Navigating the World of Ethical Hacking with the C|EH Program: Interview with Andreas Constantinides

In the current threat landscape, where cyber threats are rapidly evolving and increasing, organizations need to employ advanced security protocols, such as ethical hacking and pen testing, that aim to proactively identify and rectify vulnerabilities within systems, networks, and applications. With the advancement of technology, the importance of ethical hacking has become increasingly critical to protect sensitive information from malicious actors. Ethical hackers utilize their skills to simulate a cyberattack, enabling organizations to identify the gaps and fortify their defenses accordingly. In this ongoing effort, ethical hacking programs such as C|EH play a vital role in equipping cybersecurity aspirants with much-needed technical skills to contribute towards building a resilient cybersecurity posture for organizations.

Toward understanding the practical implementation of C|EH in disseminating relevant skills to ethical hackers across the globe, we interviewed Andreas Constantinides, Manager at Odyssey Cybersecurity, who has over 20 years of industry experience in the fields of information security, security design, threat analysis, incident response, and network security. He has experience managing SOC and Managed Security Services (MSS) capabilities for over a decade and currently serves as the Manager of Professional Services, delivering top-tier security solutions.

Can you share a brief overview of your professional background and experience?

I have always been a curious individual, perpetually intrigued by the inner workings of things. My journey began in my teenage years when I delved into independent research, identifying and reporting bugs, crafting simple exploits, and even contributing articles about cybersecurity news to a local computer magazine.

Transitioning into the corporate world, I embarked on my path as a security engineer. I spearheaded the implementation of diverse technologies, designed secure network architectures, and actively participated in pivotal tasks such as penetration testing and vulnerability assessments.

I also designed and implemented a security operations center (SOC) with a small team of engineers. Through dedicated effort, I nurtured it into a fully-fledged 24/7 operation, and I proudly served as its manager for an extensive period.

Today, I lead a Professional Services department, offering an expansive array of security solutions centered around Odyssey’s Clear Skies Cloud SIEM platform. Beyond my profound technical background, I also engage in Government, Compliance, and Risk-related activities, providing various consultancy services. Holding the esteemed position of a QSA auditor for PCI-DSS, the credit card security standard, I’ve amassed a portfolio of certifications, including the C|EH certification.

What role did the C|EH play in advancing your career?

I’ve always been fascinated with hacking activities and experimenting with networks and software. Within the professional world, these activities were formally labeled as “pen testing” to align with acceptable practices. After a decade of immersing myself in this realm, I decided to pursue a certification. This choice was motivated by two primary factors: firstly, to validate my existing knowledge, and secondly, to address any potential gaps that might have eluded my awareness.

I opted for the C|EH (Certified Ethical Hacker) credential. The C|EH program effectively achieves what I sought. It aids in the identification of weak points in my knowledge, bridges knowledge gaps, and rigorously evaluates one’s expertise.

Attaining the C|EH certification is relatively easy for those well-versed in security assessment. Nevertheless, it holds significant value even for seasoned professionals, as it facilitated my deeper comprehension of weak points, enhanced my understanding of concepts, and provided a means of self-assessment.

Furthermore, the C|EH is an excellent entry point for individuals embarking on their journey in ethical hacking. Its practical components offer a more comprehensive exploration, delving further into the subject matter.

In what ways has the Certified Ethical Hacker (C|EH) certification enabled you to contribute to the cybersecurity community?

Beyond simply claiming experience and substantiating it through the execution of numerous projects and delivering services within the corporate sphere, the C|EH certification bestowed upon me a newfound assurance. This confidence propelled me to embark on personal ventures, including creating a multitude of practice questions designed to evaluate proficiency in security and ethical hacking.

In addition, I am delighted to unveil my recently published book aimed at aiding fledgling cybersecurity engineers in grasping the fundamental principles of cybersecurity. The book titled “Cybersecurity 101: Fundamentals for Junior Engineers and Job Seekers,” is available through Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats.

Moreover, a notable endeavor deserving of mention involves a pro-bono assignment I undertook with great enthusiasm. I had the privilege of designing and delivering a course for children aged 8 to 11, focusing on educating them about online threats, ensuring their safety in the digital realm, addressing online bullying, emphasizing password security, threats in online gaming, and more. This task presented considerable challenges as I needed to adapt my communication style to effectively engage with young minds, crafting narratives that translated complex cybersecurity concepts into an easily digestible format for kids. The course incorporated diverse stories and interactive games. Additionally, I created a custom snake and ladder game that incorporated cybersecurity threats and best practices, allowing the kids to engage in a practical and enjoyable learning experience beyond the classroom. The successful execution of this initiative brings me immense satisfaction and pride.

Exploring the Practical Applications of Key Modules in the C|EH Program:

The Certified Ethical Hacker (C|EH) program provides a holistic security perspective on securing networks, with each separate module designed to equip individuals with practical skills and knowledge in various aspects of ethical hacking and cybersecurity. Below, I provide some of these modules and their practical uses.

The Introduction to Ethical Hacking serves as the foundation, as it introduces principles, methodologies, and legal considerations of ethical hacking. Its practical use is to understand the ethical hacking landscape and set the context for the subsequent modules.

In Footprinting and Reconnaissance, you delve into getting information about a target system or network using various tools and techniques. Following the Footprinting, you then get into scanning networks, where you learn to discover active hosts, open ports, and services on a network. Its practical use is to identify potential entry points and weaknesses in a target network.

During Vulnerability Analysis, you learn to assess the vulnerabilities of target systems and applications. You will be able to identify weak points that could be exploited by malicious actors and propose remediation strategies. In System Hacking, you will explore methods to compromise target systems, including password cracking and privilege escalation. Its practical use is simulating real-world attacks to understand how adversaries gain unauthorized access. In Sniffing, you will learn about network traffic interception, analysis, and countermeasures. You will identify sensitive data leaks and how to secure network communication.

Social Engineering is one of my favorites because humans are always the weakest link. This module covers psychological manipulation techniques attackers use to exploit human behavior. You then learn how to raise awareness about social engineering tactics and implement safeguards against them.

In Hacking Web Applications and SQL Injection, you learn about exploiting vulnerabilities in web applications and databases. You learn how these attacks work, how to exploit vulnerabilities, and methods to mitigate them.

These are just some of the components of the C|EH. The complete list provides practical skills for ethical hacking, penetration testing, and strengthening cybersecurity defenses. The knowledge gained enables professionals to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities, ensuring the security of systems and networks, among other skills.

How does C|EH contribute to teaching and skill-building the core and fundamental skills needed for any cybersecurity professional?

The C|EH program plays a crucial role in acquiring and developing the core skills required for any cybersecurity professional. It achieves this by offering hands-on training that simulates real-world scenarios, enabling participants to gain practical experience in identifying vulnerabilities, exploiting weaknesses, and implementing security measures to mitigate risks.

One of the key benefits of the C|EH program is its focus on delving into the mindset and tactics of malicious hackers. This provides cybersecurity professionals with valuable insights into the methods employed by attackers, enabling them to design robust defense strategies and stay ahead of emerging threats. The program also covers vulnerability assessment and penetration testing (VAPT) domains. In this, you will learn how to conduct ethical assessments of vulnerabilities and perform penetration tests to expose potential security gaps ethically. With its comprehensive curriculum, the C|EH program covers an extensive range of topics, including network security, cryptography, malware analysis, social engineering, and wireless security. This breadth ensures that participants develop a well-rounded skill set that prepares them for the diverse challenges that they will face in the field. An essential aspect of the C|EH program is its emphasis on the legal and ethical aspects of hacking. During this, you will gain an understanding of the importance of conducting ethical assessments within the boundaries of laws and regulations, ensuring a responsible and principled approach.

Upon completion, the C|EH certification serves as a globally recognized validation of a professional’s ethical hacking competencies. As I mentioned, for me and numerous experienced individuals, the completion and acquisition of the program were relatively straightforward. Simultaneously, it played a role in pinpointing certain areas that required further strengthening. Additionally, this certification not only enhances career opportunities but also signifies a commitment to ethical hacking practices and a high level of expertise in cybersecurity. The program also equips participants with the ability to assess and manage risks proficiently, including evaluating vulnerabilities’ potential impact and devising effective risk mitigation strategies. With the introduction of practical tools, methodologies, and frameworks, the C|EH program empowers cybersecurity professionals to conduct assessments efficiently and respond effectively to security incidents.

The C|EH program promotes continuous learning, motivating members to collect rewards by engaging in other learning activities or content creation. EC Council also provides webinars and articles to get you up to speed with the latest insights into emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and defense techniques. Furthermore, the program fosters networking opportunities among cybersecurity professionals, creating a platform for knowledge exchange, shared experiences, and collaborative learning.

Source: eccouncil.org

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How C|CT Labs Prepare You to Gain Crucial Technical Skills to Succeed in Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is an ever-changing field, and the best way to learn cybersecurity knowledge and skills is through hands-on experience. No matter which route you take to a cybersecurity career—formal education, learning on the job, or IT security certifications—the path will almost certainly require you to obtain many practical skills and competencies.

If you’re looking for the right IT and security certification, choose a program offering extensive real-world experiences through lab-intensive training. So, how does the C|CT (Certified Cybersecurity Technician) program prepare students to gain valuable skills through various cyber security labs?

What Is the Certified Cybersecurity Technician (C|CT) Program?

EC-Council’s Certified Cybersecurity Technician (C|CT) program is an ideal beginning for those who want to kick-start a career in cybersecurity.

The C|CT course is an entry-level cybersecurity certification that equips learners with the core and fundamental technical, hands-on, and multi-domain cybersecurity skills across network security, ethical hacking, digital forensics, and security operations.

C|CT is the world’s only entry-level cybersecurity program that offers total coverage of foundational cybersecurity domains, including 200 hours of premium learning content and 85 hands-on labs—three times more than any other entry-level certification. After five days of intensive training, C|CT students must pass a three-hour evaluation with multiple-choice questions and a real-life practical exam testing their cybersecurity skills.

After completing the C|CT program, participants can assume in-demand IT security roles such as cyber technician. According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a cyber security technician in the United States is over $67,000. C|CT title holders can also further their education by continuing with specialized certifications such as Certified Ethical Hacker (C|EH), Certified Network Defender (C|ND), and Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (C|HFI).

Aspirants can also take advantage of EC-Council scholarship for the C|CT program. EC-Council has pledged $3.5 million to the C|CT Scholarship for Cybersecurity Career Starters, helping 10,000 students jumpstart their careers in the field of cybersecurity. Recipients of EC-Council’s cybersecurity scholarship are required to pay only the processing and remote proctoring fees for the program’s certification exam.

What Skills Will You Learn in the C|CT Program?

The C|CT program offers a thorough overview of cybersecurity issues, including multiple subfields. These include:

1. Information security: Common cyber threats, vulnerabilities, and attacks; malware; data security controls; data backup and retention methods.
2. Network security: Network security fundamentals; identification, authorization, and authentication concepts; network security controls (administrative, physical, and technical); network security assessment tools and techniques.
3. Computer forensics: Fundamentals of digital forensics; digital evidence; phases of forensic investigations.
4. Risk management: Application security design and testing; network troubleshooting, traffic monitoring, log monitoring, and suspicious traffic analysis.
5. Incident handling: Incident detection, handling, and response.
6. Cybersecurity industry best practices: Key issues in the cybersecurity industry; fundamental concepts in virtualization, cloud computing, encryption, cryptography, wireless security, mobile security, IoT security, and more.

In particular, the C|CT program offers a full suite of 85 hands-on labs to help students gain valuable practical cybersecurity skills. 50% of the program curriculum is devoted to CCT labs and live cyber range activities requiring students to practice their knowledge. Students can complete the C|CT cyber security labs online at the time and place of their convenience, providing the ultimate flexibility in their learning experience.

How Are Cyber Security Labs Useful in Real-World Scenarios?

Cyber security practice labs are incredibly useful for different real-world scenarios. The benefits of cyber security labs include:

• Hands-on experience: The best IT security certifications offer a mix of theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Cyber security labs provide this practical learning, allowing students to hone their skills in various scenarios.
• Safe environment: Cyber security labs typically occur inside a controlled “sandbox” isolated from the larger network or IT environment. This allows learners to experiment freely without worrying about damage or data loss.
• Latest technologies: Cyber security labs let students gain practical experience with the latest tools and technologies. As cyber threats and best practices evolve, virtual labs can be easily reconfigured for different training scenarios.
• Accessibility and flexibility: Virtual cyber security labs are accessible from anywhere with an Internet connection, letting students choose the learning environment that best fits their needs. These labs can be easily scaled to accommodate different numbers of students according to demand.

Why Are Cyber Security Labs Valuable for Early-Career IT Professionals?

Cyber security labs are especially valuable for early-career IT professionals. The advantages of cyber security labs for students starting their IT career include:

• Skill development: Cyber security labs allow beginners to develop their practical skills in various domains, gaining the necessary experience to succeed in real-world scenarios. Lab-focused programs let students practice tools and techniques in a controlled environment, giving them the confidence to deal with actual security incidents.
• Exploration and experimentation: Early-career IT professionals are often unsure which cybersecurity specialties to focus on—ethical hacking, network defense, digital forensics, or something else entirely. Cyber security labs allow students to explore different subfields and see which suits their skills and interests best.
• Career advancement: IT professionals new to the field can greatly benefit from the career advancement opportunities provided by cyber security labs. Lab courses can majorly strengthen candidates’ resumes, making them more attractive to potential employers. Cyber security labs may also give students networking opportunities, connecting with instructors, mentors, and fellow students.

Source: eccouncil.org

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Building Information Security Core Competencies: A Guide for CISOs and C|CISO Candidates

What does a chief information security officer do, and what are the various CISO roles and responsibilities? As an organization’s most important IT security professional, the CISO is tasked with defending the business from external attackers and cyber threats.

Qualified CISOs must be familiar with many core information security competencies. Below, we’ll look at some essential IT security topics and how CISOs and C|CISO candidates can learn them.

The Fundamentals of Information Security

The IT security field stretches back decades, and organizations have settled on several information security fundamentals and best practices. Just a few of these are:

• Network security: The practice of network security focuses on protecting a company’s network infrastructure from cyber threats such as unauthorized access and data breaches. Solid network security measures include deploying firewalls, IDS/IPS (intrusion detection/prevention systems), secure protocols, and VPNs (virtual private networks). These solutions help safeguard the integrity and confidentiality of information and resources within the organization’s network.
• Encryption: Data encryption is crucial to protect sensitive information in transit and at rest. Effective data encryption relies on converting information into an encoded format using an encryption key; this information can only be decoded and understood with a corresponding decryption key (sometimes the same as the encryption key). Encrypting data ensures that it remains incomprehensible and unusable by anyone except the intended recipient(s), even if it falls into the wrong hands.
• Vulnerability management: It involves proactively identifying, assessing, and mitigating the security vulnerabilities in an IT environment. This requires security assessments, vulnerability scanning, and penetration testing to detect potential weaknesses an attacker can exploit. Organizations can then take preventive actions such as installing patches, software updates, and security solutions.
• Incident response: Organizations must have well-defined and effective plans for responding to security incidents when cyber defenses fail. Incident response involves formulating strategies for events and threats like data breaches or ransomware infections. Effective incident response plans define the roles and responsibilities of IT professionals during a security event and outline the steps to follow to restore normal business operations.

To be effective, CISOs must be familiar with these and other information security fundamentals. These skills and best practices collectively form a solid foundation for IT security, enabling organizations to establish robust defenses against malicious actors. Unfortunately, far too few CISOs measure up to this task: a Gartner study revealed that just 12 percent of CISOs are considered “highly effective.”

Risk Assessment in Information Security

Beyond the fundamental topics listed above, the practice of risk assessment in information security is a crucial component of the CISO job description. The good news is that most CISOs take the risk of cyber attacks seriously. According to a 2023 survey by Proofpoint, 68 percent of CISOs believe their organization is at risk of a cyber attack in the next 12 months, and 25 percent rate this event “very likely.”

The process of risk assessment involves steps such as:

• Identifying assets: The first risk assessment stage involves determining the assets and resources within an organization’s IT infrastructure. These may include hardware, software applications, network devices, data, and intellectual property. By determining the IT assets, CISOs can better prioritize their security efforts and protect the most vulnerable or valuable resources.
• Evaluating threats: The next stage of risk assessment in information security requires CISOs to evaluate the likely threats that their organization faces. Hazards to an IT infrastructure can come from external attackers, insider threats, human error, and natural disasters that can significantly disrupt business operations. CISOs must consider each threat’s nature, capabilities, and likelihood and develop appropriate countermeasures and incident response plans.
• Determining vulnerabilities: Risk assessment involves identifying and mitigating security vulnerabilities and flaws within an IT environment. Malicious actors can find and exploit these weaknesses to launch an attack or extend their reach within the environment. This process involves conducting vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to detect and address weaknesses before attackers discover them.

Conducting risk assessments at regular intervals is a crucial task for CISOs. The cyber security landscape constantly evolves, with new threats and vulnerabilities emerging.

The Operational Aspects of Information Security

Last but not least, the role of CISO—and the function of information security—requires a significant day-to-day operational aspect. The operational components of strong IT security include:

• Security monitoring: Security monitoring involves continuously observing an organization’s IT environment for suspicious events and potential security incidents. This includes monitoring and collecting logs on network traffic, user behavior, and other relevant data sources to identify unusual or unauthorized actions. Security monitoring is often performed by a security operations center (SOC), using tools such as SIEM (security information and event management) to achieve 24/7 visibility into an IT environment
• Incident detection: The goal of monitoring is prompt and accurate incident detection: finding security incidents and events as they occur. IT security professionals use manual and automated incident detection techniques, such as behavioral analytics and machine learning, to identify anomalous patterns and activities. As a result, security analysts can more effectively distinguish normal user activities and traffic from worrisome indicators of compromise (IoCs).
• Incident response: As discussed above, incident response responds to security events identified through incident detection. Incident response involves a series of coordinated, planned actions to contain the incident, mitigate or prevent its impact, remove the threat to the IT environment, and reestablish normal business operations. Effective CISOs create incident response plans for various security events with their IT security teams, including data breaches, malware infections, and denial of service (DoS) attacks.

The operational aspects of information security demand constant vigilance from CISOs. As security threats become more advanced and damaging, CISOs must ensure that security teams are prepared to handle these threats via methods such as training and education programs, simulated attacks and exercises, and penetration testing.

Continuous Professional Development for CISOs and C|CISO Candidates

The role of CISO demands a great deal of knowledge of and experience with information security. Moreover, with the cybersecurity landscape continuously shifting, CISOs must stay on their toes to be adequately prepared to address the latest threats and vulnerabilities.

This means that continuous professional development is key for CISOs and aspiring CISOs. Programs such as EC-Council’s Certified Chief Information Security Officer (C|CISO) certification offer IT professionals the fundamental skills and training to assume the mantle of CISO effectively.

The C|CISO curriculum has been developed by existing CISOs who know what it takes to serve as chief information security officers. C|CISO covers the five essential domains of CISO knowledge:

1. Governance and risk management
2. Information security controls, compliance, and audit management
3. Security program management and operations
4. Information security core competencies
5. Strategic planning, finance, procurement, and vendor management

Source: eccouncil.org

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C|PENT vs. OSCP vs. Pentest+

Penetration testing is the act of simulating cyberattacks against an IT system, network, or application by probing for and exploiting its vulnerabilities. Many pen testers have entered the field by receiving a penetration testing certification, leading to comparisons such as C|PENT vs. OSCP or CPENT vs. Pentest+.

Penetration testers need to acquire skills and experience in various domains, from networks and operating systems to programming languages and web applications. For this reason, a growing number of penetration testers are choosing to study pen tester courses such as C|PENT, OSCP, and Pentest+. Certified penetration testers can deepen their ethical hacking knowledge, launch more effective attacks, and advance their career with the right skills.

This raises the question: What is your best penetration testing course? This article will discuss everything you need to know about C|PENT vs. OSCP and C|PENT vs. Pentest+ so you can make an informed decision.

What Does a Penetration Tester Do?

If you’re interested in becoming a pen tester, you might wonder: what does a penetration tester do, exactly? The most common penetration testing roles and responsibilities include:

• Planning and road mapping the attack
• Collecting information and reconnaissance
• Exploiting vulnerabilities with manual and automatic tests
• Reporting on findings and making recommendations to improve security

Penetration testing is highly technical and knowledge-intensive. The knowledge and skills needed to be a penetration tester include:

• Computer networking technologies and protocols
• The three major operating systems (Windows, macOS, and Linux)
• Popular application exploits such as SQL injections and cross-site scripting (XSS)
• Programming and scripting languages such as C/C++, Java, Python, Ruby, and Bash

C|PENT vs. OSCP vs. Pentest+

There are three major penetration testing certifications: EC-Council’s Certified Penetration Testing Professional (C|PENT), Offensive Security’s Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), and CompTIA’s Pentest+. This section will give an overview of the three industry certifications.

Course Modules and Labs

C|PENT includes 14 modules with an estimated 40 hours of training. OSCP includes 21 smaller modules on penetration testing topics. Pentest+ students can take the CertMaster Learn for PenTest+ course, which includes an estimated 40 hours of training.

Validity and Recertification

C|PENT requires its certification holders to renew their certification every two years to ensure their skills remain up-to-date. OSCP and Pentest+ do not have any such requirements.

Topics

C|PENT covers a wider range of topics than OSCP or Pentest+. Below are some of the topics covered by C|PENT that are not included in either OSCP or Pentest+:

• Internet of Things (IoT) penetration testing
• OT and SCADA penetration testing
• Cloud penetration testing
• Database penetration testing
• Mobile device penetration testing
• Binary analysis and exploitation
• Penetration testing essential concepts
• Fuzzing
• Perl environment and scripting

Exam Details

C|PENT course graduates must pass a stringent 24-hour proctored exam (optionally broken into two 12-hour exams). These exams thoroughly evaluate students’ ability to solve practical, real-world penetration testing problems.

Job Roles

C|PENT can help prepare students for various cybersecurity job roles that use penetration testing. These include:

• Ethical hackers
• Penetration testers
• Network administrators
• System administrators
• Digital forensic analysts
• Cloud security analysts
• Security operations center (SOC) analysts
• Security engineers
• Security architects

Hands-on Labs

C|PENT includes more than 100 advanced labs to give students hands-on experience with penetration testing. OSCP and Pentest+ also include lab environments for students to practice their pen testing skills.

Learning Environment

C|PENT offers a wide range of learning methods. Students can self-study by watching videos online, synchronous lectures online, or taking the course through a training or education partner in person. Pentest+ is also available online or in person, but OSCP is only available online.

Target Audience

C|PENT is intended for advanced penetration testers who want a complete overview of the field of pen testing. Meanwhile, OSCP is an entry-level pen testing certification, and Pentest+ sits in the middle for intermediate learners.

Standards Mapping

C|PENT maps to cybersecurity standards such as the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Framework. The OSCP and Pentest+ certifications have no such mappings.

Difficulty

C|PENT is a challenging certification that thoroughly covers advanced topics in penetration testing. Despite being less advanced courses, OSCP difficulty and Pentest+ difficulty is also considered high (see below).

Eligibility

C|PENT, OSCP, and Pentest+ do not have any formal eligibility requirements or prerequisites. OSCP encourages students to have a “solid understanding of TCP/IP networking, reasonable Windows and Linux administration experience, and familiarity with basic Bash and Python scripting.” Pentest+ recommends “a minimum of three to four years of hands-on information security or related experience.”

Is C|PENT Worth It?

If you’re wondering, “Is C|PENT worth it?”, the better question might be: “What am I hoping to learn and achieve with the C|PENT certification?”.

The C|PENT program offers comprehensive, rigorous coverage of industry best practices for advanced penetration testing tools, techniques, and methods. C|PENT includes 14 theoretical and practical hands-on modules that teach students to identify weaknesses in various IT environments, from networks and web applications to the cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

In particular, C|PENT covers advanced pen testing skills such as:

• Windows and Active Directory attacks, including Kerberoasting and golden ticket attacks
• Exploitation of 32-bit and 64-bit binaries
• Double pivoting, privilege escalation, and evading defense mechanisms
• Automating cyberattacks with scripting languages
• Writing informative and professional penetration testing reports 

Which Pen Testing Certification is Best for You?

This article has discussed the crucial differences between the C|PENT, OSCP, and Pentest+ certifications for penetration testing. So, which pen testing certification is right for your situation?

The C|PENT certification is best for:

• Cybersecurity professionals who want a complete overview of advanced penetration testing tools, techniques, and methodologies.
• People who want a variety of flexible learning environments, including in-person and online.
• Students who need a reputable, well-established pen testing certification that maps to cybersecurity frameworks such as NICE.

The OSCP certification may be best for:

• Cybersecurity professionals who are new to penetration testing and want to cover only introductory topics.

The Pentest+ certification may be best for:

• Cybersecurity professionals who want an intermediate penetration testing certification, neither too basic nor too advanced.

If the C|PENT certification sounds like the right fit for you, it’s never been easier to begin. Ready to jumpstart your career in the dynamic and rewarding field of pen testing?

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Study Tips and Skills to Earn CCISO Certification

The CCISO Certification stands out as a top-tier initiative acknowledging the practical expertise essential for success in senior executive roles within information security. It integrates the vital elements crucial for C-Level positions: audit management, governance, IS controls, human capital management, strategic program development, and the financial acumen necessary to lead a highly successful information security program.

The role of the CISO is too crucial to rely on trial and error for learning. The CCISO seeks to close the divide between the executive management knowledge required by CISOs and the technical knowledge of current and aspiring CISOs.

The EC-Council Certified Chief Information Security Officer program is crafted to elevate middle managers to executive leaders and refine the abilities of current InfoSec leaders. CCISO is not a technical program but a leadership course meticulously tailored for seasoned InfoSec professionals.

CCISO Certification Exam Information

Successful outcomes in the CCISO exam may vary between 60% and 85%, contingent on the complexity of the specific exam version given. The 2.5-hour examination comprises 150 scenario-based, multiple-choice questions encompassing the following five domains:

Governance, Risk, Compliance

Information Security Controls and Audit Management

Security Program Management & Operations

Information Security Core Competencies

Strategic Planning, Finance, Procurement, and Third-Party Management

Top Study Tips to Pass the CCISO Certificaton Exam

1. Creating a Study Schedule

Crafting a study schedule is fundamental to effective preparation. Start by prioritizing topics based on their difficulty level. Allocate dedicated time daily to focus on specific domains, ensuring comprehensive coverage.

2. Utilizing Official Resources

EC-Council provides official study materials that are indispensable for exam preparation. Dive into these resources to gain insights into the exam structure and content. Additionally, explore other reputable cybersecurity references to bolster your understanding.

3. Engaging in Practical Labs

There needs to be more than theory for success in the CCISO exam. Engage in practical labs to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios. Hands-on experience enhances your problem-solving skills, a critical aspect of the certification.

4. Joining Study Groups

Collaborative learning is a powerful tool. Joining study groups allows you to share knowledge and insights with peers. Discussing complex topics with others can provide fresh perspectives and deepen your understanding.

5. Taking Practice Exams

Simulating exam conditions through practice tests is invaluable. Identify official and reliable CCISO practice exams to gauge your preparedness. Analyze your performance to identify weak areas and refine your study focus accordingly.

6. Staying Updated with Industry Trends

The field of cybersecurity is dynamic, with constant advancements and changes. Stay abreast of industry trends and updates. Adjust your study materials to align with the evolving cybersecurity landscape.

7. Overcoming Common Challenges

Preparing for the CCISO certification exam comes with its set of challenges. Time constraints and stress management are common hurdles that candidates face. Develop strategies to tackle these challenges, ensuring a balanced and effective preparation phase.

Understanding the Responsibilities of a Chief Information Security Officer

The main objectives of CISOs involve supervising cybersecurity systems, procedures, and policies. Most, if not all, business and cybersecurity choices interconnect and influence each other. CISOs must assess these decisions, gauging their potential impact and evaluating associated risks.

CISOs usually manage a group of IT and cybersecurity experts. They work together and provide updates to other managers and top-level executives, such as CIOs, CTOs, and CEOs.

The significance of a CISO's career rises with the surge in cybercrime. Nevertheless, the rapid evolution of cybercrime presents numerous hurdles for cybersecurity professionals. They must adapt to emerging technologies, shifting targets, escalating sophistication, and the progressively decentralized nature of organizational structures.

Here, we outline specific skills that CISOs can develop to enhance their prospects of success in this intricate position.

Essential Soft Skills Every CISO Should Possess

Communication: CISOs must communicate with their teams and fellow managers for project completion. Additionally, they are required to articulate and convey cybersecurity issues in a clear and meaningful manner.

Leadership: CISOs frequently lead teams of IT professionals, necessitating the ability to adjust their leadership approach according to each individual. Additionally, they must possess the skills to supervise projects, budgets, and the implementation of policies.

Decision-making: CISOs must possess the capacity to comprehend intricate and sometimes contradictory information to make well-founded business decisions. Their decision-making process should encompass a range of factors and reflect the interests of stakeholders, staff, and consumers.

Problem-solving: CISOs face numerous cybersecurity challenges that require careful and thoughtful consideration. They must analyze these issues and devise practical solutions to prevent them from escalating.

Critical Hard Skills Every CISO Should Possess

Business operations: CISOs must comprehend the functioning of businesses and the way operations influence cybersecurity. Additionally, they should know how cybersecurity choices affect operations and understand stakeholders' priorities for business concerns.

Cybersecurity systems: CISOs require expertise in cybersecurity systems to engage in discussions with managers and stakeholders. They should be familiar with the capabilities of their systems, understand the trajectory of technology, and grasp the potential impact of system changes.

Security standards: CISOs should be acquainted with security best practices and standards to assess the alignment of their systems and processes. Familiarity with cybersecurity laws and regulations may also be necessary.

Risk Analysis: CISOs are required to assess business decisions for potential risks. They must evaluate and provide insights on how new business initiatives and systems align with the existing cybersecurity infrastructure.

Conclusion

Success in the EC-Council CCISO certification exam is achievable with a tailored and strategic study approach and acquiring the needed soft and hard skills. Candidates can significantly increase their chances of passing by creating a study schedule, utilizing official resources, engaging in practical labs, joining study groups, taking practice exams, and staying updated with industry trends.

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Why Your Next Career Move Should be Penetration Testing

Cybersecurity is a highly promising career choice today, with a growing demand for information security professionals. This industry offers many opportunities, especially in various specialized cybersecurity roles, including that of ethical hackers and pen testers, that organizations actively seek.

With the significance of pen testing gaining prominence, choosing this field or making a switch can be a rewarding career move.

What Is Penetration Testing?

Penetration testing is the process of evaluating the security of a network, a computer system (like a public-facing server), or an application by simulating potential attacks from hackers. Also known as pen testing, penetration testing helps identify vulnerabilities in target systems before attackers can exploit them.

More and more companies are adopting penetration testing as part of their cybersecurity arsenal. It is one of the best ways to protect sensitive data and other assets. When a vulnerability is exploited, it can lead to companies suffering financial loss and a damaged reputation. 

Penetration testers help prevent those dire outcomes and keep company operations running smoothly. Moreover, since every new application, service, or system can potentially have unknown weaknesses, penetration testers quickly become highly valued information security workers. 

What Does a Penetration Tester Do?

Have you ever wondered, “What does a penetration tester do?” Penetration testers attempt to “penetrate” systems by simulating real-world attacks through a multi-step process. While the details vary depending on the system or application being tested, most pen testing is the same at a high level.

They start by mapping out the scope of a penetration test. The goal could be to test a company’s public-facing systems, a specific subset of those systems, or even internal systems. A reconnaissance phase follows, in which the penetration tester collects publicly available information. For example, employee names and email addresses might provide clues to a company’s format for account usernames.

Next, various automated scanning tools identify known weaknesses in the target systems. The penetration tester will follow this up with manual attempts at gaining access. If a vulnerability is found, the tester will attempt to achieve a higher level of access. This is known as privilege escalation, which helps quantify the severity of a weakness. Vulnerabilities that allow full administrative access are the riskiest, as a hacker would have unlimited access to a company’s data.

After testing, the pen tester documents their findings and makes security recommendations. The process will repeat regularly or after systems are updated.

Why Penetration Testing Is One of the Best Career Moves for Cybersecurity Professionals

Penetration testing is one of the most in-demand security skills. If you’d like to go down the penetration tester career path, it’s a good time. This is especially true if you work in an entry-level cybersecurity position.

Pen testers will be required for the foreseeable future. Every day, companies of all sizes undergo digital transformation, designing their business processes around electronic systems. Many more companies are moving into the cloud. That means sensitive enterprise data will be hosted on public-facing systems. More than ever, penetration testing is needed to find vulnerabilities before internet attackers exploit them.

How and Why Different Job Roles Include Penetration Testing

Even if you are not looking for a career in penetration testing, it is still a valuable skill. Many types of cybersecurity jobs include penetration testing activities. 

A network security analyst, for example, is primarily responsible for monitoring and analyzing network traffic. If they find suspicious activity in the logs, they might conduct penetration tests to assess the state of the network. This helps address previously unknown vulnerabilities before exploitation (QA Source, 2022).

IT workers in the application development space might also need pen testing skills. In particular, DevSecOps professionals need to test application security regularly. Application security testers focus on identifying vulnerabilities specific to web and mobile apps. Pen testing is also a normal part of their routines, and it is common for former application developers to move into a pen testing career, thanks to their knowledge of app vulnerabilities (Guard Rails, 2023).

Cybersecurity managers should be familiar with how to do penetration testing. Even though their primary function is to oversee security teams, penetration testing experience helps them lead effectively. Having pen testing experience shows the rest of the team that they understand real-world security issues and fixes.

How to Become a Penetration Tester

Several paths can lead to a career in penetration testing. Having a degree in information security or related disciplines is a great start. However, there are other ways into the role.

Networking knowledge and experience often lead to a pen-testing career. As previously mentioned, many cybersecurity roles include some form of penetration testing. IT managers commonly ask their top team members to take on the task, especially if they already work in a network or security role. 

You could apply for a penetration testing job, even without specific experience. However, several training courses and certification tracks can be advantageous. Gaining experience in a class with practical labs will better prepare you for the penetration tester career path.

The Job Market for Penetration Testers

Part of the reason there are so many avenues to start a career in penetration testing is that the position is in demand. IT departments in nearly all industries are looking to add to their pen-testing staff (Cyberseek, 2022).

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the demand for information security analysts (including penetration testers) will grow 35% by 2031. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023). The typical penetration tester’s salary is very competitive, with the average compensation at $94,000. Most penetration tester’s salary range between $86,000 and $107,000 (Salary.com, 2023)

What is C|PENT and How Can It Play a Critical Role in Your Career

Finding the right certification course that equips you with real-world skills and knowledge is important. EC-Council’s Certified Penetration Testing Professional (C|PENT) course teaches you to take your skills to the next level.

The C|PENT program teaches you how to perform effective penetration testing at an enterprise level. Instead of focusing strictly on book learning and theoretical concepts, the C|PENT gives you real-world experience in a live practice range. You will learn all the latest penetration testing techniques for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, cloud apps, networks, firewalls, and others.

More advanced topics include bypassing a filtered network, penetrating operational technology (OT), accessing hidden networks with pivoting, evading defense mechanisms, and much more. EC-Council’s course includes dynamic ranges for practical, hands-on experience that translates into the real world of penetration testing. As technology and targets continue to evolve, so does the training on the C|PENT course.

Source: eccouncil.org

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What You Need to Know About Attack Trees

Enterprise IT environments are larger and more complex than ever, from SaaS and cloud applications to remote access. According to a survey by Randori, 67 percent of organizations say that their Internet-connected assets have increased in the past two years (Randori, 2022).

The growth of enterprise IT has tremendously enhanced employee productivity and efficiency. However, it also presents new opportunities for hackers to find and exploit vulnerabilities. Thus, businesses must remain vigilant, taking steps to understand and protect themselves against potential attacks.

One tool that can help with cybersecurity threat modeling is an attack tree. You will learn all there is to know about attack trees in this post. We’ll go over the definition of an attack tree and why they’re so helpful for modeling cybersecurity threats.

What Is an Attack Tree Model?

In cybersecurity, an attack tree is a model of how a malicious actor might seek access to an IT asset, such as a system or network. Computer security professional Bruce Schneier was one of the first to develop and publicize the notion of attack trees.

Attack trees have the shape of a tree diagram:

• A single root node at the top represents the hacker’s ultimate goal.
• The children of the root represent different methods that can be used to achieve this objective.
• The children of these children represent subproblems that must be solved along the way.

What Is the Purpose of Attack Trees?

The purpose of an attack tree is to help identify the potential dangers to a system or network. Above all, attack trees outline malicious actors’ various techniques to achieve their goals. This helps organizations better understand the methodologies of their opponents and take steps to counter them.

For example, consider an attack tree whose root node represents the ultimate goal of opening a safe:

• The children of this node represent the various methods that could accomplish this goal. These include picking the lock, learning the safe’s combination, and cutting open the safe.
• Some of these children have their own children. For example, to learn the safe’s combination, an attacker could find the combination written somewhere or obtain it from someone who knows it.
• This second grandchild node (obtaining the combination) has its own great-grandchildren. For example, to get the combination from someone, the attacker could threaten, bribe, or eavesdrop on that person.
• Although this is a toy example, it shows how highly complex attack trees can be. Multiple levels and nodes of the tree represent different stages and methods of attack.

What Are the Advantages of Using Attack Trees?

Attack trees are an essential concept in the field of threat modeling in cybersecurity. Threat modeling involves finding, analyzing, prioritizing, and preventing threats to an IT environment, system, or network. By using threat modeling, businesses can conceptualize the risks they face and strengthen their cybersecurity posture.

Of course, attack trees are just one example of how security professionals can perform threat modeling. Other examples include the STRIDE model developed at Microsoft (Microsoft, 2022).

The STRIDE model splits cyberthreats into six groups. These categories are spoofing, tampering, repudiation, information disclosure, denial of service, and elevation of privilege. Threat modeling techniques such as attack trees and the STRIDE model can be tremendously valuable. However, they also come with a drawback: they require companies to “think like an attacker.” In other words, attack trees will only contain the goals and methods that businesses themselves can conceive of.

Suppose attackers devise an entirely unexpected approach or have an unexpected objective for the attack. Companies need to anticipate these factors to be protected.

For this reason, working with so-called “ethical hackers” is an excellent idea. Ethical hackers are benevolent cybersecurity experts who use hacking techniques to help companies identify and fix vulnerabilities in their IT environment. Because ethical hackers are external to the organization, they can bring new perspectives, novel insights, and a fresh set of eyes.

The Difference Between Attack Trees and Attack Surfaces

An attack tree and an attack surface are two distinct yet closely related concepts in cybersecurity. So when it comes to the question of attack tree vs. attack surface, what’s the difference?

What Is an Attack Surface?

An attack surface is the set of points where a malicious actor could gain unauthorized access to an IT environment. The possible entry points in an attack surface include network ports, software and website vulnerabilities, and access controls. These entry points are digital, but attack surfaces also have a physical component. For example, hackers can wreak havoc by plugging in an infected USB drive or gaining physical access to a company’s server room.

Having a large attack surface is generally seen as a negative. For this reason, businesses speak of the need for “attack surface reduction” or “attack surface management.” This involves limiting the number of ways hackers could potentially exploit flaws in the environment.

Let’s continue with the safecracking example above. The attack surface would include all the components of the safe that an attacker could exploit if flaws are present. These include the lock and its combination, the physical construction of the safe, and the humans surrounding it (e.g., security guards or people who know the combination).

What Is an Attack Tree?

An attack tree is a way to partially model the attack surface by visualizing an attacker’s goal and the various methods of possibly achieving that goal. Perhaps the best way to understand the difference between an attack tree and an attack surface is the distinction between entry points and methods:

• An attack surface is a written description of the various entry points of an IT environment via which attackers could gain access and achieve their objectives.
• In contrast, an attack tree is a diagram that illustrates the attacker’s objective and the methods of achieving that objective.

Conclusion

To sum up, attack trees are an invaluable concept in cybersecurity. They help security professionals comprehend and model the threats they face by identifying potential dangers to a system or network.

By using attack trees, security professionals can better understand the various ways in which attackers could try to enter an IT system. Businesses can then develop strategies for mitigating and thwarting these threats.

Source: eccouncil.org

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Fortifying Cloud-Native Environments: Experts Insights on the Evolution of Cloud Security

In today’s rapidly evolving IT landscape, one concept stands out as a game-changer: cloud-native computing. As organizations transition from traditional on-premises infrastructure to cloud-based solutions, they are altering where their data and applications reside and how they are built, deployed, and secured in this ever-shifting digital terrain. To understand the knowledge of a holistic approach to cloud-native security, we interviewed Priyanka Kulkarni Joshi, a past Researcher and a craver to be a CISO and Cybersecurity Specialist at UBS, specializing in online security research, planning, execution, and maintenance.

Priyanka is also an expert in audits and risk management, ethical hacking, and compliance and has previously managed various freelance security projects. She has excellent managerial skills and an impressive track record in the IT security industry and was nominated as the 2020 Cyber Spartans Award winner. Through her experience in cloud security, she delves deep into the transformative power of cloud-native environments and, more crucially, security’s pivotal role in this shift. The article also explores the fundamental challenges and best practices and provides insights into safeguarding your cloud-native infrastructure.

What is the significance of cloud-native security in modern IT environments?

The significance of cloud-native security in the modern IT environment lies in customizing security capabilities for cloud platforms. Implementing cloud-native security is crucial for safeguarding companies against potential threats and unauthorized access to their data stored in the cloud. This includes sensitive business content related to client orders, designs, requirements, financial information, etc. Additionally, this measure aids in averting data leaks and the theft of sensitive information. Safeguarding data is paramount for upholding the trust of your customers and securing the assets that underpin your competitive edge.

What common security challenges are specific to cloud-native applications and infrastructure?

Some of the most common challenges in security implementation cloud be listed as:

1. Cost of security resources
2. Lack of visibility in a distributed system
3. Reliability issues
4. Keeping up to date with outdated technologies
5. Monitoring microservices.
6. Ability to filter important metrics from the pool of metrics
7. Identifying the right tools or platforms.
8. Security and compliance
9. Lack of technical expertise

Can you help us understand the shared responsibility model from the perspective of containerized application security?

The shared responsibility model in containerized applications is a security and compliance framework that portrays the obligations of cloud service providers and container security stakeholders. It is a critical part of a comprehensive security assessment, which protects the application from potential risk and uses a combination of security tools and policies. As the definition simplifies, this model is responsible for every aspect of the cloud environment where the data security in the cloud encryption of data at rest and data in transit and group configuration would be saved when applied to the containerized applications in use.

What are the best practices for securing serverless applications in a cloud-native architecture?

The best practice to ensure serverless security involves securely storing sensitive data (such as credentials, PII, SSN, etc.) in protected databases. Further security enhancement can be achieved by managing and restricting access, ensuring a secure and limited accessibility framework.

Some best practices can be practiced as follows:

• Minimize the function roles
• Monitor the log functions
• Employ API gateways
• Scan always for a bad code (review each before it’s out)
• Perimeter security should be tough, and the function levels as well.

By upholding this practice, we can assign specific privileges to individual functions, ensuring that these privileges are confined to the narrowest scope required. This approach enhances perimeter security and mitigates potential attacks’ impact.

How can you ensure the security of microservices and APIs in a cloud-native ecosystem?

Ensuring the security of microservices and APIs in a cloud-native ecosystem is a huge task, and both APIs and microservices play a key role in cloud-native environments; microservices serve as the cornerstone of distributed and shared computing resources. Conversely, APIs are a very efficient way to streamline the operations and development tasks with the operational team and ensure that the services used each time are properly isolated from the other tasks.

There are a few ways that we can secure the microservices architecture:

• Use HTTPS
• Scan for any dependencies
• Mitigate loopholes
• Cover security bases
• Use access and identity tokens
• Know, the cloud and cluster securities
• TLS security and secret management
• Extended authentication needs to be managed.
• Access logging

What, according to you, are the key components and considerations to achieve a comprehensive cloud-native security strategy?

Some of the key components for a comprehensive cloud-native security can be listed as:

• Data protection
• Incident response
• Detection controls
• Access management
• Encryption management

What do you best suggest for responding to a security breach or incident in a cloud-native environment?

Responding to a security breach or incident in a cloud-native environment should be like the cyber incident response. In contrast, a cloud-native attack breach frequently follows a typical progression of a legitimate user account compromise, account reconnaissance, privilege escalation, resource exploitation, data exfiltration, and credentials. The cloud incident response is similar to traditional incident response regarding planning, procedures, and controls that facilitate incident detection and response action. However, as cloud deployment involves a shared responsibility model, having a little knowledge about cloud deployment incident preparation key and the incident strategy would ensure an effective response to the security incidents, which will help businesses effectively navigate IT disruption.

Source: eccouncil.org

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Why TRIKE is the Most Popular Threat Modeling Methodology

Threat modeling is a powerful strategy for pinpointing your organization’s cybersecurity risks and possible attacks, helping protect your IT environment, and offering solutions for different scenarios. In particular, the TRIKE model is an open-source threat modeling methodology that helps organizations identify and prioritize potential security risks and vulnerabilities and develop strategies to mitigate or manage them.

But what is the TRIKE threat model, exactly, and what are the benefits of TRIKE threat modeling? This article dives deep into threat modeling, the TRIKE threat model, and its advantages.

The Five Stages of Threat Modeling

Threat modeling should be a part of the IT strategy of any security-conscious organization. By performing risk management and mapping the relationships between different assets and systems, threat modeling helps businesses seize control of their IT environment.

Threat modeling is generally divided into five stages:

• Identifying assets and defining requirements: First, companies evaluate the importance and priorities of their IT assets. Just like you might protect certain personal possessions in a safe or behind a lock and key, organizations need to determine which of their IT assets require greater protection. In this stage, businesses also decide which user roles should be able to access critical assets.
• Creating diagrams: Next, organizations build abstractions of their IT environment, helping visualize the attack surface that needs to be protected. These diagrams might depict the major components of an IT system, the relationships and interactions between them, and even the user roles that have access to them.
• Identifying threats and risks: Companies should identify the IT threats and risks they face and the attackers who might be responsible. Potential attack methods include infiltrating networks, exploiting insider threats and software vulnerabilities, and even using physical attacks to hack into hardware. Then, organizations should develop policies to bolster security and decrease the likelihood of an attack (such as tightening access control, strengthening passwords, and employee training programs)
• Mitigating threats: Once a plan of action has been created, the fourth stage of threat modeling involves executing that plan and mitigating security threats. Threat modeling provides a list of priorities, enabling organizations to triage their IT security issues by first addressing the most critical risks and vulnerabilities.
• Validating the model: Finally, businesses can assess the effectiveness of their threat modeling efforts with frameworks such as the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (First, 2019). Organizations should revise their threat modeling approach regularly as the cyberthreat landscape evolves, dealing with new risks as they arise.

TRIKE Model Explained

Cybersecurity threats have surged in recent years pushing businesses to revamp their security policies and techniques to safeguard organizational data.

To understand how to best deploy these technologies, however, organizations need threat modeling techniques such as TRIKE. The TRIKE model is a conceptual framework for auditing IT security through the lens of risk management (Trike, 2008). First created by security developers Brenda Larcom and Eleanor Saitta, the TRIKE model is open source, allowing anyone interested in cybersecurity to contribute to the project. 

The TRIKE model is just one of the possible threat models that businesses can use, many of them with snappy acronyms such as STRIDE, VAST, PASTA, and OCTAVE. What sets the TRIKE model apart from these threat models is that it combines two different models.

First, the requirements model offers a conceptual framework for threat modeling, allowing different security teams and stakeholders to coordinate their work. This model describes an IT system’s security features and characteristics and determines the acceptable level of risk that each asset can face.

This step involves the creation of an actor-asset-action matrix, defining which actors (users) can perform which actions on which IT assets. The set of allowed or disallowed actions contains four possibilities: creating, reading, updating, and deleting (also known as CRUD). Users can be allowed to perform each of these four actions, disallowed, or allowed with certain rules and restrictions.

The second component of the TRIKE model is the implementation model. This involves using data flow diagrams (DFDs), which depict how information is stored, moved, and changed throughout an IT system. By mapping data flows, threat intelligence experts can discover two types of potential threats in the system: privilege escalation and denial of service. Each possible threat is evaluated on a five-point scale, with a lower number representing a higher risk.

What are the Benefits of the TRIKE Model?

The TRIKE model comes with several benefits.

• For one, the TRIKE model offers a structured approach, systematizing the process of identifying and prioritizing potential security threats. As a result, organizations can focus their efforts on the most critical issues and vulnerabilities.
• Another advantage of the TRIKE model is the in-depth analysis that it performs. Combining zero in on a particular vulnerability or zooms out to see the big picture, depending on their needs. By combining the requirements and implementation models, the TRIKE model gives businesses a complete picture of their IT environment.

Like any threat model, the TRIKE model has pros and cons. For example, the TRIKE model requires users to map all their IT assets and users in detail, which may be too complex for organizations with complex IT environments. Larger enterprises may wish to use one of the alternate threat modeling methodologies discussed above, such as STRIDE, VAST, PASTA, or OCTAVE.

Why Become a Certified Threat Intelligence Analyst?

Threat modeling is an excellent strategy for evaluating the security of IT systems and performing cyber risk management, prioritizing different assets and vulnerabilities. After mapping your IT environment using methodologies such as the TRIKE model, you should revise it regularly to account for new changes and potential hazards.

Businesses need skilled and experienced threat intelligence analysts who can perform threat modeling and other IT security tasks. If you’re interested in a career in threat modeling, it’s an excellent idea to bolster your credentials with a threat intelligence certification.

Source: eccouncil.org

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Associate C|CISO: The Next Step for a Certified Information Security Manager

In today’s workforce, information security workers are more important than ever. Most companies have undergone a digital transformation to stay competitive, and many business processes now take place online. Data is an asset, and security personnel represent the first line of defense. The Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) certification is valuable for professionals following a cybersecurity career path.

However, a CISM certificate may only take you so far. If you want to take your career to the next level, the Associate Certified Chief Information Security Officer (C|CISO) certification is a logical next step. This is especially true if you hope to become a Chief Information Officer (CIO) one day, as the Associate C|CISO prepares you for leadership.

A Career Path for Certified Information Security Managers

The Associate CCISO certification is a globally recognized credential that helps cybersecurity professionals prepare for a leadership role. If you are a CISM who hopes to make it to the C-suite one day, pursuing an Associate C|CISO cert is a strategic choice. The course is designed explicitly for the CIO career path — even if you don’t have the minimum five years of experience in three of the Certified CISO domains.

1. Transitioning Between Technical and Business Expertise

The Associate C|CISO certification goes beyond the technical aspects of information security and into business leadership. This well-rounded perspective equips the CISM-certified person with the skills required to articulate the value of information security to C-suite peers.

2. Preparation for Executive Leadership

Aspiring CIOs often face stiff competition when vying for upper management roles. The Associate C|CISO certification signals upper management that you possess the requisite leadership and strategic skills to thrive in an executive leadership position.

3. Learning How to Govern IT Effectively

If you’ve been through CISM training, you’re already well-versed in information security governance. The Associate C|CISO course builds upon this knowledge to show you how to create robust and effective IT governance frameworks. These skills can pay dividends as you move ahead on your career path.

4. Staying on Top of the Ever-Evolving Security Landscape

As an Associate Certified Information Security Officer, you’ll gain insight into emerging technologies and industry trends. Your new understanding of information security will help you stay ahead in our dynamic technology landscape. As you progress into management roles, you will be better prepared to make informed decisions about future cybersecurity tools and methodologies.

5. Demonstrating Commitment to Continuous Improvement

Earning the Associate CCISO certification demonstrates a commitment to continuous professional development. It shows you are ready, willing, and able to learn complex information security topics and lead the organization into the future. This cert is also a stepping stone to many other career paths, including earning a Certified CISO certification or taking on management roles.

Starting a Path to Certified CISO Certification

If you want full Certified CISO status, the Associate C|CISO is your first step. While maintaining the Associate C|CISO, you must gain five years of experience in at least three of the five C|CISO domains. 

The next step is to fill out a form detailing your experience, which will be verified. After approval, you will take the C|CISO exam, with the option to retake training beforehand. Finally, you will be granted the Certified CISO certification after passing the exam.

The Benefits of a CISM Pursuing Associate C|CISO Certification

While there are many paths to the C-suite, if you want to build upon a CISM certificate and work up to a leadership role, the Associate C|CISO course offers some benefits you won’t get elsewhere.

First, an Associate C|CISO certification prepares you to work with other company leaders. The course emphasizes integrating information security with critical business functions like finance, legal, and operations teams. 

This holistic approach deeply explains how cybersecurity aligns with a company’s business objectives. Explaining technology’s strategic value is one of the most critical functions of a CIO (CIO Magazine, 2023). The course teaches you strong communication and interpersonal skills. This is key to helping you articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders in the C-suite and the rest of the company.

Your company’s security posture is part of what you have to share as a CIO (BuiltIn, 2023). The Associate C|CISO certification gives you valuable insights into risk management strategies and incident response planning. This knowledge equips you to proactively identify potential security threats and how to implement practical risk mitigation efforts with company buy-in.

Gaining that trust from your colleagues requires deep knowledge of the cybersecurity industry. An Associate C|CISO certification teaches you about compliance with industry standards and government regulations. This is essential for any organization that works with sensitive data, and having this knowledge shows the real value of a CISO. The Associate C|CISO course covers various compliance frameworks, providing you with the expertise to ensure your organization remains in line with customer and government requirements.

Holding the Associate C|CISO certification can lead to better salary and compensation packages. Today, more than ever, businesses are willing to invest in skilled cybersecurity professionals (Security, 2023). An Associate C|CISO credential carries a weight that can positively impact your career prospects.

Since cybersecurity is a significant concern for businesses today, there are many excellent job opportunities at various companies. Earning additional certifications after your CISM training shows you are an expert. Moreover, your Associate C|CISO certification signifies dedication to your cybersecurity career.

How to Get Started with the Associate C|CISO Certification

Candidates wanting to enroll in the Associate C|CISO program must have at least two years of technical or management experience in any of the following domains:

• Governance and Risk Management
• Information Security Controls, Compliance, and Audit Management
• Security Program Management and Operations
• Information Security Core Competencies
• Strategic Planning, Finance, Procurement, and Vendor Management

or

Hold any of the following certifications: CISSP, CISM, or CISA.

You can join the elite Certified Associate C|CISO community by Grandfathering as an Associate C|CISO.

The Associate C|CISO Grandfathering Program

Cybersecurity professionals with 5 years of cumulative experience in the Associate C|CISO domains can apply for the Associate C|CISO Grandfathering program to obtain the Associate C|CISO certification without needing to sit for the Associate C|CISO exam.

The Associate C|CISO process, through grandfathering, offers recognition and credibility, supporting candidates on their journey to take influential cybersecurity leadership roles.

Source: eccouncil.org

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