CompTIA Newsroom

In the final of three Nasdaq-hosted events, renowned industry experts address how to minimize human error and build a robust workforce.

New York, N.Y., June 14, 2017 ‒ Good cyber defense demands educated, diverse and nimble employees from the marketing and sales teams to IT and information security. Unfortunately, many cyber breaches are unintentionally caused by employees. Human error greatly impacts the ability for all organizations – large and small ‒ to defend themselves and can be a tremendous threat to our global economy. Today at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York’s Times Square, leadership from the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and Nasdaq will host forward-thinking discussions that address Americans’ cybersecurity knowledge base, minimizing human error and sharing practical solutions for the looming cyber-workforce crisis.

“Whatever type of industry you are in – healthcare, academia, the private or public sector, government or nonprofit ‒ establishing a culture of cybersecurity at work is more vital than ever. Continually educating your employees about online safety and security is key. Your team must be aware of potential vulnerabilities, and be resilient and at the ready to respond should a breach or hack occur,” said Michael Kaiser, NCSA’s executive director. “Organizations that empower their employees to understand and follow best cybersecurity practices will be much better protected.”

The morning’s discussion will kick off with the first session, Data Download: What the Average Consumer Knows About Cybersecurity and the Future of the Consumer Technology Market. Leading researchers and analysts will conduct a dynamic, data-driven discussion offering insight into what the average consumer knows about cybersecurity and what the future holds for the consumer technology market. This panel will be moderated by Rebecca Cameron, vice president, corporate strategy at Nasdaq. Speakers include Peter Newman, research analyst at Business Insider Intelligence and Aaron Smith, associate director, research, internet, science and technology issues at the Pew Research Center.

The second group of industry experts will examine Minimizing Human Error and deliberate on how to leverage technology and review processes and key understandings about human psychology that will decrease human errors. Masha Sedova, co-founder of Elevate Security, will lead the conversation with Alex Blau, vice president at ideas42; Edna Conway, chief security officer, global value chain at Cisco; and Avi Rembaum, vice president, security solutions at Check Point, sharing their expertise.

“Cybersecurity must be a priority and a shared responsibility in every organization to continuously drive awareness, while evaluating the effectiveness of security investments against emerging threats,” stated, Edna Conway, chief security officer, global value chain, Cisco. “Implementing a flexible security architecture that can be embraced across the enterprise and the extended ecosystem is key to building trust and adoption. Human error cannot be overlooked in the realm of security and choosing to engage meaningfully with a mission, empowerment and caring will foster success.”

It is well known that the lack of skilled cybersecurity professionals is a huge threat to all businesses and our economy. Rather than discussing the problems, key influencers will shine the spotlight on solutions. Moderated by Michael Kaiser, the final discussion – Building a Robust Workforce: Solutions to Address the Looming Workforce Crisis – will deal with topics such as how to reach scale, break through the noise and redefine what it means to work in cybersecurity. Speakers including Neil Daswani, consumer chief information security officer at Symantec; Tim Herbert, senior vice president for research and market intelligence at CompTIA; and Priya Mohabir, vice president of youth development at the New York Hall of Science, will tackle this critical issue. Amadeus Stevenson, chief technology officer at Decoded North America, will present “food for thought” about an intriguing current cybersecurity topic.

“Cybersecurity has never been more important for consumers, businesses and government than now. In addition to the work we do every day to combat ever-evolving security threats, we support organizations such as the National Cyber Security Alliance which help build the cybersecurity talent pipeline, broaden industry awareness and help consumers achieve security,” said Neil Daswani, consumer chief information security officer at Symantec.

“In a world defined by ubiquitous digitization and interconnectivity, cybersecurity skills gaps make for an ever-more precarious situation,” said Tim Herbert, senior vice president for research and market intelligence at CompTIA. “While it’s important to acknowledge that progress has been made in certain areas, there is still a ways to go before adherence to comprehensive and robust cybersecurity best practices is the norm, not the exception.”

Resources

• STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™: Cybersecurity impacts all levels of any type of organization, no matter the industry, and building a culture of cybersecurity in the workplace is a core part of protecting your organization, information, employees and/or customers from online threats. STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ is simple, actionable advice any person or business can follow to be safer and more secure online. Visit the STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ Resources page for a variety of free tip sheets, infographics, videos and other resources for everyday online safety and protecting organizations against cyber threats.
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS): Our nation needs a strong cyber workforce to defend them from online threats and attacks. DHS is committed to helping government agencies and businesses build the cyber workforce they need with the following resources:
  • The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) Cybersecurity Workforce Development Toolkit: This toolkit from DHS offers resources and information for organizations to plan, build and advance their cybersecurity workforce including: cybersecurity career path templates, guidance to recruit and retain top cybersecurity talent and tools to understand and address an organization’s workforce risks.
  • National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) Training Catalog: Creating a culture of cybersecurity in the workplace means equipping employees with cyber training. The NICCS website provides over 3,000 cybersecurity-related courses for cyber professionals across the country. The courses, which align to specialty areas of the NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework, help professionals earn certifications, learn new skills and increase their expertise.
• Cisco: Cisco 2017 Annual Cybersecurity Report provides a complete overview of the latest cyber attacks and defensive measures, as well as the impact on business growth and success. It highlights the challenges and opportunities for security teams against the constant evolution of cybercrime and shifting attack methods.
• CompTIA: The CompTIA Cybersecurity Hub offers a range of cybersecurity workforce development resources and two recent studies from the nonprofit association also address the skills gap issue: “Assessing the IT Skills Gap” and “The Evolution of Security Skills”. Both reports are available for free on the CompTIA website. Finally, CyberSeek.org provides detailed, actionable data about the supply and demand in the cybersecurity job market, as well as an interactive career pathway of key jobs within cybersecurity, and detailed information about the salaries, credentials, and skillsets associated with each role.
• LifeLock, a Symantec Company: To help address the cyber-workforce crisis, Symantec partners with Girls Who Code, a national non-profit organization that seeks to inspire, educate and equip girls with computing skills for the 21^st century, and will take part in the organization’s largest-ever expansion of its summer immersion program.

About the National Cyber Security Alliance

The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) is the nation's leading nonprofit, public-private partnership promoting cybersecurity and privacy education and awareness. NCSA works with a broad array of stakeholders in government, industry and civil society. NCSA’s primary partners are the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and NCSA's Board of Directors, which includes representatives from ADP; Aetna; AT&T Services Inc.; Bank of America; Barclays; Blackberry Corporation; CDK Global, LLC; Cisco; Comcast; ESET North America; Google; Facebook; LifeLock, Inc.; Logical Operations; NXP Semiconductors; RSA, the Security Division of EMC; Symantec Corporation; Intel Corporation; MasterCard; Microsoft Corporation; PayPal; Raytheon; PKWARE; Salesforce; SANS Institute; TeleSign; and Visa. NCSA’s core efforts include National Cyber Security Awareness Month (October); Data Privacy Day (January 28) and STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™, the global online safety awareness and education campaign co-founded by NCSA and the Anti Phishing Working Group, with federal government leadership from DHS. For more information on NCSA, please visit staysafeonline.org/about-us/overview/.  

Cisco, CompTIA and LifeLock (a Symantec company) are Platinum Sponsors and Fasoo and Logical Operations are Silver Sponsors for this inaugural 2017 NCSA and Nasdaq Cybersecurity Summit series. The Summit is also supported by the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU), Business Executives for National Security (BENS) and the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).

Media Contact:
Jessica Beffa
720-413-4938
ncsa@thatcherandco.com