Cyber Defense: Needs Effective Product Management!

We would take a Cyber security scenario to explain the essentials of Product Management.

As companies are growing Digital to scale and reach customers, users are adopting digital technologies that provide the customer with personalized and 24/7 access to information. Digital technologies are becoming ubiquitous. The importance of cybersecurity cannot be overstated; it is the bedrock upon which trust in digital transactions, privacy, risk, and security are built. Leaders envision Cybersecurity as a strategic asset, to support organizations in their Digital expansion, Shifting business models and partnerships. ?

We are witnessing a surge in targeted phishing attacks, exploiting human vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. ransomware variants like "WannaCry" and "NotPetya" took the world by storm in 2017, spreading rapidly and causing billions of dollars in damage.

The latest Statistics for 2024, that's the last 7 months

Context of the Threat Landscape: It is a battleground where threat actors constantly innovate to breach defenses, which are dynamic and evolving. what is considered VUCA- Volatile, uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous

1. Volatile: Evolving threats are hard to detect with Zero signature (in-memory malware), Zero-day exploits, and no IOC indicators of compromise. ?
2. Uncertain: Unpredictable and Supply Chain Attacks i.e. Solar Wind Breach 2020

3. Complex: Complex IT environment, interaction of humans, technologies, processes

4. Ambiguity: False positive and Attribution challenges (average 277 days to identify & report compromise)

In the rapidly evolving cybersecurity space, companies would need to bring 'method to the madness' and inspire teams to align with the vision. we will delve into navigating the VUCA world with product management.

1. Understanding Complexity (VUCA): How to read signals, Agencies can only become smart if they, first of all, understand the system of their agency, according to Dr Leyla Acaroglu. Product Managers build end-to-end systems like Business models, value chains, and processes to map systems. Technologies like Time Knowledge graphs, and anomaly detections can help!

2. Vision (VUCA): ?PM develops insights to develop Strategic vision, They anticipate future trends in cybersecurity, emerging technologies, and evolving user expectations, to align for long-term success!

3. Clarity (VUCA): Frequent and customized communication to various stakeholders and visual storytelling to inspire action and culture change. Work backward from customer success, bring clarity on customer needs, and simplify the complexity with collaboration & prioritization.

4. Agility (VUCA): Innovation through Iteration, rapid experimentation, and research, failing fast and pivot. Scrum and Agile processes employ a dual track with a discovery track and a delivery track, to cater to effectiveness and efficiency.

Product Management processes, which systematically reduce risk, and improve success and innovation are adopted in the delivery.

Many of the methods and processes now are common for any environment, further from here we will look deeply into cyber security.

IOC Indicators of Compromise and IOA Indicators of Attack

Evolving threats are hard to detect with Zero signature (in memory malware), Zero-day exploits and no IOC indicators of compromise, we move to IOA which needs more proactive and behavior analytics to identify attacks. New Behavior-based solutions complement existing signature-based tools and identify attacks early in the life cycle of the kill chain.

What is the defense for zero days, APT's & exploits? Building on tools and capabilities to monitor threat intelligence & continually improve

We employee

1. Preventive methods: Design with a well-architected framework, Zero trust architecture, and policies & best practices.
2. Detect Advance threat protection framework: turning unknown into known threat intelligence. and reduce Attack Surface Intelligence: OSINT and local Threat Intelligence
3. Mitigate: By automation, the outcome is dependent on the Data coverage, Analytics used and tools coverage … Identify low variance and Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) for anomaly detection, analytics, and signature-based solutions. Develop connected intelligence with knowledge graphs, time terrain & Behavior data.

Employing Product management best practices, processes, and technology capabilities, improves security posture, positions cyber defense as a strategic capability for Digital growth, improves user experience, & enables safe, trusted new Business models and transformations!!

Other reference

1. BCG on all weather company
2. Crowd strike blog on IOA & IOC
3. Amaze growth in Navigating the VUCA world