ISC2 Blog

3 Asian Tech Pioneers You Should Know

May is Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the contributions and legacies of individuals of Asian and Pacific Islander descent. While the month is usually celebrated with an emphasis on groups in the United States, at (ISC)2, we want to uplift the diverse Asian and Pacific Islander communities across the globe. In honor of this year’s theme, “Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity,” we’ve put together a list of inspiring Asian pioneers who are making a big impact in the cybersecurity space. Raj Samani Raj Samani is a computer security expert who is the Chief Scientist for cybersecurity... Read more →

The Top Five Most Fun Cybersecurity Mistakes in TV and Movies

By Dave Cartwright, CISSP The mysterious world of cybersecurity can sometimes be wildly misrepresented on-screen, causing challenges for professionals charged with educating colleagues and other users. Movie and TV screenwriters have been known to play fast and loose with the facts. Any car involved in an accident, no matter how minor, explodes in a hideous fireball. Everyone can find an on-street parking space right outside their house. Whenever text appears on a computer screen there’s a clicky-beepy sound for each letter that appears. No wonder, then, that the role and actions of cybersecurity can sometimes be even more wildly misrepresented... Read more →

Crypto Scammers Game YouTube for Amplification While Keeping Under Radar, Researchers Find

By Joe Fay Not even a pyramid scheme – they just convince people to give away their money. A network of crypto scammers has been able to game YouTube’s algorithms to publicize and amplify fraudulent investment apps without triggering the video platform’s safety team, researchers at WithSecure have said. The network used YouTube to post and boost videos encouraging victims to take part in fraudulent USDT (Tether) cryptocurrency investment schemes. Users were promised lucrative returns when they moved cryptocurrency from their wallets into wallets associated with the “apps” highlighted in the videos. WithSecure Intelligence Researcher Andy Patel tracked over 700... Read more →

Real Talk with CCSPs An interview with Vanessa Leite, CCSP, CISSP

We often hear that cybersecurity certifications have a global reach. When we spoke with Vanessa Leite we learned how true that actually is. Vanessa holds several certifications, including vendor-specific ones, along with the CISSP and CCSP credentials from (ISC)². She exemplifies the idea of “stepping out of one’s comfort zone”. Vanessa’s joy of sharing her knowledge, as well as her thirst for continual learning, are deeply motivating. Q: What job do you do today, Vanessa? A: I am a principal cyber strategy and consulting with a Global Cyber Security company. What that means, is basically it is an executive-level role,... Read more →

Predictions 2023, Part 1: What will the new year bring for the InfoSec Community?

By Diana-Lynn Contesti, CISSP-ISSAP, ISSMP, CSSLP, SSCP In recent years, we have seen the threat landscape become increasingly complex as threat actors use sophisticated techniques to exploit vulnerabilities of weak passwords, missing patches and antiquated software, thus gaining access to corporate networks. With attacks rising within industrial control systems (ICS), operating technologies (OT) and the internet of things (IoT), we are seeing the development of new terminologies emerge (e.g., patch lag or security resilience), and the list goes on. In 2023, we can expect to see the following: Staffing shortages because of the increased need to thwart cyberattacks and, as... Read more →

(ISC)² CEO Clar Rosso Honored by SC Media's Women in IT Security Program

Closing the gender and diversity gap in cybersecurity is critical if the profession is serious about addressing its current workforce crisis. (ISC)² estimates that the Cybersecurity Workforce Gap currently stands at 2.72 million professionals globally, but women only make up roughly 25% of the cybersecurity industry, compared to at least 40% of the global workforce. Every year, the SC Media Women in IT Security program celebrates significant contributions of those who have faced these challenges and made a positive impact on the advancement of cybersecurity in government or the private sector. (ISC)² CEO Clar Rosso was recognized as an advocate... Read more →

Associate of (ISC)² Spotlight: Angel Sayani

Angel Sayani is making her mark in the cybersecurity world at just 19 years of age. She already holds several industry certifications including Associate of (ISC)², Cloud Security Alliance’s CCSK and eight from CompTIA. Passing all of them within seven months. She is also the founder of IntellChromatics Inc., a Security-as-a-Service (SECaaS), software ML and application-AI robotics company and published the app Glitter Funny Stickers on Google Play. We spoke to Angel to gain more insights into her passion for cyber and what she’s looking forward to in her career. What prompted your initial interest in cybersecurity? I was reading... Read more →

CELEBRATING YOUNG WOMEN IN CYBERSECURITY – WEIJIA YAN, (ISC)² UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT

The (ISC)² Scholarship Program is part of an effort to bridge the cybersecurity workforce gap—which stands at 2.72 million needed professionals—by providing future cybersecurity professionals across the globe with scholarships to prepare them for a rewarding career in this important field. At the same time, the industry urgently needs more diverse perspectives and fresh talent to tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow. With the scholarships, (ISC)² wants to create more opportunities for historically underrepresented individuals and inspire more young people to pursue a career in cybersecurity. In 2021, Weijia Yan was awarded an (ISC)² Undergraduate Scholarship which supported her... Read more →

Catching up with Kaleb Worku, 2020 KnowBe4 Black Americans in Cybersecurity Scholarship Recipient

Kaleb Worku’s record of academic distinction and relevant experience earned him the 2020 KnowBe4 Black Americans in Cybersecurity scholarship and the following year the CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service. Today, he is a junior in the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences at Augusta University pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in cybersecurity. He is an undergraduate research assistant investigating medical device cybersecurity under the supervision of Dr. Michael Nowatkowski, CISSP and the captain of his school’s computing programming division of the Association for Computing Machinery. We caught up with Kaleb to discuss how earning this scholarship has impacted his journey... Read more →

Celebrating the Black History of Cybersecurity

In honor of Black History Month, we celebrate and acknowledge black pioneers in computer science and cybersecurity. Without their incredible contributions to technology, the cyberworld in which we live may not have been possible. We encourage you to learn more about these individuals and have included links below to read more. Annie Easley was one of the first black women to be hired by NASA as a ‘human computer’. She specialised in computer programming and alternative energy technologies, providing the technological foundations for some of the most important inventions of the 20th century, including communications, military and weather satellites. Dr.... Read more →

CISSPs from Around the Globe: An Interview with Chinyelu Philomena Karibi-Whyte

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In this installment, we talk Chinyelu Philomena Karibi-Whyte. Chinyelu shares with us why she pursued CISSP and how achieving it enabled her to develop her career and negotiate a better salary. What job do you do today? I am a Cyber Security Consultant within the Cloud Infrastructure... Read more →

CISSPs from Around the Globe: An Interview with Dr. Christine Izuakor

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In this installment, we talk to influential trailblazer Dr. Christine Izuakor. Christine shares with us her incredible story as the youngest student and first African-American woman to achieve a P.hD in Security Engineering, how she planned her journey to achieve her dream job and how her passion... Read more →

(ISC)² CEO Clar Rosso Receives Cyber Futurist Executive Award

This month, CEO Clar Rosso received a Cyber Futurist Executive Award during the 6th Annual Cyber Future Summit in Augusta, Georgia, U.S. The Cyber Futurist awards celebrate c-suite and boardroom leaders who recognize the importance of cybersecurity within their organization and community. These awards shine a light on senior level leadership who exemplify the importance of cyber resilience in all aspects of decision-making within their organization. During the presentation, Clar was introduced by Karl Mattson, CISO at No Name Security, as an “innovator that is representative of being a thought leader in the industry.” He further described Clar and the... Read more →

Meet Megan West, Honoree of the 2021 (ISC)² CEO Global Achievement Award

Megan “Meg” West, CISSP, is an Incident Response Consultant for IBM’s X-Force Incident Response Team. Prior to joining IBM, she worked as the Global Cybersecurity Incident Response Manager for another F100 company. She currently holds the CISSP and Security+ certifications as well as a Master of Science degree in cybersecurity. She has spoken at several international cybersecurity conferences including (ISC)² Security Congress and SAP Sapphire Now. Megan spends her free time mentoring college students as they enter the cybersecurity field. She also enjoys creating free cybersecurity content on various social media platforms such as YouTube and Twitter. Register now to... Read more →

CISSPs from Around the Globe: An Interview with AJ Yawn

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In this installment, we talk to AJ Yawn. AJ tells us about his motivation for setting it up his own business, his passion for mentoring and opening up pathways into cybersecurity, and why he thinks (ISC)² Chapters are a great place for networking and accelerating your career.... Read more →

CISSPs from Around the Globe: An Interview with James Wright

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In support of this, (ISC)² has launched a series of interviews to explore where CISSP certification has led security professionals. In our last interview, we met Jason Lau. In this installment, we meet James Wright. He is a cybersecurity technologist with The Walt Disney Company. He is... Read more →

CISSPs From Around the Globe: An Interview with Adesoji Ogunjobi

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In this installment, we talk to Adesoji Ogunjobi, who is passionate about cybersecurity in Africa. He is Chief Information Technology (security) Architect and Trainer with Kavod Doyen Consulting in Lagos and talks about how this industry has changed over his 14-year professional background and his ambitions for... Read more →

CISSPs from Around The Globe: An Interview with Theresa Grafenstine

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In this installment, we talk to Theresa ‘Terry’ Grafenstine. Terry tells us about her time working as the appointed Inspector General of the U.S. House of Representatives and her journey to becoming Chief Auditor for Global Technology at Citi. She shares with us her passion for cybersecurity... Read more →

CISSPs From Around the Globe: An Interview with Laurie Mack

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In this installment, we talk to Laurie Mack. Laurie lives in Canada and is Director for Security and Certifications at Thales. In this interview, Laurie shares with us how she started her career in the Canadian Armed Forces as a radio communicator and how her proudest professional... Read more →

CISSPs from Around the Globe: An Interview with Jason Lau

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification is considered to be the gold standard in information security. This is so because of all the doors that certification opens to a CISSP professional. Those doors lead to many different types of positions and opportunities, thus making the information security community dynamic and multifaceted. In support of this diversity, (ISC)² has launched a series of interviews to explore where CISSP certification has led security professionals. Last time we heard from Mari Aoba and her experiences with CISSP. This installment features Jason Lau, CISO for Crypto.com and an official member and contributor... Read more →