(ISC)² Blog

2020 Global Achievement Awards Open for Nominations

Earlier this week, (ISC)2 announced that nominations are now being accepted for the 2020 (ISC)2 Global Achievement Awards. This awards program replaces the former (ISC)2 Awards Program, which had included the Information Security Leadership Awards (ISLA). The new program creates a unified, global platform for recognition of the most outstanding annual achievements in the field of cybersecurity. For years, (ISC)2 has honored and celebrated deserving cybersecurity professionals from around the world with its awards program, highlighting best practices and those who have gone above and beyond to inspire a safe and secure cyber world. The four categories now open for... Read more →

How to Write a Great Speaker Submission

There are just a few weeks left to submit your session to speak at this year’s Security Congress. The 10th annual conference will be held November 16 – 18, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando in Orlando, Florida. If you’ve never spoken at Security Congress - or any conference – before, you may not be sure where to start when it comes to your speaker submission. We’ve compiled five tips to help you write a great speaker submission and increase your chances of being selected! No pitches! We don’t accept any marketing or product pitch type of submissions. It’s ok... Read more →

ICYMI: (ISC)2 Security Congress Call for Speakers is Open!

On February 3, (ISC)2 announced that it opened the call for speakers for its 2020 Security Congress in Orlando, FL, running from November 16-18. Speaker applicants can either submit for an individual presentation or panel presentation before the March 22 submission deadline. All submissions require a five-step process, which must be fully completed in order to be considered. Proposals must be non‐sales and non‐marketing oriented and no fees are required to submit. All applications must include a title, a proposal abstract (with a limit of 125 words) and three learning objectives to impart to attendees. As a reminder, (ISC)2 is... 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 →

Positively Impacting the Next Generation with Cyber Safety Day

As use of the internet becomes more acceptable in schools and expected at younger ages, cyber safety education is a necessity. While tablets, computers and smart devices are the norm at home and school for children, many students are not taught about the potential dangers faced while using technology. Shockingly, 40% of students in fourth through eighth grades have chatted with a stranger online, of those, 53% gave out their phone number to the stranger and 11% met with a stranger according to Children’s Internet Usage Study. Statistics like these are the impetus behind the mission of the Center for... Read more →

2019's Top 10 Webcasts

Continuing education allows cybersecurity professionals to stay in tune to the constant changes in the industry. (ISC)² provides webcasts throughout the year on various security-related topics to help keep you informed, as well as provide opportunities to earn CPEs. Based on ratings by cybersecurity professionals, here are our top 10 webcasts from 2019: Ransomware Tools Continue to Increase Ransomware continues to be a widespread problem for organizations. Defending against such attacks are paramount for security teams at businesses small and large. Hear about the latest information concerning many of the leading ransomware threats, as well as updates on the state... Read more →

In Case You Missed It: Recapping Security Congress 2019

Security Congress 2019 was our largest and most in-depth cybersecurity education conference to date. Held over the course of three days in October, the event was jam-packed with more than 180 sessions (covering 18 tracks), over 200 speakers and headline-worthy keynote speakers. There was a 32% increase in overall registration from the previous year and 58% of all attendees were attending (ISC)2 Security Congress for the very first time. Attendees from more than 50 different countries came together to network and learn from their colleagues in the cybersecurity field. In addition to learning about such topics as Cloud Security, Cyber... Read more →

Reflections on Captain Sully's #ISC2Congress Keynote

by Dr. Chris Veltsos, CISSP (ISC)² Security Congress wrapped up four weeks ago. The event sported world-class keynotes and also had many great sessions. This article shares some reflections on Captain Sully’s keynote, and his message to all of us information security professionals. A Perfect Fit for Cybersecurity The opening keynote at the 2019 (ISC)² Security Congress could easily be mistaken for a figure larger than life. Captain Sully’s story is one of calm in the face of chaos, with the result being that everyone on board that fateful flight was able to get out alive. As some of the... Read more →

#ISC2Congress: Global Factors Driving Data Privacy Regulation (Part 2)

By Andrea Little Limbago, Chief Social Scientist, Virtru Limbago presented during the Governance, Risk and Compliance track at the 2019 (ISC)2 Security Congress in Orlando. The session, Global Factors Driving Data Privacy Regulation, explained data localization, how it is progressing and what that means for organizations. In two parts, Limbago recounts the information covered in her session. In the previous post, we discussed the growing influence of digital authoritarianism, which has now contributed to nine consecutive years of a decline in internet freedoms across the globe. We’ll now turn to two other competing global influences that are further shaping data... Read more →

#ISC2Congress: Global Factors Driving Data Privacy Regulation (Part 1)

By Andrea Little Limbago, Chief Social Scientist, Virtru Limbago presented during the Governance, Risk and Compliance track at the 2019 (ISC)2 Security Congress in Orlando. The session, Global Factors Driving Data Privacy Regulation, explained data localization, how it is progressing and what that means for organizations. In two parts, Limbago recounts the information covered in her session. On October 29, the internet turned 50. Despite original aspirations of a free and open internet, the modern internet is increasingly segmented and shaped by political boundaries. Included within broader technological shifts such as 5G, artificial intelligence, and the internet of things, these... Read more →

Security Congress Final Thoughts: Being There for Others (Part 2)

Human Spirit Admiral William H. McRaven (retired) was one of the speakers at (ISC)2 Security Congress who received a standing ovation. Another was Eric Wahl, an artist and best-selling author, who delivered the lunch hour keynote on the second day. He mesmerized the audience by painting portraits of Michael Jordan, John Lennon and Albert Einstein to heart-pounding music in a matter of minutes. He urged attendees to let the human spirit drive them even as they increasingly rely on digital tools, data, analytics and automation to do their job of protecting people and organizations. Wahl talked about the importance of... Read more →

Security Congress Final Thoughts: Being There for Others (Part 1)

Sometimes you need a boatload of people to help you through. It’s a lesson Admiral William H. McRaven (retired) learned after a parachute accident that left him bedridden for months. The accident happened while he was participating in a Naval Special Warfare exercise involving a 1,000-foot free-fall jump. McRaven, who served as the ninth commander of the U.S. Special Operations command from August 2011 to August 2014, got both legs tangled in his parachute because another parachutist was underneath him and opened his chute into McRaven’s falling body. When McRaven opened his own chute, his legs became tangled and the... Read more →

Security Congress: Securing a Rapidly Changing Environment

The cyber ecosystem is changing faster than ever, creating new attack surfaces and increasing the challenge of defending against new and evolving threats. The fast-changing landscape requires new ways of thinking and approaches to protect environments that spread across on-premise and cloud infrastructures and connect IT with OT (operational technology) systems. Just accepting that the expansion of the ecosystem – and the growing presence of technology in our lives – will increase risk isn’t good enough. This is a point (ISC)2 CEO David Shearer made clear at the kickoff of the organization’s Security Congress 2019 this week in Orlando. We... Read more →

Security Congress Day 2: From PAM to Cyber Insurance to Finding a Voice

While cybersecurity spending is expected to hit $124 billion this year, only a small portion of it will go toward identity management. Yet, a disproportionate number of breaches occur because of flaws in access management and dangerous practices such as the sharing of passwords, according to Tariq Shaikh, CISSP, Senior Security Advisor for CVS Health. Identity management spending accounts for 5% to 10% of total cybersecurity spend. When it comes to privileged access management (PAM), Shaikh said the portion is even smaller -- 1%. It’s time to change that, he argued during a session on PAM at the (ISC)2 Security... Read more →

Security Expert: AI Not Ready for Cybersecurity

While artificial intelligence (AI) has gotten a lot of attention in recent years as a possible solution for cybersecurity issues, Winn Schwartau argues there’s a long way to go before we can trust AI and its siblings, machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL), to deliver the results we need. During a presentation on the ethical bias of AI-based systems at the (ISC)2 Security Congress 2019, Schwartau said significant problems with AI need to be overcome before we can fully trust it with something as important as cybersecurity. Schwartau, a top expert on security and privacy, is the Chief Visionary... Read more →

Privacy Regulations: More Work for Cyber Professionals

Whenever new data privacy and cybersecurity laws go into effect, they create more work and responsibilities for cyber professionals. This reality hasn’t gone unnoticed by attorney Scott Giordano, who reminded cybersecurity professionals during a session about the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) that the law will create new duties for them. Giordano, Vice President of Data Protection at Spirion, went over details of the law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2020, and how organizations should prepare for it. His was one of a series of presentations at the 2019 (ISC)² Security Congress, taking place in Orlando this week, about... Read more →

Cybersecurity Ethics: How Far Is Too Far?

When doing their work, cybersecurity professionals often come across situations that put their skills to the test. And sometimes those tests have far less to do with technology or business than with questions of ethics. When cyber professionals discover vulnerabilities while performing penetration tests or some other security-related work, is it OK to disclose those vulnerabilities publicly? What happens if system owners are made aware of issues but decide to ignore them? And at which point, while testing systems containing private information, do cyber professionals reach a line they should not cross? These questions were part of a lively panel... Read more →

Security Congress Kickoff: Creating a Safe World

The spotlight was on safety at the kickoff this morning of (ISC)² Security Congress 2019, taking place this week in Orlando. First, (ISC)² CEO David Shearer talked about the role that association members have in protecting society through their cybersecurity work. Then, Capt. Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot of flight 1549, which landed on the Hudson River in January 2009, related the events of that day and how he and his co-pilot, Jeff Skiles, safely landed their U.S. Airways Airbus with everyone aboard surviving the event. Shearer spent much of his kickoff address on the importance of abstracting what... Read more →

Center Day at Congress

(ISC)²’s biggest and best Security Congress yet – with three days of more than 175 sessions and 200 speakers – kicks off in less than three months! Act now - Early Bird registration is still open and workshops and pre-conference trainings are filling up. This year’s conference will be held at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort and will feature workshops, career resources, awards, an escape room and so much more. Our Center for Cyber Safety and Education will once again host its annual volunteer orientation and other special programming. Find out what Center Day at (ISC)² Security... Read more →

Why Certified Cloud Security Professionals are in Higher Demand Than Ever

A new report from Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 threat intelligence team titled “Cloudy With a Chance of Entropy” reports that there are at least 34 million vulnerabilities across some of the largest cloud platforms, including Amazon Web Services, Google Compute Engine and Microsoft Azure. Notably, the threats were not found to be the result of cloud providers themselves, but rather the applications customers deploy on cloud infrastructure. As the report states, “cloud service providers maintained their sterling reputation for platform security . . . however, consumers of infrastructure- and platform-as-a-service (IaaS and PaaS) cloud offerings continue to struggle with... Read more →