In this Episode of Packet Forensics Files, Michael Morris asks Al Edgar, former Information Security Manager for Health Alliance - and now IT Security Manager at Endace - about some of the important areas a security leader needs to focus on and what new challenges they are facing.

Firstly, Al says, it’s important to take an holistic approach to cybersecurity, by looking at the three critical components for robust security: people, processes, and technology. He stresses the importance of Incident Response planning and why it’s so critical to define clear objectives, roles, and responsibilities as part of the plan.

In order to stay ahead of emerging threats, Al says keeping up-to-date with cybersecurity trends is crucial. He recommends subscribing to cyber blogs, leveraging threat intelligence feeds, and mapping threat intelligence against your organizational infrastructure. He also highlights the importance of having a plan for managing third-party vendor risk.

Al provides some valuable recommendations on where to start to ensure a more robust security posture, including maintaining a centralized inventory, conducting thorough risk assessments, cataloging and categorizing risks, and incorporating appropriate security clauses into contracts with suppliers and partners.

Cybersecurity awareness training is another critical area, Al says. His view is that it's the responsibility of every individual in an organization to prioritize cybersecurity but he highlights the importance of support and training to enable them do this effectively.

Lastly, Al talks about future cybersecurity threats, and calls out the potential risks associated with the weaponization of AI technology. He highlights the need for caution when sharing information with AI systems, reminding us to be mindful of potential privacy breaches and the risk that sensitive IP or data disclosed to AI tools may be misused or insufficiently protected.