Across dozens of conversations centered on the CISO experience, one reality keeps surfacing: the role no longer exists to protect systems in isolation. It exists to protect the business itself.

Today’s CISO operates at the intersection of operational risk, executive decision-making, and organizational trust. The responsibility is not just to identify threats, but to help leadership understand which risks matter, when they matter, and why they deserve attention. This shift changes what success looks like. It also changes how pressure is felt.

During the early years of this transition, CISOs carry accountability without authority. They are expected to influence outcomes without always having control over budgets, priorities, or timelines. That tension forces a new skill set to the forefront. Technical knowledge is assumed. The differentiator becomes communication, translation, and relationship-building across the business.

As organizations mature, the conversation evolves again. Security stops being framed around individual threats and starts being framed as an operational discipline. CISOs focus on prioritization, tradeoffs, and clarity rather than coverage for everything. This requires judgment more than tooling.

The role also becomes deeply human. Fear shows up quietly. Fear of pushing too hard. Fear of slowing the business. Fear of being seen as the blocker. CISOs who succeed do not eliminate that fear. They learn how to manage it while building credibility with executive peers.

AI enters the picture not as a replacement, but as a force multiplier. Automation supports scale, but judgment remains human. Security programs increasingly deny by default and permit intentionally, which demands a deep understanding of how the business actually works. That understanding cannot be automated.

What emerges is a clearer definition of modern security leadership. The CISO is no longer a gatekeeper. This is a risk advisor, a translator, and a strategist who helps the organization focus its limited resources where they matter most.

The role has not become easier. It has become more meaningful.

Read the full article: TBA

________

This story represents the results of an interactive collaboration between Human Cognition and Artificial Intelligence.

Enjoy, think, share with others, and subscribe to "The Future of Cybersecurity" newsletter on LinkedIn: https://itspm.ag/future-of-cybersecurity

Sincerely, Sean Martin and TAPE9

________

Sean Martin is a life-long musician and the host of the Music Evolves Podcast; a career technologist, cybersecurity professional, and host of the Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast; and is also the co-host of the On Location Event Coverage Podcast. These shows are all part of ITSPmagazine—which he co-founded with his good friend Marco Ciappelli, to explore and discuss topics at The Intersection of Technology, Cybersecurity, and Society.™️

Would you like Sean to work with you on a topic/series to help you tell your story? Visit his services page to learn more: https://www.seanmartin.com/services

Want to connect with Sean and Marco On Location at an event or conference near you? See where they will be next: https://www.itspmagazine.com/on-location

To learn more about Sean, visit his personal website.

Keywords: sean martin, marco ciappelli, steve katz, tim brown, jessica robinson, rob allen, rohit ghai, rich seiersen, steven j speer, chris pierson, mark lambert, jim manico, robin bylenga, redefining cybersecurity, cybersecurity podcast, redefining cybersecurity podcast, ciso, risk, leadership, ai, resilience, strategy

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Across 152 conversations this year, a set of recurring patterns kept surfacing, regardless of whether the discussion focused on application security, software supply chain risk, AI systems, or creative work. The industries varied. The roles varied. The challenges did not.

One theme rises above the rest: visibility remains the foundation of everything else, yet organizations continue to accept blind spots as normal. Asset inventories are incomplete. Build systems are poorly understood. Dependencies change faster than teams can track them. The issue is not a lack of tools. It is a willingness to tolerate uncertainty because discovery feels hard or disruptive.

Another pattern is equally consistent. Integration matters more than novelty. New features, including AI-driven ones, sound compelling until they fail to connect with what teams already rely on. Security programs fracture when tools operate in isolation. Coverage looks strong on paper while gaps quietly expand in practice. When tools fail to integrate into existing environments, they create complexity instead of reducing risk.

Security also continues to struggle with how it shows up in daily work. Programs succeed when security is embedded into workflows, automated where possible, and invisible until it matters. They fail when security acts as a gate that arrives after decisions are already made. Teams either adopt security naturally or route around it entirely. There is no neutral middle ground.

Context repeatedly separates effective leadership from noise. Risk only becomes meaningful when it is framed in terms of business operations, delivery speed, and real tradeoffs. Leaders who understand how the business actually functions communicate risk clearly and make better decisions under pressure.

Finally, creativity remains undervalued in security conversations. Automation should remove repetitive tasks so people can focus on judgment, problem solving, and design. The same mindset that produces elegant guitars, photographs, or products applies directly to building resilient security programs.

These five patterns are not independent ideas. Together, they describe a shift toward security that is visible, integrated, contextual, workflow-driven, and human-centered.

Read the full article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/five-patterns-from-152-podcast-episodes-2025-changed-i-martin-cissp-st1ge

________

This story represents the results of an interactive collaboration between Human Cognition and Artificial Intelligence.

Enjoy, think, share with others, and subscribe to "The Future of Cybersecurity" newsletter on LinkedIn: https://itspm.ag/future-of-cybersecurity

Sincerely, Sean Martin and TAPE9

________

Sean Martin is a life-long musician and the host of the Music Evolves Podcast; a career technologist, cybersecurity professional, and host of the Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast; and is also the co-host of the On Location Event Coverage Podcast. These shows are all part of ITSPmagazine—which he co-founded with his good friend Marco Ciappelli, to explore and discuss topics at The Intersection of Technology, Cybersecurity, and Society.™️

Would you like Sean to work with you on a topic/series to help you tell your story? Visit his services page to learn more: https://www.seanmartin.com/services

Want to connect with Sean and Marco On Location at an event or conference near you? See where they will be next: https://www.itspmagazine.com/on-location

To learn more about Sean, visit his personal website.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

⬥EPISODE NOTES⬥

Modern application development depends on open source packages moving at extraordinary speed. Paul McCarty, Offensive Security Specialist focused on software supply chain threats, explains why that speed has quietly reshaped risk across development pipelines, developer laptops, and CI environments.

JavaScript dominates modern software delivery, and the npm registry has become the largest package ecosystem in the world. Millions of packages, thousands of daily updates, and deeply nested dependency chainsഴ് often exceeding a thousand indirect dependencies per application. That scale creates opportunity, not only for innovation, but for adversaries who understand how developers actually build software.

This conversation focuses on a shift that security leaders can no longer ignore. Malicious packages are not exploiting accidental coding errors. They are intentionally engineered to steal credentials, exfiltrate secrets, and compromise environments long before traditional security tools see anything wrong. Attacks increasingly begin on developer machines through social engineering and poisoned repositories, then propagate into CI pipelines where access density and sensitive credentials converge.

Paul outlines why many existing security approaches fall short. Vulnerability databases were built for mistakes, not hostile code. AppSec teams are overloaded burning down backlogs. Security operations teams rarely receive meaningful telemetry from build systems. The result is a visibility gap where malicious code can run, disappear, and leave organizations unsure what was touched or stolen.

The episode also explores why simple advice like “only use vetted packages” fails in practice. Open source ecosystems move too fast for manual approval models, and internal package repositories often collapse under friction. Meanwhile, attackers exploit maintainer accounts, typosquatting domains, and ecosystem trust to reach billions of downstream installations in a single event.

This discussion challenges security leaders to rethink how software supply chain risk is defined, detected, and owned. The problem is no longer theoretical, and it no longer lives only in development teams. It sits at the intersection of intellectual property, identity, and delivery velocity, demanding attention from anyone responsible for protecting modern software-driven organizations.

⬥GUEST⬥

Paul McCarty, NPM Hacker and Software Supply Chain Researcher  | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mccartypaul/

⬥HOST⬥

Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imsmartin/ | Website: https://www.seanmartin.com

⬥RESOURCES⬥

LinkedIn Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mccartypaul_i-want-to-introduce-you-to-my-latest-project-activity-7396297753196363776-1N-T

Open Source Malware Database: https://opensourcemalware.com

OpenSSF Scorecard Project: https://securityscorecards.dev

⬥ADDITIONAL INFORMATION⬥

✨ More Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast: 

🎧 https://www.seanmartin.com/redefining-cybersecurity-podcast

Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast on YouTube:

📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnYu0psdcllS9aVGdiakVss9u7xgYDKYq

📝 The Future of Cybersecurity Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7108625890296614912/

Contact Sean Martin to request to be a guest on an episode of Redefining CyberSecurity: https://www.seanmartin.com/contact

⬥KEYWORDS⬥

paul mccarty, sean martin, software, supplychain, appsec, npm, javascript, ci, malware, opensource, redefining cybersecurity, cybersecurity podcast, redefining cybersecurity podcast

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⬥EPISODE NOTES⬥

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how public health organizations manage data, interpret trends, and support decision-making. In this episode, Sean Martin talks with Jim St. Clair, Vice President of Public Health Systems at a major public health research institute, Altarum, about what AI adoption really looks like across federal, state, and local agencies.

Public health continues to face pressure from shifting budgets, aging infrastructure, and growing expectations around timely reporting. Jim highlights how initiatives launched after the pandemic pushed agencies toward modernized systems, new interoperability standards, and a stronger foundation for automated reporting. Interoperability and data accessibility remain central themes, especially as agencies work to retire manual processes and unify fragmented registries, surveillance systems, and reporting pipelines.

AI enters the picture as a multiplier rather than a replacement. Jim outlines practical use cases that public health agencies can act on now, from community health communication tools and emergency response coordination to predictive analytics for population health. These approaches support faster interpretation of data, targeted outreach to communities, and improved visibility into ongoing health activity.

At the same time, CISOs and security leaders are navigating a new risk environment as agencies explore generative AI, open models, and multi-agent systems. Sean and Jim discuss the importance of applying disciplined data governance, aligning AI with FedRAMP and state-level controls, and ensuring that any model running inside an organization’s environment is treated with the same rigor as traditional systems.

The conversation closes with a look at where AI is headed. Jim notes that multi-agent frameworks and smaller, purpose-built models will shape the next wave of public health technology. These systems introduce new opportunities for automation and decision support, but also require thoughtful implementation to ensure trust, reliability, and safety.

This episode presents a realistic, forward-looking view of how AI can strengthen the future of public health and the cybersecurity responsibilities that follow.

⬥GUEST⬥

Jim St. Clair, Vice President, Public Health Systems, Altarum  | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimstclair/

⬥HOST⬥

Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imsmartin/ | Website: https://www.seanmartin.com

⬥RESOURCES⬥

N/A

⬥ADDITIONAL INFORMATION⬥

✨ More Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast: 

🎧 https://www.seanmartin.com/redefining-cybersecurity-podcast

Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast on YouTube:

📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnYu0psdcllS9aVGdiakVss9u7xgYDKYq

📝 The Future of Cybersecurity Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7108625890296614912/

Contact Sean Martin to request to be a guest on an episode of Redefining CyberSecurity: https://www.seanmartin.com/contact

⬥KEYWORDS⬥

sean martin, jim st. clair, ai, interoperability, public health, data governance, population health, cybersecurity, ciso, automation, redefining cybersecurity, cybersecurity podcast, redefining cybersecurity podcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What Security Congress Reveals About the State of Cybersecurity

This discussion focuses on what ISC2 Security Congress represents for practitioners, leaders, and organizations navigating constant technological change. Jon France, Chief Information Security Officer at ISC2, shares how the event brings together thousands of cybersecurity practitioners, certification holders, chapter leaders, and future professionals to exchange ideas on the issues shaping the field today.  

Themes That Stand Out

AI remains a central point of attention. France notes that organizations are grappling not only with adoption but with the shift in speed it introduces. Sessions highlight how analysts are beginning to work alongside automated systems that sift through massive data sets and surface early indicators of compromise. Rather than replacing entry-level roles, AI changes how they operate and accelerates the decision-making path. Quantum computing receives a growing share of focus as well. Attendees hear about timelines, standards emerging from NIST, and what preparedness looks like as cryptographic models shift.  

Identity-based attacks and authorization failures also surface throughout the program. With machine-driven compromises becoming easier to scale, the community explores new defenses, stronger controls, and the practical realities of machine-to-machine trust. Operational technology, zero trust, and machine-speed threats create additional urgency around modernizing security operations centers and rethinking human-to-machine workflows.  

A Place for Every Stage of the Career

France describes Security Congress as a cross-section of the profession: entry-level newcomers, certification candidates, hands-on practitioners, and CISOs who attend for leadership development. Workshops explore communication, business alignment, and critical thinking skills that help professionals grow beyond technical execution and into more strategic responsibilities.  

Looking Ahead to the Next Congress

The next ISC2 Security Congress will be held in October in the Denver/Aurora area. France expects AI and quantum to remain key themes, along with contributions shaped by the call-for-papers process. What keeps the event relevant each year is the mix of education, networking, community stories, and real-world problem-solving that attendees bring with them.

The ISC2 Security Congress 2025 is a hybrid event taking place from October 28 to 30, 2025 Coverage provided by ITSPmagazine

GUEST:

Jon France, Chief Information Security Officer at ISC2 | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonfrance/

HOST:

Sean Martin, Co-Founder, ITSPmagazine and Studio C60 | Website: https://www.seanmartin.com

Follow our ISC2 Security Congress coverage: https://www.itspmagazine.com/cybersecurity-technology-society-events/isc2-security-congress-2025

Catch all of our event coverage: https://www.itspmagazine.com/technology-and-cybersecurity-conference-coverage

ISC2 Security Congress: https://www.isc2.org

NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography Standards: https://csrc.nist.gov/projects/post-quantum-cryptography

ISC2 Chapters: https://www.isc2.org/chapters

Want to share an Event Briefing as part of our event coverage? Learn More 👉 https://itspm.ag/evtcovbrf

Want Sean and Marco to be part of your event or conference? Let Us Know 👉 https://www.studioc60.com/performance#ideas

KEYWORDS: cybersecurity, ai security, isc2 congress, quantum computing, identity attacks, zero trust, soc automation, cyber jobs, cyber careers, cyber leadership, security operations, threat intelligence, machine speed, authentication, authorization, sean martin, jon france, identity, soc, certification, leadership, event coverage, on location, conference

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode focuses on a security incident that prompts an honest discussion about transparency, preparedness, and the importance of strong processes. Sean Martin speaks with Viktor Petersson, Founder and CEO of Screenly, who shares how his team approaches digital signage security and how a recent alert from their bug bounty program helped validate the strength of their culture and workflows.

Screenly provides a secure digital signage platform used by organizations that care deeply about device integrity, uptime, and lifecycle management. Healthcare facilities, financial services, and even NASA rely on these displays, which makes the security posture supporting them a priority. Viktor outlines why security functions best when embedded into culture rather than treated as a compliance checkbox. His team actively invests in continuous testing, including a structured bug bounty program that generates a steady flow of findings.

The conversation centers on a real event: a report claiming that more than a thousand user accounts appeared in a public leak repository. Instead of assuming the worst or dismissing the claim, the team mobilized within hours. They validated the dataset, built correlation tooling, analyzed how many records were legitimate, and immediately reset affected accounts. Once they ruled out a breach of their systems, they traced the issue to compromised end user devices associated with previously known credential harvesting incidents.

This scenario demonstrates how a strong internal process helps guide the team through verification, containment, and communication. Viktor emphasizes that optional security features only work when customers use them, which is why Screenly is moving to passwordless authentication using magic links. Removing passwords eliminates the attack vector entirely, improving security for customers without adding friction.

For listeners, this episode offers a clear look at what rapid response discipline looks like, how bug bounty reports can add meaningful value, and why passwordless authentication is becoming a practical way forward for SaaS platforms. It is a timely reminder that transparency builds trust, and security culture determines how confidently a team can navigate unexpected events.

Learn more about Screenly: https://itspm.ag/screenly1o

Note: This story contains promotional content. Learn more.

GUEST

Viktor Petersson, Co-founder of Screenly | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vpetersson/

RESOURCES

Learn more and catch more stories from Screenly: https://www.itspmagazine.com/directory/screenly

LinkedIn Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/vpetersson_screenly-security-incident-response-how-activity-7393741638918971392-otkk

Blog: Security Incident Response: How We Investigated a Data Leak and What We're Doing Next: https://www.screenly.io/blog/2025/11/10/security-incident-response-magic-links/

Are you interested in telling your story?
▶︎ Full Length Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#full
▶︎ Spotlight Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#spotlight

Keywords: sean martin, marco ciappelli, viktor petersson, security, authentication, bugbounty, signage, incidentresponse, breaches, cybersecurity, brand story, brand marketing, marketing podcast, brand story podcast, brand spotlight

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

⬥EPISODE NOTES⬥

Understanding the Startup Engine Behind Cybersecurity

This episode brings Sean Martin together with Ross Haleliuk, author, investor, product leader, and creator of Venture Insecurity, for a candid look at the forces shaping cybersecurity startups today. Ross shares how his decade of product leadership and long involvement in the security community give him a unique perspective on what drives founders, what creates market gaps, and why new companies keep entering a space already full of tools.

Why Security Produces So Many Products

Ross explains that the large number of security tools is not evidence of an industry losing control. Instead, it reflects a technology ecosystem where entrepreneurship has become easier and where attackers, not practitioners, define what defenders need. Because threats shift constantly, security leaders must always look for clues on what could fail next. That constant uncertainty fuels innovation.

What Motivates Founders

Despite outside assumptions, Ross observes that most founders are motivated by the problems they have lived themselves. Some come from enterprise teams. Others come from military backgrounds. Many find traction with early open source work. Few come into cybersecurity to chase quick wins, and most do not survive long enough to chase profits even if they wanted to.

Security as Business Enablement

Sean and Ross discuss the role of security as a business driver. In regulated sectors, companies invest because they must. In technology companies, strong security is a sales enabler that gives customers confidence to use their products. Outside of tech, the priority is more about resilience and operational continuity.

How Buyers Should Think About Startups

Ross outlines the tradeoffs. Startups deliver speed, responsiveness, fresh architecture, and modern user experience. Large vendors provide stability, predictability, and broad coverage. Neither is perfect. Security leaders should decide based on the importance of the capability, the level of influence they want, and the outcomes they need.

This conversation highlights the practical realities behind the security products organizations choose and the people who build them. Listeners will hear both the optimism and the honesty that define today’s cybersecurity innovation economy.

⬥GUEST⬥

Ross Haleliuk, Security product leader, author, advisor, board member and investor | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosshaleliuk/

⬥HOST⬥

Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imsmartin/ | Website: https://www.seanmartin.com

⬥RESOURCES⬥

Inspiring Blog: https://ventureinsecurity.net/p/not-every-security-leader-works-at

⬥ADDITIONAL INFORMATION⬥

✨ More Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast: 

🎧 https://www.seanmartin.com/redefining-cybersecurity-podcast

Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast on YouTube:

📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnYu0psdcllS9aVGdiakVss9u7xgYDKYq

📝 The Future of Cybersecurity Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7108625890296614912/

Contact Sean Martin to request to be a guest on an episode of Redefining CyberSecurity: https://www.seanmartin.com/contact

⬥KEYWORDS⬥

sean martin, ross haleliuk, cybersecurity, startups, venture security, founders, innovation, risk, resilience, product strategy, redefining cybersecurity, cybersecurity podcast, redefining cybersecurity podcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

⬥EPISODE NOTES⬥

Understanding Beg Bounties and Their Growing Impact

This episode examines an issue that many organizations have begun to notice, yet often do not know how to interpret. Sean Martin is joined by Casey Ellis, Founder of Bugcrowd and Co-Founder of disclose.io, to break down what a “beg bounty” is, why it is increasing, and how security leaders should think about it in the context of responsible vulnerability handling.

Bug Bounty vs. Beg Bounty

Casey explains the core principles of a traditional bug bounty program. At its core, a bug bounty is a structured engagement in which an organization invites security researchers to identify vulnerabilities and pays rewards based on severity and impact. It is scoped, governed, and linked to an established policy. The process is predictable, defensible, and aligned with responsible disclosure norms.

A beg bounty is something entirely different. It occurs when an unsolicited researcher claims to have found a vulnerability and immediately asks whether the organization offers incentives or rewards. In many cases, the claim is vague or unsupported and is often based on automated scanner output rather than meaningful research. Casey notes that these interactions can feel like unsolicited street windshield washing, where the person provides an unrequested service and then asks for payment.

Why It Matters for CISOs and Security Teams

Security leaders face a difficult challenge. These messages appear serious on the surface, yet most offer no actionable details. Responding to each one triggers incident response workflows, consumes time, and raises unnecessary internal concern. Casey warns that these interactions can create confusion about legality, expectations, and even the risk of extortion.

At the same time, ignoring every inbound message is not a realistic long-term strategy. Some communications may contain legitimate findings from well-intentioned researchers who lack guidance. Casey emphasizes the importance of process, clarity, and policy.

How Organizations Can Prepare

According to Casey, the most effective approach is to establish a clear vulnerability disclosure policy. This becomes a lightning rod for inbound security information. By directing researchers to a defined path, organizations reduce noise, set boundaries, and reinforce safe communication practices.

The episode highlights the need for community norms, internal readiness, and a shared understanding between researchers and defenders. Casey stresses that good-faith researchers should never introduce payment into the first contact. Organizations should likewise be prepared to distinguish between noise and meaningful security input.

This conversation offers valuable context for CISOs, security leaders, and business owners navigating the growing wave of unsolicited bug claims and seeking practical ways to address them.

⬥GUEST⬥

Casey Ellis, Founder and Advisor at Bugcrowd | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseyjohnellis/

⬥HOST⬥

Host: Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imsmartin/ | Website: https://www.seanmartin.com

⬥RESOURCES⬥

Inspiring Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/caseyjohnellis_im-thinking-we-should-start-charging-bug-activity-7383974061464453120-caEW

Disclose.io: https://disclose.io/

⬥ADDITIONAL INFORMATION⬥

✨ More Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast: 

🎧 https://www.seanmartin.com/redefining-cybersecurity-podcast

Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast on YouTube:

📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnYu0psdcllS9aVGdiakVss9u7xgYDKYq

📝 The Future of Cybersecurity Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7108625890296614912/

Contact Sean Martin to request to be a guest on an episode of Redefining CyberSecurity: https://www.seanmartin.com/contact

⬥KEYWORDS⬥

cybersecurity, bug bounty, vulnerability disclosure, beg bounty, hacking, researcher, ciso, security teams, risk management, web security, security policy, vulnerability reporting, cyber risk, bugcrowd, discloseio

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Most organizations have security champions. Few have a real security culture.

In this episode of AppSec Contradictions, Sean Martin explores why AppSec awareness efforts stall, why champion programs struggle to gain traction, and what leaders can do to turn intent into impact.

🔍 In this episode:

• Why compliance training doesn’t build culture
• The data showing champion programs lack leadership and incentive alignment
• How developers, AppSec teams, and business leaders each contribute to the gap
• Insights from OWASP, ENISA, and Forrester on what’s missing

Sean’s Take:

When security culture is treated as a checkbox, nothing changes. When it’s connected to ownership, incentives, and everyday work — everything does.

Catch the full companion article in the Future of Cybersecurity newsletter for deeper analysis and more research.

For developers: Has your security-champion program helped ship safer code—or just added meetings?
For application security professionals: Are your metrics tied to risk reduction or participation counts?
For business leaders: Can you connect your “security culture” investment to measurable resilience?

📖 Read the full companion article in the Future of Cybersecurity newsletter for deeper insights: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/building-real-security-culture-why-most-appsec-fall-martin-cissp-eab7e

🔔 Subscribe to stay updated on the full AppSec Contradictions video series and more perspectives on the future of cybersecurity: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnYu0psdcllRWnImF5iRnO_10eLnPFWi_

________

This story represents the results of an interactive collaboration between Human Cognition and Artificial Intelligence.

Enjoy, think, share with others, and subscribe to "The Future of Cybersecurity" newsletter on LinkedIn: https://itspm.ag/future-of-cybersecurity

Sincerely, Sean Martin and TAPE9

________

Sean Martin is a life-long musician and the host of the Music Evolves Podcast; a career technologist, cybersecurity professional, and host of the Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast; and is also the co-host of both the Random and Unscripted Podcast and On Location Event Coverage Podcast. These shows are all part of ITSPmagazine—which he co-founded with his good friend Marco Ciappelli, to explore and discuss topics at The Intersection of Technology, Cybersecurity, and Society.™️

Want to connect with Sean and Marco On Location at an event or conference near you? See where they will be next: https://www.itspmagazine.com/on-location

To learn more about Sean, visit his personal website.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

⬥GUEST⬥

Andrew Morgan, Chief Information Security Officer | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmorgancism/

⬥HOST⬥

Host: Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imsmartin/ | Website: https://www.seanmartin.com

⬥EPISODE NOTES⬥

The cybersecurity community has long recognized an uncomfortable truth: the gap between well-resourced enterprises and underfunded organizations keeps widening. This divide isn’t just about money; it’s about survivability. When a small business, school, or healthcare provider is hit with a major breach, the likelihood of permanent closure is exponentially higher than for a large enterprise.

As host of the Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast, I’ve seen this imbalance repeatedly — and the conversation with Andrew Morgan underscores why it persists and what can be done about it.

The Problem: Structural Imbalance

Large enterprises operate with defined budgets, mature governance, and integrated security operations centers. They can afford redundancy, talent, and tooling. Meanwhile, small and mid-sized organizations are often left with fragmented controls, minimal staff, and reliance on external vendors or managed providers.

The result is a “have and have not” world. The “haves” can detect, contain, and recover. The “have nots” often cannot. When they are compromised, the impact isn’t just reputational — it can mean financial collapse or service disruption that directly affects communities.

The Hidden Costs of Complexity

Even when smaller organizations invest in technology, they often fall into the trap of overtooling without strategy. Multiple, overlapping systems create noise, false confidence, and operational fatigue. Morgan describes this as a symptom of viewing cybersecurity as a subset of IT rather than as a business enabler.

Simplification is key. A rationalized platform approach — even if not best-of-breed — can deliver better visibility and sustainability than a patchwork of disconnected tools. The goal should not be perfection; it should be proportionate protection aligned with business risk.

The Solution: Culture, Collaboration, and Continuity

Cyber resilience starts with people and culture. As Morgan puts it, programs must be driven by culture, informed by risk, and delivered through people, process, and technology. Security can’t succeed in isolation from the organization’s purpose or its people.

The Australian CISO Tribe provides a real-world model for collaboration. Its members share threat intelligence, peer validation, and practical experiences — a living example of collective defense in action. Whether formalized or ad-hoc, these networks give security leaders context, community, and shared strength.

Getting Back to Basics

Practical resilience isn’t glamorous. It’s about getting the basics right — consistent patching, logging, phishing-resistant authentication, verified backups, and tested recovery plans. It’s about ensuring that, if everything fails, you can still get back up.

When security becomes a business-as-usual practice rather than a project, organizations begin to move from reactive defense to proactive resilience.

The Takeaway

Bridging the cybersecurity divide doesn’t require endless budgets. It requires prioritization, simplification, and partnership. The “have nots” may never mirror enterprise scale, but they can adopt enterprise discipline — and that can make all the difference between temporary disruption and permanent failure.

⬥RESOURCES⬥

Inspiring Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrewmorgancism_last-night-i-was-fortunate-enough-to-spend-activity-7383972144507994112-V3Zr/

⬥ADDITIONAL INFORMATION⬥

✨ More Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast: 

🎧 https://www.seanmartin.com/redefining-cybersecurity-podcast

Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast on YouTube:

📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnYu0psdcllS9aVGdiakVss9u7xgYDKYq

📝 The Future of Cybersecurity Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7108625890296614912/

Contact Sean Martin to request to be a guest on an episode of Redefining CyberSecurity: https://www.seanmartin.com/contact

⬥KEYWORDS⬥

sean martin, andrew morgan, australia, ciso, risk, resilience, cybersecurity, business continuity, governance, compliance, redefining cybersecurity, cybersecurity podcast, redefining cybersecurity podcast

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