In this solo episode of Life of a CISO, Dr. Eric Cole returns to the mic after a series of interviews to dive deep into the #1 foundational skill every Chief Information Security Officer must master—securing internet-facing servers.
With the rising wave of breaches hitting not just Fortune 50 giants but small and mid-size companies, Dr. Cole walks through the exact steps you must take to go back to basics and become a world-class CISO. From identifying forgotten assets to hardening authentication and revamping your patching strategy, this episode is your blueprint to stop attacks before they start. Dr. Cole also shares real-world breach examples, discusses the risks of relying solely on IT, and explains why a functioning change control board and MFA implementation for admins are non-negotiable.
📩 To book a Cyber Health Check or connect with Dr. Cole directly: [email protected]
In this episode:
- 01:00 – Intro: Buckle Up – It’s Time to Get Back to Basics
- 02:30 – Server-Based Attacks Still Work—Because We Let Them
- 04:00 – The Big 3 Flaws: Open Ports, Missing Patches, Critical Data
- 05:15 – Your 2025 Milestone: Asset Inventory + Config Management
- 07:00 – Common External Entry Points: Web, VPN, Firewalls
- 08:45 – Think Like a Hacker: Use AI Tools to Find Your Own Exposures
- 10:45 – Why 90% Visibility is a Fail in Cybersecurity
- 12:00 – Create a Change Control Board That Actually Works
- 14:00 – “That’s IT’s Job!” vs. “You’re the One Who Gets Blamed”
- 16:30 – COVID, Remote Work & The Forgotten Security Curveball
- 17:10 – MFA, MFA, MFA—Starting With Admin Accounts
- 19:35 – How to Prioritize Your Cyber Budget (Hint: Follow the Risk)
- 21:55 – Largest Password Breach Ever: 40 Billion Stolen
- 23:00 – The #1 2025 Attack Vector: Authentication
- 24:30 – Bonus Control: IP-Based Verification & Geo-Blocking
- 26:00 – The Danger of Forgotten Servers
- 27:30 – Why Turning Off Unused Services is the Best Patch
- 29:00 – Real Breach Example: “We Decommissioned That Server… Didn’t We?”
- 30:10 – Wrap-Up: Next Episode Will Cover Client-Side Cyber Hygiene
