Category: CISOs

How CISOs’ Roles – and Security Operations – Will Change in 2024

It’s fair to say that 2023 was a turning point for the cybersecurity industry, and no one felt it more than the CISO. From the onslaught of ransomware and zero-day attacks, to the SEC’s new reporting rules, and added to technological innovation and sprawl, CISOs have never been under more pressure to get security right.

When you boil down a CISO’s job description to what it is we really do, predicting the unpredictable comes out at the top of the list. We must stay on top of our organization’s unique risk profile so that we can oversee the people, technologies, and processes that will keep threat actors out.

At the same time, our role at the executive level and our ability to affect change across the business is also top of mind. This is not what I or any of the fellow CISOs I speak with view as an “optional” part of our role; rather, being valued as a strategic contributor to the organization’s success is an imperative.

Without a doubt, 2024 is going to be a challenging year for those of us in the CISO role. Looking ahead, I expect the role itself to transform in several ways and, by default,  security operations will also undergo change. Read on for my top predictions of what will occur this year.

Prediction 1: CISOs will either have a seat at the table or they’ll be on the menu

For years, CISOs have been expected to do security in a vacuum regardless of what the rest of the company is doing. Irrespective of the decisions being made by the rest of the organization, the CISO is expected to figure it all out and make it secure regardless! They’re not just in charge of security, they’re in charge of potentially (bad) decision making by others around security.

Regulations such as SEC disclosure, NIS2, changes to Fedramp, and new executive orders around security mean there is more of a focus around structural-operational cadence with security in 2024. Therefore, the biggest question for most CISOs is going to be: how am I — and, indeed, how is my work — viewed by the business? The CISO is either going to be figuring out the solution with the business, or they will be an isolated person expected to figure out the solution based on a business decision that they’ve played no part in making.

Ultimately, CISOs will have a seat at the table or they will be the scapegoat when things inevitably go wrong. There is no in between. So, it’s essential that CISOs are able to demonstrate the value they provide and in a way that non-technical executives understand.

To demonstrate their value, CISOs must show how their security asks are tied to business imperatives, and the financial benefit or risk that each ask presents. Showing demonstrable improvements in security — as well as being able to easily adapt when environments change — helps executive boards see that CISOs and the security programs they develop and deploy are inherent enablers of business growth.

Prediction 2: Compliance will be top of mind for CISOs

We’re in a new era when it comes to reporting cyberattacks. CISOs are in a ‘butt-clenching’ phase trying to figure out how to comply and how to report cyber incidents when they occur. The new SEC rules make it clear that CISOs now need to think more carefully about how they talk about security and governance publicly and to regulators, when in the past they didn’t think about it by de facto.

This year, CISOs are going to be on a path of self-scrutiny. When claims are made that multi-factor authentication (MFA) is enabled across the enterprise and vulnerabilities are remediated immediately, for example, CISOs need to be checking that such actions are being done to avoid potential false claims and associated consequences.

There will be an immediate need for greater focus on compliance packs by CISOs, not just this year but over the next couple of years. Just having an ISO certification or a NIST framework doesn’t mean that operations are completely aligned.

A certification is merely a moment in time. However, CISOs need to be confident that operations are compliant beyond that piece of paper. Even the tiniest of siloes, migrations, and changes create risks such as misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, and exposures; therefore, it’s essential to have a SOC team that has complete coverage of environments and can easily adapt when environments change. CISOs also must continue to ensure they’re employing the continuous assessment and validation process that aligns with their organization’s compliance requirements.

Prediction 3: CISOs will increase their emphasis on consolidation

No one will be surprised by my saying that businesses want more bang for their buck in 2024. Every business wants simplicity, not complexity, in their security stack! Just look at third-party risk management, for example. Funnily enough, CISOs don’t want to have to manage 500 third parties; they only want to have to manage five or so.

Every time there is an incident, CISOs and their security teams need to go to each third party, figure out what they’ve been doing, and keep following up with them. This is where the tool sprawl has huge consequences. If there are 500 parties to manage, that's a killer for overstretched and under-resourced security teams.

As CISOs, we understand that throwing more money around doesn’t solve your security problem. Implementing various point solutions within the SOC won’t end bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and negative ROI. The real value for CISOs is when the SOC team is able to do more focused tasks without costs spiraling out of control.

Therefore, CISOs will be looking to consolidate and streamline this year, allowing for better manageability, efficiency, and — ultimately — security efficacy.

The CISO Community Coming Together

While I can’t be entirely sure how my role will look at the end of the year, one thing that does make me hopeful is the wonderful network of people that I’m a part of. It’s so important for the security industry to collaborate, and the connectivity of CISOs is critical to our achieving success both professionally and on behalf of the organizations we serve.

Security is a team sport, and the security community has a unique ability to come together to solve complex challenges. I’m looking forward to knowledge sharing with my peers and the greater industry as we prepare for and adapt to innovations in artificial intelligence (AI), quantum, and other exponential technologies.

For more thoughts from the Rapid7 team on what 2024 could bring, watch the Top Cybersecurity Predictions webinar on-demand.

4 Questions for CISOs to Reduce Threat Exposure Risk

In an ongoing effort to help security organizations gain greater visibility into threat exposure risk, we have determined four key questions every CISO should be considering based on our understanding of the recommendations of a new report from Gartner®. The report, 2024 Strategic Roadmap for Managing Threat Exposure, can help CISOs and other top executives steer away from risk by analyzing their attack surfaces for gaps.

Question #1: What Do You Already Know?

What are the business-driven events that have already been or are currently being scoped and planned for? In analyzing threat exposure for specific events along the course of the year, a security organization will have the power to better tailor their risk mitigation approaches.

“It’s crucial to scope risk in relation to threat exposure, as this is one of the key outputs that will benefit the wider business. To do so, senior leaders must understand the exposure facing the organization, in direct relation to the impact that an exploitation of said exposure would have. Together, with this information, executives can make informed decisions to either remediate, mitigate or accept the perceived risks. Without impact context, the exposures may be addressed in isolation, leading to uncoordinated fixes relegated to individual departments exacerbating the current problems associated with most vulnerability management programs.” says the Gartner report.

Post-risk scoping, it’s a good idea to then consider if there are any measures that can be taken to better protect certain business-driven events if they have been found to have a greater chance of threat-actor exploitability.

Question #2: How Visible Are Your Critical Systems?

It is also incredibly valuable to take inventory of the most critical and exposed systems in the network, along with each system’s level of visibility and its location. Having a thorough catalog of the points that are or could be the most vulnerable is a must. Just because an exploitable asset might not be considered a remediation priority, there is always the possibility it could be exploited down the line.

Within the context of the report, Gartner details a visibility framework that can aid with vulnerability prioritization:

“Coupled with accessibility is the visibility of the exploitable service, port, or asset. These technologies implement configuration to ensure that details of exploitable elements are not revealed to potential attackers, but not directly removing the possibility of their exploitation.”

Therefore, it becomes necessary to leverage technologies that can provide insights into the visibility of an asset so that – if there is currently a low likelihood of exploitability – remediation efforts can be focused elsewhere and efficiences can be gained within the security organization.

Question #3: Who “Owns” IT Systems?

Identifying who is responsible for the deployment and management of critical IT systems is key if the security organization is to get interdepartmental buy-in for an effective plan to manage threat exposure. Sometimes there isn’t just one person responsible for a certain aspect of network management, which is important to keep in mind as efforts to mitigate threat exposure are built out.

Security personnel, as with so many business operations in which they take part, also must keep in mind that there could be pushback or slow buy-in to a plan that is perceived to lack context. To this point, the research states:

“Without impact context, the exposures may be addressed in isolation, leading to uncoordinated fixes relegated to individual departments exacerbating the current problems associated with most vulnerability management programs.”

Question #4: Who is Responsible for Risk?

Potential friction could also lie in the effort to convince a system owner that there is real action required – and that it could upend that team’s workflow. Effective communication will be imperative here, as will the ability to provide the visibility needed to quickly convince stakeholders that action is, indeed, needed and worth the potential interruption. The report drives home the need for allying with those responsible for risk decisions:

“From the perspective of the organization’s business risk owner, it’s important to recognize that the security team’s role is to support risk management in such a way that the owner can make informed data-driven decisions.”

The CISO Says It All

It will ultimately be up to the CISO to manage and connect separate plans to both limit and eliminate threat exposure along attack surfaces. Through this effort, the CISO can demonstrate the benefits of implementing platforms to manage the growing risk of threat exposure. They’ll also be able to prove the worth of the security operations center (SOC) as both key partners in the effort to keep business secure.

We’re pleased to continually offer leading research to help you gain clarity into managing the risk of threat exposure. Read the Gartner report to better understand how a broad set of exposures can impact the workloads of a security organization – and how important it becomes to prioritize properly and communicate effectively.

Gartner, 2024 Strategic Roadmap for Managing Threat Exposure, Pete Shoard, 8 November 2023.

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Be Empathetic and Hug Your CISO More!

In the rapidly evolving landscape of cloud computing, the adoption of multi-cloud environments has become a prevailing trend. Organizations increasingly turn to multiple cloud providers to harness diverse features, prevent vendor lock-in, and optimize costs. The multi-cloud approach offers unparalleled agility, scalability, and flexibility, but it has its complexities and CISOs need your support.

In the final episode of the Cloud Security Webinar Series, Rapid7's Chief Security Officer Jaya Baloo and other experts share their thoughts on the cloud strategies to support security leaders as they move into 2024 and beyond.

These webinars can now be viewed on-demand, giving security professionals greater insight into how to safeguard their cloud environments and set themselves up for success. A summary of the key discussion points are listed below.

Nurturing Comprehension and Collaboration

Multi-cloud environments present a complex tapestry woven with equal parts opportunity and complexity. Governance, security, and cost optimization are paramount concerns often exacerbated by the absence of centralized visibility and with the threat of misconfigurations and potential compliance issues looming in the background.

So, in the face of these challenges, collaborative unity among security teams becomes not just a nicety but a necessity. It is through the sharing of knowledge and experiences that the security community effectively grapples with these evolving challenges.

Striving for Collective Success

There are several simple strategies security teams can adopt to support a more robust defense:

  1. Centralized visibility: Embrace cloud management tools to unveil a comprehensive view of the multi-cloud landscapes. In doing so, we foster collaboration and unity. This provides a single pane of glass for security teams to gain comprehensive insights into their digital assets, compliance status, and ongoing security threats.
  2. Automation: Leveraging automation is key to efficiently managing multi-cloud landscapes. Automate asset discovery, security policy enforcement, and threat response. Automation not only streamlines these processes but also reduces the risk of human error.
  3. Security governance framework: Develop a comprehensive security governance framework that encompasses all aspects of multi-cloud security, including identity and access management, data protection, and threat detection. This framework should be flexible enough to accommodate the nuances of each cloud platform.
  4. Resource optimization: Regularly evaluate resource utilization across different cloud providers. Ensure that resources are allocated efficiently to minimize costs. Implement scaling and resource allocation strategies to adapt to changing workload requirements.
  5. Enhanced staff training: Invest in the skills and knowledge of security and IT teams, along with opportunities for cross-training and knowledge sharing.

As organizations continue to embrace multi-cloud environments, mastering the complexities of diverse cloud platforms is crucial for enhanced security, governance, and cost optimization. By gaining a deep understanding of the multi-cloud landscape, addressing key challenges head-on, and implementing efficient management strategies, security professionals can navigate the intricate web of multi-cloud and ensure seamless operations in the cloud-native era.

Cultivating Unity for a More Resilient Future

The evolving nature of cybersecurity demands organizations stand together to share experiences, strategies, and best practices. By cultivating unity and empathy across the security community and the wider business, organizations can collectively navigate the shifting threat landscape more easily.

Ultimately, uniting the cybersecurity community is not merely a virtue but an imperative. To find out more, watch the on-demand cloud security series now.

As the world continues to face unprecedented cyber threats, Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) are facing a growing number of challenges in their roles. In 2023, these challenges are likely to increase, and CISOs will have to be well-equipped to overcome them. In this article, we will discuss the top challenges that CISOs are expected to face in 2023.

Cybersecurity Threats- The threat of cyberattacks has been growing over the years, and it is expected to continue in 2023. CISOs will have to be well-versed in the latest cybersecurity threats and have the tools and strategies to mitigate them. They will need to keep their organization’s cybersecurity infrastructure up-to-date with the latest security patches and technologies to stay ahead of attackers.

Compliance Regulations- Compliance regulations are constantly changing, and CISOs must ensure that their organization is compliant with the latest regulations. Failure to do so can result in hefty fines and penalties. To tackle this challenge, CISOs will have to stay up-to-date with the latest regulatory developments and ensure their organization’s security policies are aligned with these regulations.

Staff Shortages- The demand for cybersecurity professionals is at an all-time high, and the supply of skilled professionals is struggling to keep up. This shortage of cybersecurity professionals can make it challenging for CISOs to build and manage a competent cybersecurity team. CISOs will have to be creative in their recruitment strategies and consider outsourcing cybersecurity services to cope with the shortage of skilled professionals.

Budget Constraints- Despite the growing importance of cybersecurity, CISOs often face budget constraints. This can limit their ability to invest in the latest cybersecurity tools and technologies, which can put their organization at risk. To overcome this challenge, CISOs will have to communicate the importance of cybersecurity to the management and ensure that the organization’s cybersecurity investments align with its business objectives.

 Data Privacy Concerns- The issue of data privacy has been in the spotlight in recent years, and it is expected to remain so in 2023. CISOs will have to ensure that their organization’s cybersecurity policies align with data privacy regulations and that data breaches are avoided at all costs. CISOs will need to be proactive in addressing data privacy concerns and work closely with the legal and compliance teams to ensure that their organization’s data is protected.

In conclusion, CISOs face a variety of challenges in their roles, and these challenges are expected to increase in 2023. To overcome these challenges, CISOs will need to stay up-to-date with the latest cybersecurity threats and regulations, be creative in their recruitment strategies, communicate the importance of cybersecurity to the management, and work closely with legal and compliance teams to ensure data privacy concerns are addressed. With the right tools and strategies in place, CISOs can help their organizations stay ahead of cyber threats and protect their valuable data.

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