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☆ Chasing after a chief AI officer may be a big mistake, says top tech recruiter
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Susan Caminiti | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

As companies race to deploy artificial intelligence in ways that aim to make them better at operating, hiring, and competing, they're also chasing after top AI talent, including filling the position of chief AI officer. A lot of these companies, Doonan said, "can't really articulate what they want, why they want it, and what are the outcomes that they're looking for." "All I could think is that you could change the word 'cowbell' to 'AI,'" Doonan said. Without that understanding, Doonan said companies are going to hire "somebody really senior and they're going to be doing [data] clean-up for the next two years. Of course, that hasn't stopped companies from wanting to add a chief AI officer to their ranks.

Persons: they're, Mike Doonan, Doonan, CNBC's, Jon Fortt, Christopher Walken, that's, hasn't, LinkedIn's, I've Organizations: CNBC Technology, Alteryx's Enterprise

☆ The Cybersecurity Lawsuit That Boards Are Talking About
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Sarah Kessler | More About Sarah Kessler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Most experts agree that, regardless of the lawsuit’s outcome, it could affect how companies handle cybersecurity risks. In July, the agency adopted new cybersecurity disclosure requirements set to take effect in December. They require companies to report material attacks within four days and to make yearly disclosures about their cybersecurity risk management, strategy and governance. In a June speech, the S.E.C.’s enforcement director, Gurbir Grewal, said it had “zero tolerance for gamesmanship” around cybersecurity disclosures. No CISO can now risk basically painting an unrealistically positive picture of cybersecurity.”

Persons: Gurbir Grewal, ” Wolff, ‘, Ramakrishna, it’ll, ”, Jake Williams, CISOs Organizations: cybersecurity

☆ Companies want to spend more on AI to defeat hackers, but there's a catch
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Rachel Curry | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

And there is risk that as AI speeds the development of software, new iterations will roll out so quickly that flaws may be missed. Less panic, more preparednessExperts view cloud migrations and AI as the two biggest threats to an organization's cybersecurity right now. "Every company is going to have to be concerned about how well they're protecting their assets and information as they move to the cloud," Casey said. Casey also recognizes that developers are creating software faster with AI. "If we're developing software faster, we're introducing vulnerabilities faster.

Persons: Mike Scott, CISO, Scott, Andrew Casey, Casey, I've, that's, CISOs, they've Organizations: IBM, Benz, ADP

☆ How AI and better pay can address the ongoing cyber talent shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Bob Violino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Nearly all of them said the cybersecurity skills shortage and its associated impacts have not improved over the past few years and 54% said it has gotten worse. The cybersecurity skills shortage has been going on for years, and it's getting worse, with a rising number of firms citing the issue. Artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, might play a growing role in easing the skills shortage. Let's say an organization has an inexperienced member of its cyber team, which is a common scenario, Shockey said. In other words, you can treat generative AI as a virtual member of the cyber team."

Persons: Jon Oltsik, ESG, Oltsik, Candy Alexander, ISSA, Alexander, Jason Shockey, Shockey, there's Organizations: IT, Enterprise Strategy, Information Systems Security Association, ISSA International, NeuEon LLC, West

But the amount of cybersecurity expertise on boards remains relatively low, at a time when boards are under increased scrutiny for security failings. In responses to that survey from 472 corporate board directors, 76% said their board had at least one cybersecurity expert, including 19% who said their board had at least three directors with cybersecurity expertise. The other 25 directors’ experience comes from either having held a senior government role in cybersecurity or from having led and/or founded a cybersecurity company. Whatever a board’s composition, most directors aren’t very confident in their board’s ability to handle a cybersecurity incident. Cybersecurity company leader: Nineteen directors have founded and / or led cybersecurity or data security companies.

Persons: Jamil Farshchi, don’t, ”, ’, Shamla Naidoo, Netskope, Naidoo, ” Naidoo, aren’t, Shankar Arumugavelu, Nir Zuk, Zuk Organizations: WSJ Pro Research, Securities and Exchange, Pro Research, National Association of Corporate, Business Machines, WSJ, Seagate Technology Holdings, Verizon, Palo Alto Networks, Juniper Networks Locations: cybersecurity, FactSet

☆ The generative A.I. battle between companies and hackers is starting
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Susan Caminiti | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

More and more individuals have the capabilities of hackers, using things like ransomware-as-a-service and AI, and for CISOs and other cyber leaders, the rapid adoption of generative AI "changes the threat landscape tremendously," he said. For example, the use of generative AI has made phishing attacks easier and more authentic looking. With generative AI, a non-English-speaking bad actor can instantly and nearly flawlessly translate an email into any language, making it harder for employees to spot the fakes. In fact, using AI to amplify speed and scale in cybersecurity is among the biggest benefits experts see coming in the near term. I think over the next year, cyber leaders are going to figure out where AI is really useful and where it's not."

Persons: Joe Biden, Collin R, Walke, Hall Estill's, Stephen Boyer, " Boyer, Michael McNerney, OpenAI, McNerney, it's Organizations: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Resilience, Valley's Locations: cybersecurity

☆ A critical cybersecurity backup plan that too many companies are ignoring
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Bob Violino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Approximately 41% of companies do not have a succession plan for their CISO, according to a report from executive recruiting firm Heidrick & Struggles. "We consider not having a CISO succession plan to be a serious material risk that companies can easily mitigate," said Matt Aiello, partner and global cybersecurity practice leader at Heidrick & Struggles. "The lack of a successor could disrupt business-as-usual cybersecurity operations, resulting in delays, gaps in critical cyber risk management activities, and hindered cyber incident response and decision-making," Soo said. "Lack of proper succession planning could result in disruption throughout an organization," he said. CISO succession planning should also involve anticipating future security requirements by considering the evolving nature of the business and technology landscape.

Persons: CISOs, Matt Aiello, Aiello, " Aiello, Daniel Soo, Soo Organizations: Istock, Getty, Companies, Deloitte

☆ Aura Sells Cybersecurity to Regular People
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Kim S. Nash | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Hari Ravichandran, chief executive of Aura, wants families—from children to their grandparents—to take charge of their personal cybersecurity. Ravichandran spoke with WSJ Pro about Aura’s challenges, and how it uses artificial intelligence to make cybersecurity invisible. With cybersecurity, people don’t think about a lot of the basic views from which your data can get exploited. In a grandparent scam, for example, somebody calls pretending to be your grandson or a granddaughter saying, “Hey, I’ve been kidnapped. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Cybersecurity news, analysis and insights from WSJ's global team of reporters and editors.

Persons: Hari Ravichandran, Aura, —, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Robert Downey Jr, Ravichandran, Jack Plunkett, it’s, “, I’ve, Kim S, Nash Organizations: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hollywood, DreamWorks, Southwest Locations: kim.nash

☆ Cybersecurity experts have become targets for board seats
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Bob Violino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The research also showed that 90% of public companies lack even one qualified cyber expert, showing a significant cyber board supply-demand gap. A recently released report on CISO board readiness conducted by IANS Research in collaboration with Artico Search and The CAP Group, found that less than half of the CISOs stand out as board candidates. So, what skills do CISOs need — aside from cybersecurity expertise — to be considered credible board members? CISOs also need to understand risk to speak to a board. In addition, CISOs must understand business risk.

Persons: Kakolowski, Nick Kakolowski, Steffen, Chris Steffen, Larry Whiteside, CISO, Ember, Whiteside, CISOs Organizations: IANS Research, CAP Group, Enterprise Management Associates, Cloud Security Alliance, University of South Locations: RegScale, University of South Florida

☆ A.I. is helping hackers make better phishing emails
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Bob Violino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"Historically, phishing emails have been somewhat easy to spot thanks to sloppy drafting," Finch said. "In particular, phishing emails created by a hacker unfamiliar with a certain language [have] tended to be easy to spot due to poor grammar, illogical vocabulary, and bad spelling." But AI allows many more people — regardless of their language skills — to quickly and cheaply generate convincing text for use in phishing emails, Finch said. Here are three steps cybersecurity leaders can take to strengthen their organizations' cybersecurity programs in the age of AI. The framework should include risk indicators, the AI ecosystem and regulations, and should "address the unique security considerations associated with AI within their organizations, and reducing their AI security risk," he said.

Persons: Chino, —, Brian Finch, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, Finch, Kyle Kappel, Kappel, CISOs Organizations: KPMG

☆ The big cybersecurity risks when ChatGPT and AI are secretly used by employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Mikaela Cohen | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Soaring investment from big tech companies in artificial intelligence and chatbots — amid massive layoffs and a growth decline — has left many chief information security officers in a whirlwind. But not every company has its own GPT, so companies need to monitor how workers use this technology. PCs were similar, so we're seeing the equivalent now with generative AI." "If you're a corporation, you don't want your employees prompting a publicly available chatbot with confidential information," Chui said. Protection of confidential information, regulation of where the information gets stored, and guidelines for how employees can use the software — all are standard procedure when companies license software, AI or not.

☆ Cybersecurity Workers Demand Higher Salaries
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Catherine Stupp | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Cybersecurity chiefs are struggling to find employees they can afford, as sought-after job seekers ask for higher salaries. Challenging economic conditions have added a new layer of difficulty for companies around the world that have grappled with a growing shortage of cybersecurity workers. Multinationals including McDonald’s Corp. are seeking more cybersecurity job applicants, including people from nontraditional backgrounds, by removing cyber certifications and degree requirements from many job listings. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Cybersecurity news, analysis and insights from WSJ's global team of reporters and editors. In Europe, with companies competing for a small pool of cybersecurity workers, job seekers are looking for flexible work conditions in addition to higher salaries.

☆ CIOs Build New Bonds With CISOs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Belle Lin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

As cybersecurity attacks directed at enterprises continue to evolve, some corporate technology leaders are elevating the roles of their chief information security officers and stressing the importance of directly communicating to their boards of directors how cybersecurity risk can impact their business. “I was trying to think, how do we get cybersecurity at the head of the train,” said Wendy Pfeiffer , chief information officer of cloud-software firm Nutanix Inc. She and other technology leaders spoke Tuesday at The Wall Street Journal’s CIO Network Summit in Palo Alto, Calif.

☆ More automation, not just additional tech talent, is what is needed to stay ahead of cybersecurity risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Susan Caminiti | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Further, 93% of the CISOs surveyed believe they are spending too much time on tactical tasks instead of performing strategic, high-value work and management responsibilities. Among the CISOs surveyed, 100% said they needed additional resources to adequately cope with current IT security challenges. But there are solutions — and it's not just finding more talent, says George Tubin, director of product marketing at Cynet. All these people are my partners and working with them enables us to stay ahead of risks." "It's not that CISOs don't realize the job comes with a certain amount of stress," Tubin says.

☆ How cybersecurity executives make the case for continued tech investments in a tough economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Bob Violino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Cybersecurity executives have enjoyed a nice run of receiving the financial resources they need to keep their organizations protected against attacks. But given the current economic uncertainty, many will likely need to rethink their approach to investments in tools and services. "Cybersecurity is not immune to economic pressures and uncertainty," said Daniel Soo, risk and financial advisory principal in cyber and strategic risk at Deloitte. When prioritizing security investments, security leaders should continue to invest in security controls and solutions that protect the organization's customer-facing and revenue-generating workloads, Maxim said. They should continue to defend any investments that support the organization's modernization efforts with cloud and its evolution to zero trust security, he said.

☆ Cyber Startup Snyk Raises $25 Million From ServiceNow
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Belle Lin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Cybersecurity company Snyk Ltd. announced on Tuesday a $25 million investment from enterprise software maker ServiceNow Inc. The Boston-based startup also announced an integration with ServiceNow that aims to provide cybersecurity and information-technology executives a view of potential security vulnerabilities originating from open-source code. “Security is a team issue that requires developers, security and IT professionals to work together,” Mr. Bedi said. “Vendors are starting to talk with each other more often and being able to exchange data,” Mr. Horvath said. The eight-year-old startup cut 14% of its workforce last year and now has over 1,000 employees, according to Mr. McKay.

☆ Cloudflare Takes Aim at a Top Security Threat: Your Inbox
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Belle Lin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Cloud-infrastructure company Cloudflare Inc. announced Wednesday new email security capabilities aimed at helping businesses defend against phishing, malware and other cyberattacks commonly targeting corporate email accounts. It provides web performance, cybersecurity and other services to millions of customers, of which more than 156,000 pay for its services. Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare Photo: Cloudflare Inc.Chief Executive Matthew Prince said the new security functions are also in response to an increase in ransomware and other sophisticated cyberattacks, some of which are perpetrated by relatively unsophisticated hackers. Prince said, referring to the growth of so-called “ransomware-as-a-service,” where ransomware operators provide malware programs to affiliates to launch attacks. Prince said Cloudflare, which was itself a customer of Area 1 before pursuing an acquisition, has more closely integrated its existing cybersecurity services with Area 1’s email security platform.

☆ Cyber Chiefs Face Scrutiny and Challenges in 2023’s Uncertain Economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( James Rundle | Catherine Stupp | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

That leaves security teams, in real terms, working with fewer resources, Ms. Huth said. Inflation is pushing wage demands higher and the scarcity of cyber professionals—particularly within highly technical industries such as power—means security staff are in demand, Mr. Bojar said. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Cybersecurity news, analysis and insights from WSJ's global team of reporters and editors. Cyber staffs will need to vet third-party services while installing safeguards against new avenues hackers could exploit, Kohler’s Ms. Huth said. Retail giant Amazon.com Inc. hopes to grow its security team, said Chief Security Officer Stephen Schmidt, despite a company-wide hiring freeze and layoffs for up to 10,000 workers elsewhere in the company.

☆ Corporate Tech Leaders Untangle Their Cybersecurity Roles
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Belle Lin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Information technology and cybersecurity chiefs grew closer than ever in 2022, a dynamic allowing for more comprehensive threat mitigation, but raising new questions over responsibilities. About 50% of the company’s threat planning simulations, in which IT plays an active role, involve ransomware scenarios, according to Ms. Smart. Ms. Allison is retiring at the end of the year, the company said, and will be succeeded by Gary Harbison. Photo: Adobe Inc.Prasad Ramakrishnan, the CIO and former CISO of software maker Freshworks Inc., said IT and security have shared roles in evaluating the cybersecurity resiliency of corporate software purchases. And in securing a hybrid work environment, his joint cybersecurity and IT roles included adding a new cybersecurity layer on top of cloud-based software on company laptops.

☆ How CISOs Can Wield More Power in Organizations
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Anthony Vance | Michelle Lowry | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Many chief information security officers, or CISOs, seem to be struggling with the same dilemma: They get no respect. They may have the word “chief” in their title, and play a critical role in the security of companies in an increasingly digital economy, but they generally aren’t considered peers of the board or C-suite. As a result, they are often excluded from strategic decision-making.

☆ Balbix: 2022 Top Startups for the Enterprise
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Balbix uses AI and automation to reinvent how leading organizations reduce their cyber risk, an issue that's getting more complex every year. Embracing a business model referred to as cyber posture automation, the goal is to quantify the risks of hacking to organizations and move the cyber defense decision-making across the entire C-suite rather than focused solely on CISOs. Instead, CISOs need to facilitate the quantification of cyber risk in business terms and help drive the rest of the leadership team towards speedy cyber risk remediation/mitigation efforts before a breach even happens." To date, the company has raised $101.6 million over three rounds, with the most recent being $70 million in March. Investors include Alter Venture Partners, Redline Capital, Third Point Ventures, and Nautilus Venture Partners.

☆ Here's how we chose the companies on CNBC's first-ever Top Startups for the Enterprise list
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( David Spiegel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Over the course of CNBC's ongoing conversations with the members of the TEC, an idea for a new list emerged. It would be a list of enterprise-focused, technology-driven startups powering digital transformation, attracting strategic investments and potentially drawing acquisition interest. And so, we present this first annual list of Top Startups for the Enterprise , powered by the members of the CNBC Technology Executive Council. CNBC reached out to companies from that list of nominees that self-identified as "enterprise" or "B2B" and asked them to opt in to being considered for a new list of startups for the enterprise. In addition to those companies, TEC members were given the opportunity to nominate new companies for the list via an anonymous survey.

☆ Heightened Cyber Threat Brings CIOs, CISOs Closer
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-30 | by ( Isabelle Bousquette | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

In a year of high-profile cyberattacks, chief information officers say cybersecurity has sprinted up their agenda and got them working more closely than ever with chief information security officers. Her goal is to foster a culture of cyber preparedness across the company, including ensuring staff are educated about risks. Noelle Eder, chief information officer at Cigna. While compensation is growing for both the CIO and CISO roles, Mr. Stephenson said it is growing faster for CISOs. “We really need to be working together to think about ways we can better secure information,” Mr. Vidoni said.

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