The CISO Journey: Life Lessons and Concepts to Accelerate Your Professional Development

by Eugene Fredriksen

Overview

The book takes readers though a series of security and risk discussions based on real-life experiences. While the experience story may not be technical, it will relate specifically to a value or skill critical to being a successful CISO. The core content is organized into ten major chapters, each relating to a "Rule of Information Security" developed through a career of real life experiences. The elements are selected to accelerate the development of CISO skills critical to success. Each segments clearly calls out lessons learned and skills to be developed. The last segment of the book addresses presenting security to senior execs and board members, and provides sample content and materials.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781351999861
Publisher:	CRC Press
Publication date:	03/16/2017
Series:	Security, Audit and Leadership Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Gene Fredriksen, Chief Information Security Officer at PSCU, is responsible for the company’s development of information protection and technology risk programs. Gene has over twenty-five years of information technology experience, with the last twenty focused in information security. In this capacity, he has been heavily involved with all areas of audit and security. Prior to joining PSCU, Gene held the positions of CISO for Tyco International, Principal Consultant for Security and Risk Management Strategies for Burton Group, Vice President of Technology Risk Management and Chief Security Officer for Raymond James Financial and Information Security Manager for American Family Insurance. Gene is a Distinguished Fellow with the Global Institute for Cyber Security and Research, located at the Kennedy Space Center. He is also the Executive Director of the newly formed National Credit Union Information Sharing and Analysis Organization. He was as the Chair of the Security and Risk Assessment Steering Committee for BITS, and served on the R&D committee for the Financial Services Sector Steering Committee of the Department of Homeland Security. Gene is a Distinguished Fellow for the Global Institute for Cyber Security and Research, headquartered at the Kennedy Space Center. Gene is a member of the SC Magazine Editorial Advisory Board and was named one of three finalists for the SC Magazine CISO of the Year Award in 2015. He served as Chair of the St. Petersburg College Information Security Advisory Board and the Howard University Technology Advisory Board. He is a member of multiple advisory boards for universities, organizations, and security product companies. Gene attended the FBI Citizens Academy and maintains a close working relationship with both local and federal law enforcement agencies.

Table of Contents

List of Figures

List of Tables

Prologue

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Author

Section I INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY

1 Introduction: The Journey

2 Learning from History?

3 My First CISO Lesson: The Squirrel

Section II THE RULES AND INDUSTRY DISCUSSION

4 A Weak Foundation Amplifies Risk

5 If a Bad Guy Tricks You into Running His Code on Your Computer, It’s Not Your Computer Anymore

6 There’s Always a Bad Guy Out There Who’s Smarter, More Knowledgeable, or Better-Equipped Than You

7 Know the Enemy, Think Like the Enemy

8 Know the Business, Not Just the Technology

9 Technology Is Only One-Third of Any Solution

10 Every Organization Must Assume Some Risk

11 When Preparation Meets Opportunity, Excellence Happens

12 There Are Only Two Kinds of Organizations: Those That Know They’ve Been Compromised and Those That Don’t Know Yet

13 In Information Security, Just Like in Life, Evolution Is Always Preferable to Extinction

14 A Security Culture Is In Place When Talk Is Replaced with Action

15 NEVER Trust and ALWAYS Verify

Section III SUMMARY

16 My Best Advice for New CISOs

Appendix A: The Written Information Security Plan

Appendix B: Talking to the Board

Appendix C: Establishing an Incident Response Program

Appendix D: Sample High-Level Risk Assessment Methodology

Editorial Reviews

As a CISO, I approached Gene's book with caution. Put two such people in a room and ask them a question, and an argument will inevitably ensue - even if they agree. Therefore, and as you might expect, I found some of Gene's conclusions to differ from mine. But what really stood out to me is how, even as I was having these arguments play out inside my head, I seemed to also be adopting an almost imperceptible yet constant nod. I could not help but enjoy reading his thoughtful analysis of every information security topic that he chooses to tackle, and his ability to tie everything together in an easy-to-understand, clear and logical fashion is highly appreciated and sorely needed in the industry.

Then, as I continued my journey through Gene's carefully laid-out thoughts and explanations, personal experiences, war stories, and insightful advice, it became apparent that this is far more than merely an instructional book into the many aspects of managing information security. Indeed, for anyone who is interested in advancing their career in the field, this book offers countless tools that can be followed to success, in every area. Just the chapter "NEVER trust and ALWAYS verify" is itself worth the price of admission.

Consume it slowly, and give it the attention it deserves, and Gene's book will repay you for it in spades. You may not follow his exact path, but whatever path you take, his guidance will certainly help you forward.

— Barak Engel, CISO and author of Why CISOs Fail: The Missing Link in Security Management—and How to Fix It

From the Publisher