Cybersecurity Month is here—and so is ISACA’s new cybersecurity certificate

October is Cybersecurity Month, and ISACA is proud to be a champion of two of these initiatives:

• Cybersecurity Awareness Month, sponsored by the National Cybersecurity Alliance
• European Cyber Security Month, sponsored by ENISA

Cybersecurity Month—along with the latest breach headlines dominating the news—reminds us how critical it is for our enterprises and individuals to be at the top of their games when it comes to security. We all have important roles to play, regardless of whether the word “security” is in our job titles. For some ideas on how to get involved this month, view this video.

Many exciting things are happening at ISACA during Cybersecurity Month. For instance, last Monday marked the launch of the new Cybersecurity Fundamentals Certificate. Intended for university students and recent graduates, entry-level security professionals, and those seeking a career change, the certificate is knowledge-based and requires passing a proctored online exam.

The Cybersecurity Fundamentals Certificate is aligned with the NICE framework and tests for foundational cybersecurity knowledge in four areas:

• Cybersecurity architecture principles
• Cybersecurity of networks, systems, applications and data
• The security implications of emerging technology adoption
• Incident response

Candidates with a proven level of cybersecurity knowledge are in strong demand worldwide, given today’s global cybersecurity skills crisis. This certificate will help organizations quickly identify candidates with a foundational level of cybersecurity knowledge, while helping the most qualified job seekers distinguish themselves.

The Cybersecurity Fundamentals Certificate is the latest resource from ISACA’s Cybersecurity Nexus (CSX). Through CSX, our mission is to offer cybersecurity resources for professionals at every level of their careers.

Among the resources also coming this month are:

• Two free webinars:
  • Why Implement the NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework? (View archive here).
  • Data-centric Audit and Protection: Reducing Risk and Improving Security Posture (Register here for the 28 October event).
• A cybersecurity Twitter chat on 22 October with ISACA International Vice President Ramsés Gallego (@RamsesGallego) and me (@RobertEStroud), along with @ISACANews.
• Two cybersecurity training courses:
  • Implementing the NIST Cybersecurity Framework Using COBIT 5
  • COBIT 5 for Security Assessors
• Cybersecurity Teaching Materials
• Cybersecurity Student Handbook

And our cybersecurity plans don’t end in October. In November, we’ll host the Information Security and Risk Management Conference in Las Vegas. In 2015, we’ll launch a cybersecurity certification.

I encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities, and I also encourage you to make a commitment to choose one thing to do to commemorate Cybersecurity Month. Will you review your security policies at work? Give a talk to a local university class? Read a security publication? Begin studying for a security credential?

Knowledge is power—and we need as much of it as we can get to stay ahead of the increasingly complex cybersecurity threats.

Robert E Stroud, CGEIT, CRISC
2014-2015 ISACA International President

[Source: ISACA]

Dr. Philip Cao

Dr. Philip Cao (aka #DrPC), EDBA, MSCS, ZTX-I, CCISO, CISM, CMSC, CCSP, CCSK, CASP, GICSP, PCSPI is a Strategist, Advisor, Educator, Contributor and Motivator. He’s also a Cyber | Zero Trust Strategist & Evangelist and Chief Trust Officer. He has 24 years’ experience in IT/Cybersecurity industry in various sectors & positions.

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