By Lorna Trayan, Associate Partner Security at IBM Security Services As I realized that the year is almost over, I had a thought: wouldn’t it be great if we could get a crystal ball and see what the future holds for us? Although I would love to know about my personal life, it’s the cybersecurity world I’m referring to here! Alas, since that’s not possible, we will all have to settle on reading the reports coming out and talking about future “predictions” of the security realm. Predictions, even if sometimes don’t come exactly true, would still assist us in taking a certain direction. As I embarked on the path of report reading, I came across a variety of very good

Starting December 18, 2017 all English CISSP exams will be administered in a Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) format. But what does this actually mean for those preparing for the exam? Let’s look at 4 things to expect when you sit for the CISSP CAT exam:   The passing score is the same. You still need to score 700 out of 1000 to pass the CISSP exam. The content is exactly the same as the “old” (linear-based) exam format. The questions come from the same bank, and the pass rate will be unchanged by this format update. You can still take breaks. An exam like the CISSP can be mentally exhausting, regardless of format. We understand that you may need to

Though more attention has come to the security industry, cyber crime continues to challenge defense. Cybersecurity can no longer be ignored. In case you missed the press release last week, we’re letting you know that (ISC)² announced an open call for expert cybersecurity speakers for our 2018 Security Congress. In fact, there was lots of news coming out of (ISC)² last week. We are also welcoming nominations for the 2018 Information Security Leadership Award – Government. It’s the end of the year, which means the start of a new one. With the new year comes the promise of growth and change, but first organizations need to recognize the reality of the risks to business inherent in cyber crimes. Many agencies and organizations

(ISC)²’s 2018 Security Congress will take place October 8-10 in New Orleans. Last year’s sold-out event was in Austin and included 185 speakers and 2,000 attendees. We expect Congress in the Big Easy, as New Orleans is called, to be even bigger! “Security Congress is built by the most prominent professionals in the cybersecurity industry – our members,” said (ISC)² Managing Director for North America Brian Correia. “It’s an annual event that’s uniquely aimed at the day-to-day cybersecurity practitioner. We had record attendance last year at our first independent Security Congress with 2,000 attendees, and we hope to grow the event tremendously in 2018.” The theme for conference is “Enrich. Enable. Excel.” – which will encompass not only Security Congress,

If leadership truly does come from the top, having Kirstjen Neilsen as the newest Homeland Security secretary may prove promising when it comes to filling the jobs gap. After all, she’s the first person to bring industry experience to the role. Few things have the ability to obliterate people’s passion for their work like a terrible boss, especially when that boss lacks the knowledge and skills needed to guide an organization’s growth. But Kirstjen Neilsen certainly has the potential to really reform and improve the Department of Homeland Security. It’s exciting times, but that is not all the notable news that happened this week. Dec. 4. Corporate partnerships are one way to fill the pipeline and narrow the looming jobs