Module 6: Terminology & Concepts

Presentation Best Practices

As cybersecurity threats evolve and become more sophisticated, organizations must prioritize cybersecurity and ensure that their systems and data are secure. However, presenting cybersecurity analysis to leadership and stakeholders can be challenging, especially if they do not have a technical background.

Know Your Audience

The first step in presenting cybersecurity analysis to leadership and stakeholders is to know your audience. Different audiences will have different levels of technical knowledge and different priorities. For example, the CEO may be more interested in the overall risk to the organization, while the CIO may be more interested in the technical details of the vulnerabilities. Understanding your audience will help you tailor your presentation to their needs and priorities.

Focus on the Business Impact

When presenting cybersecurity analysis to leadership and stakeholders, it is essential to focus on the business impact of the vulnerabilities. This means highlighting a cybersecurity breach’s potential financial, reputational, and legal risks. By framing the conversation in terms of business impact, you can help leadership and stakeholders understand the importance of investing in cybersecurity.

Use Data to Support Your Analysis

Data is a powerful tool for communicating the severity of cybersecurity risks. When presenting cybersecurity analysis to leadership and stakeholders, using data to support your analysis is essential. This can include data on the number of attempted attacks, the types of attacks, and the success rate of those attacks. By using data, you can provide concrete evidence of the need for increased cybersecurity measures.

Provide Actionable Recommendations

When presenting cybersecurity analysis to leadership and stakeholders, it is important to provide actionable recommendations. This means outlining the organization’s steps to mitigate the risks identified in the analysis. These recommendations should be practical, feasible, and cost-effective. By providing actionable recommendations, you can help leadership and stakeholders understand the next steps they need to take to improve their cybersecurity posture.

Use Visual Aids

Visual aids can be a powerful tool for communicating complex cybersecurity concepts to non-technical audiences. When presenting cybersecurity analysis to leadership and stakeholders, use visual aids such as graphs, charts, and infographics to help illustrate your points. This can help make the information more accessible and easier to understand.

Keep It Simple

When presenting cybersecurity analysis to leadership and stakeholders, it is important to keep it simple. Avoid using technical jargon or complex concepts that may be difficult for non-technical audiences to understand. Instead, focus on communicating the key points clearly and concisely.

Be Prepared to Answer Questions

Finally, when presenting cybersecurity analysis to leadership and stakeholders, it is important to be prepared to answer questions. Anticipate your audience’s questions and be ready to provide clear and concise answers. This can help build confidence in your analysis and ensure your audience understands cybersecurity’s importance.

Figure 77 We Perform Analysis to Support Decisions

Suggested Formal Presentation and Report Order

You want your presentation to be clear, easy to understand, focused, and actionable.

Introduction

The introduction should provide an overview of the purpose and scope of the analysis. Consider identifying the systems involved and a brief scoping statement. Don’t be afraid to stipulate what is NOT part of the analysis.

Methodology

The methodology section should provide an overview of the approach used to conduct the risk analysis. This may include information on the tools and techniques used, the data sources analyzed, and the criteria used to assess the severity of the risks. Avoid deep mathematical discussions but rather mention any specific methods such as Bayesian mathematics, Monte Carlo simulations, and probability distributions.

Key Findings

The key findings section should provide an overview of the most significant cybersecurity risks identified during the analysis. This may include information on the vulnerabilities identified, the likelihood of exploitation, and the potential impact of a successful attack. This section should also highlight any trends or patterns identified during the analysis.

Risk Analysis

The risk assessment section should provide a detailed analysis of the cybersecurity risks identified during the analysis. This may include information on the likelihood of exploitation, the potential impact of a successful attack, and the overall risk rating for each vulnerability. This section should also provide recommendations for mitigating each risk.

Business Impact Analysis

The business impact analysis section should provide an overview of a potential financial, reputational, and legal impact of a successful cyber-attack. This section should highlight the potential costs associated with a data breach, including the cost of data recovery, legal fees, and lost revenue. This section should also provide recommendations for minimizing the potential impact of a cyber-attack.

Recommendations

The recommendations section should provide actionable steps for the organization to mitigate the cybersecurity risks identified during the analysis. This may include recommendations for implementing new security measures, improving existing security measures, and training employees in best practices for cybersecurity. This section should also provide a timeline for implementing each recommendation.

Conclusion

The conclusion should summarize the key findings of the cybersecurity risk analysis and emphasize the importance of taking action to mitigate the identified risks. This section should also provide a call to action for leadership and stakeholders to prioritize cybersecurity and invest in the necessary resources to protect the organization from cyber threats.

Appendix

The appendix should include any additional information relevant to the cybersecurity risk analysis, such as detailed technical information on vulnerabilities or data sources used during the analysis.

A well-organized and clearly presented layout is essential for effectively communicating the findings of a cybersecurity risk analysis to leadership and stakeholders. Following the example layout outlined above, cybersecurity professionals can ensure that their analysis is effectively communicated and that their recommendations are actionable and prioritized.

The Short Presentation

Sometimes (often actually), it is necessary to present risk analysis results in an abbreviated fashion. When this is the case, I recommend the following:

• Use a single slide.
• Use a brief purpose statement and a single short scoping statement (preferably combined)
• Use a single visual.
• Clearly state the risk range and expected impact on the business (in operational or financial terms).
• Provide 1 or 2 recommended courses of action.

When using the short presentation, you should be prepared to speak to the slide, answering all questions. Have your facts and figures handy for reference, but this should be a 1–5-minute conversation.

Your goal is to deliver the “big picture” outcome of the analysis. Leadership or stakeholders can schedule a follow-on meeting if they want more detail.

This format suits many situations, from team-level meetings to senior executives. The ability to tell the story of the risk concisely posed to the organization is a valuable talent.

How To Succeed In Quantitative Risk Analysis

Calculating risk is not difficult. All you need are basic tools, some basic math, and an understanding of when to use each.

What is difficult in quantifying risk is getting consensus.

Without consensus, your analysis will never be fully accepted. Without consensus, attempts to institute a practice of risk quantification will fail. Without consensus, your work will be open to challenges and questions.

So, how do you get consensus?

• Utilize subject matter experts wherever applicable. If you are analyzing perimeter strength, be sure you are talking to the folks responsible for managing and monitoring the perimeter defenses.
  • Before asking for data, be clear about the data you need. Be organized in your request. Listen to their response and be prepared to negotiate as needed.
  • For example, you may want frequency data on the number of a particular type of attack at the perimeter defense. However, this may not be a statistic easily generated. In this case, look for alternatives that allow you to proceed with your analysis but don’t put undue pressure on operational staff to generate necessary statistics. This is a good example of when to use a rough estimate, using the 1-5 scale of 20% ranges and having the SME concur with the broader range.
• Engage and collaborate early. You should consider engaging and collaborating with system stakeholders if your analysis involves reviewing system data. You may want to ask them for data or prior assessment reports. By engaging them early, you build communication and cooperation. When people feel you are fairly representing them, they will be much quicker to support your efforts.
• Share data. When developing your analysis, it’s a good idea to discuss the methods you plan to use along with explanation and justification. The goal of this activity is to inform openly and transparently, providing as much detail as people are interested in. You may want to provide regular updates to inform all stakeholders throughout your progress.
• Provide preliminary reviews. Providing preliminary briefings to stakeholders before presenting to leadership is a good idea. This keeps everyone informed and provides a platform for discussion and consensus building.

Be Prepared to Defend Your Analysis

This may seem a little challenging, but all it means is that you should be prepared to defend your work. At the end of your analysis, you should have confidence in the choices you and others have jointly made. It would be best to be confident in your process and methods. So, it would help if you were prepared to defend your analysis by being able to answer all related questions.

• Be thoroughly familiar with the details should anyone ask. You can list possible questions and have ready answers before your briefing.
• Be comfortable explaining the math. (How did you determine the rate, the likelihood, or calculate the risk?)
• Be able to explain the methods used. If someone asks about your methods, have a simple and more complex answer ready. Start with the simple answer, then if they want more, be prepared to explain more in-depth.
• Be prepared to justify your recommendations. The most important outcome of any analysis is the recommendations. This is where collaboration pays off. Leadership generally accepts group recommendations more quickly, so having consensus on your recommendations is vital.

Tell The Story

The analysis is never done for the sake of analysis. It is an activity that serves a larger purpose. Usually, it supports the decision-making process.

There is always a story behind every situation.

Why is a company looking to purchase more perimeter defense?

Why is a manager asking about the risk of a cyber-attack?

The story is not about how you performed the analysis. The story is about the company and the people involved and how they are working toward achieving the corporate goals. It is the story about how external events are changing or how staff are doing a good job but need additional resources.

If you want to succeed in this work, you must learn to tell the story, which begins by knowing which story you need to tell. Get this right, and you will have a receptive audience for your analysis.