by Anastasios Arampatzis During the COVID-19 public health crisis, cyber criminals took advantage of people’s growing need for information about the pandemic to launch an increased number of attacks against healthcare providers. The exponential growth of these cyberattacks is posing a considerable threat to civil society, government institutions, and most particularly, the healthcare sector. Despite a wake-up call following the WannaCry crisis, healthcare cybersecurity still lags. As a result, in this time of emergency, cyberattacks may not only have an economic and reputational cost, they may also have an impact on human life. To help healthcare organizations focus on the delivery of mission critical services, cyber volunteer initiatives have emerged to provide free assistance to healthcare organizations. Although this support

As the charitable arm of (ISC)², the Center for Cyber Safety and Education relies heavily on the support of volunteers and business partners to continue its mission of making it a safer cyber world for everyone. As a global foundation, these external forces, help the Center grow its message and impact worldwide. Without their commitment and passion, the Center wouldn’t be where it is today. To acknowledge the efforts of those who have gone above and beyond, each year the Center chooses an individual for its Julie Peeler Franz “Do It For The Children” Volunteer Award and a company for its ‘Partner of the Year’ award to be recognized at the annual (ISC)² Security Congress. This year, the Center is

The cybersecurity profession is suffering from a peculiarly positive perception problem: People outside the industry view the job with such high regard that it seems beyond their reach as a viable career option for themselves. The newly released 2020 (ISC)² Cybersecurity Perception Study, which polled 2,500 people across the U.S. and the U.K. who are not working in the cybersecurity field, found that the traditional image of cybersecurity professionals as mysterious characters working in the shadows has been replaced by one of smart, talented people and the “good guys fighting cybercrime.” It’s a welcome change for those in the industry who work every day to protect organizational data and keep us safe. The reason for the reticence in joining the

Remote working is here to stay The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many changes to our lives: social distancing, face masks, and WFH (work from home). Based on health scientists’ advice to protect society and driven by the need to maintain business continuity, private and public sector organizations have directed their employees to work from home. The change in work habits is enormous: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 29 percent of Americans were able to work from home before the COVID-19 era. However, remote working is here to stay. According to a recent Gartner survey, 74% of enterprises intend to maintain at least 5% of staff in permanent remote work employment, while 17% of the respondents said that

Even though cybersecurity considerations have become part of the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) process, data breaches remain commonplace at acquired companies, raising suspicions that cybersecurity doesn’t get as much attention as it should, according to a recent TechCrunch article. “The fact that data breaches are still increasing and can cause negative financial impact that will be felt long after the deal has closed highlights a greater need for acquirers to continue to improve their approach and address cyber threats,” the article says. The author makes it a point to mention that “past or potential cyber threats are no longer ignored in the due diligence process,” but stresses that pressures associated with the M&A process result in overlooking cybersecurity concerns. Buyers