Creating An Information Security Program From Scratch

This book is written for the first security hire in an organization, either an individual moving into this role from within the organization or hired into the role. More and more, organizations are realizing that information security requires a dedicated team with leadership distinct from information technology, and often the people who are placed into those positions have no idea where to start or how to prioritize. There are many issues competing for their attention, standards that say do this or do that, laws, regulations, customer demands, and no guidance on what is actually effective. This book offers guidance on approaches that work for how you prioritize and build a comprehensive information security program that protects your organization. While most books targeted at information security professionals explore specific subjects with deep expertise, this book explores the depth and breadth of the field. Instead of exploring a technology such as cloud security or a technique such as risk analysis, this book places those into the larger context of how to meet an organization's needs, how to prioritize, and what success looks like. Guides to the maturation of practice are offered, along with pointers for each topic on where to go for an in-depth exploration of each topic. Unlike more typical books on information security that advocate a single perspective, this book explores competing perspectives with an eye to providing the pros and cons of the different approaches and the implications of choices on implementation and on maturity, as often a choice on an approach needs to change as an organization grows and matures.

Building a Practical Information Security Program provides users with a strategic view on how to build an information security program that aligns with business objectives. The information provided enables both executive management and IT managers not only to validate existing security programs, but also to build new business-driven security programs. In addition, the subject matter supports aspiring security engineers to forge a career path to successfully manage a security program, thereby adding value and reducing risk to the business. Readers learn how to translate technical challenges into business requirements, understand when to "go big or go home," explore in-depth defense strategies, and review tactics on when to absorb risks. This book explains how to properly plan and implement an infosec program based on business strategy and results. Provides a roadmap on how to build a security program that will protect companies from intrusion Shows how to focus the security program on its essential mission and move past FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) to provide business value Teaches how to build consensus with an effective business-focused program

This book is written for the first security hire in an organization, either an individual moving into this role from within the organization or hired into the role. More and more, organizations are realizing that information security requires a dedicated team with leadership distinct from information technology, and often the people who are placed into those positions have no idea where to start or how to prioritize. There are many issues competing for their attention, standards that say do this or do that, laws, regulations, customer demands, and no guidance on what is actually effective. This book offers guidance on approaches that work for how you prioritize and build a comprehensive information security program that protects your organization. While most books targeted at information security professionals explore specific subjects with deep expertise, this book explores the depth and breadth of the field. Instead of exploring a technology such as cloud security or a technique such as risk analysis, this book places those into the larger context of how to meet an organization's needs, how to prioritize, and what success looks like. Guides to the maturation of practice are offered, along with pointers for each topic on where to go for an in-depth exploration of each topic. Unlike more typical books on information security that advocate a single perspective, this book explores competing perspectives with an eye to providing the pros and cons of the different approaches and the implications of choices on implementation and on maturity, as often a choice on an approach needs to change as an organization grows and matures.

Despite the increase of high-profile hacks, record-breaking data leaks, and ransomware attacks, many organizations don’t have the budget to establish or outsource an information security (InfoSec) program, forcing them to learn on the job. For companies obliged to improvise, this pragmatic guide provides a security-101 handbook with steps, tools, processes, and ideas to help you drive maximum-security improvement at little or no cost. Each chapter in this book provides step-by-step instructions for dealing with a specific issue, including breaches and disasters, compliance, network infrastructure and password management, vulnerability scanning, and penetration testing, among others. Network engineers, system administrators, and security professionals will learn tools and techniques to help improve security in sensible, manageable chunks. Learn fundamentals of starting or redesigning an InfoSec program Create a base set of policies, standards, and procedures Plan and design incident response, disaster recovery, compliance, and physical security Bolster Microsoft and Unix systems, network infrastructure, and password management Use segmentation practices and designs to compartmentalize your network Explore automated process and tools for vulnerability management Securely develop code to reduce exploitable errors Understand basic penetration testing concepts through purple teaming Delve into IDS, IPS, SOC, logging, and monitoring

Many organizations today are required to have a formal IT Security Program in place in order to do business with their clients. An Information Security Program is not intended to be cumbersome or sit and collect dust on the shelf. With the proper planning and know how your information security program can drive business operations and ensure secure processes are followed along the way. Below is a list of just a few of the items you will learn while reading this book, which will assist you in developing your information security program. Building an Information Security Program; Establishing Organizational Security Policies; Implementing Organizational Security Policies; Delineating Employee's Security Responsibilities; Developing Organizational Security Procedures; Establishing IT Standards & Guidelines; Implementing Organizational Security Procedures; Maintaining Operational Security Programs

The best defense against the increasing threat of social engineering attacks is Security Awareness Training to warn your organization's staff of the risk and educate them on how to protect your organization's data. Social engineering is not a new tactic, but Building an Security Awareness Program is the first book that shows you how to build a successful security awareness training program from the ground up. Building an Security Awareness Program provides you with a sound technical basis for developing a new training program. The book also tells you the best ways to garner management support for implementing the program. Author Bill Gardner is one of the founding members of the Security Awareness Training Framework. Here, he walks you through the process of developing an engaging and successful training program for your organization that will help you and your staff defend your systems, networks, mobile devices, and data. Forewords written by Dave Kennedy and Kevin Mitnick! The most practical guide to setting up a Security Awareness training program in your organization Real world examples show you how cyber criminals commit their crimes, and what you can do to keep you and your data safe Learn how to propose a new program to management, and what the benefits are to staff and your company Find out about various types of training, the best training cycle to use, metrics for success, and methods for building an engaging and successful program

Information security teams are charged with developing and maintaining a set of documents that will protect the assets of an enterprise from constant threats and risks. In order for these safeguards and controls to be effective, they must suit the particular business needs of the enterprise. A guide for security professionals, Building an Effective Information Security Policy Architecture explains how to review, develop, and implement a security architecture for any size enterprise, whether it is a global company or a SMB. Through the use of questionnaires and interviews, the book demonstrates how to evaluate an organization’s culture and its ability to meet various security standards and requirements. Because the effectiveness of a policy is dependent on cooperation and compliance, the author also provides tips on how to communicate the policy and gain support for it. Suitable for any level of technical aptitude, this book serves a guide for evaluating the business needs and risks of an enterprise and incorporating this information into an effective security policy architecture.