(ISC)² Blog

How to Strengthen Your Cybersecurity Culture Despite the Skills Shortage

Despite a shortage of 3 million cybersecurity professionals across the globe, a comfortable majority of those currently employed (68%) are happy in their jobs, according to (ISC)2’s newly published Cybersecurity Workforce Study. Their job satisfaction is related to the level of investment employers make in cybersecurity skills, technology and practices – all of which determines how cybersecurity professionals spend their time. The study is instructive to employers who are hampered by the skills shortage, but nevertheless need to improve their cybersecurity posture and culture. “By providing the right security resources, whether that means additional personnel, training or specialized cybersecurity solutions,... Read more →

What Does a Successful Cybersecurity Team Look Like?

One of the main questions (ISC)2 sought to answer with a new study, Building a Resilient Cybersecurity Culture, was what makes a good cybersecurity team, especially in an industry that suffers from a shortage in its current workforce. How do organizations go about building and strengthening the team? It’s clear from the study’s findings that management’s attitude toward the team – and toward cybersecurity as a whole – is related to the team’s success, confidence and ability to do their job without worrying about lack of budget or support from the top. Going in, we already knew the respondents in... Read more →

Now Available: CISSP-ISSAP and CISSP-ISSEP Training

You asked – we listened! We are excited to announce new Online Self-Paced Training for the CISSP-ISSAP and CISSP-ISSEP concentrations. These courses are available in the recently updated (ISC)² Learning Management System. Both self-paced courses include online access for 134 days, as well as flash cards, a post-course assessment, case studies, quizzes, videos and other learning activities. The ISSAP concentration is ideal for a CISSP who specializes in designing security solutions and providing management with risk-based guidance to meet organizational goals. The Official (ISC)² ISSAP Self-Paced Training covers the six domains of the CISSP-ISSAP CBK®: Identity and Access Management Architecture... Read more →

5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Security Congress

Security Congress is less than three months away! This year’s biggest and best cybersecurity conference will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana from October 8-10. Attending this year’s event can earn you as many as 46 CPEs for the year. To make sure you get the most out of #ISC2Congress, here are five things to do before you get to NOLA: Register for workshops Reserved seating workshops are new to Security Congress this year. We will have five workshops available throughout the conference that require a registration. If you’ve already signed up for Security Congress, great! You can login to... Read more →

ThinkTank Named Fastest Growing IT Webinar Channel

(ISC)²’s ThinkTank webinar channel has just been named the 2018 Highest Growth Channel in IT by BrightTALK, an online webinar platform aimed at providing professionals with business and professional growth. ThinkTank is a free cybersecurity webinar channel that features 60-minute roundtable discussions with influential security experts. These discussions cover a range of thought-provoking topics that are among the most pressing cybersecurity challenges. BrightTALK awarded 10 organizations for accomplishments in the IT category. Those winners included Palo Alto Networks, Symantec, and more with (ISC)² being the only certifying body to be recognized. So far this year, ThinkTank webinars have been viewed... 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 →

Chapter Spotlight: SSDC

On May 7th and 8th, (ISC)² hosted its annual Secure Summit D.C. (SSDC) cybersecurity conference. (ISC)² Secure Summit DC evolved from (ISC)² CyberSecureGov to assemble the best minds in cybersecurity for two days of insightful discussions, workshops and best-practices sharing. Three local (ISC)² Chapters were represented at the event: Quantico Chapter, National Capital Region (NCR) Chapter, and the NOVA Chartering Chapter. The chapters each hosted a table at the event, where 850+ attendees were able to ask questions, learn more about the (ISC)² Chapter Program, and even express interest in joining a local chapter. The (ISC)² National Capital Region (NCR)... Read more →

Attacks Happen. Be Ready.

A data breach hits headquarters at 3 a.m. Are your critical assets secure? Hire (ISC)²-certified cybersecurity professionals to prepare for, prevent and recover from attacks. 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 →

ENABLE: (ISC)² Members Can Access Cloud Security Training from A Cloud Guru

(ISC)²’s theme for 2018 is Enrich. Enable. Excel. In an effort to enable our members to be the best in their field, we have partnered with A Cloud Guru to offer a one-month free membership to A Cloud Guru. This benefit allows members exclusive access to cloud security education from A Cloud Guru, which delivers an array of cloud security courses to enable cybersecurity professionals to better defend their data in the cloud. Cloud security was identified as the number one skill security professionals needed to acquire or strengthen to advance their career, according our 2017 Global Information Security Workforce... 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 →

Welcome to The Lexicon Project

By John McCumber, Director of Cybersecurity Advocacy, (ISC)² North America Region I am thoroughly stoked to announce The Lexicon Project has finally come to fruition. The first thousand copies are being printed as I type this. It has taken several months, and the support of our full team here at (ISC)², but it has happened. I also want to acknowledge the critical advice from our North American Advisory Council (NAAC) for their input to the lexicon. But, why would we take this on as one of the first projects for the new Cybersecurity Advocate’s role? The third week of my... 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 →

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 →

Limited Time Opportunity: Free Forensics Lab

For a limited time, (ISC)² is excited to offer the opportunity for members to pilot an interactive, online, self-paced free CPE credit opportunity that incorporates a practical hands-on lab learning experience. This Cyber Forensics Incident Recovery lab is designed to provide you with a deeper understanding of how to extract evidence from a suspect’s hard drive. We are eager to offer this course, which includes demonstrations, hands-on lab practical application and concludes with an assessment to ensure understanding of the learning objectives. You’ll learn key concepts, watch demos, work through the hands-on lab and test your knowledge. Following completion of... Read more →

(ISC)² Secure Summit UK Insights: The Future Impact of AI in Cybercrime

(ISC)²’s two-day Secure Summits bring multi-subject sessions from hands on practical workshops to keynotes and panel discussions, featuring local and international industry experts to maximise the learning experience and CPE opportunities. Serving the entire (ISC)² EMEA professional community with regional events, the Summits offer a wealth of educational value, networking opportunities, and a community forum for like-minded professionals, all of which are FREE to (ISC)² members & (ISC)² Chapter members. Read on for insights from one of our popular Secure Summit UK sessions... You’re the CEO of an international oil and gas company. Business risk and risk management planning is... Read more →

Top 10 Cloud Security Webinars

(ISC)2 webinars are an easy way to keep up-to-date with your CPEs and keep your finger on the pulse of the cybersecurity industry. We know your time is valuable, so these one-hour sessions are focused on topics and issues relevant to your day-to-day operations. Cloud security remains at the forefront of security conversations today. Here are the top ten webinars for securing cloud services (in the North America region) for 2017: Office 365 Security & Performance - Proven Deployment Strategy Combining CASB + SWG Security Briefings Part 3: Compliance Checkup - HIPAA & the Cloud Security Briefings - Compliance Checkup... Read more →

CISSP Spotlight: Tony Harris

Name: Tony Harris Title: Consultant, Cyber Security Employer: KPMG LLP Location: Vancouver, Canada Education: MSc, Cyber Security (in progress) from the University of Liverpool, and Bachelor of Arts in American Studies & International Relations from the University of British Columbia Years in IT: 8 Years in cybersecurity: 7 Cybersecurity certifications: CISSP, CISM How did you decide upon a career in cybersecurity? I began my career in general IT processes eight years ago as your typical jack-of-all-trades IT. I wanted to narrow my focus into a specialty that I'd be interested in and cybersecurity ultimately was that choice. The reason was... Read more →

Leadership Problem: Cybersecurity Poorly Understood by Top Management

Organizational culture typically takes shape as a result of decisions and actions by top management, who are responsible for setting vision, values and practices. When leadership doesn’t understand something, it shows in how the organization handles that particular area. When it comes to IT security, research by (ISC)2 reveals a tepid commitment to investing in a strong security stance, both in the areas of technology and human resources. Too often, cybersecurity teams are short-staffed, lack the resources they need to handle a cyberattack, or aren’t given the responsibility to fill a more proactive role in protecting company data and networks.... Read more →