Send us fan mail via text by clicking here!

Welcome to this action packed episode of the CISO MindMap Podcast. The lads are biting off a big chunk of the 2025 recommendations by handling numbers 4, 5 and 6.

Recommendation number 4 is Cyber Resilience and Ransomware. The gents discuss industry impacts and the role of AI when it comes to how attackers come at their targets. It’s notable to focus on an organization's ability to respond to an event because minimizing impacts to business operations is critical. Also discussed is the importance of planning, particularly the Business Impact Analysis and the importance of testing.

Recommendation number 5 is about metrics. The recent trend towards more business focused metrics continues and ensuring your metrics are showing improvements over time. In addition to trends, comparing your metrics to industry standards or benchmarks is also a good strategy.

Recommendation number 6 is a more general recommendation to improve your cyber hygiene. Cyber professionals can’t simply jump to new priorities and take on new initiatives without losing site of the basics. Whether it is basic visibility or management of company assets, focusing on cyber hygiene will also be critical.

https://rafeeqrehman.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-a-hawk/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafeeq/

Send us fan mail via text by clicking here!

Back from a few weeks off, the lads come together to discuss recommendation number 3 from Rafeeq’s 2025 CISO MindMap, Identify and Manage Security Debt. This is a practical discussion that hopefully offers some ideas to improve the overall operations of your security program.

After a quick recap of the first 2 recommendations from the 2025 CISO MindMap, your hosts begin defining security debt in the context of software, hardware and systems. The concept of risk management is quickly brought into scope as a key component to understanding and managing this debt. To help pull in as many potential targets as possible, they discuss the nature of the growth of security debt.

Of course, this podcast is not only about admiring the problem, but providing some helpful methodologies to begin addressing your security debt. Important concepts here include 1) creating a central place to quantify and manage the debt, maye a risk register. 2) be sure to assign some dollar value to the effort and 3) make this effort part of a program. Of course the goal is to flatten the curve of growth of the debt and hopefully begin a downward trend.

For folks just starting their careers, we hope this topic gives you some insight into what the senior people in the organization are concerned with. As you go about your daily routine, you can help the organization by identifying aspects of your function that can impact growth of security debt.

https://rafeeqrehman.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-a-hawk/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafeeq/

Send us fan mail via text by clicking here!

In this episode of the CISO MindMap Podcast, hosts Scott Hawk and Rafeeq Rehman dive into Recommendation #2 from the 2025 CISO Mind Map: Consolidate and Rationalize Security Tools.The discussion centers around the challenges organizations face with tool overload, the diminishing returns of excessive tools, and strategies to optimize cybersecurity operations.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Problem of Tool Overload:
   • Many organizations use dozens of security tools, often leading to inefficiencies, alert fatigue, and fragmented risk views.
   • Excessive tools can consume valuable time for maintenance and configuration instead of focusing on actual security work.
2. Human Nature and the "Shiny New Thing":
   • The allure of new tools often leads to unnecessary purchases, adding complexity without proportional benefits.
3. Impact on SOC Operations:
   • Research shows that 73% of SOCs use over 10 tools, while 45% use more than 20. This can result in alert overload and missed threats due to fragmented systems.
4. Strategies for Managing Security Tools:
   • Ecosystem Approach:
     • Use a single vendor to provide an integrated suite of tools with centralized management and reporting.
     • Benefits: Single pane of glass visibility, streamlined operations.
     • Drawbacks: Vendor lock-in and risks if the vendor faces issues like financial instability or security breaches.
   • Best-of-Breed Approach:
     • Select the best tool for each specific use case from different vendors.
     • Benefits: Access to cutting-edge technology for specific needs.
     • Drawbacks: Siloed data, multiple vendor relationships, and lack of centralized risk visibility. Organizations should prioritize integration and automation to address these challenges.
5. Recommendations for Tool Optimization:
   • Conduct a basic analysis to identify overlapping functionalities and redundant tools using a use-case matrix.
   • Explore open-source technologies as cost-effective alternatives where appropriate.
   • Ensure tools are properly configured to avoid vulnerabilities that could turn them into liabilities.
6. Guiding Principle:
   • "No tool should be worth more than the value it brings or the risk it reduces."

Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast wherever you listen!

https://rafeeqrehman.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-a-hawk/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafeeq/