(ISC)² Blog

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 →

2019 Security Congress – The Agenda is Live!

You’ve been curious. You’ve waited patiently. And now you’ll know exactly which sessions you can look forward to at our ninth annual Security Congress in Orlando! The full agenda for this conference is now online for you to browse and you won’t want to miss this year’s event. Security Congress will advance a global perspective and vision as our premier conference for thousands of cybersecurity professionals from all over the world. With 18 tracks, 175 sessions and more than 200 speakers, this will be the biggest program ever. Featured sessions include: A panel discussion on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: How... Read more →

Cybersecurity Awards for Leading Professionals

Nominations are now open for the 2019 Information Security Leadership Awards Americas. The awards will be presented during a ceremony at (ISC)² Security Congress on Wednesday, October 30 at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando and will be open to All-Access pass attendees. As this is the first global event in (ISC)² history, it is expected to be the largest Security Congress ever, with as many as 4,000 attendees. The ISLA Americas nominations are open to (ISC)² members and non-members alike who are working in North, South and Central America. The deadline to submit all nominations... Read more →

Investing in the Next Generation of Cybersecurity Leaders

by Dr. Mansur Hasib, CISSP, PMP, CPHIMS Program Chair, Cybersecurity Technology, The Graduate School, University of Maryland University College In order for any discipline to advance and grow, each generation of established thought leaders must mentor and invest in the next generation. The new generation can infuse new ideas, varied approaches, and innovative new ways to explain and present material. This is exactly what happened in a dramatic way at the 2019 Secure Summit DC hosted by (ISC)² . John McCumber and Susan Lausch of (ISC)² invited me to organize a contingent of 30 graduate cybersecurity students and recent graduates... Read more →

(ISC)² Secure Summit EMEA in Review

On April 16, at the World Forum in The Hague, The Netherlands, (ISC)2 COO Wesley Simpson provided closing remarks to summarize some of the key sessions from the two-day Secure Summit EMEA event as it was wrapping up. To give you a window into the kinds of topics addressed during the Summit, what follows is an excerpt from his address. [Edited for length] Now, to close out the 2019 (ISC)² Secure Summit EMEA, let’s take a few minutes to look back at what we can take away from this year’s event. I’ve had a chance to speak with many of... Read more →

(ISC)² in 2019 – Events and Exhibits Not to Miss

With more than 140,000 members around the world, (ISC)² has, quite literally, a lot of ground to cover to get face to face with our members. There are a number of opportunities to meet with the team coming up this year, starting just next week at Secure Summit EMEA in The Hague. Secure Summit EMEA will take place April 15-16 and is themed Enrich. Enable. Excel. The two-day event will feature the best minds in cybersecurity from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Keynote speakers include Felicity Aston, Dr. Dennis Broeders, Joseph Carson, Dr. Jessica Barker and Lorna Trayan.... Read more →

The Top 10 EMEA Webcasts of the Last 12 Months

Today’s IT security landscape is tough terrain to navigate at the best of times. Cybersecurity professionals need all the guidance, insight and education they can get to help them stay on top of arguably the most challenging points where business and technology collide. As always, (ISC)2 is your partner on this journey, providing resources such as our series of webcasts to keep you up-to-date on the latest trends, issues, tactics and threats in cybersecurity. Want to know where to start? Here are the top 10 EMEA webcasts from the last year: Machine Learning in Infosec: Debunking Buzz and Demystifying Use... Read more →

Security Congress 2019: Call for Speakers is Open!

Call for speakers for the (ISC)² Security Congress 2019 is now open! The ninth annual cybersecurity conference will be held in Orlando, Fla., from October 28-30 at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort. We’re planning for the largest Congress yet with more than 4,000 attendees and 150 speakers. This year’s conference will be the largest ever as Security Congress has become a truly international event, with more attendees and sessions than ever before, aimed at a global audience. Security Congress will take place over three days with more than 100 educational and thought-provoking sessions to help security leaders... 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 →

Honoring the Fellows of (ISC)²

(ISC)² recently honored two additions to the distinguished group of Fellows of (ISC)². This recognition is designated upon elite cybersecurity professionals who have made outstanding contributions over the course of their careers to the profession and industry at large. John McCumber, director of cybersecurity advocacy in North America for (ISC)², is a past Fellow and presented the honor to two outstanding and deserving individuals this year at Security Congress in New Orleans during the Information Security Leadership Awards ceremony. The first Fellow honored was Dr. Ronald Ross. His area of focus has been systems security engineering and risk management. He... Read more →

Highlights From Security Congress 2018 – And What to Look Forward To

New Orleans jazz band welcomes attendees to the city and declares (ISC)2 Security Congress 2018 open By David Shearer, CISSP, (ISC)² CEO When I made the decision two years ago to transform the annual (ISC)2 Security Congress into an independent event, I knew it would be a huge undertaking for our team, but I also understood the passion of our member base and that we had enough interest to support this evolution. After returning from the 2018 Congress held in New Orleans just a few weeks ago (from October 8-10) I am reaffirmed that it was the right move. Our... Read more →