CISO

20 Leaders Who Built the CISO Era: 2 Decades of Change

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Dark Reading’s 20th anniversary special coverage highlights 20 influential figures who shaped the CISO era over the past two decades, showing how cybersecurity evolved from a technical function to a critical business and national security role. The retrospective features pioneers like Steve Katz, the first CISO, and notable figures such as Dan Kaminsky, who uncovered the Great DNS Vulnerability, Marcus Hutchins, the hero who stopped WannaCry ransomware, and Troy Hunt, creator of the Have I Been Pwned? breach database, illustrating their diverse impacts in law, policy, threat intelligence, cybercrime, and device security.

https://www.darkreading.com/cybersecurity-operations/20-leaders-ciso-era-2-decades-change

What It Actually Takes to Build a Security Team That Works

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In March 2026, six security leaders discussed on Reddit the key elements of building effective security teams, emphasizing the importance of fostering a collaborative culture where security is seen as a resource rather than a roadblock. They highlighted strategies such as positioning security as the “department of engagement,” making secure practices easy through platform-based models, hiring thoughtfully with a focus on culture fit, and ensuring smaller teams and vendors build trust through documented processes and demonstrated maturity.

https://cisoseries.com/what-it-actually-takes-to-build-a-security-team-that-works/

The CISO Role Has Always Been Brutal. Here Is What Makes Some Survive It.

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Peter Liebert reflects on the challenging role of the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), emphasizing that cybersecurity risks can be managed through people, processes, and technology but always involve residual risk based on an organization’s risk appetite and resource allocation. He uses a restaurant menu analogy to illustrate how CISOs must offer informed risk options tailored to their leadership’s preferences and priorities, highlighting that ultimate risk decisions rest with business leaders rather than CISOs themselves.

https://www.scworld.com/perspective/the-ciso-role-has-always-been-brutal-here-is-what-makes-some-survive-it

73% of CISOs Unprepared for the Next Big Cyber Attack, Incident Response Readiness Report Reveals

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Sygnia’s 2026 CISO Survey reveals that 73% of senior cybersecurity leaders feel unprepared to effectively execute incident response in the event of a significant cyberattack, despite widespread adoption of formal IR plans. Key challenges include organizational friction, visibility gaps across IT and OT environments, and a rapidly expanding threat landscape driven by AI, underscoring the critical need for improved executive alignment, comprehensive visibility, and strategic integration of AI to enhance cyber readiness.

https://www.sygnia.co/press-release/sygnia-released-ciso-survey-2026/

Businesses Are Paying the Price for CISO Burnout

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Burnout among chief information security officers (CISOs) poses a significant business risk beyond its personal impact, as it leads to high turnover, short tenures, and weakened security leadership continuity. Factors such as expanding job responsibilities, constant threat pressures, limited resources, and lack of enterprise-wide influence contribute to this issue, resulting in reactive security programs, increased costs, and diminished organizational resilience. Experts warn that addressing CISO burnout requires realistic job design, adequate support, authority, and resource allocation to ensure better retention and stronger business outcomes.

https://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Businesses-are-paying-the-price-for-CISO-burnout

How to Be Less Busy and More Effective in Cyber

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The article discusses how cybersecurity professionals often mistake busyness for effectiveness, highlighting a new framework inspired by MITRE ATT&CK that identifies common unproductive patterns like excessive meetings and fragmented attention that degrade performance. Experts emphasize focusing on meaningful outcomes rather than activities, managing work-life boundaries, and regularly assessing tasks and meetings to improve both security posture and personal well-being.

https://cisoseries.com/how-to-be-less-busy-and-more-effective-in-cyber/

CISO’s Perspectives – The 4 Recommendations to Sleep Without a Worry

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Paul Bayle, Group CSO at Atos, discusses key recommendations for CISOs to manage cybersecurity effectively and maintain peace of mind despite evolving threats. Emphasizing the importance of thorough IT system mapping, investing in multiple security technologies, fostering strong governance involving cross-department collaboration, and engaging with expert ecosystems, he highlights the challenges posed by “unknown unknowns” and the need for continuous awareness, training, and management support to mitigate risks across the organization.

https://atos.net/en/lp/cybershield/cisos-perspectives-the-4-recommendations-to-sleep-without-a-worry

CISOs Are Meeting With Board Leaders, but Are They Being Heard?

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CISOs are increasingly meeting with board members to discuss cybersecurity risks, as mandated by the SEC since 2023. While 95% of CISOs regularly update boards, many face time constraints—over half have only 15 to 30 minutes. A report indicates a lack of strong collaboration, with only 30% of boards rating their relationship with CISOs positively. Misunderstanding cyber threats could lead to organizational vulnerabilities, and CISOs risk blame for inadequate risk management. Experts advise on effective communication strategies to ensure boards accurately grasp cybersecurity issues.

https://www.itbrew.com/stories/2026/03/11/cisos-are-meeting-with-board-leaders-but-are-they-being-heard

CISO Conversations: Aimee Cardwell

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A key conversation highlights Aimee Cardwell’s journey from Netscape to her current role as CISO in Residence at Transcend, emphasizing the need for collaboration, low ego, curiosity, and addressing burnout in cybersecurity teams. She advocates for strategic and tactical balance in leadership, continuous learning, and a team-focused approach to problem-solving. Cardwell also notes the challenges in demonstrating successful security efforts and the growing threat of sophisticated AI-generated phishing attacks.

https://www.securityweek.com/ciso-conversations-aimee-cardwell/

What Changes When You’ve Been a CISO More Than Once?

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CISO Series highlights insights from a February 2026 Reddit AMA with seasoned CISOs discussing job transitions, board communication, and vendor relations. Key points include the need for CISOs to translate technical risks into business terms for effective board discussions, the importance of building relationships over sales, and recognizing that while fundamental skills carry over, specific playbooks must adapt to new contexts. A clear distinction between full-time and retained CISO roles was also emphasized, reflecting on the necessity of understanding organizational commitment to cybersecurity outcomes.

https://cisoseries.com/what-changes-when-youve-been-a-ciso-more-than-once/

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