A few weeks ago, my wife asked me why stopping threat actors from impacting our lives is so difficult. In this digital age, the necessity to connect online brings inherent exposure to vulnerabilities. The challenge for you as a security leader lies in reducing the sense of vulnerability by building trust. You need to protect your organization and reassure employees so they can perform their jobs without fear.
Whether you are a chief information security officer (CISO) with the best security solutions available or an identity and access management (IAM) leader with just enough security practices, the effectiveness of any security program is limited without the trust of the organization’s stakeholders. Trust is the cornerstone for achieving higher security maturity.
Take, for example, the credit card anti-fraud teams that call to verify suspicious purchases. Regardless of the explanation, customers feel protected when anti-fraud teams contact them and continue to trust and use their cards. Similarly, security leaders must cultivate the trust of stakeholders and end users to reduce their sense of cyber vulnerability and foster digital progress.
Cultivating Trust: Leadership Principles in Action
In a digital era marked by increasing connectivity and threats, CISOs’ and other security decision-makers’ roles have evolved beyond implementing security technologies to building fundamental trust within their organizations. According to the CyberArk 2024 Identity Security Threat Landscape Report, 93% of organizations have experienced identity-related security breaches in the past year, underscoring the trust in the organization’s security program.
In addition to the right level of privilege controls, intelligently applied, you can help improve your organization’s identity-focused security by embracing the principles of authenticity, logic and empathy. These foundational elements, inspired by insights from the Harvard Business Review, are crucial for building a resilient trust framework. By embracing these principles, you can present identity security as more than a technical solution. Instead, it becomes a strategic narrative that strengthens trust with stakeholders and users, ensuring comprehensive protection for all business operations.
Leadership in cybersecurity goes beyond managing security practices and incorporates human skills that build trust, anticipate risks and assure user-centric security. A leader’s job is to conduct the organization’s mindset when dealing with cybersecurity. With that in mind, the abovementioned three principles will help develop credibility, make educated decisions, and connect security processes with user needs.
Let’s explore the three principles that help in building trust in your cybersecurity program:
1. Authenticity: Building Credibility Through Consistent Behavior
Authenticity in cybersecurity leadership means acting as your organization’s genuine protector and strategic advisor. It involves transparent communication about the security posture, proactive sharing of risks and defenses and a visible commitment to the organization’s best interests. Authentic leaders build credibility and trust, which are essential for effective leadership in times of crisis.
2. Logic: Making Informed Decisions
Logical decision-making is crucial in cybersecurity. This principle involves data and analytics to understand threats and plan effective countermeasures. It would be best if you validated your strategies through evidence, enhancing your authority to earn the trust of stakeholders in the decisions you make to prioritize security initiatives. For Instance, cyberthreat intelligence provides valuable insights into imminent threats, attack patterns and vulnerabilities, equipping you to make informed decisions based on the world context around the organization. This way, you can ensure that your strategy is proactive, relevant and risk-based in addressing a never-ending evolution of the threat landscape.
3. Empathy: Aligning Security with User Needs
Empathy in leadership involves recognizing and addressing user concerns about security measures. As an empathetic leader, you should ensure that security protocols do not overburden users and that these measures align with the everyday experiences and expectations of those they aim to protect. This approach promotes user engagement and compliance, which are integral to a successful security strategy.
Securing Identity: Authentic, Logical, Empathetic Trust Building
Now that I’ve laid out these leadership principles, weaving them into everyday practice is necessary. For example, identity security can effectively help the perception that our digital environment is safeguarded by ensuring that online transactions qualify users’ access through strong authentication methods and that their sessions are monitored continuously (Zero Trust). Finally, as important as the technology and processes is the need to understand the user’s need to promote the right level of security without interfering in their daily work.
Perception is as crucial as reality when it comes to honesty – it’s vital to be truthful and recognized as such. In other words, our stakeholders and end users should clearly understand why certain controls are necessary and how data is secured to make it easier for users to accept and follow the designed security practices. For instance, strong identity security is critical for defending against unwanted access and ensuring that only legitimate individuals may access sensitive data and systems. Techniques such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), biometric verification and behavioral analytics are essential components of a solid identity security strategy that you should incorporate into your plan to develop and maintain trust.
Fostering Confidence with Proactive Security: The Zero Trust Paradigm
Building trust through Zero Trust may seem contradictory at first. However, in essence, a Zero Trust strategy advocates giving the appropriate amount of trust for the right task at the right time. It eliminates implicit trust and implements security measures to prevent privilege abuse and security breaches.
Adopting a Zero Trust approach means assuming that no entity inside or outside the infrastructure is inherently trusted. This approach complements the principles of:
- Authenticity – by enforcing consistent verification, showcasing a transparent security commitment.
- Logic – by systematically applying strict access controls based on continuous assessment of risks and behaviors.
- Empathy – by ensuring security measures do not impede user productivity or experience.
Empowering Leaders: Advancing Zero Trust with Identity Security
Anyone who follows a leader follows because they have faith in their ability to make the best decisions for them. Using Zero Trust, the defensible strategy is to initiate through identity security, which is the center of the “trust but always verify” approach.
Enhancing Authenticity Through Biometrics and MFA
Biometric authentication and MFA strengthen authenticity by proving the organization’s dedication to protecting identity at every access point. These technologies make the security process visible and understandable to users, enhancing trust in the measures implemented.
Supporting Logical Decision-Making with AI and Analytics
Artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics can assess risks in real time and adjust security measures dynamically. This technology application supports logical leadership by making more efficient and effective data-driven decisions, showcasing a commitment to sophisticated, reasoned security practices.
Empathy through User-Centric Security Designs
Security designs that consider user convenience, such as adaptive authentication methods that adjust security based on behavior and risk, show empathy. These designs reflect that the organization values user experience alongside security, fostering trust and cooperation from users.
Building Trust: Leadership and Zero Trust Synergy in Identity Security
Returning to my wife’s original question about stopping threat actors, the answer is that we need to be cautious online and promote a security culture that doesn’t get in the way of living our lives the way we want. It also exists in cyberspace. To achieve our goal, we must cultivate a risk-tolerant mindset that will empower us to make prudent, risk-aware decisions.
In today’s complex cybersecurity landscape, a security leader’s effectiveness centers not just on the security technologies you deploy but significantly on the trust you build. By adhering to authenticity, logic and empathy and integrating sophisticated identity security measures within a Zero Trust framework, you can ensure your organization is protected and trusted by all stakeholders.
Claudio Neiva is CyberArk’s Security Strategic Advisor, Director (LATAM).
