No sooner did word start to spread about Apache Log4j that the usual torrent of blaring headlines, vendor marketing, and tips and tricks-style “information” quickly followed. You can find plenty of solid technical analysis out there about Log4j, and we’ve already posted information about Netskope protections and threat coverage from Netskope Threat Labs. But that’s not this post.
At times, the quest to stay on top of web application security can seem futile. It seems as though the adversaries are always a step ahead, and all we can do is try our best to contain the breaches. In this blog, we’ll look at the root causes of concern for today's CISO and share some practical strategies to deter cybercriminals.
The need for strong cybersecurity has reached critical mass. Seventy-six percent of security leaders have reported an increase in cyber-attacks over the past year -- accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and a rapid shift from an in-office to a remote workforce and on-premises to cloud infrastructure.
A CISO’s job can be one of the most stressful in cybersecurity. It can sometimes feel like an avalanche of responsibilities, all in the pursuit of keeping an organization safe. The problem more often than not comes down to the issue of obtaining funding for new technology that can make the job easier. In reality, CISOs can’t always obtain the executive buy-in necessary for receiving that funding. Their organization’s security posture then suffers as a result.
I recently spoke to a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) who explained that he disliked marketing and saw it as a risk and cost center to his business. He seemed to believe that everything his company’s marketing team did on its website was a risk and even called some standard marketing practices “reckless.” I get it. To those who are unfamiliar with marketing, a lot of what marketers do can seem strange and intimidating.
The CISO’s role is never static. Over the last two decades, it has evolved beyond technical IT security. CISOs are now central to their organization when it comes to risk, compliance and governance. And this comes at a time when businesses are undergoing rapid change in the face of changing threats. In the past, the CISO or head of IT security has been an inward-facing role, ensuring compliance and keeping data secure. But that has changed, with cybersecurity teams more business oriented.
