The Cyber Threat Perspective Episode 71: A CISO's Perspective on Offensive Security Services
Dec 20, 2023
Zach Sims, Information Security Officer at SecureIT360, brings his extensive experience building security programs to discuss offensive security services. He highlights the essential role of a CISO in aligning offensive strategies with cybersecurity goals. Zach explains how penetration testing allows organizations to uncover vulnerabilities safely and how these findings can inform security strategies. He emphasizes the value of testing both technology and team processes, underlining that basic controls can prevent most attacks. Lastly, he advocates for collaboration within the cybersecurity community for robust defense.
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Protect Business Processes First
- A CISO's core job is to understand the business and protect the processes that make it run.
- Security must balance usability with protective controls to avoid breaking business operations.
Fail Safely With Penetration Testing
- Use penetration testing to 'fail safely' by letting ethical testers find your gaps before attackers do.
- Present pen tests as proactive validation to leadership to justify security spend.
Internal Tests Reveal Real Control Gaps
- Internal penetration tests can be more revealing than external tests because they validate internal technical controls.
- Offensive engagements also educate teams by showing how attacks actually work.