First days as a CISO

So, you've landed the coveted role - what now?

Congratulations! You’ve stepped into a crucial and exciting position, and now it’s time to get to work. As a CISO, your primary responsibility is to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your organization’s information assets—the well-known CIA Triad. We all know that your role is critical to the success of the organization as cyber threats continue to grow in both number and complexity. But where do you start? Here’s a quick guide for a first-time CISO:

Understand the Role, Expectations, and Organization

As a CISO, your main responsibility is to establish, implement, and maintain a comprehensive information security program. This includes creating policies and procedures, conducting risk assessments, identifying threats, and ensuring appropriate controls are in place to protect your organization’s information assets. You’ll also be responsible for leading and managing your team, communicating with stakeholders, and staying updated on the latest industry trends. However, your task is to understand and adapt all these elements to the specific needs of the organization you are responsible for.

Build a Strong Security Team

You can’t do this alone. While the ultimate responsibility lies with you as the CISO, you’re only as strong as your team. Building a strong security team is critical to the success of your security program. This includes hiring the right people, providing continuous training and development, and fostering a culture of collaboration and teamwork.

As a CISO, you will need to communicate with a wide range of stakeholders, including senior management, board members, and customers. Conveying the importance of information security and the steps your organization is taking to protect its information assets is critical to building trust and ensuring support for your security program and the path you’re setting.

Develop a Comprehensive Information Security Program

It’s recommended to develop this program with the help of expert consultants, as it will be your guiding “bible.” This program should include policies and procedures, risk assessments (BIA), security controls (defense in depth), incident response plans (IRP), business continuity plans (BCP), security awareness training for employees, and more. The program should be tailored to the specific needs and objectives of your organization.

Implement Appropriate Security Controls

Once you’ve identified the risks and vulnerabilities, it’s time to implement appropriate security controls. This may include firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS), network access controls (NAC), endpoint protection (EDR), encryption, and more. It’s essential to ensure that the security controls you implement align with the risks identified in your risk assessment, avoiding both gaps and overprotection.

Continuous Monitoring and Maintenance

All the crucial work you’ve done so far won’t be worth much in the long run if you don’t maintain it. Monitoring and testing the implementation of your plans to ensure they work as intended is critical. This includes conducting penetration tests, vulnerability scans, network monitoring, and administrative audits. Regular testing will help you identify weaknesses and gaps in your security fabric, allowing you to take corrective action.

Maintenance and updates are essential for the CISO as well. The threat landscape is constantly evolving, and it’s vital to stay updated on the latest industry trends. This includes attending conferences, reading industry publications, and participating in industry groups. As a CISO and security professional, it’s crucial to always look and think a step ahead.

Please note that the content provided here is a general guideline. The role, responsibilities, and required actions can vary significantly depending on specific cases.