Silent Threats - The Cybersecurity Risks in Executive Communications & Collaboration
by Doug Pollack, CIPP/US | March 19, 2024 | Category: Diode
It is ironic in many ways that some of the most significant cyber and regulatory risks that occur in enterprises and other organizations with national and global footprints are caused by insecure communications between executives, board members, and trusted advisors like lawyers and consultants. This topic was explored at some length in a recent Wall Street Journal article titled “As Boards Focus More on Cybersecurity, Are they Missing One of the Biggest Threats?”
In cybersecurity, senior executives and board members face diverse challenges due to their strategic roles and access to sensitive data. This complexity underscores the importance of a holistic approach, including organizational protocols and leaders’ digital habits. The WSJ article highlights a common oversight: board members, responsible for security, can be the weakest link. This paradox reveals how those safeguarding corporate assets are often most vulnerable to cyber risks.
Further complicating this risk landscape is the interaction between senior leaders and professional services advisors. The McKinsey article, “Hit or myth? Understanding the true costs and impact of cybersecurity programs”, notes that “the very people who are closest to the data or other corporate assets can often be a weak link in a company’s cybersecurity program.”
Internal actions, like interactions with external advisors, can expose organizations to cyber risks, often stemming from executives’ use of email and file attachments. To counter this, organizations need to prioritize cybersecurity with regular education and security protocol evaluations. In the modern business landscape, a collaborative cybersecurity approach is essential for safeguarding critical assets and data sharing among executives, colleagues, and trusted advisors.
Despite growing awareness, there’s still an executive-level gap in understanding cybersecurity urgency, evidenced by the risks posed by unencrypted communications. Protecting collaborative efforts requires a comprehensive approach that includes enhancing cybersecurity literacy and extending protective measures to interactions with external advisors.
The purpose that drives Diode is to address the cyber risks discussed here by providing a set of privacy-first collaboration tools that will provide for military-grade security for executive communications and sharing of sensitive information.
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