1st Talk

An Apologia (not an Apology) for Professional Security Certifications

Speaker

Synopsis

There are many professional certifications in information security. At times knowledgeable security experts dismiss them as useless (meaning they don’t tell you anything) or even worse (that they give a false qualification). There’s a lot that goes into these exams, and much of it is backed up by good science and solid practices. We’ll start with a few opinions on what certifications are and what they aren t. We’ll talk about psychometrics and what goes into a exam item. We’ll talk about the exam lifecycle and ISO/IEC 17024 (did you know there was an ISO standard for managing professional certifications? Of course there is…) Having laid a bit of groundwork, Paco is volunteering to be a punching bag, effigy, and/or scapegoat for a big hunk of the professional certification industry. Got a view on professional certs? Are they worth getting? Why or why not? We’ll have some open (and maybe a bit sweary) dialogue about the plusses and minuses of certifications. It is important to note that Paco speaks from his own opinions and experiences here and does not represent (ISC)² or Cigital in this discussion. NDAs govern a lot of the professional certification development work, so some of these discussions will have to be abstract and general.

About Paco Hope

For about 14 years Paco has been a security consultant helping banks, retailers, and start-ups write secure software. He’s done a little of everything from secure user stories, to secure code, to secure design reviews. He’s held the CISSP for 13 years and the CSSLP for 8 years (paying those AMFs and turning in those CPEs year after year) and he writes exam items for both those exams. When he’s not busy at work, you can find him

smoking cigars
drinking whisky
travelling
all of the above

2nd Talk

???

You?

If you would like to provide a talk please drop a message to talks@dc4420.org (We have a projector with HDMI & VGA inputs if you want to show slides.)

29 March 2016