Delivering Security at Scale: From Artisanal to Industrial
Maturing a security program in any type of organization is not just to increase specific control effectiveness but also to increase its...
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- May 20
- 10 min
You Only Get 3 Metrics - Which Ones Would You Pick?
Just over a year ago I put out this blog post on the 10 fundamental (but really hard) security metrics. Since then I’ve discussed this...
5,096 views
- May 7
- 13 min
The Illusion of Choice : A Review
In the last post we talked about the challenges and opportunities of using individual and organizational incentives to ensure effective...
2,661 views
- Apr 7
- 8 min
Handling Complexity
Force 5 : Complex Systems break in Unpredictable Ways // Central Idea: While component level simplicity is vital, seeking to eliminate...
2,177 views
- Mar 25
- 7 min
Fighting Security Entropy
Force 4 : Entropy is King // Central Idea: Adopting a control reliability engineering mindset by continuous control monitoring is...
1,820 views
- Mar 12
- 9 min
Attack Surface Management
Force 3 : Services want to be on // Central Idea: Take architectural steps to inherently reduce your attack surface - don’t just rely...
2,721 views
- Feb 25
- 8 min
Software Security is More than Vulnerabilities
Force 2 : Code wants to be wrong // Central Idea: Shift from a pure focus on only reducing security vulnerabilities towards increasing...
1,755 views
- Feb 11
- 8 min
Data Security and Data Governance
Force 1: Information wants to be free // Central Idea: Shift from perimeter based surveillance and tactical blocking to data governance...
1,619 views
- Jan 28
- 2 min
The 6 Fundamental Forces of Information Security Risk
I first posted this as a Twitter thread in 2019. These forces still seem very much current - perhaps even more so. It is interesting to...
3,692 views
- Jan 14
- 12 min
Ceremonial Security and Cargo Cults
There is a lot of conventional security that is based on established ceremonies and an unquestioning faith that if we keep doing these...
16,724 views
- Dec 31, 2022
- 7 min
Simple Ways to Communicate Successes
It’s that time of year when you’ve inevitably written notes to your organization and leadership about all your team’s achievements over...
4,616 views
- Dec 17, 2022
- 3 min
Dangerous Embedded Assumptions
There is a notion I keep coming back to thanks to this article from a few years ago. The essence is that there are things that have...
1,514 views
- Dec 3, 2022
- 8 min
The Uncanny Valley of Security - Updated
Since I first wrote this post 2 years ago I keep seeing it reinforced. The basic premise is that, sometimes, advanced levels of security...
4,335 views
- Nov 5, 2022
- 4 min
How to Tell if You Really are an InfoSec Professional
Some of you in the US, and maybe others, might be familiar with the ongoing, somewhat self-deprecating, Jeff Foxworthy skit of “You might...
8,346 views
- Oct 22, 2022
- 10 min
Grand Challenges or Grind Challenges
How much of your work that you would like to describe as a “grand” challenge is really more of a “grind”? As an industry we like to talk...
1,745 views
- Oct 8, 2022
- 7 min
Field Guide to the Various Communities of Security
Which part of the security community are you in? Often, when one part of the security community talks about the overall community they...
2,926 views
- Sep 24, 2022
- 6 min
Essential Attributes of Security Leadership
Since I first wrote this back in 2021 (titled "CISO: Archeologist, Historian or Explorer?") it seems ever more true that complex and...
3,016 views
- Sep 10, 2022
- 13 min
Crucial Questions from Governments and Regulators
In this, fourth and final post in the series of Crucial Questions I’m going to focus on those from governments and regulators. This...
1,742 views
- Aug 27, 2022
- 23 min
Crucial Questions from CISOs and Security Teams
In this, third in a series of Crucial Questions posts I’m going to focus on the questions from CISOs and security teams. This builds on...
5,924 views
- Aug 13, 2022
- 13 min
Crucial Questions from CIOs and CTOs
In the last post I covered the crucial questions from Boards and executives. Here I will cover the questions I’m asked by CIOs, CTOs and...
4,537 views
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