(ISC)2 Awards $50,000 In Scholarship Funds To Information Security Students

RSA CONFERENCE 2005, Booth 1615, San Francisco, Calif., USA – The International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2, the non-profit international leader in educating, qualifying and certifying information security professionals worldwide and celebrating the Year of the Information Security Professional, today announced the recipients of its $50,000 scholarship program to fund post-graduate research in information security.

Four full-time post-graduate students pursuing an advanced degree in information security were awarded one-year scholarships of $12,500 apiece: Mr. Julian Rrushi from University of Milano, Italy; Mr. Tae-Ho Sing, CISSP from Dongguk University, Seoul, Korea; Ms. Shuyuan Mary Ho, CISSP from Syracuse University, New York; and Ms. Brandie Junell Anderson, CISSP, based in Texas and a student of Capella University, an accredited online academic institution.

The scholarships are part of (ISC)2’s “Year of the Information Security Professional” program designed to create additional awareness of the profession and encourage high-quality new entrants into the field.

“In line with the goals of the Year of the Information Security Professional, we are delighted to assist these new professionals coming into the field who are making significant contributions to the profession through their research,” said Howard Schmidt, CISSP, (ISC)2 board member and former White House Cyber Security Advisor, who announced the scholarships Tuesday evening at an (ISC)2 constituent reception at the RSA Conference 2005.

Anderson will utilize her scholarship fund to continue her research into building effective information security education in organizations.

“Social engineering attacks continue to grow, and the design of a formidable user education program is critical,” said Anderson. “Proven educational techniques and approaches have the potential to mediate or eliminate this trend, making education programs vital to long-term protection strategies. My observations as a security officer motivated the thesis for my project: security strategies will have to go beyond bits and bytes to prove effective in today’s climate.”

The other areas of the research to be funded by the scholarships include: mobile code and security implications on servers (Julian Rrushi); methodology of integrated security policy, awareness and management (Tae-Ho Song); and role-based anomaly detection (Shuyuan Mary Ho).

Scholarship recipients were selected based on the relevance of their research, (ISC)2 professional designation and financial need. To apply, students submitted a scholarship application form, undergraduate and graduate transcripts, three character references, and a proposed budget for the use of the scholarship award. Students also submitted a certified statement from the student’s faculty advisor or institution. All payments will be made directly to the recipient’s university.

Formed in 1989 by a group of leading information security organizations, (ISC)2 is the credentialing body for the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), considered the Gold Standard in international information security certifications, and the Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP). It is also the guardian of the CBK®, a living compendium of information security “best practices.”

About (ISC)²
The International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc. [(ISC)2] is the premier not-for-profit organization dedicated to certifying information security professionals around the world. Founded in 1989, (ISC)² has certified more than 30,000 information security professionals in more than 100 countries. Based in Palm Harbor, Florida, USA with offices in Vienna, Virginia, USA, London, Hong Kong and Tokyo, (ISC)2 issues the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCPÒ) credentials and related concentrations to those meeting necessary competency requirements. The CISSP, the Gold Standard in information security certifications, is the first information technology credential to meet the stringent requirements of ANSI ISO/IEC 17024, a global benchmark for assessing and certifying personnel. (ISC)² also offers a portfolio of educational related products and services based upon (ISC)2’s CBK, a compendium of industry best practices for information security professionals, and is responsible for the annual (ISC)² Global Information Security Workforce Study. More information about (ISC)2 is available at www.isc2.org.

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