29 May 2025

As a CISO for a publicly traded company, I am responsible for all of the core functions outlined in the NIST cybersecurity framework. The core functions are identify, protect, detect, respond, and recover. I will implement these core functions to ensure the safety of the organization I responsible for protecting.

Identify

I will manage cybersecurity risks related to our systems, people, assets, data, and capabilities. My responsibilities must include asset management, governance, and risk assessment, which are critical to an effective risk management strategy. I will keep an accurate inventory of assets and maintain the organization’s mission to protect sensitive information. By identifying and handling risks, I will work with my team to analyze and resolve issues quickly.

Protect

I will manage and watch for cybersecurity risks, including data breaches and attacks. This involves identity management, access control, awareness training, data security, and protective technologies. I will provide proper authorization processes, limit access to authorized users only, and keep employees informed about their role in data protection. Training will help them to identify and report threats. I will design protocols for safe data handling and response plans for cyberattacks, along with regular system maintenance and updates. I will use protective software to scan for hacking attempts and investigate any threats from employee devices to improve staff education on cybersecurity risks.

Detect

I will focus on detecting irregularities in user and system behavior to identify potential cybersecurity issues early. By regularly monitoring systems and networks, I can quickly identify suspicious activity and enable a faster response. I will develop methods and procedures by using both automated tools and manual inspections to help organizations stay alert to cyber threats. My goal is to help the organization respond effectively and keep a secure environment.

Respond

I will design response plans that summarize strategies for potential threats by recognizing critical assets and risks. Effective communication will keep stakeholders informed during cybersecurity issues, and I will clarify functions for updates. Investigating incidents will help identify the causes and improve the security of the organization. Proactive measures, such as advanced security technologies and regular training, will reduce the chance of more threats against the data and system. I will continue to inspect incident management methods to prepare for future attacks.

Recover

I am responsible to recognize that effective recovery processes are critical to restoring systems or assets affected by cyberattacks. Continued improvement of these processes is important, as lessons learned from prior attacks can improve future recovery steps. If I am successful, the restoration will have clear communication with stakeholders, internal teams, etc. This strategy provides a more efficient and useful recovery.

Effectively following these functions allows me to provide the highest quality security measures to protect the organization, employees, stakeholders, and all data and systems. The implementation of these functions will be lined out in the Framework Core to provide an organized and detailed set of data for myself and my colleagues to follow. I will regularly update, keeping the information related to the software and networking I have in place. My ability to keep the authorized personnel educated relies of my effectiveness of preventing the possible threats and attacks.

Reference

Barrett, M. (2018), Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Version 1.1, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.CSWP.04162018, https://www.nist.gov/cyberframework