What key discussions should CISOs have to mitigate and manage the cyber risks their organizations face? – Intelligent CISO

Riaz Lakhani, Chief Information Security Officer at Barracuda Networks, said:

“Security breaches have business implications that extend far beyond IT disruption. For senior cybersecurity professionals, this means that in addition to keeping the organization safe and cyber-resilient, they must know how to effectively communicate cyber risk to a wide variety of, often non-technical, stakeholders.

“This can be a challenge. An international survey found that just over a third (35%) of small business IT security professionals surveyed believe that senior managers do not see cyberattacks as a significant risk.

“This is not a matter of failed management. It is difficult to be interested in or care about something you do not fully understand.

“The responsibility to close this gap lies with security leaders. They must become storytellers and relationship builders.

“In my experience, there are three key conversations security leaders must have regularly to effectively communicate cybersecurity risks and develop strategies.

“At a basic level, they need to collaborate regularly with technical colleagues such as engineers, developers, and security researchers. Building strong relationships with these individuals and understanding security from their perspective is critical, as these are the people security leaders rely on in a crisis.

“Secondly, CISOs should hold regular meetings with senior leaders, including the Chief Executive or their equivalent and critical risk departments such as finance and legal. These conversations should focus not only on evolving threats and security tools, but also on what an incident could mean for product or business roadmaps, risk, compliance and customers.

“Finally, safety leaders need to communicate effectively about risk to those advising the company, such as the board of directors. Board members and non-executive directors bring a wide range of experience and backgrounds. The golden rule here is to address everyone’s needs and concerns and keep things high-level and simple.

“Engaged leadership is one of your most powerful tools to ensure that policies, programs and investments are successful. The discussions you have and the relationships you build ensure that they understand where the risks are, how to address them and how to keep the business resilient.”

We speak with experts from Check Point, WatchGuard Technologies and SailPoint to get their perspective on the conversations CISOs should be having to increase cybersecurity awareness and ensure secure operations.

Sadiq Iqbal, Cyber ​​Security Advisor, Check Point Software Technologies

The modern Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) plays a critical role, bridging the technical and business aspects of their organization while navigating a complex cyber threat landscape. To effectively mitigate and manage these risks, CISOs must engage in a series of critical conversations.

Building a strong communications foundation must start with the Board of Directors. This is because aligning the security program with business objectives, clearly communicating key performance indicators, and securing adequate funding are essential. This communication ensures that security is seen as an enabler rather than a hindrance.

Collaboration with the executive team, legal departments, and HR departments is also critical. Each brings unique perspectives and challenges that the CISO must understand and address. By fostering open communication and shared goals, CISOs can build trust and influence.

Involving business leaders is often an overlooked opportunity. Early involvement in project planning enables CISOs to proactively identify and mitigate risks, rather than reacting to issues after they occur. This collaborative approach fosters a culture of security by design.

The safety backbone

The CISO team is the backbone of the security program. Creating a supportive and collaborative environment is critical to retaining top talent and fostering innovation. Recognizing and rewarding achievement, providing growth opportunities, and prioritizing work-life balance are essential to team morale and productivity.

At the same time, peer networks, security groups, and law enforcement provide invaluable resources for CISOs. Sharing experiences, best practices, and threat intelligence can help organizations stay ahead of emerging threats, while building strong relationships with law enforcement can also be critical to incident response.

Public relations and crisis management are also increasingly important aspects of the CISO role. The ability to communicate complex technical issues in clear and understandable language is essential for building stakeholder trust and managing the organization’s reputation.

The evolution of the CISO role requires strong communication skills. As the face of cybersecurity, CISOs must be able to articulate the value of security programs to a diverse audience, from the boardroom to the general public.

By maintaining strong stakeholder relationships, fostering a security culture, and effectively communicating the value of the security program, CISOs can significantly reduce cyber risk and protect their organizations from harm.

Anthony Daniel, Regional Director – Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands, WatchGuard Technologies

The role of the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) has never been more critical. As the digital landscape evolves and cyber threats become more sophisticated, CISOs must overcome complex challenges to protect their organizations.

A cornerstone of effective cyber risk management is fostering a collaborative environment between IT and security teams. Historically, these groups have often operated in silos, hindering their ability to effectively respond to cyber threats.

To bridge this gap, CISOs must prioritize building strong relationships and open channels of communication between these critical departments. This requires a leadership-driven security culture that views cyber risk as a shared responsibility, not just the domain of the security team.

By establishing an information security council with representatives from IT and other departments, CISOs can create a platform for open dialogue and collaboration. This council provides a space to share insights, achieve shared goals, and develop joint strategies to mitigate cyber risk.

It is essential that CISOs demonstrate a genuine commitment to involving all stakeholders in the security process and that their feedback and ideas are valued.

Once trust and collaboration are established, IT and security teams can work together to develop and implement common incident management protocols. By clearly defining roles and responsibilities, organizations can significantly improve their response capabilities in the event of a cyberattack. This collaborative approach also enables teams to identify and address security weaknesses more efficiently.

Ultimately, the success of any cybersecurity program depends on its ability to foster a culture of security across the organization. By prioritizing collaboration between IT and security teams, CISOs can create a more resilient and secure environment.

In today’s threat landscape, where cyberattacks are becoming more frequent and damaging, this approach is essential to protecting an organization’s valuable assets. For this reason, CISOs must evolve their strategies to stay ahead of the curve.

By creating a collaborative environment and breaking down the barriers between IT and security teams, organizations can significantly improve their ability to mitigate and manage cyber risk.

Rex Booth, CISO, SailPoint

CISOs must first embrace their dependence on others: on the CIO to implement policy, on the legal department to provide coverage during an incident, and on the CEO to set the tone at the top. The CISO can achieve very little unilaterally, and the ability to build relationships is more important to the role than any other skill. If you want to manage risk, you need allies.

You need to find trusted authorities in the fields you’re not an expert in and listen to their concerns. Understand their perspective and see the world through their lens. You’ll likely discover risks you weren’t even looking for. We’re all unwitting denizens of a digital battlefield contested by nation states, criminal gangs, and other bad actors. None of us succeeds alone—we’re strongest when we band together for collective defense.

We often hear that people are the weakest link in our chain – that they are our greatest risk. But if that’s true, why don’t we hear more about CISO/HR partnerships? Why don’t CISOs reach out more and have meaningful discussions about how to work with employee leaders to drive good security behaviors? Our field still focuses on technical solutions, but sometimes the best solution requires an unusual partnership.

CISOs need to ensure that information sharing and collaboration flows throughout their organization to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals. Everyone, across the enterprise, needs to be educated on the potential risks from day one. Ultimately, security is about enabling the right people to do the right thing at the right time. But the flip side of that is also preventing the wrong people from doing the wrong thing. Discussions need to focus on three core elements: identity, access, and asset management.

Today’s workforce is complex, with non-employees making up nearly half of corporate identities. Because identity is often the differentiator in any type of attack, CISOs play a critical role in better protecting identities—machine and human, employee and non-employee.

Enterprise complexity is rapidly outpacing human capacity for comprehension. By intelligently applying AI-powered identity security technologies, CISOs can take the right measures to ensure visibility. Centralized visibility is critical for organizations to effectively address suspicious behavior long before a breach occurs.

One area that isn’t discussed often but is increasingly becoming a frontline target is HR. Attackers aren’t necessarily targeting HR-specific systems, they’re simply looking for systems with sensitive information on them – and HR has plenty of that. Knowing that they’re looking for data they can monetize, hold hostage or use for intelligence, CISOs need to work more closely with HR leaders to prevent and detect potential threats.

To stay ahead of cyber threats, CISOs need to ensure they collaborate and work with all departments, especially those they traditionally pay less attention to. With the right technology, CISOs can work effectively with the wider business to implement a layered approach to security.

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