Authoritative sources, articles, study paths, specialised events to attend, research to study: here is a selection of sources from which to draw in order to stay up-to-date on the evolution of cyber security and acquire the necessary knowledge to face and manage cyber risks and threats.

Staying up-to-date in the field of cyber security is crucial to manage an increasingly sophisticated and complex cyber threat scenario.

In fact, in today’s digital age characterised by an increasingly distributed workforce, new ways of interacting with customers and a profound rethinking of the supply chain, organisations are faced with a major expansion of their perimeter and, consequently, greater exposure to malicious attacks against their information assets.

Information assets composed of an ever-increasing amount of data generated more and more by new technologies such as the IoT (Internet of Things) which, as a consequence, require a more evolved approach to cyber security than in the recent past when the general scenario was decidedly less complex.

Risk and threat awareness is necessary.

The technological dependece of companies and the constant increase in cyber threats require greater awareness of the risks that can be addressed by acquiring the necessary cyber security and data protection skills.

Indeed, it is true that cyber security cannot only be synonymous with technology: the support of hardware and software solutions to protect the company’s perimeter and information assets plays and will continue to play a major role.

But reducing network and infrastructure security to purely technological solutions could be very dangerous.

Cyber security is a complex issue involving several factors besides technology, including company policies and the end user who, let us never forget, is the weak link in the security chain.

It is no coincidence that, more and more often, it is precisely the managers and employees of companies who are used as access points to the organisation’s infrastructures and networks who end up in the crosshairs of criminal hackers.

A fact that confirms how, against phishing, social engineering, ransomware and other threats, even the most sophisticated defence solutions can fail.

The most authoritative sources to stay up-to-date.

Therefore, corporate cyber security chiefs have to keep up with evolving cyber threats and therefore have an urgent need to keep up to date.

Innovation, even in the criminal field, runs fast and it is not easy to keep up.

The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) has now assumed a primary role in structuring a company’s line of defence and, therefore, must constantly update and expand his or her knowledge on new trends in cyber crime to ensure the correct configuration of information systems and manage cyber security risks.

Only by being fully aware of the threats companies are exposed to can this knowledge best be transferred to employees in effective and useful cyber security training sessions that are now indispensable.

It is evident that this awareness is acquired not only in the field, but also by making use of content made available online from authoritative sources.

Sources that, again, can be identified and listed over time thanks to valuable operational experience.

In general, however, the most quoted and reliable sources we can mention are:

• Institutional Bodies such as our National Cybersecurity Agency, which has in CSIRT Italia its operational arm, the MISE’s Center Cyber 4.0 and ENISA (European Union Agency for Cybersecurity), to remain among the European sources. Or, the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) and the CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) moving overseas. Through their official websites, governmental organisations and regulatory agencies report news of public interest on strategies, regulations and projects in the cyber security sector;
• Professional Associations, among which we mention Clusit, the Italian Association for Information Security, the Cyber Security Italy Foundation, Woman4Cyber Italia, a rib of the W4C Foundation, or the Digital Innovation Observatories of the School of Management of the Milan Polytechnic;
• Universities and research centres. Universities and internal research departments often publish high-quality academic studies. Many universities and research centres also launch study courses and master’s degrees on cybersecurity issues: on Cybersecurity360, in the Cybersecurity Courses section, you can find presentation sheets with all the useful information on the contents of the courses and on how to enrol and participate;
• Specific events. Attending conferences, trade fairs and webinars is an excellent opportunity to interact directly with experts and leaders in the sector, obtaining first-hand information. Important events include the Security Summit organised by Clusit or the Cybersecurity360 Summit.

An aggregator of sources for CISO.

It is evident that the sources for CISOs can be countless and it is not easy to find the most useful one depending on the circumstances.

Hence, the TechFlix360 initiative, a knowledge centre dedicated to IT security (and more), with resources exclusively from a B2B perspective and supporting the new needs of Chief Information Security Officers.

The portal is an aggregator of content published on the Digital360 editorial network, enhanced by a system for categorising and searching for information. Inside you will find white papers, eBooks and infographics, with the possibility to subscribe to live streams of follow webinar replays.

On TechFlix360, by accessing the Security section, it is possible to access from a single point a wide variety of resources and documents useful to the profession, being able to count on sources among the most accredited in the Italian cyber security panorama.

Source: Cyber Security 360