­
Continuous Security Validation: Lessons from Failed Security Programs By Brad La Porte and Bikash Barai - All Articles - CISO Platform

Continuous%20Security%20Validation%20Lessons%20from%20Failed%20Security%20Programs.png?profile=RESIZE_710x

 

Gain insights into the fundamental challenges hindering organizations from achieving cybersecurity objectives, particularly in terms of visibility and noise reduction. Discover how prioritizing key metrics can enhance threat detection and response capabilities.

 

 

Here is the verbatim discussion:

Key fundamentals that are there um the and that's where the biggest challenge is is like organizations just don't have um that they don't have the visibility that they that they require to get to those those points those are certainly very key um the other kind of key point that organizations will will get into is um you know a lot of a lot of the the monitoring and in um doing these different assessments is you ultimately they're trying to find a needle and a haast stack is is a common analogy that's used and uh unfortunately what uh organizations will do especially early on is they'll add more and more hay uh to with the idea that they will have better visibility unfortunately there that that actually makes things more difficult because it's more difficult to actually find the needle um so as as a key metric and focus and priority area it would it it's definitely best practice to to eliminate the noise and eliminate all that excess hay that excess hay uh so you can find these needles faster and quicker and eventually get to the point where you're actually able to categorize the individual needles so you can actually identify a needle within a stack of needles that's relevant to the specific use case that you have um because what will happen with Advanced persistant threats is they'll actually come uh they'll come back time and time again and um unfortunately one of the the key things that ends up happening is uh especially with Ransom wear attacks is organizations will um they'll actually recover and Implement a backup uh or basically get to a steady state but they won't they won't address the the main entry point that that the attackers use to get in so all they do is they they come right back in and that's why uh paying for a ransomware doesn't really work because you're not a lot of times organizations don't address the the the core entry point and uh once kind of that the word gets out then it's open season so you might have multiple different criminal organizations looking to get into your environment um so and there's metrics that you can build around all of those things like reducing false positives uh reducing false negatives and then um and and overall uh measuring.

 

Highlights:

Visibility: Understand the critical importance of visibility in cybersecurity operations. Many organizations struggle to attain the level of visibility necessary to identify and mitigate threats effectively. Lack of visibility hampers proactive threat detection and response efforts, leaving organizations vulnerable to persistent cyber threats.

Needle in a Haystack Analogy: Explore the common analogy of finding a needle in a haystack, often used to describe the challenge of identifying threats amidst a sea of data. Learn how organizations mistakenly add more "hay" (data) in hopes of improving visibility, ultimately making threat identification more challenging. Emphasize the need to focus on eliminating noise to pinpoint critical threats efficiently.

Addressing Core Entry Points: Highlight the importance of addressing core entry points exploited by cyber attackers. Using ransomware attacks as an example, emphasize the significance of not only recovering from incidents but also identifying and remedying the root cause to prevent future breaches. Failure to address core entry points leaves organizations vulnerable to repeated attacks and exposes them to increased risk.

 

Prioritize key metrics such as visibility, noise reduction, and addressing core entry points to enhance cybersecurity resilience. By focusing on eliminating noise and identifying critical threats effectively, organizations can bolster their security posture and mitigate the risk of persistent cyber threats.

 

 

Speakers:

Brad LaPorte a former army officer with extensive experience in cybersecurity, provides invaluable insights into the evolving landscape of digital threats. With a background in military operations, LaPorte witnessed firsthand the early stages of nation-state cyber attacks, laying the groundwork for his deep understanding of cybersecurity challenges. Through his journey, he has observed the transformation of defense tactics from traditional, labor-intensive methods to modern, cloud-based solutions. LaPorte's expertise offers a unique perspective on the intersection of technology, security, and the underground economy of cybercrime. In this discussion, he shares his experiences and analysis, shedding light on the complexities of cybersecurity in the digital age.

 
 
 
 

Bikash Barai is credited for several innovations in the domain of Network Security and Anti-Spam Technologies and has multiple patents in USPTO. Fortune recognized Bikash among India’s Top 40 Business Leaders under the age of 40 (Fortune 40-under-40).Bikash is also an active speaker and has spoken at various forums like TiE, RSA Conference USA, TEDx etc.

Earlier he founded iViZ an IDG Ventures-backed company that was later acquired by Cigital and now Synopsys. iViZ was the first company in the world to take Ethical Hacking (or Penetration Testing) to the cloud.

 

https://twitter.com/bikashbarai1

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bikashbarai/ 

 
 
 
 
Votes: 0
E-mail me when people leave their comments –

You need to be a member of CISO Platform to add comments!

Join CISO Platform

Join The Community Discussion

CISO Platform

A global community of 5K+ Senior IT Security executives and 40K+ subscribers with the vision of meaningful collaboration, knowledge, and intelligence sharing to fight the growing cyber security threats.

Join CISO Community Share Your Knowledge (Post A Blog)
 

 

 

CISO Platform Talks : Security FireSide Chat With A Top CISO or equivalent (Monthly)

  • Description:

    CISO Platform Talks: Security Fireside Chat With a Top CISO

    Join us for the CISOPlatform Fireside Chat, a power-packed 30-minute virtual conversation where we bring together some of the brightest minds in cybersecurity to share strategic insights, real-world experiences, and emerging trends. This exclusive monthly session is designed for senior cybersecurity leaders looking to stay ahead in an ever-evolving landscape.

    We’ve had the privilege of…

  • Created by: Biswajit Banerjee
  • Tags: ciso, fireside chat

CISO MeetUp: Executive Cocktail Reception @ Black Hat USA , Las Vegas 2025

  • Description:

    We are excited to invite you to the CISO MeetUp: Executive Cocktail Reception if you are there at the Black Hat Conference USA, Las Vegas 2025. This event is organized by EC-Council & FireCompass with CISOPlatform as proud community partner. 

    This evening is designed for Director-level and above cybersecurity professionals to connect, collaborate, and unwind in a relaxed setting. Enjoy…

  • Created by: Biswajit Banerjee
  • Tags: black hat 2025, ciso meetup, cocktail reception, usa events, cybersecurity events, ciso

6 City Playbook Round Table Series (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata)

  • Description:

    Join us for an exclusive 6-city roundtable series across Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, and Kolkata. Curated for top cybersecurity leaders, this series will spotlight proven strategies, real-world insights, and impactful playbooks from the industry’s best.

    Network with peers, exchange ideas, and contribute to shaping the Top 100 Security Playbooks of the year.

    Date : Sept 2025 - Oct 2025

    Venue: Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune,…

  • Created by: Biswajit Banerjee

National Insider Risk Symposium, Washington DC, USA 2025

  • Description:

    We are excited to invite you to the 10th National Insider Risk Symposium, a premier forum bringing together leaders and experts from both the commercial and public sectors to address the evolving landscape of insider threats. CISOPlatform is a proud community partner for this event. 

    Event Details:
    Venue: National Housing Center, 1201 15th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20005
    Dates: September 17–18,…

  • Created by: Biswajit Banerjee
  • Tags: national insider risk symposium, ciso, cybersecurity events, usa events