BSW #297 – Dr. Kiri Addison
Natural language processing AI will be at the forefront in 2023, as it will enable organizations to better understand their customers and employees by analyzing their emails and providing insights about their needs, preferences or even emotions. As AI voice cloning technology becomes more powerful and readily available, we will see an increase in impersonation attacks that utilize audio deepfakes. Join Dr. Kiri Addison, Threat Detection and Efficacy Product Manager, Mimecast to discuss how you can prepare and protect your organization from these types of business email compromises with the right cybersecurity products that can effectively protect them against attacks like these. This segment is sponsored by Mimecast. Visit https://securityweekly.com/mimecast to learn more about them!
In this week's leadership and communications segment, we discuss overemphasizing metrics, delegation drawbacks, security culture starts at the top, and succeeding in security with economic insecurity.
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Segments
1. AI In Email Security – A Tale of Two Sides – Dr. Kiri Addison – BSW #297
Natural language processing AI will be at the forefront in 2023, as it will enable organizations to better understand their customers and employees by analyzing their emails and providing insights about their needs, preferences or even emotions. As AI voice cloning technology becomes more powerful and readily available, we will see an increase in impersonation attacks that utilize audio deepfakes. Join Dr. Kiri Addison, Threat Detection and Efficacy Product Manager, Mimecast to discuss how you can prepare and protect your organization from these types of business email compromises with the right cybersecurity products that can effectively protect them against attacks like these. This segment is sponsored by Mimecast. Visit https://securityweekly.com/mimecast to learn more about them!
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Guest
Dr. Kiri Addison is a Threat Detection and Efficacy Product Manager at cybersecurity specialist company, Mimecast. She works closely with engineers, threat researchers and data scientists on Mimecast’s security products to adapt them to defend against new and evolving threats.
Previously, she was Head of Data Science for Threat Intelligence and one of her current areas of focus in her role as a product manager was to develop innovative products that utilize AI/ML. Kiri also worked in the public sector where she was responsible for creating systems to detect and prevent cyber-attacks and fraud. Her academic background includes a PhD in Physical Chemistry, a Master’s degree in Physics & Astrophysics and an MBA.
Hosts
2. Common Leadership Disconnects and Leading Security through Hard Times – BSW #297
In this week's leadership and communications segment, we discuss overemphasizing metrics, delegation drawbacks, security culture starts at the top, and succeeding in security with economic insecurity.
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Hosts
- 1. You can’t lead a team with a spreadsheet.
"Managers love their metrics." KPIs are nice, because tracking a few key metrics is easier than trying to track everything. Leads to a common failure cycle: 1. set a few key metrics 2. problem occurs that isn't captured by these metrics 3. add new metric to track 4. GOTO 2
Two foundational problems that metrics can't solve: 1. Humans optimize rewards (metrics can and will be manipulated) 2. The map is not the terrain (many important business factors aren't quantitative)
Bottom line: you CAN lead a team with a spreadsheet, but that's effectively outsourcing the hard job of leadership, which can't be measured with a spreadsheet.
- 2. The Delegation Traps
Three traps to watch out for, when delegating more than usual: 1. The "one more task wouldn't hurt" trap: overworking your delegates 2. The "out of touch" trap: losing perspective after delegating for too long 3. The respect trap: keeping all the "good" tasks for yourself breeds resentment
- 3. How to Solve the People Problem in Cybersecurity
Where the "people problem" refers to the difficulty of getting employees to take security seriously if it clearly isn't a priority at the top of the organization.
Three keys to solving the people problem: 1. Understand the business value of cybersecurity 2. Create a culture of cybersecurity 3. Allocate the resources
- 4. Economic pressures are increasing cybersecurity risks; a recession would amp them up more
A tale of three articles on leading security in a recession - which one gets it right? All of them? None of them?
Article 1 says: 1. Economic downturns historically see increasing attacks 2. Layoffs heighten security risks 3. Attacks already at a high 4. Prioritize based on current risk
- 5. The role of security in times of economic uncertainty
Security in a recession, article 2 of 3 1. Align security to business goals 2. Practice business acumen as a CSO 3. Maximize security strategies and technology 4. Work with security partners 5. Bolster insider risk programs
- 6. With a recession looming, security leaders should plan for the impact
Security in a recession, article 3 of 3 1. Focus on a robust risk management program 2. Prioritize third-party risk 3. Know and prioritize attack surfaces 4. Maximize existing investments 5. Security awareness is still essential
