Dynamic cybersecurity panel: Protecting businesses in an era of constant change

Cybercrime remains a top global concern and an evolving challenge for leaders and companies across multiple industries. This session, led by top experts in the field, will explore the latest cyber threats and best practices for IT professionals.

Watch the full session to gain crucial insights into the evolving landscape of cyber threats and learn how to develop a resilient cybersecurity strategy.

Key trends and cybersecurity threats

Anticipating trends in the cyber threat landscape, Wiz’s Ryan Kazanciyan sounded the alarm about balancing agility with protection. Kazanciyan is keenly aware of the increasing ease and speed of deploying cloud services, which comes with its own set of security challenges.

Rachel Wilson echoed the concerns raised by her peers, especially the proliferation of AI making cyber attacks more accessible. She reached out to Kazanciyan for his views on cloud-based trends, signaling a shared belief in the necessity of keeping abreast of the rapidly changing cloud space.

Lastly, Microsoft’s Itzik Tzalaf highlighted increasing trends toward nation-state-sponsored attacks, generative AI, supply chain attacks, and the exponential growth of cloud adoption. The rise of ‘influence operations’, where threat actors seek to target and influence specific audiences was a particular point of emphasis.

The human factor and skill gap

Oren Elimelech underscored that technology is only part of the equation; in tandem, ongoing user and practitioner education is a must.

Kazanciyan agreed, noting his observation that organizations often rely overly on user awareness, which can be easily misplaced and avoidable. He is an advocate of deploying tools like FIDO 2 authentication to aid employees and to prevent attacks such as credential phishing.

Elimelech and Tzalaf both underlined the importance of investing in the human factor in cybersecurity; Tzalaf specifically mentioned wellness training, attack simulation, and fast event containment are vital elements. Both speakers also advocated for getting senior leadership involved in cyber exercises and decision-making.

Wilson and Kazanciyan chimed in with their thoughts, stating that it was their responsibility to make doing the right thing easy, and the wrong thing hard.

AI and the relationship between CSO and Board

Ryan Kazanciyan discussed AI’s role in cybersecurity, disabusing attendees of the hype surrounding AI technologies. While acknowledging the potential for AI-enabled attacks to result in a mass proliferation of attacks, he highlighted the risk of businesses experimenting with AI services, which could leave new data pipelines and stores vulnerable to breaches.

Wilson agreed with Kazanciyan, emphasizing the importance of embracing third-party services whilst ensuring there are firm security measures in place.

Tzalaf added that generative AI holds the potential to change the dynamics between attackers and defenders, providing advanced capabilities for threat detection and response.

Kazanciyan also advised CSOs to focus on presenting actionable requests to the board and highlighted the need for a strong relationship between the CSO and the board of directors.

Tzalaf ended the session by emphasizing the collective responsibility vendors and customers share in managing risks, emphasizing that cybersecurity is a shared responsibility.

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