Play the Ridgeback Network Defense cyber resilience games and put your skills to the test. See how you measure up and learn more about building a stronger defense at https://www.ridgebacknet.com.

In contested cyberspace, leaders rarely get the certainty they want before they have to make decisions that could determine whether the business keeps operating.

On this episode of Commanding Cyber, Scott Fogarty is joined by Bryce Austin, CSP, CISM, CEO of TCE Strategy, for a leadership conversation shaped by real incidents and real business consequences.

Bryce has worked through ransomware attacks, multimillion-dollar wire fraud, website and domain takeovers, and the organizational fallout that follows when critical systems become unavailable.

Drawing from a ransomware incident that left one company without its ERP system for three weeks, Scott and Bryce will examine what effective incident leadership looks like when normal operations stop.

They will discuss how executives can preserve operational resilience, make decisions under intense uncertainty, and translate technical information into an honest picture of business risk.

Commanding Cyber brings you Leadership Conversations for Contested Cyberspace, focused on the decisions leaders must make before, during, and after disruption.

Connect with Bryce Austin

• Bryce's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryceaustin/
• TCE Strategy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tcestrategy/
• TCE Strategy Website: https://bryceaustin.com

Connect with Ridgeback Network Defense

• Scott Fogarty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-c-fogarty/
• Ridgeback Network Defense on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ridgeback-network-defense/
• Website: https://www.ridgebacknet.com

About Commanding Cyber

Cybersecurity isn't just an IT problem—it's a leadership problem. Hosted by Scott Fogarty, Commanding Cyber examines the decisions, strategies, and responsibilities that shape how organizations manage cyber risk. Scott brings technical experts, business leaders, military professionals, regulators, and cybersecurity practitioners together to explore what happens when technology, leadership, compliance, and real-world threats collide. From emerging threats like AI to questions of accountability, governance, and preparedness, the show tackles the issues leaders need to understand before a crisis occurs. Because a cyberattack doesn't target a department—it targets an organization.

Visit Ridgeback Network Defense to learn more about how its approach to cybersecurity helps organizations think differently about resilience, risk, and defense in a rapidly changing threat environment: https://www.ridgebacknet.com

On this episode of Commanding Cyber, Scott Fogarty talks with Trevor Horwitz, CISO and Founder of TrustNet, about what it really means to build a resilient organization in an increasingly automated threat environment. They explore the gap between cybersecurity compliance and actual security, why traditional assurance frameworks may struggle to account for AI-enabled attacks, and how organizations can better connect business risk with technical security decisions. Trevor also shares his perspective on risk assessment, security testing, cyber insurance, and the importance of helping business leaders understand cybersecurity well enough to make informed decisions.

What We Discussed

• Why compliance does not equal security, and why meeting an assurance framework should be viewed as a baseline rather than the end goal.
• The growing challenge of AI-enabled attacks, including how automation can reduce the cost of attacks while increasing their speed, scale, and scope.
• Why cybersecurity decisions should begin with a business-focused risk assessment that identifies potential threat vectors and their consequences.
• The communication gap between technical security teams and the C-suite, and why organizations benefit from a top-down approach that translates business risk into technical requirements.
• How cyber insurance is evolving as insurers become more sophisticated in evaluating security practices, controls, people, processes, and technology.
• Why organizations need to think about cybersecurity as part of a broader interconnected ecosystem, where the compromise of one service provider can create consequences for customers and other organizations.

Connect with Trevor Horwitz

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevorhorwitz/

• TrustNet on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trustnet-inc/

• TrustNet: https://trustnetinc.com

About Trevor Horwitz

Trevor Horwitz is the CISO and Founder of TrustNet, a cybersecurity company focused on assurance services, security testing, risk assessments, and helping organizations understand and manage their security requirements. Trevor has spent roughly three decades working across cybersecurity, consulting, and entrepreneurial ventures, serving organizations ranging from early-stage companies to large enterprises.

Connect with Ridgeback Network Defense

• Scott Fogarty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-c-fogarty/
• Ridgeback Network Defense on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ridgeback-network-defense/
• Website: https://www.ridgebacknet.com

About Commanding Cyber

Cybersecurity isn't just an IT problem—it's a leadership problem. Hosted by Scott Fogarty, Commanding Cyber examines the decisions, strategies, and responsibilities that shape how organizations manage cyber risk. Scott brings technical experts, business leaders, military professionals, regulators, and cybersecurity practitioners together to explore what happens when technology, leadership, compliance, and real-world threats collide. From emerging threats like AI to questions of accountability, governance, and preparedness, the show tackles the issues leaders need to understand before a crisis occurs. Because a cyberattack doesn't target a department—it targets an organization.

Cyber risk is a business risk, and understanding the difference can change how organizations prepare for the threats they face. Visit Ridgeback Network Defense to learn more about the company’s approach to cybersecurity and protecting organizations in contested cyberspace. https://www.ridgebacknet.com

Episode Summary

In this episode of Commanding Cyber, we speak with Terrence McGraw, CEO of Cape Endeavors, about what it takes for business leaders to understand and manage cyber risk when the consequences are real. Drawing on nearly three decades in the U.S. Army, experience in cyber operations and incident response, and his work in the private sector, Terrence offers a perspective that connects cybersecurity to business risk, mission impact, and organizational decision-making. We explore the challenges facing the defense industrial base, the role of compliance and CMMC, and how AI is changing the speed and complexity of cyber threats. The conversation also examines how boards and executives can use tabletop exercises and better risk metrics to make more informed cybersecurity decisions.

What We Discussed

• Why cybersecurity leaders need to translate technical issues into business risk that CEOs and boards can understand and act upon.
• How Terrence’s military experience shaped his view of cyberspace as a contested environment and influenced his approach to cybersecurity in the private sector.
• The challenges facing the defense industrial base, particularly smaller organizations dealing with cybersecurity requirements, NIST standards, and CMMC.
• Why compliance should be viewed as a foundation of cybersecurity best practices rather than simply an administrative burden.
• How AI is lowering the barriers to cybercrime and espionage while also introducing new challenges around data provenance, data exfiltration, and vulnerabilities.
• How executive teams and boards can use business-focused tabletop exercises to identify critical systems, understand pain thresholds, and prepare for existential cyber risks.

Connect with Terrence McGraw

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-mcgraw-/ 
• Company Website: https://www.capeendeavors.com

Connect with Ridgeback Network Defense

• Scott Fogarty on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-c-fogarty/⁠
• Ridgeback Network Defense on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/ridgeback-network-defense/⁠
• Website: ⁠https://www.ridgebacknet.com⁠

About Commanding Cyber

Cybersecurity isn't just an IT problem, it's a leadership problem. Hosted by Scott Fogarty, Commanding Cyber examines the decisions, strategies, and responsibilities that shape how organizations manage cyber risk. Scott brings technical experts, business leaders, military professionals, regulators, and cybersecurity practitioners together to explore what happens when technology, leadership, compliance, and real-world threats collide. From emerging threats like AI to questions of accountability, governance, and preparedness, the show tackles the issues leaders need to understand before a crisis occurs. Because a cyberattack doesn't target a department, it targets an organization.

Learn more about Ridgeback Network Defense and their approach to cybersecurity, resilience, and protecting organizations from evolving threats at https://www.ridgebacknet.com

In the inaugural episode of Commanding Cyber, host Scott Fogarty sits down with Otuweze Baiye, CEO of Black Knight Risk Management, to explore why cybersecurity needs to be treated as an organizational and leadership responsibility rather than simply an IT function. Otuweze shares how his experience as a West Point graduate, U.S. Army missile defense officer, and cybersecurity bank examiner shaped his approach to digital risk and compliance. Scott and Otuweze discuss the limitations of compliance, the growing role of AI as both a defensive tool and an attack multiplier, and why organizations need to connect technology decisions to actual business use cases. They also examine the divide between IT and cybersecurity and the importance of getting leadership, security, finance, HR, legal, and other stakeholders working toward a shared goal. Ultimately, the conversation makes the case that effective cybersecurity requires communication, accountability, and leadership across the entire organization.

In This Episode

• Why a cyberattack should be viewed as an attack on the entire organization, not just an IT department
• How compliance can establish accountability and processes, but cannot by itself prevent a cyberattack
• Why AI is a force multiplier for both cybersecurity teams and adversaries
• The importance of connecting technology and AI adoption to real business use cases instead of chasing the latest tools
• Why IT, cybersecurity, and business leaders need to work together around a shared organizational mission

Connect with Otuoze Baiye

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/otuozebaiye/
• Black Knight Risk Management on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/black-knight-risk-management-llc/
• Website: https://blackknightrm.com

Connect with Ridgeback Network Defense

• Scott Fogarty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-c-fogarty/
• Ridgeback Network Defense on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ridgeback-network-defense/
• Website: https://www.ridgebacknet.com

About Commanding Cyber

Cybersecurity isn't just an IT problem, it's a leadership problem. Hosted by Scott Fogarty, Commanding Cyber examines the decisions, strategies, and responsibilities that shape how organizations manage cyber risk. Scott brings technical experts, business leaders, military professionals, regulators, and cybersecurity practitioners together to explore what happens when technology, leadership, compliance, and real-world threats collide. From emerging threats like AI to questions of accountability, governance, and preparedness, the show tackles the issues leaders need to understand before a crisis occurs. Because a cyberattack doesn't target a department, it targets an organization.