CybersecurityNew guide highlights three cyber security game changers

Cybercrime is on the rise, and it will grow even faster if organizations ignore an emerging group of cybersecurity game changers: always-on connectivity, an increasingly IT-centric society, and a new class system that separates people by technology skills.

The Information Systems Audit and Control Association’s (ISACA)s latest guide, Transforming Cybersecurity Using COBIT 5, examines the impact of these game changers and how to manage and transform security by using COBIT 5, a business framework for the governance and management of enterprise information and technology. Along with publication of the guide, IT association ISACA also announced the formation of a global cyber security task force.

ISACA says that the three game changers named in the guide provide both motive and opportunity for cybersecurity breaches and criminal activities — especially the advanced persistent threat (APT) — if ignored.

“In just the past three years, the number of threats and vulnerabilities has grown almost exponentially. By using COBIT 5, security professionals have a systematic approach for overcoming some of their biggest internal barriers — especially inadequate budget and lack of senior management support,” said Rolf von Roessing, lead developer of the guide and president of FORFA AG.

This latest addition to ISACA’s cyber security series is designed for information security managers, corporate security managers, end-users, service providers, IT administrators, and IT auditors. It includes guidance on using the COBIT 5 framework to integrate cyber security with an overall approach to security governance, risk management and compliance, as well as eight principles for transforming security.

“The enormous opportunities inherent with cloud, mobility, social networking and big data also create significant security risks, and most organizations are ill-prepared to respond effectively. If we want to defend ourselves from sophisticated and targeted cyberattacks, it’s time to shift the industry’s thinking from a focus on compliance and perimeter security to a more proactive posture that is all about protecting the crown jewels,” said Eddie Schwartz, chair of ISACA’s Cybersecurity Task Force and chief information security officer (CISO) at RSA, The Security Division of EMC.

A recent ISACA cyber security survey of more than 1,500 security professionals worldwide found that 94 percent of respondents believe the APT represents a credible threat to national security and economic stability. Top risks were seen as loss of enterprise intellectual property (26 percent), loss of customer or employee personally identifiable information (24percent), and damage to corporate reputation (21 percent).