Insights from TAL Global’s Senior Advisors on the Future of Risk…
What threats are emerging, and what will shape the way individuals, organizations, and nations manage risk? TAL Global’s senior advisors share their perspective on what’s coming—and what leaders must be ready for.
These are professionals who have shaped crisis responses for governments, designed risk strategies for Fortune 500 companies, and guided organizations through the most volatile moments of the last two decades.
Bridget O’Connor explores the future of cybersecurity through the lens of AI, digital vulnerability, and the human behaviors that make or break modern defense strategies.
Together with her partners, Melissa O’Leary and Theresa Payton – all veteran cybersecurity professionals with vast government and private-sector experience – Fortalice’s leadership team strives to do much more than remedy cybersecurity crises caused by criminals and state-owned actors; they want to partner with clients before disaster strikes; they want to prevent and deter such un-natural disasters from ever occurring in the first place.
And the best way to achieve this goal, according to Bridget O’Connor, is education and awareness. “We think that, from a cybersecurity perspective, it is our primary responsibility to explain to clients what the consequences of their actions – or inactions – can be,” says O’Connor. “Unfortunately, most organizations’ cyber hygiene is lacking; many businesses don’t really pay sufficient attention to preventive measures, and they come to us when they’re already in trouble.”
It’s better to approach cybersecurity in a proactive way rather than wait for a catastrophic incident like ransomware to take down the entire organization’s network. The cost to organizations that suffer a breach often go beyond just the ransom they have to pay and lost business, there’s lots of other costs not considered such as the various costs to pay vendors to assist in the recovery process, the effect on morale of those team members involved in the response and finally the loss of customer confidence.
The solution, according to O’Connor, is for clients to increase and improve their awareness of their vulnerabilities through constant education, leading to the creation of coherent policies and training regimes, designed to provide dynamic protection, emergency response, and business continuity capabilities.
Cybersecurity, Society and Social Media
O’Connor is concerned about the existing and growing cyber vulnerabilities associated with social media, and their attendant social changes. “Social media is a perfect ‘doggy door’ for perpetrators seeking to compromise companies and individuals,” says O’Connor.
“Companies don’t pay sufficient attention to what’s happening in and around their social media ecosystem. Employees brag on social media when their company wins a DoD contract, attracting the bad guys’ attention, literally inviting cyber-attacks or targeting by nation-state threat actors.”
According to O’Connor, bad actors collect contact information, biographies and other relevant intelligence from social media sources, and offer their loot for sale to the highest bidder, creating a secondary market of exploitable vulnerabilities.
O’Connor hopes that companies “go back to basics,” on social media cybersecurity, formulating social media policy, increasing threat-identifying efforts, and investing in safeguards. “Social media is an integral part of our society; it’s here to stay, even if platforms change or evolve,” says O’Connor. “We must learn to evolve cyber defenses alongside evolving vulnerabilities, otherwise hackers will be there to exploit every weakness.”
Cybersecurity in the Age of AI
O’Connor presents a refreshing perspective of the optimal approach to cybersecurity in the age of AI. In her view, people should remain at the center of cybersecurity strategy – in tight partnership with rapidly evolving AI tools, but always with a human in the lead. “I hope that AI will not become the replacement of human professionals, but will, like the move to the Cloud years ago, become another set of tools, to improve processes and productivity.”
O’Connor worries that large companies may seek to lay off cybersecurity professionals, replacing them with AI tools. “AI should not replace decision makers, only help them,” she says. “AI will change the way cyber crime is investigated, it will facilitate cyber crime mitigation, and possibly accelerate cyber crime resolution.”
But O’Connor realizes that alongside facilitating mitigation and resolution approaches, AI will also bring about a new set of criminal tools. “In the near future, it will be more difficult to distinguish facts from fiction,” she says, and one outcome will be that people will become much more suspicious of what they perceive, questioning reality.”
About TAL Global
TAL Global specializes in security consulting and risk management, offering tailored solutions for your organization. Our experts are recognized thought leaders in conducting comprehensive risk assessments, developing strategic plans, and delivering engaging training programs.
With decades of experience and successful interventions, we have consistently protected people and assets. Follow us on LinkedIn and YouTube for tips and strategies. You can also Talk To Us for more custom-made, expert solutions.
