Imagine facing a team of elite hackers with nothing but a handful of disconnected security tools. Sounds like a losing game, doesn’t it? At the ITC Cyber Peak 2024 in London, industry leaders delivered a wake-up call: cyber security isn’t a solo sport—it’s the ultimate team game.
In a world where a new cyber attack occurs every 39 seconds globally, your organisation can’t afford to play defence in silos. It’s time to transform your cyber strategy from a collection of individual players into a championship-calibre team.
Ready to turn the tables on cyber threats? Let’s dive into the game-changing tactics that will unite your organisation and elevate your security posture.
1. The invisible all-stars: Securing non-human identities
Did you know? 80% of modern data breaches involve privileged credentials, many belonging to non-human identities.
Game plan:
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- Conduct a full-pitch press on your non-human identities. Map every service account, API key, and machine identity in your environment.
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- Implement “zone defence” by segmenting non-human identities based on their roles and access needs.
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- Run regular “identity drills” to test and verify the security of these often-overlooked team members.
Insight from the field: “Discovery isn’t a one-time play,” warns Kev Smith, EMEA Principal Sales Engineer at Silverfort. “It’s an ongoing strategy that keeps your defence ahead of evolving threats.”
2. Master the plays: A technique-centric approach to threat detection
Shift your focus: Instead of chasing individual threat actors, concentrate on mastering defence against their techniques.
Tactical moves:
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- Develop a “technique scouting report” that catalogues known attack methods relevant to your industry.
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- Run regular cross-functional “defensive exercises” that simulate these techniques to test your team’s readiness.
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- Implement an agile “play-calling system” that allows quick adjustments to detection rules based on emerging threats.
Coach’s tip: Sean Loftus, ITC‘s Head of SOC advises, “Early detection combined with proactive SOC involvement isn’t just good defence—it’s your best offence against cyber threats.”
3. Tactical harmony: Orchestrating your security operations
With ITC handling 1,000 alerts daily, your SOC needs to perform like a world-class marching band, not a cacophony of individual instruments.
Harmonisation strategies:
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- Implement an incident orchestration platform that acts as your conductor, coordinating responses across all security tools.
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- Compose “playbooks” for common scenarios, ensuring consistent performance regardless of who’s on shift.
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- Regularly “tune” your operations by integrating customer-specific nuances into your automated workflows.
Orchestration insight: Matt Ross, ITC’s Head of Platform Engineering, emphasises, “True orchestration isn’t about replacing your team—it’s about amplifying their capabilities and ensuring they play in perfect harmony.”
4. The AI assistant coach: Enhancing human expertise
AI isn’t here to bench your human players – it’s here to make them play better.
Training regimen:
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- Identify repetitive tasks ripe for automation, freeing your team to focus on high-level strategy.
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- Implement AI-driven threat hunting tools that learn from historical data to predict future attack patterns.
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- Establish clear “rules of engagement” for when AI can act autonomously and when human oversight is required.
Strategic insight: “AI should be your team’s assistant coach,” says Steve McKeaveney, ITC’s CTO. “It provides valuable insights, but the critical decisions still rely on human judgment and expertise.”
5. United we stand: Forging your cyber security dream team
In cyber security, there are no bench warmers. Every department plays a crucial role in your defence.
Team-building exercises:
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- Establish a “cyber security council” with representatives from IT, security, DevOps, and business units.
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- Implement a “rotation programme” allowing team members to experience different roles in the security ecosystem.
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- Create shared key performance indicators that encourage cross-departmental collaboration in achieving security goals.
Leadership perspective: “In the game of cyber security, there are no timeouts,” ITC’s CRO Mark Weait concludes. “We need every player on the field, all the time, working to a clear game plan, as one cohesive unit—so we can consistently beat the opposition.”
Your winning strategy
ITC Cyber Peak 2024 made one thing clear: the future of cyber security belongs to those who can unite their entire organisation into a coordinated, agile, and resilient team. By implementing these strategies, you’re not just improving your security posture—you’re changing the game entirely.
Remember, in cyber security, the best offence is a united defence. Are you ready to lead your team to victory?
Want to elevate your cyber security game? Contact ITC Secure for a personalised strategy session and turn these insights into action or register for our upcoming webinar on 09 October with Microsoft and Silverfort.
