Women in CyberSecurity (WiCys) News
Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) was established in 2012 by Dr. Ambareen Siraj of Tennessee Tech University through a National Science Foundation grant. The organization has grown into a leading alliance between academia, government, and industry trailblazers.
At WiCyS, our spirit is “Together, We Thrive,” as it beautifully illustrates our goals to grow and expand awareness about cybersecurity, support students, professionals, faculty, veterans, the BIPOC community, and mentor members discovering career choices.
Cybercrime Escalation
One wonders how agile cybersecurity will become due to the expansion of cyberattack vectors and the increased frequency and severity of cyber threats.
Cybersecurity Ventures expects global cybercrime costs to grow by 15 percent per year over the next five years, reaching $10.5 trillion annually by 2025 (the most significant transfer of economic wealth in history – to cybercriminals).
Business Information Security Officer (BISO)
Is your goal to strengthen your cybersecurity team? The BISO is the primary contact for business units, educating leadership and non-technical employees about cybersecurity initiatives. At the same time, the CISO focuses on obtaining executive support for security initiatives.
The BISO ensures the alignment of business strategies with the Information Security (InfoSec) policy as a translator or enabler.
BISO as Translator and Enabler
As writer and security advocate Alyssa Miller writes in her What is a BISO blog, “BISOs translate the goals and policies of the centralized security function of the corporation down to specific practices and procedures within the business lines.” A BISO’s role is a translator, the “bridge” of business and security, and an enabler for each business unit to achieve its goals.
The BISO has vital competencies, including:
- Communicator: speak the language of technology and business.
- Holistic Thinker: envision big picture security goals of the organization.
- People Skills: create a culture where cyber is a team effort.
The BISO has multiple skills, including:
- Creative problem-solving.
- Building a security-aware culture.
- Technology know-how.
- Business acumen and strategy.
- Public relations expertise.
Increased Demand Caused by Cyberattacks
Will the increase in cyber threats increase demand for BISOs?
SolarWinds Supply-Chain Cyberattack
In 2020, the cyberattack on SolarWinds, the Texas-based major software company, triggered a significant supply chain incident, unprecedented in its sophistication, scope, and scale, affecting thousands of organizations worldwide, including the US government. Hackers used a routine software update on the SolarWinds Orion IT performance monitoring system to install malware, compromise identities, escalate privileged access, and breach some of the 18,000 Orion customers (the exact numbers are under investigation).
Some reports suggest that SolarWinds may result in increased demand for BISOs.
WiCyS New BISO Affiliate
WiCyS supports the Business Information Security Officer (aka BISO) role within the workforce by launching the new Professional BISO Affiliate. https://www.wicys.org/initiatives/affiliate-and-industry/
Join the WiCyS Professional BISO Affiliate as we analyze and report on the importance of this game-changing role.
Watch for updates in 2022!
2022 WiCyS Conference
Join us live at our 2022 WiCyS Conference on March 16-19, 2022, in Cleveland: Being Smart about Security and Privacy of All “Smart” Things.
As today’s modern technological world continues to grow, we see increases in security and privacy challenges associated with these cyber-physical things (aka the Internet of Things or IoT).
Smart cities, transportation, industries, and homes have many benefits yet expose us to more cyber risks.
If interested in possible collaboration, connect with WiCyS executive director at lynn@wicys.org.
At #WiCyS2022, we seek to discuss issues or concerns that we need to tackle for new technologies and practices that will keep us safe now while allowing them to light up the path for tomorrow’s safe, smart, and connected world.
We look forward to seeing you at #WiCyS2022 in Cleveland, Ohio!
Together, we thrive! Let the WiCyS community lead the way.
Contributor: Dawn Kristy, JD, Founder & CEO of The Cyber Dawn, a cybersecurity awareness training and communications consultancy.
