Inside Pacific Rim with Ross McKerchar | 11

Highlights:

State of the Cybersecurity Industry

• Security vendors, the inherent risks in trusted channels and the need for transparency and accountability in the sector.
  • Third-party attacks spike as attackers target software connections | Cybersecurity Dive
  • Why Channel Partners are Critical for Cybersecurity - Infosecurity Magazine
  • Cybersecurity vendors are themselves under attack by hackers, SentinelOne says | CyberScoop
  • Transparency in Cybersecurity: The Importance of Accurate Vulnerability Disclosures - Cyber Defense Magazine 

The Evolving Role of the CISO

• From ransomware’s economic disruption to increasing personal accountability
  • The Evolving Role Of The CISO
  • CISOs are burned out – now they face personal liability too - Raconteur
  • SEC’s Case Against SolarWinds’ CISO Establishes That Top Security Executives May Face Personal Liability for Cyberattacks - O'Melveny

Modernisation and the Shifting Threat Landscape

• As organisations transition towards modern defenses, trust in the industry is fraying
  • Why the cloud is the new rainmaker for cybersecurity | World Economic Forum How SaaS Is Redefining Cybersecurity
  • Using Software as a Service (SaaS) securely - NCSC.GOV.UK
  • Why Zero Trust architecture is superior to traditional security models | CIO
  • Zero Trust Architecture: The Unapologetic Approach To Cybersecurity In A Digital Jungle
  • Zero Trust Architecture – NIST | Zero Trust: Is it right for me? - NCSCGlobal Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 | World Economic Forum.
  • Digital trust: Why it matters for businesses | McKinsey

Pacific Rim: A Case Study in Active Defense

• Sophos’ long-running confrontation with nation-state attackers
  • Inside Sophos' 5-Year War With the Chinese Hackers Hijacking Its Devices | WIRED
  • The ‘Pacific Rim’ Campaign: Corporate Norm Entrepreneurship and Active Cyber Defense | Lawfare
  • Sophos' Pacific Rim: Defense Against Nation-State Adversaries | Pacific Rim timeline: Information for defenders from a braid of interlocking attack campaigns – Sophos News
  • From the frontlines: Our CISO’s view of Pacific Rim – Sophos News
  • Pacific Rim: What’s it to you? – Sophos News | Pacific Rim: Inside the Counter-Offensive – The TTPs Used to Neutralize China-Based Threats – Sophos News 

Bug Bounties and Offensive Innovation

• Invaluable intelligence sources that draw insights from researchers based in adversarial regions.
  • Bug Bounty: Sophos - Bugcrowd
  • How China’s Cyber Ecosystem Feeds Off Its Superstar Hackers | Lawfare
  • From Vegas to Chengdu: Hacking Contests, Bug Bounties, and China’s Offensive Cyber Ecosystem – Center for Security Studies | ETH Zurich
  • How China Demands Tech Firms Reveal Hackable Flaws in Their Products | WIRED
  • Vulnerability laws create ‘bug bounties with Chinese characteristics’
  • Ransomware Gangs Seek Pen Testers to Boost Quality | Ransomware gangs shifting tactics to evade enterprise defenses | Cybersecurity Dive

Additional Resources and Context

• Adobe hack: At least 38 million accounts breached - BBC News
• The Cybersecurity Burnout Crisis Is Reaching The Breaking Point
• Conficker Worm Targets Microsoft Windows Systems | CISA | After 12 Years, Malware’s puzzling Nuisance Worm Conficker Refuses To Die
• Infosec pro Troy Hunt HasBeenPwned in Mailchimp phish • The Register
• SQL Injection | OWASP Foundation
• Introduction Active Cyber Defence - NCSC.GOV.UK
• What is secure access service edge (SASE)?
• Security Think Tank: Know strengths and weaknesses of UTM systems | Computer Weekly

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