September 14, 2022

What Is (And Isn’t) a CISO with Matthew Lang

by Cyber Ranch

Listen Now

What Is (And Isn’t) a CISO with Matthew Lang

September 14, 2022 Cyber Ranch

00:00:00

Show Notes

Matthew Lang, former CISO at SECU, former CISO of 3D Systems, and former Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy, comes on down to the Ranch to talk about what it really means to be a CISO. Many folks wear the title of CISO, but the role itself is still often considered a confusing mixed bag when talking about what it entails and who should have this role. Matthew walks through what a CISO is, what a CISO isn’t, and where the bridges between the CISO role and other roles in the company should be.

 

Timecoded Guide:

[00:00] Defining what a CISO isn’t in order to discover what a CISO is

[06:45] Finding the bridges between CISO & other company roles  

[12:12] Getting things clear between CISO, COO, CIO, and CEO

[16:20] Understanding a CISO’s peers & meeting with security points of contact

[24:49] What the CISO role should be & solidifying the CISO definition 

 

Sponsor Links:

Thank you to our sponsor Axonius for bringing this episode to life!

Manual asset inventory just doesn't cut it anymore. That's where Axonious comes in. Take control of security complexities by uncovering gaps in your organization. Sign up for a free walk through of the platform at Axonius.com/Get-A-Tour

 

What is the CISO not? 

The role of CISO, or Chief Information Security Officer, is nuanced and occasionally complicated to define. However, in Matthew’s opinion, the things that a CISO absolutely is not is (1) a BISO, or Business Information Security Office, and on the other hand, (2) someone with no experience in information security. The strongest CISOs Matthew has come across know how to combine information security experience with an understanding of business, all while being guided by a desire to protect the company and prevent incidents. 

“The CISO is a preventer of something bad happening at the organization. You can't prevent every breach, it's never going to happen, but if the CISO is involved, he can possibly prevent a merger or acquisition that is not in the best interest of the company.”

 

Who should the CISO be interfacing with as we bridge in and out of that defined role?

To be an effective CISO, Matt believes that you have to build strong relationships with individuals in departments like legal and HR. Referring to them as security points of contact, Matthew explains that keeping in touch with these individuals can give the CISO the full scope of the company. Additionally, Matthew says that a CISO should always be friends with the COO, or Chief Operating Officer, because those roles have essential communication between one another. 

“If your company is large enough to have a chief operating officer, the CISO and the COO should be the best of friends, because they rely on each other more than they realize.”

 

How does the Board of Directors shape and influence what the CISO is and isn't?

The Board of Directors’ involvement with a company’s CISO can be just as nuanced as the CISO role itself. Matt explains that the largest gaps between a CISO and the Board they have to report to are due to either a weak board structure or a misunderstanding of security amongst Board members. In Matthew’s experience, being thorough in security explanations with transparency about topics that members may not know helps to bridge the gap and develop a stronger and more positive relationship between the CISO and Board. 

“I think, personally, CISOs struggle a lot with their presentations to the Board of Directors, because they don't really know what information the Board wants and the Board won't ask them questions.”

 

What should be the role of the CISO?

While a large majority of the conversation in this episode is about what a CISO isn’t, Matthew defines what a CISO is using the words “preventer” and “leader.” A CISO should prevent risky behaviors that are not in the best interest of a company, and they lead the cybersecurity division of a company through establishing security and governance practices. Overall, CISOs help a business to meet goals and go where it wants to go safely and effectively, like a good brake system on a high-end car. 

“There's a lot of different responsibilities a CISO could have, but I'm gonna say the role is cybersecurity leadership. They should be responsible for establishing the right security and governance type practices, and a framework to scale the business.” 

-------------

Links:

Learn more about Matthew Lang’s work with the SECU

Follow Allan Alford on LinkedIn and Twitter

Purchase a Cyber Ranch Podcast T-Shirt at the Hacker Valley Store 

Continue this conversation on our Discord

Listen to more from the Hacker Valley Studio and The Cyber Ranch Podcast

Read more

Recent Episodes

November 29, 2023
by Cyber Ranch

Allan takes the show on the road again, this time at his all-time favorite conference: CISO XC! He asks a unique question of each guest, who represent a great deal of breadth in our industry: Dave Belanger, CISO at Bestow Insurance - What is the most...

November 22, 2023
by Cyber Ranch

Howdy, y'all!  Allan is taking this week off to spend time with family and to give thanks for all the wonderful things in his life - including y'all! For those who don't track it, there is no Cyber Ranch Podcast four times  a year: American Thanksgiv...

November 15, 2023
by Cyber Ranch

Warning, there might be some naughty language in this one! The challenge was issued!!!! Allan teamed up with TWO other podcasts to take on the insufferable marketing that floods the cybersecurity industry in the month of October! Who won??? "Won"? Th...

November 8, 2023
by Cyber Ranch

Howdy, y’all, and welcome to The Cyber Ranch Podcast!  Our guest today is Evan Wolff, partner at Crowell & Moring, and Allan's favorite cyber attorney.  Evan has led and managed 100s of investigations including cybersecurity, data breach, insider...

November 1, 2023
by Cyber Ranch

Howdy, y’all, and welcome to The Cyber Ranch Podcast!  That’s Tim Rohrbaugh, Founder/Principal at DefaultDenySec, former CISO for JetBlue Airways, advisor, investor: yup!  Another Cyber Ranch guest with an awesome history!  Tim and Allan were chattin...

October 25, 2023
by Cyber Ranch

Howdy, y’all, and welcome to The Cyber Ranch Podcast!  We're joined today by Jacqueline (AKA “Jack”) Powell, CISO at Allianz Life and former Deputy CISO at Hanes.  She has also consulted, and has worked at Chevron, General Dynamics, and SACI.  Jack h...

October 18, 2023
by Cyber Ranch

Howdy, y’all, and welcome to The Cyber Ranch Podcast!  That’s Kymberlee Price, strategic security consultant, Black Hat content review board member, former Sr. Director of Product Security at New Relic, former Principal Security Manager at Microsoft ...

October 11, 2023
by Cyber Ranch

Chris Tillett is a well-known figure in our industry.  He is in product management and R&D at Palo Alto Networks.  He is also a great guy, funny, and can wield the snark quite well.  He is the perfect foil for Allan Alford as the two of them take...

September 27, 2023
by Cyber Ranch

Howdy, y’all, and welcome to The Cyber Ranch Podcast!  Joining Allan this week is Ron Nissim, CEO @ Entitle.  Yes, this is one of our rare shows with a vendor as a guest.  Why?  Because in this case, the vendor was more highly informed than any of Al...

September 20, 2023
by Cyber Ranch

Allan is joined by AJ Grotto: William J. Perry International Security Fellow and Founding Director of the Program on Geopolitics, Technology and Governance at Stanford University.  He also serves as the faculty lead for the cyber policy specializatio...