(ISC)² Blog

Beware of Scams this Holiday Season

By Tony Vizza, CISSP, (ISC)² Director of Cybersecurity Advocacy, APAC Over the past few weeks, I have noticed a marked increase in the number of phishing attempts, both using cyber based methods as well as traditional methods such as phone calls, text messages and even postal service scams. Scammers rely on psychological trigger points to succeed. December, in particular, is a stressful time for many people. Boozy Christmas parties, buying presents for your family (and finding something your partner will like), planning the holiday getaway with the kids and of course wrapping up end-of-quarter and end-of-year and you have a... Read more →

Thank You for Another Exciting Year

By David Shearer, CISSP, (ISC)² CEO The (ISC)² team would like to extend our gratitude to you for being an (ISC)² member. Thank you for all you do each day to help us achieve our vision of inspiring a safe and secure cyber world. We are excited by the progress and development made in 2018 as the global (ISC)² team continues their commitment to delivering value to you. I’m happy to share some of the teams’ accomplishments with you, including: Multi-Factor Authentication Now Available I’m thrilled to share that we have added Multi-Factor Authentication as an additional layer of security... Read more →

Cybersecurity Scholarships from (ISC)² and the Center for Cyber Safety and Education

Each year, (ISC)² and the Center for Cyber Safety and Education partner together to offer scholarships to students around the world. There are three categories of scholarships in this program: Graduate, Undergraduate and Women’s. All are open to students pursuing cybersecurity degrees in any country in the world, whether they are full-time or part-time students, online or attending a campus. The Graduate Scholarship period is open until January 15. Applicants must be pursuing, or plan to pursue, a master’s degree program, or a doctoral study, with a focus on cybersecurity or information assurance. The Undergraduate Scholarship application period will open... Read more →

(ISC)² London Chapter: Developing Education Framework

By James Packer (ISC)² London Chapter President I’m very much looking forward to moderating the diversity panel at the Secure Summit in September. The topic of skills and diversity in the industry is a deep passion of mine as I feel we need to continue to be a forward looking industry, carefully considering the demands of the current age of technology and the trends of technology consumption amongst the next generation. As President of the (ISC)2 London Chapter, this is an area of focus for us as a Chapter; we are currently developing our Education Framework, which is a strategy... Read more →

Chapters Spotlight: Leadership Meetings

The (ISC)² Chapter program provides opportunities for chapter leaders to gather together at regional Security Congress events. These chapter-specific events are called Chapter Leadership Meetings, or CLMs. At these events, chapters leaders can meet Chapter Program Staff, network with chapter officers, exchange resources, and learn how they can develop and grow their chapter. Recently, there were CLM events in both the Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Latin-America (LATAM) regions. The CLM meetings had chapter leaders represented from local many regional chapters such as: LATAM: Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, and Uruguay APAC: Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Japan, Korea, Shanghai, and Singapore... Read more →

Chapter Spotlight: London

The (ISC)² London chapter received its official (ISC)² Charter on March 16, 2018, after completing the chartering process and attending the (ISC)² Secure Summit UK earlier this spring. The London Chapter’s president, James Packer, outlined the chapter’s goals at the Secure Summit UK event, which included plans for hosting the chapter’s own events, forming industry partnerships, and spawning beneficial initiatives such as in education and healthcare. As a result of the Chapter’s presence at the Summit, over 50 people signed up to become a member of the Chapter. This is a record number of people who have ever signed up... Read more →

Chapter Spotlight: Hawaii

Like many chapters, the (ISC)² Hawaii Chapter has had challenges with officer vacancies, legal registration, and low attendance at events over the past three years that the chapter has held its official charter. In early 2018, the new officer board took over and began to plan events to get the information security professionals in the area together to better connect, educate, inspire, and secure the communities of Hawaii. While the chapter has held its official charter with (ISC)², the chapter has been somewhat dis-engaged from the local community. The new chapter officers have made it their mission to re-invigorate the... Read more →

Make a lasting impact while in New Orleans during (ISC)² Security Congress

Data breaches are happening far too often. Stories about personal information being compromised are part of the daily news cycle. But even after the fact, many people are still not taking internet safety seriously. Let’s not forget that human error causes 90 percent of security incidents. Training employees about cybersecurity is essential but educating younger generations from the moment they gain access to the internet, should be a priority. This year, at (ISC)² Security Congress in New Orleans, cyber, information, software and infrastructure security professionals will learn about cyber safety education thanks to the Center for Cyber Safety and Education,... Read more →

Looking Back: Secure Summit DC

Nearly 900 cybersecurity professionals attended Secure Summit DC at the beautiful MGM National Harbor hotel. The two-day training event included more than 35 sessions in four tracks. Keynote speakers covered topics from resourcefulness to security culture, sociology to workforce development and beyond. A noteworthy theme evolved throughout the event, as speakers from both the private and public sectors – including many from the (ISC)² Board of Directors – acknowledged the need for a greater understanding of the cybersecurity basics both inside and outside the industry. “We’re in the golden age of threats,” said John McCumber, director of cybersecurity advocacy at... Read more →

Chapter Spotlight: Bangalore

(ISC)² Bangalore Chapter 7th Security Meet The (ISC)² Bangalore Chapter conducted its 7th Security Meet on 17th March, 2018 at Honeywell Technology Solutions. The event offered its fellow security professionals an opportunity to hear from and discuss with security experts from various industries. The chapter has picked up pace and matured with respect to its steadily growing membership count in quality and quantity. Currently at the count of 73 members and counting, this chapter promises to sincerely promote its purpose and vision of building a strong network of security professionals. The half day event featured three major keynote presentations along... Read more →

Ghana Chapter Plays Key Role in Securing Republic’s Digital Journey

Focused on “Securing Ghana’s Digital Journey,” the Republic of Ghana’s Ministry of Communications recently united representatives from multiple international bodies for National Cyber Security Week (NCSW). Members of the (ISC)2 Ghana Chapter played key roles in ensuring the event’s success. Opened by Ghana President H.E. Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, the weeklong forum gathered participants from the Council of Europe (GLACY +), the United States/Security Governance Initiative, the United Nations, ECOWAS, African Union Commission, and others. (ISC)2 Ghana Chapter Treasurer Alexander Oppong, CISSP, served on the NCSW Planning Committee responsible for the event’s funding, exhibiting, sponsor selection, and physical/cyber security. Ghana... 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 →

Ways to Earn CISSP CPEs

In this ever-changing field, you’re constantly required to learn about new tools, vulnerabilities and threats. We know that time and financial resources may get in the way of participating in CPE offerings that help you sharpen your skills and hone your craft. We are committed to enabling our members to become the most well-rounded and effective cybersecurity practitioners around so we’ve compiled a list of CISSP CPE opportunities that will work for your busy schedule. Online CPE Opportunities: Read InfoSecurity Professional Magazine (and take the quiz) Watch a CPE webinar (including any of our cybersecurity webinar series: ThinkTank, e-Symposium, From... Read more →

Center for Cyber Safety and Education Named Nonprofit of the Year

The Center for Cyber Safety and Education was named the 2018 Nonprofit Organization of the Year by the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce. The Center is the charitable foundation of (ISC)² and was previously known as the (ISC)² Foundation. They are committed to making the cyber world a safer place for everyone, particularly through their Safe and Secure Online program. The children’s materials feature Garfield and friends tackling cyber safety issues, including privacy, the dangers of posting online, online etiquette, cyberbullying and more. “We are deeply honored to receive this recognition, especially in our local community,” said Patrick Craven, director... Read more →

Cyber Security Awareness Month

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, as well as National Bullying Prevention Month, which means it’s the perfect time to get up-to-date on the activities of the Center for Cyber Safety and Education! Their third lesson of the Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventuresin the Safe and Secure Online program, “Be Kind Online!” launched this month and is now available for purchase on https://www.cybersafetykits.org/ The focus of the episode is on cyberbullying. The Center now offers a new Digital subscription to the cartoon lessons featuring Garfield and his furry friends are available for your family at just $9.99 per year. The Center’s... Read more →

What we learned from this month’s European GISWS report

What is the GISWS? Since its first release in 2004, the biennial (ISC)²® Global Information Security Workforce Study (GISWS) has been gauging the opinions of information security professionals; and in turn, providing detailed insights into the important trends and opportunities within this increasingly crucial profession. This year, the study conducted its largest-ever global survey of cybersecurity professionals, with over 19,000 individuals taking part (3,694 of which hailing from Europe), further allowing it to ascertain an even clearer and progressively more complete profile of the information security workforce; with stronger understandings of areas and issues such as pay scales, skills gaps,... Read more →

The Great Divide: Women in Cybersecurity Infographic

According to the latest research from the Center for Cyber Safety and Education™ and the Executive Women’s Forum on Information Security, Risk Management & Privacy (EWF), conducted by Frost & Sullivan, women continue to comprise only 11 percent of the information security workforce. That number, despite women making up approximately half of the global population, has remained stagnant since 2013. This information is detailed in the latest infographic created using data from the 2017 Women in Cybersecurity report, which was part of the Global Information Security Workforce Study (GISWS), sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton. The study found that women in... Read more →

Are Women the Answer to the Cybersecurity Skills Gap?

Information security is one of the most important and fastest growing professions in the world, possessing a near-zero unemployment rate, but also a worker shortfall that grows larger every year. Most organisations admit that bridging the industry’s skills gap, while attracting women into cybersecurity is crucial; yet female participation has remained static since I began working with our Global Information Security Workforce Study programme in 2004. When we first began benchmarking the development of the cybersecurity workforce, analysts projected a double-digit growth that has since been realised. Today we forecast a skills gap projected to reach a shortage of 1.8... Read more →

5th Annual CyberSecureGov Brings Together World-Renowned Experts To Educate the Workforce in Cyber

We are excited to announce the final speaker agenda for our 5th annual CyberSecureGov training event being held May 9-11, 2017, at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C. This year, we are offering a 3-day event, which means more great sessions and more CPEs! “If you work for the U.S. government – either as a contractor or direct hire – cybersecurity is now your job,” said Dan Waddell, CISSP, CAP, PMP, managing director, North America Region, and director of U.S. government affairs, (ISC)². “More and more, government agencies are requiring good cyber hygiene practices in contracts, job descriptions, performance... Read more →

GISWS Results – Women in Cybersecurity

The 2017 Global Information Security Workforce Study (GISWS) Women in Cybersecurity report, co-authored by the Center for Cyber Safety and Education and the Executive Women's Forum on Information Security, Risk Management & Privacy, and presented by PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLC focuses on the unique attributes, as well as the challenges facing women in this industry. A few of the highlights from this year's Women in Cybersecurity report include: Women comprise only 11 percent of the information security workforce. Women reported higher levels of education than men. Women in cybersecurity earn less than men. A special thank you to the co-authors of this... Read more →