As we wrap up Cybersecurity Awareness Month, ISMA collaborated with ISMA member Danny McPherson, Executive Vice President and Chief Security Officer of Verisign, and Hema Lakshminarayanan, Senior Director of Verisign, to discuss the evolving world of cybersecurity and why it should not be an afterthought. Danny and Hema have kindly taken the time to give their responses to the burning questions being asked in the cyber industry today.

This World Mental Health Day, the ISMA team have come together to share their tips and tricks for taking care of mental health and wellness, as well as how we each feel ISMA as an organisation helps support our individual needs. ISMA develops and nurtures strong connections with each and every individual who becomes part of the association. Not only do we deliver a forum for robust thought-leadership in the security sector, but we also ensure our members and staff are being supported in other areas of their lives, both in and outside of work.

When Mike Wanik first left the active military after nine years of service in military law enforcement, he departed with many skills that would be a base for his future career in Corporate Security. He has recalled his experience during the devastating moment on 9/11, when the second plane hit the tower, and how he, his team, and members of other corporate first responder disciplines gathered to conquer the mission of safeguarding people, both mentally and physically, whilst ensuring continuity of business operations for those dependent on their services.

The cybersecurity skills shortage has been written and talked about for several years, and the problem continues to get worse, as millions of cybersecurity positions worldwide remain vacant. And, according to (ISC²), one of the top associations for information security leaders, women make up only 24% of the cybersecurity workforce.

For many years, Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) were measured against an impossible objective: 100% breach prevention. Thankfully, many today understand there is no such thing as 100% protection against breaches. This has changed how CISO effectiveness is gauged: from breach prevention to incident response and resilience.

The number of worldwide cyberattacks is on the rise, and organizations with a global footprint face a relentless wave of attacks by motivated “threat actors.” These actors can be organized multinational criminals, nation states, cyber-activists (known as “hacktivists”) or company insiders. And, their activities can damage a company’s reputation, disrupt its business, and impose financial penalties through regulatory violations and remediation costs.

We were all thrown a curveball earlier this year, and as security professionals we remained calm, demonstrated leadership/ownership, and helped get our companies to where we are today: operational in a semi-state of lockdown with no clear path or time frame out of this environment. We, as security leaders, are still constantly talking about operating in the current state of “crisis mode” and what the future – or the “new normal” might look like; but I urge leaders in our industry to think a bit about the shorter-term. We need to anticipate what is coming down the pike now - and not just focus on “getting back to normal.”

ISMA is publishing this op-ed from an anonymous member representing a multi-national company in the manufacturing sector.

The events of the last 3 months have undoubtedly affected and changed life for most of us. COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on families and has been a wrecking ball for businesses and countries alike; supply chains broken, health services stretched to the limit, businesses mothballed and employees furloughed.There will come a time when we emerge from this chrysalis state. There will be a time when we will return to our offices, resume business and recover from this global event. Possibly not returning in the same manner as we did before, but we will ‘rise’ again. In doing so, we will adapt new ways of working, revise existing strategies, and embrace new technologies all the while ensuring that the health and well being of our employees and customers are paramount.