(ISC)² Blog

Two Steps to a Robust Security Culture

By Kwinton Scarbrough, CISSP In the midst of the business and technology merge, organizations of all industries have started their journey into the cognitive era of cybersecurity. In this era, it is essential for a business to have an IT security strategy to govern how the organization will protect itself from internal and external cyber threats. However, what commonly fails to align to IT security strategy is the organization’s overall security culture. IT security strategy can only be effective if there is a strong security culture embedded into the very fabric of the company’s operations. Today, I will cover the... Read more →

User Awareness Keeps Cybersecurity Jobseekers Busy

There’s no question cybersecurity professionals are busy people, but what takes up their time at work? According to recent (ISC)2 research, the skills they most employ each day are network monitoring, security analysis and security administration, while forensics and penetration analysis rank at the bottom. But if you ask those who are actively looking for a new job, the daily task that comes up most often is user awareness training. Some 38% of respondents who said they’d be starting a job search within six months revealed they conduct user training every day, while 31% do it two to three times... Read more →

Report: Minority Cybersecurity Workers Face Workplace Disadvantages

Non-white cybersecurity workers outnumber their white counterparts in advanced education degrees (master’s and higher), but they are still underrepresented in managerial positions. As a group, minority professionals also get paid less than Caucasians, according to a new report from (ISC)2. The report, Innovation Through Inclusion: The Multicultural Cybersecurity Workforce suggests ethnic and racial minority professionals face barriers to advancement that don’t seem to apply to Caucasians. The same is true when it comes to salaries, as Caucasian workers significantly out-earn their multicultural peers. Minority workers make up 26% of the U.S. cybersecurity workforce, just five points above the overall minority... Read more →

People and technology: a two-pronged approach to closing the skills gap

By Wesley Simpson, COO, (ISC)² Some have called the skills gap in IT and cybersecurity a national security crisis. Yet, it’s one that most everyone in the industry doesn’t know how to solve. Many look to automation and other technologies as a solution to the problem. Others foster relationships that will fill the pipeline and attract new talent. But there is no ONE solution. Instead, organizations need to both build and buy the talent they need. The growing gap between skills needed and qualified candidates is not a problem that technology alone can solve, but it is one that is... Read more →

Scholarship opportunities with (ISC)² and The Center for Cyber Safety and Education

Every year, (ISC)² and The Centre for Cyber Safety and Education award a range of scholarships to individuals pursuing, or planning to pursue a degree in cybersecurity or information security. Addressing the cybersecurity skills gap The aim of these initiatives are to help bridge the cybersecurity workforce skills gap - which our research predicts to reach a 1.8 million shortfall in the next four years - and improve diversity within the profession; by providing future information security professionals with Undergraduate, Graduate or Women’s scholarships to assist them in preparing for their rewarding career in this vital sector. How the scholarship... Read more →

Hiring a Cybersecurity Worker? Here’s What You Need to Know

Even though 85% of cybersecurity professionals would consider new job opportunities, it’s getting harder for employers to attract and retain qualified candidates. There just aren’t enough experienced cybersecurity workers to hire, and those already employed are constantly being wooed by recruiters. Only 15% of currently employed cybersecurity workers are planning to stay put, according to recently completed (ISC)2 research. Among the rest, 14% are actively looking for a new job and 75% are open to opportunities. This means we will likely see a hubbub of activity in the cybersecurity job market throughout 2018. Employers face an uphill battle. You not... Read more →

Throwback Thursday: Security Congress in Austin

Last year’s Security Congress in Austin was our largest one yet with nearly 2,000 cybersecurity professionals in attendance. You know what they say, everything is bigger in Texas! Our first independent Congress featured 139 educational sessions, as well as vendors presenting in the Solutions Theater, (ISC)² member focus groups, Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Summit and the Information Security Leadership Awards (ISLA) Americas ceremony and celebration. If you attended last year, you saw the excitement and enthusiasm from staff, speakers and attendees. If you were unable to attend, you’re in luck – you can watch some of the top sessions from... Read more →

Cybersecurity Hiring - An Issue for All

As cyber threats proliferate, organizations looking to fill cybersecurity vacancies need to take concrete steps to reboot recruiting and hiring efforts. Qualified candidates for cybersecurity jobs are scarce and getting scarcer, creating a challenge for companies to properly defend themselves against threats. By 2022, an estimated 1.8 million cybersecurity jobs will go unfilled, according to research by (ISC)2. It’s a classic supply-and-demand challenge, with too many vacancies for too few candidates. Currently it takes 55% of organizations at least three to six months to fill a cybersecurity vacancy, and 32% spend even more time to find qualified candidates, ISACA has... Read more →