By Annette Leonard Many information security incidents are newsworthy, especially when they involve compromise of personal, financial and/or medical information. Here is our “Top Ten” list of data breaches that have made the news over the past few years. While some of these compromises may have resulted from very sophisticated attack methods, others were traceable to basic lapses in good security practices—the very things the…
By Kathryn M. Farrish, CISSP Common Controls are security controls whose implementation results in a security capability that is inheritable by multiple information systems (IS). For example, the information systems hosted in a data center will typically inherit numerous security controls from the hosting provider, such as: Physical and environmental security controls Network boundary defense security controls Other inheritance scenarios include agency or departmental-level policies…
The most common question we get in regards to our RMF for DoD IT training course is this: How comprehensive is your RMF for DOD IT course? The reason I ask is that the Navy is still trying to wrap their head around RMF and how to integrate it both from an acquisitions and operational…
By Lon J. Berman, CISSP According to NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-53, an overlay is a “fully specified set of security controls, control enhancements and supplemental guidance derived from the application of tailoring guidance to security control baselines”. The intent is to streamline the process of developing a security control set for specific communities of interest. The Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) website, www.cnss.gov,…
By Lon J. Berman, CISSP The story is told of an intern who is asked by his boss to pick up some items from the supply room in the basement. The young man is not sure how to get down there, but, seeing an open door, assumes it is the stairway and steps through. Unfortunately the door turns out to be an…
TrainPlus! POST TRAINING SUPPORT RMF education doesn’t just stop when the training class is over. That’s why we offer TrainPlus!, a RMF Q&A follow-up session. Designed specifically for students who’ve previously attended an IT Dojo RMF training class, TrainPlus! is delivered via a monthly, 60-minute, conference call at no charge. Whether the training experience has been online, onsite or…
You’ve earned your CISSP or your Security+ certification…now you need to maintain it. No one wants to have to take those beastly exams again! But how do you do that without spending a lot of money? Sure you could take other classes (and will need to to remain relevant, of course), but sometimes there isn’t…
We have just added a course date for the Information Security Continuous Monitoring training that is coming up this fall (September 22 – 24, 2015). Information Security Continuous Monitoring (three days) covers roles and responsibilities, establishment and implementation of the ISCM strategy, analysis and reporting of findings, and program review in accordance with NIST Special Publication…
As many of you are already aware, NIST offers free online Risk Management Framework training as a resource on their website. While this is a great resource containing excellent information and should be included in your learning plan, it is not enough when it comes to preparing yourself and your staff for the transition from DIACAP…
By Lon Berman, CISSP No longer just a technical issue, instead a strategic program to manage cybersecurity risk. Targeted cyber attacks are a strategic organizational problem. Cyber attackers are more sophisticated than ever before, and it has become vitally important to understand how to manage risk and implement a continuous monitoring program. More than just…