CISO Series Podcast

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We Put the FUN in InFunSec Jan 14, 2020

Show notes

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series (https://cisoseries.com/we-put-the-fun-in-infunsec/)

We're cranking up the entertainment value on the latest episode of CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast.

This episode was recorded in person in San Francisco. It is hosted by me, David Spark (@dspark), producer of CISO Series and founder of Spark Media Solutions and Mike Johnson. Our guest this week is Adrian Ludwig, CISO, Atlassian.

Thanks to this week's podcast sponsor, Encryptics.

Now you can share data without ever losing control of it. Our advanced architecture makes data self-protecting, intelligent and self-aware – wherever it goes, no matter who has it. Our .SAFE patented multi-key technology enables data to evaluate its own safety conditions, including geo-sensing, recipient authentication, and policy changes from its owner. Contact Encryptics today and see for yourself.

On this week's episode

Close your eyes and visualize the perfect engagement

What should a CISO's relationship with the board be and how much should a CISO be involved in business decisions? According to a Kaspersky survey, 58% of CISOs say they're adequately involved in business decision making. 34% say they're summoned by the board for data/security related manners. 74% of CISOs are not part of the board and of that group, Of that group, 25% think they should be. What are the pros and cons of a CISO being heavily involved in the business?

The great CISO challenge

On Dark Reading, Joan Goodchild asked CISOs what were their New Year's resolution. Most said obvious stuff about visibility, being a business enabler, work on human element, and privacy. But I was most intrigued by Jason Haward Grau, CISO of PAS Global, who said he wanted to make security a little more fun. Keeping it fun and interesting is my obsession with this show. If you want to attract, and more importantly retain, security talent, a little bit of fun is critical. So what is currently fun about cybersecurity and what can CISOs do to make it more fun?

What's Worse?!

First time Mike Johnson admits to being wrong!

Looking down the security roadmap

On LinkedIn, Mike recommended that security professionals line up tools with their comparable threat models, and then compare that list with their company's actual threat models. Mike admittedly offered the advice but never actually had done itself until he wrote the post and then he started. We delve into what actually happened and how one could actually do it.

The Cyber Defense Matrix is a handy, yet easy to use grid plan that helps IT and cybersecurity professionals formulate a plan of proactive defense and effective response. Devised by security specialist Sounil Yu and discussed in detail on the October 17, 2019 episode of Defense in Depth, the matrix continues to gain ground as a vital tool for not only understanding the required spread of technologies, people and process, but also in performing gap analysis and crisis planning.

The matrix creates a logical construct across two axes, creating a five by five fill-in grid.

Although some experts debate whether it is sufficiently broad in scope, cybersecurity organizations such as OWASP tend to agree that its role in organizing a jumble of concepts products and terminologies into a coherent inventory helps cybersecurity specialists measure their security coverage, discover gaps in their IT strategy, and create a better project plan.

More from our sponsor ExtraHop.

And now, a listener drops some serious knowledge

"Sandor Slijderink (SLY-DUR-INK), CISO at undisclosed company, offered a quick tip on a new phishing scam.

Type in some text that looks like a foreign language, then create a hyperlink that reads: ""See translation""

We discuss some attack vectors that we think others may not be fully aware of but need to pay attention.

We Lower the Security and Pass the Savings on to You Jan 07, 2020

Show notes

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series (https://cisoseries.com/we-lower-the-security-and-pass-the-savings-on-to-you/)

We're racing to the bottom in terms of price and security on the latest episode of CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast.

Thanks to this week's podcast sponsor, Encryptics.

On this week's episode

Are we making the situation better or worse?

Are big Internet giants' privacy violations thwarting startup innovation? That's been presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren's argument, and it's why she wants to break up companies like Facebook and Google for what she sees as anti-competitive practices. According to Seth Roseblatt's article, it appears all of a sudden Facebook and Google are very concerned about privacy.

Nine years ago, I remember seeing Eric Schmidt, then CEO of Google, proudly admit that they tracked people's movements so thoroughly that they can accurately predict where you're going to go next. Nobody blinked about the privacy implications. But today, users are upset but they don't seem to be leaving these services at all. Is it all talk on both sides? Have you seen any movement to improve privacy by these companies and would regulation be the only answer? And heck, what would be regulated?

Here's some surprising research

Over the past 15 years, home WiFi routers have been manufactured to be less secure. Seth reported on this study by the Cyber Independent Testing Lab, which we also discussed on an episode of Defense in Depth. The most notorious weakening is the use of default passwords, but there's a host of other firmware features that don't get updated. Is there any rationale to why this happens? And has this study done anything to turn things around?

Is this a cybersecurity disinformation campaign?

Fighting "fake news" like it's malware. In Seth's story, he noted there are structural and distribution similarities. I envision there are some similarities between fake news and adware which isn't necessarily designed for negative intent. Fake news appears to be an abuse of our constitutional acceptance of free speech. How are security tactics being used to thwart fake news and how successful is it?

When you set up your new home assistant, try not to position it close to a window, because someone across the street might be preparing to send voice commands, such as "open the garage door" by way of a laser beam.

Researchers from the University of Michigan and The University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo have successfully used laser light to inject malicious commands into smart speakers, tablets, and phones across large distances and through glass windows. They use standard wake commands modulated from audio signals and pair them with brute forcing of PINS where necessary.

They have also been successful in eavesdropping, and in unlocking and starting cars.

Their research shows how easy it is and will be to use lasers to not only penetrate connected devices but to deploy acoustic injection attacks that overwhelm motion detectors and other sensors. More information including access to the white paper is available at lightcommands.com.

More from our sponsor ExtraHop.

Look at this, another company got breached

Tip of the hat to Malcolm Harkins at Cymatic for posting this story on Forbes by Tony Bradley of Alert Logic who offers a rather pessimistic view of the cybersecurity industry.

It's broken, argues Bradley. We spend fortunes on tools and yet still get hacked year over year using the same tools. The article quotes Matt Moynahan, CEO, Forcepoint, who said we wrongly think of security as an "us" vs. "them" theory or "keeping people out" when in actuality most hacks are because someone got access to legitimate user credentials, or a user within our organization did something unintentional or potentially malicious. Are we wrongheaded about how we envision cybersecurity, and if so, is there a new overarching philosophy we should be embracing?

Ah, Here's The Problem. You've Got a Leaky CEO. Dec 17, 2019

Show notes

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series (https://cisoseries.com/ah-heres-the-problem-youve-got-a-leaky-ceo/)

We're waking up the C-suite to the realization that they're the prime target for cyberattacks.

This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at Evanta's CISO Executive Summit in Los Angeles. It is hosted by me, David Spark (@dspark), producer of CISO Series and founder of Spark Media Solutions and Mike Johnson. Our guest this week is Gary Hayslip (@ghayslip), CISO, Softbank Investment Advisers.

CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast live at Evanta CISO Executive Summit in Los Angeles 12/11/19

PLUS, joining us live was Jewels Nation, the voice of the CISO Series. You hear her voice on all the bumpers on our podcasts.

Jewels Nation, the voice of the CISO Series podcasts, and David Spark, producer of CISO Series

Thanks to this week's podcast sponsor Evanta.

Evanta, a Gartner Company, creates exclusive communities of C-level executives from the world's leading organizations. These invaluable networks are built by and for C-level executives to share innovative ideas, validate strategies and solve critical leadership challenges through peer-to-peer collaboration. Evanta's trusted communities serve CISOs and their C-suite peers around the world.

On this week's episode

Where does a CISO begin?

Gary recently brought up an excellent discussion pointing out that executives are the backdoor into your organization. Do they understand that they're critical cogs? Do they and are they willing to take on responsibility? What is the patching process?

Walk a mile in this CISO's shoes

Gary, talked a lot about the importance of work/life balance with cyber professionals. Robert Carey of RSA Security said your actions do most of the talking, "As a CISO, you're a model of work life balance. If you stay 14 hours a day, that's what is expected of employees. If you leave at 5pm they'll realize that's ok for them to do." How do our CISOs handle presenting to their staff what is and isn't OK, when they're in the office or when their employees are remote?

What's Worse?!

You've got a new hire. Which one do you choose?

Is this the best solution?

Does the email pitch still serve a function? On a recent CISO Series video chat, we talked about how CISOs get 50-80% of their information about products from other CISOs and that yeah maybe sometimes they read an email pitch. Is there still room for the email pitch or should it just die? And if it should die, what should it be replaced with?

Security Squares: Where CISOs Put Vendors in Their Place

A brand new game that asks CISOs how well do they know the vendor landscape? This one was a nail biter.

It's time for the audience question speed round

Our audience has questions, and our CISOs will have answers.

Trust Me, We're Using "Advanced" AI Dec 10, 2019

Show notes

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series (https://cisoseries.com/trust-me-were-using-advanced-ai/)

We're looking for a good reason to trust your AI on the latest CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast.

This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at Evanta's CISO Executive Summit in San Francisco. It is hosted by me, David Spark (@dspark), producer of CISO Series and founder of Spark Media Solutions and Mike Johnson. Our guest this week, is Jimmy Sanders (@jfireluv), head of information security, Netflix DVD.

Mike Johnson, Jimmy Sanders, head of information security, Netflix DVD, and David Spark

Thanks to this week's podcast sponsors: Trend Micro, SentinelOne, and FireMon.

FireMon provides persistent network security for hybrid environments through a powerful fusion of real-time asset visibility, continuous compliance and automation. Since creating the first-ever network security policy management solution, FireMon has delivered command and control over complex network security infrastructures for more than 1,700 customers.

Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, helps to make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Our innovative solutions for consumers, businesses, and governments provide layered security for data centers, cloud environments, networks, and endpoints. For more information, visit www.trendmicro.com.

Are you looking to leave legacy antivirus? Proactively protect every device in realtime with AI. Deploy SentinelOne for EPP, EDR, IoT, and container security today. Autonomous technology is the future. We deliver it now across your endpoints, servers, cloud workloads, and IoT devices.

What we've got here is failure to communicate

Is the privacy message getting out to the right people? I argue we need to go to the source and we're not. I was at Dreamforce, the Salesforce conference, and I got the sense I was the only person of the 100K people there that didn't want to be scanned. This crowd is obsessed with the collection of personal data given this conference is mostly about how do I create greater understanding from personal data. Are we as security people in a bubble in this privacy conversation? We need to go to the source of the people who are actually collecting the data and I'm getting the sense we're not getting through.

Are we making the situation better or worse?

We've talked a lot about AI on this show, and many vendors are selling intelligent solutions, but the factor that seems to hang up usage is trust. Cyber professionals don't think twice about trusting their AI-powered spam filter, but so many other tools are met with skepticism. What's missing from the vendor side and what trust barriers are practitioners putting up? What should the barometers be for trusting AI?

What's Worse?!

Two bad types of people wanting to do you harm. Which one is worse?

Is this the best solution?

Should you hire staff from companies that have fallen victim to cybercrime? According to a study by Symantec and Goldsmiths, University of London, as reported by ZDNet, more than half of respondents said they don't discuss breaches or attacks with peers. And more than a third said they fear that sharing breach information on their organization would negatively impact their future career prospects. I would think that asking a prospect, "Have you lived through a breach and how did you handle it?" would be very revealing. Mike?

Security Squares: Where CISOs Put Vendors in Their Place

A brand new game that asks CISOs how well do they know the vendor landscape?

It's time for the audience question speed round

Our audience has questions, and our CISOs will have answers.

Isn't That Adorable? Our Little CISO Has An Opinion. Dec 03, 2019

Show notes

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series (https://cisoseries.com/isnt-that-adorable-our-little-ciso-has-an-opinion/)

We're spoon-feeding "respect" to the CISO on this week's CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast.

This episode is hosted by me, David Spark (@dspark), producer of CISO Series and founder of Spark Media Solutions and Mike Johnson. Our sponsored guest this week, thanks to Trend Micro, is Jim Shilts, founder, North American DevOps Group.

Thanks to this week's podcast sponsor Trend Micro.

On this week's episode

Why is everyone talking about this now?

Gary Hayslip, CISO, Softbank Investment Advisers and regular guest, posted an article about a growing trend of CISO frustration and why they don't last at an organization. This article addresses many issues around burnout, but I want to focus on this one stat from an ISC(2) study which states, "Sixty three percent of respondents said they wanted to work at an organization where their opinions on the existing security posture were taken seriously." Hard to keep any security staff in place if they're not respected. We talk a lot about being able to talk to the board, but the communications has to be two way. How clear are executives in understanding that respect and listening to their cyberstaff is in their best interest?

What annoys a security professional

Deidre Diamond of CyberSN, asks this very pointed question, "We are short 500k cyber professionals in the US and 89% of our current cyber professionals are open to new opportunities; why are jobs taking on average 4-9 months to fill?" That last stat is CyberSN's data estimates. She's arguing there is plenty of supply. Why is this taking so darn long? Nobody's happy.

What's Worse?!

We've got a question tailored for our DevOps guest this week.

Please, enough. No, more.

DevOps and security. This is a topic that has grown over time, evolved in branding, and Mike has spoken out about how much he don't like the term DevSecOps. As we regularly do in this segment, what have you heard enough of on the DevOps and security debate and what would you like to hear a lot more?

Two factor authentication is a smart step towards more secure password management but what happens the moment after you have convinced the employees of your company to adopt 2FA, when you then say, "Oh yes, don't forget your SIM PIN."

2FA might stop hackers from using easily searchable information like someone's mother's maiden name, but these bad actors have already discovered the weak link in this particular chain. They call the phone provider, pretend to be that specific victim and ask to swap the victim's SIM account information to a new SIM card – one that is in their possession. That way, everything the victim did with their phone – texting, banking, and receiving 2FA passcodes – all goes to this new phone.

More on CISO Series.

What do you think of this pitch?

There is lots of disagreement over whether this pitch is any good.

Do's And Don'ts of Trashing Your Competition Nov 12, 2019

Show notes

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series (https://cisoseries.com/dos-and-donts-of-trashing-your-competition/)

We want to malign our competitors, but just don't know how mean we should be. Miss Manners steps in on the latest episode of CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast.

This episode is hosted by me, David Spark (@dspark), producer of CISO Series and founder of Spark Media Solutions and special guest co-host, Mark Eggleston (@meggleston), CISO, Health Partners Plans, and our guest is Anahi Santiago (@AnahiSantiago), CISO, ChristianaCare Health System.

We recorded in front of a live audience at Evanta's CISO Executive Summit in Philadelphia on November 5th, 2019.

Recording CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast in front of a live audience at Evanta's CISO Executive Summit in Philadelphia (11-05-19)

Thanks to this week's podcast sponsors Trend Micro, Thinkst, and Secure Controls Framework.

The Secure Controls Framework (SCF) is a meta-framework – a framework of frameworks. This free solution is available for companies to use to design, implement and manage their cybersecurity and privacy controls in an efficient and sustainable manner. Our approach provides a comprehensive solution to manage complex compliance needs.

Most companies find out way too late that they've been breached. Thinkst Canary changes this. Find out why the Thinkst Canary is one of the most loved products in the business and why the smartest security teams in the world run Canary. Visit https://canary.tools.

On this week's episode

Why is everyone talking about this now?

Greg van der Gaast, former guest who runs security at The University of Salford, initiated a popular LinkedIn discussion on the topic of human error. According to his colleague Matthew Trump of the University of Sussex, in critical industries, such as aerospace, oil & gas, and medical, "human error" is not an acceptable answer. You simply have to prevent the incident. If not, a mistake can be both a regulatory violation and lethal.

But people are a part of the security equation. It's unavoidable.

We know zero erros is impossible, but can you accept "human error" as a fail point?

Hey, you're a CISO, what's your take on this?

Listener David said, "One thing I have experienced at my last two jobs is integrating with a 'global' security team whose security program is effectively and functionally inferior to our own. In these occasions, the global security team wanted us to remove current safeguards, processes/procedures and tooling that reduced the preparedness and effectiveness of our security program and introduced risk(s) that we have not been exposed to in years. All of these changes were always touted as a 'one team' initiative but never once was due diligence on security posture taken into account.

"What is the best way to go about a consolidation like this? Do you not mess with a good thing and ask the 'better' security program to report up incidents, conform to compliance check boxes etc. or as a CISO do you sign off on a risk acceptance knowing that the operating company is now in a worse state of security."

"What's Worse?!"

We've got two rounds of really bad scenarios.

What annoys a security professional

Geoff Belknap, former guest and CISO of LinkedIn, appreciates a vendor's desire to "bring like minds" together around food or drink, but the invite is not welcome on a weekend. Belknap feels that the weekend intrudes into a CISO's personal/family space. There was a lot of debate and disagreements on this, but there were some solutions. One mentioned a vendor invite that included round trip Lyft rides and childcare.

Oh, they did something stupid on social media again

Jason Hoenich, CEO of Habitu8 posted on LinkedIn that he didn't appreciate Fortinet writing about security training for CSO Online, something for which Jason's business does and for which he believes Fortinet does not have any expertise. It appears this was a sponsored article, but Jason didn't point to the article nor did he isolate specifically what he felt was wrong with Fortinet's advice. Here at the CISO Series, we like Jason and Habitu8. They've been strong contributors to the community. But complaining and not pointing to any concrete evidence is not the best way to convince an audience. Earlier this year we saw something similar with the CEO of Crowdstrike going after the CEO of Cybereason claiming an underhanded sales tactic that was not specified nor anyone at Cybereason knew what he was talking about. Is it OK to go after your competition in a public forum? If so, what's the most professional and respectful way to handle it?

It's time for the audience question speed round

Our Philadelphia audience has questions and our CISOs had some answers. We rattle off a quick series of questions and answers to close the show.

Get Out! The FUD Is Coming from the Inside Nov 05, 2019

Show notes

All links and images for this post can be found on CISO Series (https://cisoseries.com/get-out-the-fud-is-coming-from-the-inside/)

On this week's CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast, we're pointing fingers at practitioners, not vendors, for promoting the FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) scare-a-thon.

This episode is hosted by me, David Spark (@dspark), producer of CISO Series and founder of Spark Media Solutions and Mike Johnson. Our guest this week is Eddie Contreras (@CISOEdwardC), CISO, Frost Bank.

Thanks to this week's podcast sponsor Trend Micro.

On this week's episode

Why is everyone talking about this now?

On LinkedIn, Ron C. of CoreSolutions Software said, "Cybersecurity is no longer just a technical problem. It's now more of a people problem! So why aren't businesses prioritizing security awareness training for their staff?" There was a massive response and mixed agreement. Regardless, are we falling short on security awareness training? Is it not effective? Is it too complicated to pull off? Is the cost not justified? More importantly, has security awareness training had any impact?

Hey, you're a CISO, what's your take on this?

accidentalciso on our reddit channel, r/cisoseries, asks, How does a security professional know if "CISO truly is the right career goal for them? I don't think the reality of the role is consistent with what one might think early on in their career." What was it about the CISO role that makes a security professional want to pursue it and how does that previous perception of what a CISO did counter or align with what was really experienced?

It's time to play, "What's Worse?!"

Is there a worst type of attack?

Ask a CISO

James Dobra, Bromium, asks, "Are security organizations guilty of using FUD internally, e.g. with the board and with users, while complaining that vendors use it too much?" Does FUD happen internally? Do security teams do it to get the money they want and/or shame users into submission?

On August 30, 2019, white hat hacker Tavis Ormandy discovered a vulnerability in a LastPass browser extension. This was a vulnerability, not a breach and was very quickly remedied without damage. But it still causes chills when the last bastion of password security reveals its Achilles heel. It's like seeing your family doctor contract a terminal disease.

But for CISOs, this might be a good thing. Password complacency and sloppy security hygiene are the scourge of security specialists everywhere. A SaaS-based password manager that uses hashes and salts to remove the existence of physical passwords in their own vaults, is still a highly proactive solution.

More found on CISO Series.

First 90 Days of a CISO

Both Mike and our guest, Ed, are second time CISOs in their first 90 days at the role. We review what mistakes they made the first time as a CISO that they're actively avoiding this time. Are there any hurdles that are simply unavoidable and they're just going to have to face it like any new CISO would.

Say It Loud! I Didn't Read the Privacy Policy and I'm Proud! Oct 29, 2019

Show notes

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series (https://cisoseries.com/say-it-loud-i-didnt-read-the-privacy-policy-and-im-proud/)

If we don't understand the purpose of a privacy policy, why should we bother reading it? We're claiming the cyber ignorance defense on the latest episode of CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast.

This episode is hosted by me, David Spark (@dspark), producer of CISO Series and founder of Spark Media Solutions and Mike Johnson. Our guest this week is Roger Hale (@haleroger), CISO in residence, YL Ventures.

Mike Johnson, co-host, CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast, Roger Hale, CISO in residence, YL Ventures, David Spark, producer, CISO Series.

Thanks to this week's podcast sponsor Zix.

Zix simplifies administration and reporting with a single management interface. Configuring, deploying, and monitoring email security and unified archiving services has never been easier – or faster. ZixSuite combines a cloud-based email threat protection, email encryption, and unified business communications archiving, all backed by Zix's gold standard 24/7/365 support.

On this week's episode

How CISOs are digesting the latest security news

We're blowing it with general cybersecurity education. According to a study by the Pew Internet Research Center, most Americans don't understand or can't identify basic cybersecurity concepts such as two-factor authentication, private browsing, or the purpose of a privacy policy. We talk a lot about the important of education and it appears we're not doing a good job. What are some creative ways we can dramatically improve these numbers?

Hey, you're a CISO, what's your take on this?

Cai Thomas, Tessian, has an article on TechRadar on the dangers of sending corporate work via personal email accounts. He outlines the issues. As per the previous story, chances are very high people are completely unaware of the risk their placing the company in by forwarding corporate email to personal accounts. No amount of education is going to solve this problem. What are the systems that companies can and should setup to give people a better alternative than sending emails to personal accounts?

What's Worse?!

How damaging can not having a seat on the board be?

Ask a CISO

Nick Sorensen, Whistic, asks, "What do you see the most proactive vendors doing to prepare for vendor security reviews from their customers?"

"Your bank account has been frozen." That's now an old chestnut in the scamming world, but it thrives through increasingly sophisticated spoofing activities that include a banks' real phone number and real-looking pop-up websites for password refresh requests. Even IT experts can get caught by these things occasionally, as some have even confessed on this very podcast series.

This level of relentless innovation is worth keeping front of mind when considering the amounts of data that Internet of Things devices are creating but that organizations have no plan or space for. IBM, Forrester, and others have suggested that maybe 1 percent of data generated from IoT connectivity is being used, mostly for immediate learning or predictive activities.

More available on CISO Series.

First 90 days of a CISO

Today is Roger's first official day as a CISO in residence at YL Ventures. What the heck does that mean, and how does that differ from being an operational CISO?

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