The cybersecurity workforce skills gap is hampering the nation’s ability to combat cyber threats that target our way of life, economy and national security interests, according to U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA), who serves on the House Committee on Homeland Security. Delivering the first keynote at the 2018 (ISC)2 Security Congress, taking place this week in New Orleans, the Congressman said more work is needed at the federal, state and local levels, as well as in the private sector, to address the problem of cybersecurity and the skills gap. “We need a robust cybersecurity workforce,” Richmond said, citing a government estimate that 350,000 cybersecurity positions currently are unfilled. Addressing the problem will require a rethinking of how to train security professionals

The chief information security officer role hasn’t always gotten the respect it deserves. Research over the years has shown companies often treat their CISO primarily as a scapegoat for security incidents. But that may be changing – at least it is in organizations with a strong cybersecurity culture. New research by (ISC)2 shows the overwhelming majority of companies that properly staff their cybersecurity teams employ a CISO. The Building a Resilient Cybersecurity Culture study revealed that 86% of organizations that consider themselves adequately staffed with cybersecurity talent have a CISO. This is a substantially higher percentage than the 49% of companies overall with a CISO, according to other research. Cybersecurity Knowledge The finding points to the likelihood that a CISO

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 the poll had confidence in their team – that’s why they were chosen for the research. So it was no