Newsletter

April 2026 Edition

(January to April)

A Note from Your Chapter President

Dear Chapter Members,

Okay so I know what you're thinking. "Wasn't this supposed to come out in March?" Yes. Yes it was. But in our defense, we were extremely busy. Which is kind of the whole point of this letter.

Q1 was a lot. We started the year off right with our January event at Accenture, had a really meaningful Black History Month event at Security Compass in February, showed up as a leading voice at the SiberX CISO Forum, and closed out the quarter with our WiCYS partnership event for International Women's Day and Women's History Month. That last one was both informative and genuinely inspiring. If you missed it, I'm sorry. You should have been there.

We also heard from some incredible speakers on topics that matter right now, and yes, AI came up more than once. Shocking, I know.

To everyone who came out, helped organize, volunteered, wrote newsletters like this one, took photos, asked questions, made suggestions, or just showed up and made the room better, thank you. This chapter is what it is because of you.

Now, April is keeping the momentum going. Earlier this month, 17 of your fellow chapter members traded their usual Saturday plans for a morning at the Daily Bread Food Bank as part of ISC2gether, ISC2's global volunteer month initiative. Together, we contributed to nearly 22,000 pounds of food for families across the city. Cybersecurity is about protecting people, and sometimes that doesn't involve a firewall. It was genuinely heartwarming to see this community show up the way it did.

Speaking of showing up, on April 25th we're participating in Clean Toronto Together, joining thousands of Torontonians for the annual city-wide cleanup. Fresh air, good company, and cleaner parks and public spaces. Come out and join us.

On the events front, our joint event with ISACA Toronto is happening April 30th at RSM Canada. The afternoon features some great sessions from event sponsor RSM Canada, plus a cross-chapter panel on industry collaboration. You'll walk out with 4 CPEs and hopefully a few new connections. Tickets are on sale now and members get in for $50, so grab yours before they're gone.

May is also shaping up to be a fantastic month for partner events. I'll be joining a panel on "AI and Emerging Tech at the 2026 Security Frontline" at the CyberRisk Alliance Official Cybersecurity Summit, and there is plenty more on the calendar. All the details are up on the ISC2 Toronto Chapter events page.

And for those of you who were with us at the March event, you already know what's coming. ISC2 SECURE Toronto is happening in September, and it is going to be something special. A large scale, full day event that we think is going to be a landmark moment for this community. More details to come, but start getting excited.

Our mentorship program is also still on track to launch in Q2. Lots more to come on that front too.

Thanks for being part of this chapter. We genuinely could not do it without you.

See you out there,

Jon Rohrich, CISSP, CCSP

President - ISC2 Toronto Chapter

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If Canadians are going to take digital sovereignty and cybersecurity seriously, writes Alexander Poizner, they need to understand how close to home and dangerous these risks really are.

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If you’ve ever wondered what really happens inside the ISC2 Toronto Chapter Mentorship Program, this piece follows one mentor–mentee pair through their 16‑week journey. It’s a mix of data, real conversations, and takeaways for anyone thinking about joining our next cohort.

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January Meeting Notes: AI Security and 2026 Vision

The 2026 Board and Vision The January ISC2 Toronto Chapter meeting introduced the 2026 board and set the direction for the coming year. Jon Rohrich took the floor as President to outline his focus on inclusive programming. His goal is to make sure chapter events provide real value across every security role, from pen testers and system admins to CISOs and students.

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February Meeting Notes: Effective Strategies for Comprehensive Risk Management & Panel Discussion (Black Leaders in Cybersecurity)

In celebration of Black History Month, the ISC2 Toronto Chapter hosted an engaging evening of learning, discussion, and networking featuring cybersecurity leaders who are shaping the future of the industry. The event highlighted the contributions of Black professionals in cybersecurity and brought together practitioners, students, and industry leaders to discuss modern security challenges and leadership in the field.

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The Architecture of Zero Trust: Transitioning fro Perimeter Defense to Identity-Centric Security

Traditional cybersecurity used a "castle-and-moat" approach, relying on perimeter defenses like firewalls to protect internal assets. Once inside, authenticated users were implicitly trusted and could navigate sensitive systems without further checks.

Modern trends have rendered this model obsolete. Hackers now easily bypass perimeters through phishing and stolen credentials. Simultaneously, a remote workforce and distributed corporate data across public and hybrid clouds have dissolved the traditional boundary.

In response, the Zero Trust philosophy has emerged. It mandates that no user be implicitly trusted, regardless of location. Instead of a single entry check, the system requires continuous verification for every action to maintain constant security.

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