Nov 11 2022

How can CISOs catch up with the security demands of their ever-growing networks?

Category: CISO,CISSP,vCISODISC @ 11:12 am

Vulnerability management has always been as much art as science. However, the rapid changes in both IT networks and the external threat landscape over the last decade have made it exponentially more difficult to identify and remediate the vulnerabilities with the greatest potential impact on the enterprise.

With a record of 18,378 vulnerabilities reported by the National Vulnerability Database in 2021 and an influx of new attack techniques targeting increasingly complex and distributed environments, how can CISOs know where to start?

Why has maintaining network visibility become such a challenge?

Heavy investments into digital transformation and cloud migration have rendered significant, foundational changes to the enterprise IT environment. Gartner predicts end-user spending on public cloud services will reach almost 600 billion in 2023, up from an estimated $494.7 billion this year and $410.9 in 2021.

Long gone are the days when security teams could concern themselves only with connections to and from the data center; now they must establish effective visibility and control of a sprawling, complex network that includes multiple public clouds, SaaS services, legacy infrastructure, the home networks of remote users, etc. Corporate assets are no longer limited to servers, workstations, and a few printers; teams must now secure virtual machines on premise and in the cloud, IoT devices, mobile devices, microservices, cloud data stores, and much more – making visibility and monitoring infinitely more complex and challenging.

In many cases, security investments have not kept up with the rapid increase in network scope and complexity. In other cases, agile processes have outpaced security controls. This results in security teams struggling to achieve effective visibility and control of their networks, resulting in misconfigurations, compliance violations, unnecessary risk, and improperly prioritized vulnerabilities that provide threat actors with easy attack paths.

Adversaries are specifically targeting these blind spots and security gaps to breach the network and evade detection.

What are the most common mistakes being made in attempting to keep up with threats?

With the average cost of a data breach climbing to $4.35 million in 2022, CISOs and their teams are under extraordinary pressure to reduce cyber risk as much as possible. But many are hindered by a lack of comprehensive visibility or pressure to deliver agility beyond what can be delivered without compromising security. One of the most common issues we encounter is an inability to accurately prioritize vulnerabilities based on the actual risk they pose to the enterprise. With thousands of vulnerabilities discovered every year, determining which vulnerabilities need to be patched and which can be accepted as incremental risk is a critical process.

The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) has become a useful guidepost, providing security teams with generalized information for each vulnerability. Prioritizing the vulnerabilities with the highest CVSS score may seem like a logical and productive approach. However, every CISO should recognize that CVSS scores alone are not an accurate way to measure the risk a vulnerability poses to their individual enterprise.

To accurately measure risk, more contextual information is required. Security teams need to understand how a vulnerability relates to their specific environment. While high-profile threats like Heartbleed may seem like an obvious priority, a less public vulnerability with a lower CVSS score exposed to the Internet in the DMZ may expose the enterprise to greater actual risk.

These challenges are exacerbated by the fact that IT and security teams often lose track of assets and applications as ownership is pushed to new enterprise teams and the cloud makes it easier than ever for anyone in the enterprise to spin up new resources. As a result, many enterprises are riddled with assets that are unmonitored and remain dangerously behind on security updates.

Why context is critical

With resources like the National Vulnerability Database at their fingertips, no CISO lacks for data on vulnerabilities. In fact, most enterprises do not lack for contextual data either. Enterprise security, IT, and GRC stacks provide a continuous stream of data which can be leveraged in vulnerability management processes. However, these raw streams of data must be carefully curated and combined with vulnerability information to be turned into actionable context – and it is this in this process where many enterprises falter.

Unfortunately, most enterprises do not have the resources to patch every vulnerability. In some circumstances, there may be a business case for not patching a vulnerability immediately, or at all. Context from information sources across the enterprise enables standardized risk decisions to be made, allowing CISOs to allocate their limited resources where they will have the greatest impact on the security of the enterprise.

Making the most of limited resources with automation

There was a time when a seasoned security professional could instinctively assess the contextual risk of a threat based on their experience and familiarity with the organisation’s infrastructure. However, this approach cannot scale with the rapid expansion of the enterprise network and the growing number of vulnerabilities that must be managed. Even before the ongoing global security skills shortage, no organization had the resources to manually aggregate and correlate thousands of fragments of data to create actionable context.

In today’s constantly evolving threat landscape, automation offers the best chance for keeping up with vulnerabilities and threats. An automated approach can pull relevant data from the security, IT, and GRC stacks and correlate it into contextualized information which can be used as the basis for automated or manual risk decisions.

data

Vulnerability Management Program Guide: Managing the Threat and Vulnerability Landscape

Tags: CISO, Vulnerability Management Program


Nov 10 2022

CISOs, Security Leaders Eyeing Other Job Options

Category: CISO,CISSP,vCISODISC @ 3:35 pm

Nearly a third of CISOs or IT security leaders in the United States and the United Kingdom are considering leaving their current role, according to research by BlackFog.

Of those considering leaving their current role, a third of those would do so within the next six months, according to the survey, which polled more than 500 IT security leaders.

The report also found that, among the top issues security pros have with their current role, the lack of work-life balance is the most troublesome—cited by three in 10 survey respondents.

More than a quarter (27%) of respondents said that too much time was spent on firefighting rather than focusing on strategic issues.

Twenty percent said they felt that keeping their teams’ skill levels in line with new frameworks and models such as zero-trust was a “serious challenge”, while 43% of respondents said they found it difficult to keep pace with the newest innovations in the cybersecurity market.

Using Automation to Ease the Pressure

Phil Neray, vice president of cyber defense strategy at CardinalOps, a detection posture management company, said both CISOs and security operations center (SOC) personnel take pride in being cybersecurity defenders for their organizations and both groups feel the pain of information overload and constantly being on call to respond to the latest emergencies.

“What needs to change? The CISO’s peers in the business need to understand that cybersecurity risk is a top business risk, not just an IT issue, and they need to allocate higher budgets to support a higher level of staffing in the SOC,” he said.

In addition, Neray said by investing in more automation for the SOC, CISOs and their teams will be freed from performing mundane tasks.

“This way, they can direct their human creativity and innovation toward proactive activities like threat hunting and remediating gaps in their defensive posture, rather than always being reactive,” he explained. 

Darren Guccione, CEO and co-founder at Keeper Security, a provider of zero-trust and zero-knowledge cybersecurity software, added that there is “absolutely no denying” that being a CISO is one of the most difficult and demanding roles in any company.

“The board of directors and fellow business leaders must support their CISO’s priorities and needs, particularly when they’re faced with a cyberattack or data breach,” he said. “Without that support, talented CISOs won’t stick around as there are plenty of other job opportunities awaiting them.”

Indeed, the BlackFog report noted recruiting is a challenge globally and with stiff competition to attract the best talent, organizations need to address the well-being and work-life balance issues that have persisted across the industry.

Acknowledging CISO Burnout

Sounil Yu, CISO at JupiterOne, a provider of cybersecurity asset management and governance solutions, noted that CISOs face an uncommonly high risk of burnout due to the nature of security work. 

“Burnout is more common than most realize,” he said. “Acknowledging burnout risks is an important way to be supportive and to let team members know that they are not alone.”

Yu pointed out that CISOs cannot personally shoulder the burden of mitigating burnout.

“Instead, CISOs should educate their company’s board and fellow executive leaders on security burnout risks and collaborate with HR to improve resources such as employee resource programs, flexible working arrangements and systems of reward and recognition,” he said. 

John Bambenek, principal threat hunter at Netenrich, a security and operations analytics SaaS company, said CISOs are facing the same burnout risk as cybersecurity professionals with one key difference–the CISO is the designated ‘throat to choke’ when things go awry.

“One of the biggest changes to be made in the C-suite to improve the situation for security leaders would be focusing on freeing the CISO to work on strategic issues,” he says. “Constant firefighting burns out everyone up and down the ladder. You can handle that with line staff with job rotation, but the CISO needs to have the resources to make their life better overall.”

Bambenek added that mandatory PTO that involves someone else tending to the fires while the CISO is gone would help, too.

“PTO where you are still on call isn’t PTO,” he noted. “It’s just working from home.”

He explained that organizations that are well-funded should have emerging technology labs where they can explore both new technology and new security tools to help address the challenges CISOs are facing. 

“A big part of this problem is threats evolve with rapid changes in technology—security is playing catch-up behind both,” Bambenek said. 

Tags: CISO, CISO Burnout, Job Options


Jan 06 2022

CISSP Study Guide

Category: CISSPDISC @ 10:54 am

Official (ISC)2® Guides

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Dec 05 2021

CISSP study guide

Category: CISSP,Information SecurityDISC @ 12:59 pm

Official (ISC)2® Study Guides 

Tags: CISSP study guide, Official (ISC)2® Study Guides


Sep 10 2021

How getting a CISSP can change the course of a career

Category: CISSPDISC @ 11:53 am

Technical certifications are increasingly in demand with 87% of IT employees possessing at least one and 40% pursuing their next, according to Questionmark. Despite cybersecurity pros being more likely to have earned vendor-specific credentials, they think job pursuers should focus more on getting vendor-neutral ones.

In this interview with Help Net Security, May (Maytal) Brooks-Kempler, CEO at Helena, talks about her CISSP journey. Seven years ago she passed the CISSP exam, and today she teaches a CISSP course based on materials she co-authored.

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) training course

If you’re building a career in information security the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is the must-have qualification to help you progress. It is a globally recognized standard that demonstrates your competence as an IT professional.

This course will prepare you with the knowledge and skills to complete the CISSP exam, which will get you Certified Information Systems Security Professional status. professional. Covering topics including cloud computing, mobile security, application development security, and risk management, you will gain the knowledge to best manage information security issues back in your organization.

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) training course

(ISC)2 CISSP Certified Information Systems Security Professional Official Study Guide & Practice Tests Bundle 3rd Edition

Tags: CISSP


Jun 12 2021

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) training course

Category: CISO,CISSP,Information Security,vCISODISC @ 6:22 pm

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) training course

If you’re building a career in information security the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is the must-have qualification to help you progress. It is a globally recognized standard that demonstrates your competence as an IT professional.

This course will prepare you with the knowledge and skills to complete the CISSP exam, which will get you Certified Information Systems Security Professional status. professional. Covering topics including cloud computing, mobile security, application development security, and risk management, you will gain the knowledge to best manage information security issues back in your organization.

Duration: 5 days

“I would highly recommend the course to a friend, and in fact I already have! I’d also recommend it to a security team within an organization, even if they’re not specifically targeting a CISSP certification as it teaches a broad range of best practices and will help instill a culture of security and best practice in any organization.”

Who should attend?

This training course is intended for professionals who have at least 5 years of recent full-time professional work experience in 2 or more of the 8 domains of the CISSP common body of knowledge (CBK), such as:

  • Security consultants
  • Security managers
  • IT directors/managers
  • Security auditors
  • Security architects
  • Security analysts
  • Security systems engineers
  • Chief information security officers
  • Security directors
  • Network architects

Please note: A one year experience waiver is available with a 4-year college degree, or regional equivalent, or additional credentials from the (ISC)² approved list, thus requiring four years of direct full-time professional security work experience in 2 or more of the 8 domains of the CISSP CBK.

Don’t have 5 years of experience? – Become an Associate of (ISC)²

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) training course

Official (ISC)2® Guides

7 tips for CISSP Success

Risk Management Training

ISO 27001:2013 Lead Auditor

Tags: CISSP book, CISSP book recommendation


Apr 30 2021

The realities of working in and pursuing a career in cybersecurity

Category: CISSP,cyber security,Information SecurityDISC @ 5:50 am

“One of the biggest challenges we have in cybersecurity is an acute lack of market awareness about what cybersecurity jobs entail,” said Clar Rosso, CEO of (ISC)². “There are wide variations in the kinds of tasks entry-level and junior staff can expect. Hiring organizations and their cybersecurity leadership need to adopt more mature strategies for building teams.

“Many organizations still default to job descriptions that rely on cybersecurity ‘all stars’ who can do it all. The reality is that there are not enough of those individuals to go around, and the smart bet is to hire and invest in people with an ability to learn, who fit your culture and who can be a catalyst for robust, resilient teams for years to come.”

cybersecurity career realities


Mar 04 2019

RSAC 2019: 58% of Orgs Have Unfilled Cyber Positions | Threatpost

Category: CISSP,cyber security,InfoSec jobsDISC @ 10:14 am

The workforce and skills gap in cybersecurity continues to plague organizations.

Source: RSAC 2019: 58% of Orgs Have Unfilled Cyber Positions | Threatpost

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    Jun 30 2018

    (ISC) 2 CISSP Certified Information Systems Security Professional

    Category: CISSPDISC @ 1:44 pm

    (ISC) 2 CISSP Certified Information Systems Security Professional Official Study Guide 8th Edition

     

    Get expert content and real-world practice with the new CISSP Study Guide, now available for purchase in paperback and kindle! Order yours today >> https://amzn.to/2KjxoSm

    CISSP Study Guide –  fully updated for the 2018 CISSP Body of Knowledge

    CISSP (ISC)2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional Official Study Guide, 8th Edition has been completely updated for the latest 2018 CISSP Body of Knowledge. This bestselling Sybex study guide covers 100% of all exam objectives. You’ll prepare for the exam smarter and faster with Sybex thanks to expert content, real-world examples, advice on passing each section of the exam, access to the Sybex online interactive learning environment, and much more. Reinforce what you’ve learned with key topic exam essentials and chapter review questions.

    Along with the book, you also get access to Sybex’s superior online interactive learning environment that includes:

    • Six unique 150 question practice exams to help you identify where you need to study more. Get more than 90 percent of the answers correct, and you’re ready to take the certification exam.
    • More than 1400 Electronic Flashcards to reinforce your learning and give you last-minute test prep before the exam
    • A searchable glossary in PDF to give you instant access to the key terms you need to know for the exam

    Coverage of all of the exam topics in the book means you’ll be ready for:

    • Security and Risk Management
    • Asset Security
    • Security Engineering
    • Communication and Network Security
    • Identity and Access Management
    • Security Assessment and Testing
    • Security Operations
    • Software Development Security

     





    Tags: CISSP book, CISSP book recommendation


    Nov 19 2017

    4 reasons you should get a cyber security qualification

    Category: CISSP,cyber security,Information SecurityDISC @ 7:10 pm

    The dramatic rise in cyber attacks over the past few years has caught most businesses off guard. Their cyber security departments are severely understaffed, causing them to look desperately for qualified professionals to help tackle the threat.

    There has never been a better time to get into cyber security, so if you’re looking to enter the field, or further your career in it, you could benefit massively from gaining a relevant qualification. Here are four reasons why:

    1. Cyber security professionals are well paid

    Money isn’t everything when it comes to choosing your career, but it’s obviously a big factor for many people. We mentioned recently that people with a CISM®PCIor GDPR qualification could earn £60,000 or more a year.

    Of these, the CISM (Certified Information Security Manager) qualification is the most versatile. It’s the globally accepted standard of achievement among information security, information systems audit and IT governance professionals.

    According to ITJobsWatch, people with a CISM qualification earn £64,000 a year on average. This figure has grown by more than 9% in the past two years.

    1. There’s a high level of job security

    The shortage of qualified cyber security professionals means that those in the field are less likely to be replaced or made redundant. Their skills are hard to find elsewhere, and the more someone gets to know the company, the more valuable they will become.

    Additionally, because almost every organisation currently needs cyber security professionals, those with the relevant qualifications are more likely to find a position in a location or company that suits them.

    1. There’s room for career growth

    For the same reason that cyber security is a safe career, it’s also one that offers plenty of room for growth. Qualifications plus experience is a powerful combination that can help you move into more senior positions.

    As you gain experience, you’ll also get the opportunity to earn more advanced qualifications. For example, you must have at least three years’ experience in IT governance to be eligible for a Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) qualification, and five years’ experience to be eligible for a Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT®) qualification.

    1. The work is rewarding

    Cyber security is still a relatively young field, making it an exciting and prosperous place. The threats that organisations face are constantly evolving, so you’ll always have new challenges. Plus, you know that your hard work is for a good cause: to stop cyber criminals and keep your organisation safe.

    What qualifications do I need?

    The qualifications you need will depend on the career path you choose. If you’re interested in governance, risk management, and compliance, for instance, a CGEIT qualification is essential. If you’re interested in information security, you’ll need a CRISC qualification.

    We’re currently running promotions on our CRISC, CGEIT, CISA and CISM training courses. If you book before 22 December, you’ll receive a 10% discount on the courses and a 5% discount on all reading materials.

    Find out more about our:







    Sep 04 2017

    Information Security Certifications and Salaries

    Category: CISSP,Information Security,Security ProfessionalDISC @ 2:54 pm

    Is this a good time to be in the field of InfoSec, (ISC)2 report shows the skills shortage is getting worse.

     

    Over the next five years, the number of unfilled cybersecurity jobs will rise to a whopping 1.8 million, a 20% increase from 2015 estimates, according to a new (ISC)2 survey released. Cybersecurity Faces 1.8 Million Worker Shortfall By 2022

     

    Start learning InfoSec basic:

    When planning to take on this career, at early stage of this career you may get as much practical experience as possible and achieve industry-standard qualifications offered by such as Microsoft, CISCO, Checkpoint, Symantec and HP. Also vendor-independent learning path A+, Network+, and Security+ qualifications are recommended.

    When evaluating prospective InfoSec candidates, employers frequently look to certification as one of the measure of excellence in continuing education and commitment to learning. Below are the 7 most sought out InfoSec certifications.

     

    InfoSec Salaries review:

    Security Analyst Salaries in the United States
    Information Security Analyst Salary Range
    IT Security Certifications Salary Guide
    Top Cyber Security Salaries In U.S. Metros Hit $380,000

     






    Mar 07 2017

    CISSP Books

    Category: CISSPDISC @ 6:41 pm

    Top Rated CISSP Books





    Jan 09 2011

    Information Systems Security

    Category: CISSP,Information SecurityDISC @ 1:20 pm

    CISSP: Certified Information Systems Security Professional Study Guide

    CISSP: Certified Information Systems Security Professional Study Guide

    Totally updated for 2011, here’s the ultimate study guide for the CISSP exam
    Considered the most desired certification for IT security professionals, the Certified Information Systems Security Professional designation is also a career-booster. This comprehensive study guide covers every aspect of the 2011 exam and the latest revision of the CISSP body of knowledge. It offers advice on how to pass each section of the exam and features expanded coverage of biometrics, auditing and accountability, software security testing, and other key topics. Included is a CD with two full-length, 250-question sample exams to test your progress.

    CISSP certification identifies the ultimate IT security professional; this complete study guide is fully updated to cover all the objectives of the 2011 CISSP exam
    Provides in-depth knowledge of access control, application development security, business continuity and disaster recovery planning, cryptography, Information Security governance and risk management, operations security, physical (environmental) security, security architecture and design, and telecommunications and network security
    Also covers legal and regulatory investigation and compliance
    Includes two practice exams and challenging review questions on the CD
    Professionals seeking the CISSP certification will boost their chances of success with CISSP: Certified Information Systems Security Professional Study Guide, 5th Edition.

    From the Back Cover
    Comprehensive preparation for the 2011 CISSP certification exam

    With pages of in-depth coverage, real-world scenarios, and detailed explanations of all domains from the Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) for the CISSP certification exam, this complete guide not only thoroughly prepares you for the exam, it also helps you develop practical skills for success on the job. Key topics include access control, business continuity, cryptography, biometrics, and more. You’ll also find helpful advice on how to pass each section of the exam. Inside, find:

    Full coverage of all exam objectives in a systematic approach, so you can be confident you’re getting the instruction you need for the exam

    Real-world scenarios that put what you’ve learned in the context of actual job roles

    Challenging review questions in each chapter to prepare you for exam day

    Exam Essentials, a key feature in each chapter that identifies critical areas you must become proficient in before taking the exam

    A handy tear card that maps every official exam objective to the corresponding chapter in the book, so you can track your exam prep objective by objective

    Look inside for complete coverage of all exam objectives.

    SYBEX TEST ENGINE

    Test your knowledge with advanced testing software. Includes all chapter review questions and two full-length, 250-question practice exams.

    ELECTRONIC FLASHCARDS

    Reinforce your understanding with electronic flashcards.

    Also on CD, you’ll find the entire book in searchable and printable PDF. Study anywhere, any time, and approach the exam with confidence.

    Includes Real-World Scenarios, Written Labs, and

    Leading-Edge Exam Prep Software Featuring:

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    Tags: CISSP book, CISSP book recommendation, information systems security