On Wednesday March 6, 2024 we had another great Pointury event about cybersecurity with Johan Kestens and Marc Vael as keynote speakers.
How a top CISO protects its organisation against cyber threats
The latest Pointury round table discussion, held in Steenokkerzeel on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, brought together 20 Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) in a dynamic exchange with representatives from Mimecast, Easi, and myself.
The focal point of the discussion delved into the intricate world of a modern-day CISO, where the defence against cyber threats orchestrates a symphony of resilience, high-stakes decisions, and meticulous strategies to fortify our digital fortresses. The event proved to be an inspiring gathering, marked by active participation from all the digital leaders present.
The CISO's responsibilities are summarised in four key pillars:
Enterprise Governance
Information Security Strategy
B. ASSESS
Information Security Risk Assessment
Information Security Risk Response
C. RESPOND
Incident Management Readiness
Incident Management Operations
D. EXECUTE
Information Security Program Development
Information Security Program Management
The key success factors are captured by the formula 4C x 3I x 2I x 0.
Today's core challenges for a CISO are
Cybersecurity Arms Race
The ongoing arms race in cybersecurity is fueled by advancements in artificial intelligence, which simultaneously reinforces both cyber attacks and defence mechanisms. Compounded by political instability and geopolitical tensions, the industry finds itself in the midst of a cyberwar.
Regulatory Landscape
Cybersecurity, once regarded as a business decision, has evolved into a fundamental obligation. Legislation such as NIS2 now regulates this landscape, emphasizing the critical need for comprehensive security measures.
Complex Systems Weakness
The complexity of modern systems is a vulnerability in itself. With trillions of lines of code in existence, there are approximately 120,000 lines of code per person on Earth, spanning 700 programming languages, 150 database technologies, and 100 operating systems. Historically, there is one vulnerability per 1000 lines of code, highlighting the vast number of potential weaknesses.
Human Factor
Despite technological advancements, people remain the weakest link. Phishing, reinforced by AI and insider threats, continues to be a significant threat. CISOs must address the human element as a critical aspect of their cybersecurity strategy.
It never stops
Continuous Automation: SOAR
Continuous Deployment: SBOM
Continuous Collaboration: Cybersecurity Coalitions
Continuous Validation: Audits & Testing
Continuous Communication: with audience specific messages
Continuous Education: tip: check Perlego, the digital library
This repetitive aspect of a CISO's job is comparable to the mythical struggle of Sisyphus. A CISO is destined to constantly combat evolving threats. Beyond technical aspects, they must effectively communicate and market security initiatives to the board and user community, finding satisfaction in the relentless pursuit of a secure digital environment.
Conclusion
The Pointury round table provided valuable insights into the evolving role of CISOs, urging a holistic approach to cybersecurity that encompasses technology, regulations, human factors, and strategic communication. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, CISOs must navigate these challenges with resilience and innovation to safeguard our digital future.
Our partners of this event.
Since 2003, Mimecast has stopped bad things from happening to good organizations by enabling them to work protected. We empower over 40,000 customers to mitigate risk and manage complexities across a threat landscape driven by malicious cyberattacks, human error, and technology fallibility. Our advanced solutions provide proactive threat detection, brand protection, awareness training, and data retention capabilities evolving workplaces need today. Mimecast transforms email and collaboration security into the eyes and ears of organizations worldwide.
Easi is an all-round IT solutions and service provider that embodies Human Excellence. They want to equip companies with an optimum IT set-up, where they take full responsibility for the security of their infrastructure and software applications.
Check out upcoming events and other interesting articles on www.pointury.com.
