Risk & Cybersecurity

Scenario Planning - The Best Technique You Might Not Be Using

Scenario planning is one of the most underutilized techniques in security. Which is surprising given how effective it is in [good]...

12 Step Guide on Escalating Risk and Security Issues

Escalating issues is part of the foundation of any good risk and security program. Unfortunately, human nature is such that most people...

Principles for Cybersecurity Metrics

“For every metric, there should be another ‘paired’ metric that addresses adverse consequences of the first metric.” - Andy Grove We talk...

The Uncanny Valley of Security (or Why We Might Never Finish Anything)

The uncanny value is a famous term in robotics. It is used to describe how we accept robots that don’t attempt to look too human, but,...

Cybersecurity Macro Themes for the 2020’s - Updated

There will be 6 major themes that differentiate great security programs, products, features and processes. These are different from...

Why Cybersecurity Budget Benchmarks are a Waste of Time

I have built up a disdain for cybersecurity budgeting benchmarks. To be fair, there are some good attempts amid a sea of haphazard...

Vulnerability Management - Updated

It still surprises me that much of the tone of vulnerability management is about patch/bug fix vs. detecting broader configuration and...

Building Balanced Security Teams: The Rule of Thirds

As an industry we spend a lot of time talking about workforce development and skills shortages. We tend not to talk about how to organize...

Security for More than Security’s Sake - The Need for Adjacent Benefits

Truly excellent security programs deliver more than security risk mitigation. I know it is kind of ridiculous to say that when doing the...

The Most Important Mental Models for CISOs - Simple Steps for Outsize Effects

There are lots of problem solving techniques across many fields. These are often represented as mental models or behavioral short-cuts....

The Rising Tide and the Case for Security Optimism

Continuing with the theme of raising the baseline by reducing the cost of control we can see the next logical progression is that the...

Raise the Baseline by Reducing the Cost of Control

One of the most successful techniques for enterprise security in many organizations is to create a universal baseline of controls that...