Once the Panic Subsides You’ll Appreciate This Phishing Test (LIVE in Houston, TX)
Oct 15, 2024
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In this engaging conversation, Teresa Tonthat, VP and Associate CIO at Texas Children's Hospital, shares insights from the cybersecurity frontlines. She emphasizes the critical link between cybersecurity and business goals, advocating for strategies that enhance productivity. The discussion also underscores the importance of effective user training, particularly phishing tests, to foster a positive security culture. With humor and real-world examples, they tackle the challenges of communicating security concepts and the evolving landscape of AI in cybersecurity.
Effective cybersecurity requires stakeholder engagement from the outset to ensure realistic and achievable plans.
Aligning security initiatives with business objectives fosters collaboration, showing how security measures protect assets and promote growth.
Deep dives
Engaging Stakeholders for Success
Effective cybersecurity programs require collaboration and engagement with all stakeholders from the outset. In the early days of a cybersecurity initiative, it is crucial to gather input from relevant parties to ensure a realistic and achievable plan. Simply presenting a comprehensive presentation without this engagement may lead to skepticism and concern over feasibility. It serves as a reminder that cybersecurity is not a solo endeavor and requires a collective effort to implement successfully.
Aligning Security with Business Goals
The alignment of cybersecurity initiatives with overarching business objectives is a key principle in effective leadership. Security professionals must not only identify potential risks but also communicate how security measures protect assets and enable business processes. For instance, ensuring the security of supply chains can safeguard product integrity and facilitate growth into new markets. By demonstrating how security supports revenue generation, practitioners can position themselves as valuable partners within the organization.
Addressing User Friction in Security
Security protocols can introduce friction in daily operations, leading to decreased productivity and dissatisfaction among users. To mitigate this, security leaders must engage with users to understand their workflows and recognize where security measures may hinder efficiency. One illustrative example involves implementing single sign-on solutions to streamline access for drivers in a logistics company, thus enhancing both security and user experience. Regular communication and a feedback loop with users can help identify friction points and promote a culture of security awareness.
The Importance of Adaptation in Security Training
Security training must be responsive to the evolving threat landscape and meaningful to users to be effective. By conducting simulations that reflect real-world scenarios, organizations can provide practical examples of potential threats and strengthen user awareness. After a phishing test, immediate follow-up training can transform a negative experience into a teachable moment, empowering users to recognize and respond to real cyber threats. The goal should always be to foster a cooperative relationship where users feel supported rather than tricked.
All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series.
This week’s episode is hosted by me, David Spark (@dspark), producer of CISO Series and Jerich Beason, CISO, WM. Joining us is Teresa Tonthat, vp, associate CIO, Texas Children's Hospital. This episode was recorded live at HOU.SEC.CON.
In this episode:
Connecting with the business
Keep the users in mind
Ground security in reality
Teach, don’t shame
Thanks to our podcast sponsor, Vorlon Security!
Vorlon helps organizations take back control of their data by providing continuous visibility of sensitive data shared via API across third-party applications. Know what data goes where, when, and how between third-party apps with external threat intelligence. Reduce the complexity of investigating and responding to third-party security incidents with Vorlon.
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