(ISC)² Blog

(ISC)² Listens: Women Working in Cybersecurity

This month, we asked women in the (ISC)² Blog Volunteers group to weigh in on a few questions from their perspective as a female working in cybersecurity. While their experiences in the industry have varied, this group unanimously responded that they currently receive equal pay to their male counterparts. These volunteers also feel that they receive the same opportunities for promotion and growth as the males on their teams. However, when asked if the ratio of women to men working around them has increased in recent years, the group was split, about 50/50, half agreeing yes, they have seen more... Read more →

International Women’s Day: Must-Watch Webinars by Women in Cybersecurity

What have all these webinars got in common? They feature women at the top their cybersecurity game. March 8, 2023, is International Women’s Day, a focal point for recognizing the achievements and contributions that women have made to every element of society. The cybersecurity sector is fortunate to include women who are experts and visionaries that are changing our technologies and approaches for the better, as well as serving as role models to help encourage even more women to pursue a career in the sector and bring greater equality and balance to the workforce. Whether you want to go deeper... Read more →

Earn CPE Credits For Reading (ISC)² News and Insights With Our Quiz

We are continuing the popular bi-monthly CPE credit quiz as we transition from InfoSecurity Professional to our new web-based content platform. The first (ISC)² News and Insights CPE Credit Quiz of 2023 is now live. Every two months, we publish a 10-question quiz with questions based on some of our editorial content from that period. Successfully passing the quiz results in two CPE credits being automatically added to your total. Readers of our former bi-monthly magazine InfoSecurity Professional will know that each issue included a quiz, allowing members to earn CPE credits by passing the quiz, verifying they had read... Read more →

What’s Driving the Demand for GRC Professionals in Critical Infrastructure?

As geopolitical tensions continue, cyberwarfare has taken its toll on the world. Last July, the FBI, CISA and the Department of the Treasury issued a joint advisory about North Korean hackers targeting U.S. healthcare systems. Another warning was issued about Russian state-sponsored CNI attacks aimed against Ukraine or organizations providing materiel support. Alarmingly, the last few years have seen cyberattacks on oil and gas (Colonial Pipeline), nuclear operations (Iranian nuclear facility, Kansas nuclear plant, Stuxnet) and water utilities (Oldsmar, Israeli facilities) among others. In response, more CNI-geared legislation is on the way. The most game-changing move on this front last... Read more →

(ISC)² Members Reveal Deep Skepticism About Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

By John E. Dunn It’s little surprise that many people are skeptical about the rapid encroachment of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into daily life. However, should cybersecurity professionals be more positive about the benefits for the field? (ISC)² asked its members and candidates – experienced cybersecurity practitioners as well as those at the beginning of their career – whether or not they were concerned about the growth and adoption of both AI and ML in different scenarios. The results of the straw poll of 126 people revealed a consistently high degree of concern and skepticism about the... Read more →

Advance Your Cybersecurity Career with Toolkits from (ISC)² and BUiLT

As part of its expanded diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiative, (ISC)² and its partner, BUiLT (Blacks United in Leading Technology, Inc.), are releasing four new toolkits aimed at increasing the number of Black and underrepresented professionals entering, staying and advancing in the cybersecurity profession. “Diversity continues to lag in the tech and cyber industries – and in order to meet the workforce gap head on, we need to create racial equity by helping the Black community explore new career possibilities within these fields,” said Peter Beasley, executive director and chairman of the board, BUiLT. “Partnering with (ISC)² encourages a... Read more →

(ISC)² Research Finds Cybersecurity Professionals to be Least Impacted by Layoffs in 2023

The latest (ISC)² research report, How the Cybersecurity Workforce Will Weather a Recession, found that despite looming recession concerns, cybersecurity teams will be least impacted by staffing cuts in 2023. To assess the impact of a potential economic downturn on cybersecurity teams, (ISC)² polled 1,000 C-suite executives in December 2022 across five countries: Germany, Japan, Singapore, the U.K. and U.S. The research highlights how C-suite executives view cybersecurity as an essential, valuable asset that is a strategic priority. While 85% of respondents expect layoffs will be necessary at their organizations, cybersecurity roles are expected to be the least affected by... Read more →

Recession, what recession? (ISC)² Study Shows Cybersecurity Expected to Weather Tech Sector Jobs Downturn

Cybersecurity will defy the tech recession hurting other job roles in 2023, c-suite survey suggests. Every department loses good people in a recession or economic downturn, unless you work in cybersecurity in 2023 it seems. According to a new (ISC)² report and survey of 1,000 global c-suite executives in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Japan, and Singapore, cybersecurity will be the best place to work in the year ahead as job losses hit other departments and job roles. The report, How the Cybersecurity Workforce Will Weather a Recession, assesses the impact of a potential economic downturn on cybersecurity teams. Across the... Read more →

No experience, No Problem – (ISC)² Recruits 140,000 Individuals Interested in a Cybersecurity Career

(ISC)² launched a new initiative for individuals pursuing or considering a career in cybersecurity. The goal? To create new pathways to cybersecurity career success and decrease the global workforce gap. Within three months of launching this initiative, we had more than 110,000 individuals sign up to become (ISC)² Candidates. The offering provides education courses, study materials and resources to help prepare those looking to enter cybersecurity. Additionally, the aim is to encourage (ISC)² Candidates to pursue the recently launched entry-level certification (ISC)² Certified in Cybersecurity (CC). The immediate success of (ISC)² Candidates showed us there was no shortage of interest... Read more →

2022 (ISC)² Member Bloggers

The success of our membership-driven organization is closely linked to the effort that each certification holder puts into the organization. At (ISC)², we are fortunate to have a highly engaged membership that actively contributes to our success through volunteer opportunities. Our volunteers take on myriad tasks, from helping to organize events to speaking at conferences to developing certification exams. Another important way that members volunteer their time is by contributing informative blogs on timely cybersecurity topics that expand our knowledge base and help peers gain new insights into the cybersecurity field. (ISC)² members contribute blogs in two ways. One is... Read more →

Level Up Your Cloud Security Skills and Your Career Options

As organizations, applications, and users alike continue their journey toward the cloud, the demand for cybersecurity professionals with experience in cloud security increases. The knowledge and skills gap are the biggest concerns for all cloud-first organizations. According to the 2022 Cloud Security Report, lack of qualified staff is ranked as the biggest operational security headache trying to protect cloud workloads, while lack of qualified staff and knowledge was also echoed as the most challenging aspect of cloud compliance. Vendor certifications offer technical expertise The tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, have listened to these concerns and invested an enormous... Read more →

What It Takes to be a Cybersecurity Professional: The Non-Technical Skills You Need

Organizations around the world are being targeted – often from an unseen enemy. Cyberthreats are a plague on systems and data, and combatting them is costly and time-consuming. In order to defend against bad actors, organizations need the talent and skills on staff to detect and mitigate cyberthreats. This has led to massive opportunity in the field of cybersecurity. Research shows the global workforce needs a staggering influx of 2.7 million cybersecurity professionals to meet demand.1 Cybersecurity is a strong career choice for many reasons. It offers opportunities globally and in all industries. There are more than 50 career paths... Read more →

Real Talk with CCSPs an Interview with Matt Lee, CCSP

What do you get when you cross a teacher with an entrepreneur who also has a passion for cybersecurity? You get Matt Lee. Matt is the Senior Director of Security and Compliance at Pax8, where he is a force multiplier in the mission to empower Managed Service Providers (MSP) to continue to grow in their security knowledge and operability. We recently had a chance to speak with Matt about his experiences, and to offer some solid advice to those who are looking to enhance their cloud security. Q: Could you tell us a little about your background, and how you... Read more →

Considering a Career in Cybersecurity? Ask Yourself These 4 Questions

Regardless of what the economy or job market is doing, a career in cybersecurity promises near limitless possibilties. And with the current threats to cyber stability around the world, there’s never been a greater urgency for cybersecurity professionals. The latest research reveals a formidable gap in available talent — the workforce needs an influx of 2.7 million cybersecurity professionals to meet global demand.1 The data is obvious in its message. Cybersecurity is in dire need of skilled professionals and it’s costing organizations money. A recent study finds 64% experienced breaches that resulted in lost revenue and/or fines in the past... Read more →

Building the Next Generation of Security and Privacy Professionals

The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and (ISC)² teamed up to dive into similar challenges facing security and privacy professionals in a constantly evolving world. The latest (ISC)² Workforce Study shows an IT background – either from education or work experience – remains the most common point of entry for cybersecurity roles as 63% of participants reported it as their path to cybersecurity. This percentage has lowered in recent years, giving way to a variety of other entry points. Today, just over one-third of cybersecurity professionals get their start outside of IT. This number continues to expand as the... Read more →

Effective Cybersecurity Board Reporting

By Allen Ari Dziwa, CISSP, CCSP a risk specialist and SME for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. He has worked in technology and cybersecurity consulting for 15 years. Allen currently serves on the Board of Directors of ISSA North Texas, E-Council’s Ethical Hacking Advisory Board and contributed to CISSP reviews for (ISC)². He is a certified ethical hacker and certified threat intelligence analyst. The purpose of a Board of Directors is to provide governance and hold senior management accountable, including implementing cybersecurity strategy within established cyber risk appetite. A goal for any organization is generating revenue from business activities,... Read more →

#CybersecurityAwarenessMonth Mentorship Interview Series: Part 3 – Reverse Mentorship

In the final part of this three-part mentorship series for Cybersecurity Awareness Month we are discussing the advantages and challenges of reverse mentorship. Hear from two members who dared to embark on the complex world of reverse mentorship and shared their experiences with us. Read more about becoming a mentor and mentee in our part 1 and part 2 of this blog series. Chinatu Uzuegbu, CISSP, CEO/Managing Cyber Security Consultant at RoseTech CyberCrime Solutions Ltd. How would you describe reverse mentorship? Reverse mentorship is a process of being trained or mentored by a younger or junior position as a more... Read more →

#CybersecurityAwarenessMonth Mentorship Interview Series: Part 2 – Mentees

This Cybersecurity Awareness Month we are reviewing the three sides of mentorship by speaking with members who are experienced mentors, mentees and those who have taken part in reverse mentorship. Review our part one blog and hear from experienced mentors. In this, our second part of our three-part interview series we will hear from Jean Tam, CISSP, Cybersecurity Manager/Lead, Subject Matter Expert at Lockheed Martin on what the mentee experience is like. What drove you to seek mentorship? I was just out of college and wanted to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. What did... Read more →

#CybersecurityAwarenessMonth Mentorship Interview Series: Part 1 – Mentors

This Cybersecurity Awareness Month we are looking at three sides of mentorship from the mentor’s perspective, the mentee’s insights and reverse mentorship. Follow along with us though this three-part interview series highlighting member perspectives from varying industries. In this first blog, we will hear from three experienced mentors sharing their insights and takeaways from years of experience helping to guide the next generation. Chaddrick “Chad” Nevills, CISSP, Service Engineer at Microsoft What motivates you to succeed as a mentor? Seeing someone else succeed using the knowledge from my experiences to their advantage. It is fruitful to see someone from my... Read more →

As the Cybersecurity Profession Grows, So Does the Workforce Gap

The cybersecurity field has become larger than ever, but as the ranks of cybersecurity professionals increase, so does the workforce gap. The 2022 (ISC)² Cybersecurity Workforce Study reveals the workforce has grown to 4.7 million, an 11% increase from a year ago, while the workforce gap is now 3.4 million, up from 2.7 million. “Despite adding more than 464,000 workers in the past year, the cybersecurity workforce gap has grown more than twice as much as the workforce with a 26.2% year-over-year increase, making it a profession in dire need of more people,” the newly published report says. Findings were... Read more →