To entice more women, as well as men, to enter information security professions, researcher Lysa Myers says the industry needs to kill its boring image and better communicate the full array of opportunities available and the skills that are in demand.

A game-changing impact of the Edward Snowden leaks about previously secret National Security Agency surveillance activities is the increased use of encryption, such as to protect email, says Peter Swire, a former White House chief privacy counsel.

Vendors' and software makers' over-reliance on security messages and warnings has left users habituated to them, thus rendering such alerts less effective or even worthless, warns cybersecurity expert Alan Woodward.

In an exclusive interview, independent security researcher Billy Rios describes security vulnerabilities that he discovered last year in medical infusion pumps, which led two federal agencies to issue recent warnings.

Citing as inspiration the Manhattan Project, in which the United States developed the atomic bomb during World War II, Sam Visner is leading an effort to get cybersecurity researchers to collaborate in developing new ways to defend cyberspace.

Achieving secure nationwide data exchange will gain momentum thanks to healthcare payment reform that rewards collaborative efforts, says David Whitlinger, leader of New York's HIE initiative.

Because healthcare organizations are juggling so many information security, privacy and regulatory demands, hiring individuals with key professional certifications who can help optimize limited resources is critical, says security expert Steven Penn.

In addition to providing training, healthcare organizations should consider implementing technology to help prevent user mistakes that can lead to breaches of protected health information, says Geoffrey Bibby of ZixCorp.

Dick Williams, CEO of digital security firm Webroot, says the cybersecurity profession needs more than just technical experts. Learn why he says firms will seek out those who can understand the behaviors of cyber-attackers.

Although the 2015 Healthcare Information Security Today survey shows improving regulatory compliance is priority No. 1, CISO Cris Ewell of Seattle Children's Hospital suggests building a strong information security program should be a higher priority.