Gartner recently released its global information security spending forecast and concluded that security products and services investment will reach $83.4 billion by the end of 2017 (a 7% increase over 2016). The firm also is predicting spending to reach $93 billion in 2018, a 12% increase over this year’s record investment. According to Gartner: “Security services will continue to be the fastest growing segment, especially IT outsourcing, consulting and implementation services… hardware support services will see growth slowing, due to the adoption of virtual appliances, public cloud and software as a service (SaaS) editions of security solutions, which reduces the need for attached hardware support overall.” Gartner cites “rising awareness among CEOs and boards of directors about the business impact

Pseudo-ransomware and struggling security budgets. Here are the top security headlines for the week of August 14, 2017: Who would have thought we would long for the days when ransomware was ransomware. Now it’s all too complicated. Bitcoin is going mainstream, but does that mean it’s a bad investment? In a case of the cobbler’s children have no shoes, data brokers seem to be lacking basic security. Raise the roof! It looks like cybersecurity might be hitting a ceiling when it comes to spending. No spoilers, but HBO has been hacked again and OurMine is taking over their social accounts.   LG is the latest victim of WannaCry-like Ransomware  

By Adrian Davis, CISSP, Managing Director EMEA, (ISC)² The National Crime Agency recently revealed a fascinating intelligence assessment, uncovering the ‘pathways into cyber crime’. The key finding was that most young hackers are motivated, not by financial reward, but by idealism. The NCA added that many of those involved in cyber-crime had “highly marketable” skill sets, and evidence showed that positive role models could help steer ex-offenders towards productive technology careers. Many people feel that re-training young cyber offenders as cyber security professionals offers a chance to kill two birds with one stone; reducing cyber-crime and simultaneously helping to reduce the cyber skills shortage. The NCA proposed creating a “toolkit of positive diversions” for young people deemed to be at

UMUC Center for Security Studies (CSS) is seeking highly qualified candidates for the Cybersecurity Advanced Degree Fellowship (CADF) program. Candidates should be interested in research and in teaching cybersecurity and digital forensics. If you are interested, please make sure to read the program announcement instructions before you fill out and submit your application (also attached) by the deadline of August 24 at 11:59 p.m. Link1: Program Announcement Link 2: Program Application

(ISC)² is proud to announce that our membership has surpassed 125,000 certified cybersecurity professionals globally. As demand for skilled security professionals continues to grow exponentially, (ISC)² certification and continuing education programs enable cybersecurity and IT security practitioners to prove their expertise, advance their careers and contribute to a more secure society. Here’s what some members are saying about the milestone:                   "125,000 members is a very large number for a community of dedicated people continuously raising the bar by learning, researching, teaching and sharing their knowledge and skills to make our cyber world safer,” said Emmanuel Nicaise, CISSP, president, (ISC)² Belux Chapter. “Becoming an (ISC)² member is more than passing an exam, it's