Cybersecurity 101: What Is
Cybersecurity and How it Works

In this episode of Life of a CISO, Dr. Eric Cole answers a question that he is asked all the time:

What is the definition of cybersecurity?

At its most basic level, cybersecurity means understanding, managing and mitigating risks of critical data being disclosed, altered, or denied access to.

Listen to this episode to learn more about Cybersecurity 101 and how it works.

In this episode:

  • 0:44 What is the role of a CISO?
  • 1:10 Cybercrisisbook.com
  • 2:15 How to communicate like a CISO
  • 3:30 What is cybersecurity?
  • 5:00 The gym story
  • 6:04 Expert witness work
  • 6:43 Cybersecurity means protecting an organization from digital risk
  • 7:02 Understanding, managing and mitigating risks of critical data being disclosed, altered, or denied access to
  • 7:55 The difference between a minor and major breach
  • 9:53 If no data is affected, there is no impact
  • 11:55 The goal is to minimize damage by doing timely detection
  • 12:48 The “I love you” virus” was visible
  • 14:48 How do you make the invisible visible?
  • 16:55 A Crypto-free zone makes the invisible visible
  • 18:28 A CISO analyzes historical and comparative data
  • 21:29 What to present to the executives
  • 22:23 Always draw a line to the ROI
  • 25:55 Don’t have a lot of slides in your presentation
  • 27:14 Balancing, managing, mitigating risk
  • 28:30 Before you spend time or money on security, ask 3 questions
  • 30:44 Ask the question beyond the value & benefits: What is the risk?
  • 30:27 How to ask the right questions
  • 34:10 Balance technical and strategic