now applied across a variety of industries, including computer software, information technology and services, higher education and consumer electronics to name a few. Indeed.com... Read more →

Job Satisfaction Is High Among Cybersecurity Workers

Cybersecurity professionals face plenty of challenges in their work – there’s always something new to learn, cyber attackers are relentless and security teams are usually short-staffed. Still, nearly two-thirds of cybersecurity professionals (66%) say they are satisfied with their jobs. But that number jumps to 72% among cybersecurity workers whose employers pay for their certifications, according to the 2019 (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study. For professionals whose organizations pay for only part or none of their certification costs, the number drops to 63%. This is an important finding for employers who are trying to build their cybersecurity teams. Currently there is... Read more →

Cyber Threats to Healthcare on the Rise

Hospitals are set up to fight infections, but not necessarily the kind that has been plaguing healthcare institutions lately – malware. A new report estimates that cyber threats against healthcare targets increased 60% since January, surpassing the total number of threats identified in all of 2018. The most common threat targeting the healthcare industry is Trojan malware, which increased 82% in the third quarter from Q2, according to the report by Malwarebytes, Cybercrime Tactics and Techniques: The 2019 State of Healthcare. Most of the Trojan attacks involved Emotet and TrickBot, which are the two most dangerous Trojans around since 2018.... Read more →

Cybersecurity Is the Top Concern for Midmarket Executives

Nearly half of midmarket executives (47%) in a newly released quarterly report cited cybersecurity as their top concern for the coming year. The Middle Market Indicator report, by Chubb and the National Center for the Middle Market (NCMM), shows that cybersecurity topped the list of concerns for the second quarter in row. The concern isn’t surprising. Any executive who pays attention to the cyber threat landscape is bound to feel trepidation about the potential for cyber attacks against their organization. A study published by The Conference Board earlier this year found that cybersecurity is the top business concern for U.S.... Read more →