FISMA News

(ISC)²-Certified Experts Publish Free Information Security Tools to Help Educate Users Worldwide

(Oct 04, 2007)--(ISC)2 (“ISC-squared”), the non-profit global leader in educating and certifying information security professionals throughout their careers, has announced the launch of its online Cyber Security Awareness Resource Center in support of National Cyber Security Awareness Month this October. (ISC)2 kicked off National Cyber Security Awareness Month during its 2007 Government Information Security Leadership Awards (GISLA) Gala Dinner on Oct. 3.

The Cyber Security Awareness Resource Center is an online repository that houses free security awareness tools from around the world designed to be used by any organization or individual that wishes to promote online safety at work or within their community. It can also serve as a support tool for private and public sector organizations required to meet cyber security awareness training requirements under directives such as the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and others.

The materials in the repository have been provided by (ISC)²-certified members - representing preeminent information security experts from corporate, government and academic arenas spanning North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific – and are available for public download at www.isc2.org/csa.

Tools in the Resource Center include templates that can be customized by end users, such as posters, flyers, brochures, presentations, games, radio broadcasts and toolkits such as the SCIPP Family Pak®, a set of free security awareness resources designed to educate home computer users around the world on secure computing practices designed to protect personal information. SCIPP International® is a global non-profit organization dedicated to providing world-class security awareness training and certification for end users.

Topics covered in the Resource Center include home networking security, identity theft, Internet privacy, disaster recovery, emerging security threats, mobile security, software development and secure Web site design. Visitors to the Resource Center can vote on their favorite materials. (ISC)² will announce the top five winners, each of whom will receive a $1,000 cash prize, later this month.

Commemorated by the U.S. Congress and coordinated by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), the goal of National Cyber Security Awareness Month is to heighten public awareness of the critical role each citizen plays in protecting information assets. With recent studies attributing as much as 60 percent of all computer security breaches to basic user errors, there is growing emphasis within organizations and communities worldwide on educating end users about the importance of security best practices.

“With such a high percentage of data breaches stemming from human error, focus on people and their behavior is becoming a key element of any effective security program,” said Ed Zeitler, CISSP, executive director of (ISC)2. “We’re proud to offer a vehicle for our more than 50,000 certified members to share their vast expertise with the public so they can empower and protect themselves. At the same time, we hope the tools in the Cyber Security Awareness Resource Center will help make security education effective and fun.”

The theme of this year’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month is “Identity Theft 2.0” and will highlight what measures consumers can take to protect themselves while online. The awareness month kicked off nationally on Oct. 1 with a summit held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Share or bookmarklet this web page at: