Networking for Cybersecurity Experts

You don’t need a title to lead in cybersecurity. Here’s how to build influence: - Share what you learn publicly (LinkedIn, blog, GitHub) - Help your team understand risks in simple terms - Speak up when you see risk—respectfully and clearly - Volunteer to lead internal training or awareness campaigns - Contribute to open-source or standards groups (like OWASP) - Publish a book to establish authority in your cybersecurity niche Influence builds trust. Trust builds opportunities. Start leading from where you are. Good luck in your journey !

Over seven years, we have helped several newly appointed cyber leaders hit the ground running and establish credibility with senior stakeholders. Here are my top recommendations: 1. Neutralize Potential Dissenters - Whether hired externally or promoted internally, you will face individuals determined to sink your ship—peers who thought they deserved the role or C-suite members who believe you should report to them. You must move quickly to establish legitimacy. These people can cause serious damage. Your initial moves may be less about procuring tools and more about understanding grievances, healing wounds, and building consensus. 2. Deliver High-Profile Quick Wins - You only get one chance to make a first impression. Once you step into this high-profile role, you must identify and deliver 2-3 quick wins while developing your long-term strategy. This builds momentum and creates widespread belief that significant change is happening in the cybersecurity function. The first 100 days provide a rare opportunity to show the organization who you are. Your direct reports wonder if you will keep their jobs. Senior stakeholders question if they made the right choice. Long-term suppliers worry if you will delete them from the panel. Everything hinges on the tone you set and the initial bold but wise moves you make. 3. Slow Down, Shut Up, and Listen - While you must cement credibility through rapid delivery, a super busy first 100 days is a huge trap. If you were hired after a serious breach, you have no time to gently ease in. But soon after taking charge, you must become an information sponge. How does the organization make money? How are important decisions made? Who is the CEO's whisperer? What are the board dynamics? The worst thing is arriving assuming you know what needs to be done based on a one-pager job description and high-level interview discussions. I have learned the hard way: most organizations have unspoken cultural dynamics, hidden traps, and complex power structures. You uncover these only through candid conversations with key stakeholders. This requires a careful blend of executive confidence and genuine vulnerability that gets people to open up. What was your experience in your first 100 days as a leader? What would you do differently? #cyberleadership #first100days #careeradvice

Every time I host a session on Cybersecurity, it still never fails to amaze me and learn new things. This time, here's what I learnt. Cybersecurity is now a war of proxies. So many actors, each with different motives, make it extremely difficult attribute and manage. Yet, it's precisely because of this, Cybersecurity is not a tech problem. It’s a leadership one. QED just wrapped up an intense, no-holds-barred leadership session co-hosted with our friends from Ensign InfoSecurity to explore “Leadership in the Age of Cyber Risks and Opportunities.” Instead of just another tech talk, we made it a strategic dialogue at the Board-level. So here are my key takeaways... I did say I'm learning, right? 😉 1. When sh*t happens, who decides? Clear ownership is critical when a breach happens. If everyone’s responsible, no one is. 2. Assume you’re already breached. Incident response plans are 3-parters what should cover before, during and after a breach/attack. 3. Boards must prioritise the top 3 cyber risks. Not everything can be defended equally—focus on protecting your critical assets and ask how can you recover... if at all? 4. Metrics that matter. Boards should ask the right questions, not just more questions. Assess resilience with clear indicators. Watch out for vanity metrics that feel good, but does absolutely... nothing! 😅 5. Cyber hygiene is culture, not compliance. Regular simulations. Employee training. Strong passwords. Make it a daily habit and not something tedious nor optional. Ensign also shared their 2025 Threat Report which focuses more of the situation across APAC rather than elsewhere. Top three points: – Ransomware is still king – GenAI poses new challenges/complexities – Geopolitical tensions are reshaping the attack surface A huge thank you to Charles Ng and the great team at Ensign for the comprehensive deep dive and to all the leaders who shared, questioned, and connected with the purpose of being safer and better guarded together. Special thanks to our amazing panelists Lily Low, Audrey Ong, and Charles + our wonderful QED Fellow and moderator Ramakrishna Purushotaman for cutting through the noise. Your various vantage points help us all see a more complete picture of the challenges! 🙏🏼 Here's something for you to ponder: 📣 If you're a Board Director, but haven’t discussed cyber in the last 90 days, it’s overdue. Do you know what are the right questions to ask your management? 🤔

Cybersecurity Career Tips #1 If you want to enter the cybersecurity field, it’s not enough to just pick a list of courses, complete them, generate certificates, and think the job will come naturally. And it’s definitely not just about adding certifications to your resume that’s only one step in the process. It’s essential to learn what is applied in real work contexts. You don’t need to study C if you’ll never use it in your daily tasks. Your studies should be aligned with your actual needs. My first recommendation if you want to become a cybersecurity professional is to understand what the market is looking for. Analyze open positions in your region or remote roles, define the requirements for each position, and identify the practical skills you need. Platforms such as HackTheBox, TryHackMe, PortSwigger Academy, PentesterLab, and Root-Me are excellent for hands-on learning. I strongly recommend investing your time in acquiring real-world skills. Write write-ups, share your journey here on LinkedIn or other networks, build personal projects and publish them on GitHub, connect with other professionals, and expand your network both online and at industry events. Also, develop your soft skills. Communication is critical, even in a job interview. Being able to translate technical issues into business impact is just as important as technical knowledge. A common way to start a career is by working in consulting firms. There are many opportunities at different seniority levels. It may not be your dream job, but it opens doors. Prepare your resume for the positions you aim for and highlight the key points that match the role especially if specific knowledge is required. A resume will only be considered if it demonstrates the right skills, relevant training or certifications (to validate your expertise), and professional autonomy. And don’t limit your job search to LinkedIn. It’s great for networking, but when it comes to landing jobs, explore alternatives. Target companies that interest you and check their career pages many positions are never posted on LinkedIn. Above all, stay focused. Don’t try to learn everything at once. Concentrate on what will land you your first job, and then expand your knowledge base to increase your seniority or pivot to other areas. But the real secret lies in how you communicate and sell your work your knowledge, your problem-solving mindset, and your ability to handle situations consistently. #CyberSecurity #InfoSec #CareerAdvice #Hacking #TechJobs #SoftSkills

Here's my 2025 LinkedIn Rewind, by Coauthor.studio: I launched Cybersecurity Insights in Jan 2025 to help CISOs, executives, and boards navigate AI, human risk, and the geopolitical pressures reshaping cyber defense. Here's how the year unfolded. Key Milestones: - Founded Cybersecurity Insights – advisory, fractional CISO services, and thought leadership - CISO & Strategist at Mercury Risk and Compliance, Inc. - Named Thinkers360 Ambassador for Cybersecurity - Joined MindShield Institute™ advisory board for cognitive and behavioral security - Cybersecurity Insights recognized as a Top 50 Thought Leading Company on Cybersecurity 2025 - Spoke and moderated at CognectCon, HMG Strategy, InCyber, HRMCon, and multiple podcasts Themes That Defined My Year: - AI as weapon and shield. Attackers are leveraging AI-powered ransomware, deepfakes, and automated social engineering at unprecedented scale. Defenders must embrace AI – but govern it properly. The window of opportunity for criminals is wider than ever. - Transformation of CISOs. CISOs must evolve from technology risk experts to cyber risk business executives and communicate with the Board, CEO, and internal profit centers, in business value terms. CISOs must drive a greater vision that takes cybersecurity beyond just protection and compliance, to deliver value that directly supports the corporate objectives! - Human-aware security. The narrative that people are the weakest link is outdated. With positive reinforcement training and cognitive security design, people can become your strongest asset. This drove my work with MindShield and panels with Wade Baker, Ashley M. Rose, and Sumona Banerji. - Transparency over extortion. When Coinbase refused a $20M ransom and turned it into a bounty – that was leadership. Brilliant! Every organization should craft response capabilities to follow that playbook. Posts That Resonated: On shifting to positive reinforcement training: https://lnkd.in/gv5FMwQv The CISO transformation: https://lnkd.in/gJ2dARPp On Coinbase's anti-extortion response: https://lnkd.in/g5H2wmsP Looking to 2026: AI governance will dominate. PQC migration cannot wait. Human risk programs must scale. And boards need CISOs who communicate risk in business terms – not technical jargon. If you want help preparing for AI-driven risk, CISO transformation, or building a human-aware security program, DM me or visit Cybersecurity Insights. I'm also taking advisory clients. Thanks to everyone who collaborated and challenged my thinking – Thinkers360, MindShield, HMG Strategy, and the incredible researchers and speakers I had the privilege to work with. What defined your 2025? #Cybersecurity #AI #HumanRisk #CISO #Leadership #LinkedInRewind #Coauthor - Get your 2025 LinkedIn Rewind! Go to rewind.coauthor.studio

𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. If you are leading security today, here’s the reality: boards are no longer asking 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐬𝐞. They are asking- 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤. That shift is exactly why I put this together. This cheat sheet brings together the core building blocks , Every modern CISO must master to move from operational security to executive-level impact: → The certifications that build credibility and signal executive readiness → How to structure and scale a security team that actually delivers outcomes → A governance model that turns policies into consistent execution → Risk quantification methods that translate cyber risk into business language → Zero Trust and modern architectures built for today’s and tomorrow’s threat landscape The objective is simple but critical: 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. If you are shaping security strategy, Advising leadership, Preparing your organization for the next phase of maturity, This framework gives you a clear, practical reference point. Save it. Share it with your team. Use it to guide 2026 planning. --- Hi, I'm Harris D. Schwartz, Fractional CISO and Cybersecurity Leader. I help CEOs and executive teams strengthen their security posture and build resilient, compliant organizations. With 𝟑𝟎+ 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 NIST, ISO, PCI, and GDPR, I know how the right security decisions reduce risk and protect growth. If you are planning how your security program needs to evolve in 2026, this is the right time to have that conversation. #CyberSecurityLeadership #CISO #CyberRisk #SecurityStrategy #CyberGovernance #RiskManagement #ZeroTrust #BoardLevelSecurity #CyberResilience

Tips I give my students as they graduate and start looking for their first cybersecurity role: 1. Turn your school projects into a living portfolio. Spin up a GitHub page or personal site where you walk through 2-3 of your strongest class labs or projects. Explain the task, the tools you used, how you solved the problem, and what you would do differently now that you know more.   2. Build credibility in public spaces. Keep an updated LinkedIn profile. React to posts from people already in roles you want, share short snippets of your experiences, labs, or CTF challenges, and ask thoughtful questions. A dozen genuine interactions a week snowball into relationships, and those relationships often lead straight to interviews that never hit the job boards.   3. Keep your skills sharp. Pick a hands-on platform; TryHackMe, Hack the Box, OverTheWire, Security Blue Team, Immersive Labs, TCM Security, etc -- and commit to an hour a day. Treat it like the gym and be consistent. Then document. Create a blog or write short posts on LinkedIn. The goal is to keep learning and share what you're learning.   4. Nurture soft skills. Cybersecurity is a team sport. Practice explaining vulnerabilities to non-technical friends in plain language and learn to write concise and detailed write-ups. Always question and seek clarification. You'll never regret working on your writing and speaking skills, no matter where your career might take you. What did I miss? Have some good advice for a new college graduate ready to find their next role? #CyberSecurity #Graduation #GetHired

A step-by-step plan to get a cybersecurity internship without experience 1. Make Your Skills Visible You may have skills, but how will HR know? Start sharing your labs, projects, and CTF write-ups on LinkedIn and GitHub. Don’t keep everything hidden on your laptop. “Jo dikhta hai, wahi bikta hai.” Recruiters don’t blindly trust a fresher’s resume. They want proof of work, not just claims. 2. Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile Your LinkedIn profile is your online resume. Treat it seriously. Use a clean profile photo, a decent banner, and a clear headline (not “Student at XYZ”). Write a short About section explaining who you are and what you’re learning or working on. Stop spamming random hashtags. They don’t get you jobs. Focus on posting useful content for the right audience. 3. Build a Strong Cybersecurity Network Don’t connect with random people. Your first major connections should be cybersecurity professionals, seniors, mentors, and recruiters. Engage with posts, comment genuinely, DM people respectfully, and share your journey. Attend local meetups like DEF CON groups, Null chapters, ISACA events (just Google, you’ll find one nearby). Even one mentor who reviews your resume can change everything. 4. Think Long-Term, Not Instant Results Your first job may not be cool hacker stuff. That’s normal. Many people start in SOC, IT support, helpdesk (security-focused), or network roles. Use these roles as a stepping stone into core cybersecurity. 5. Gain Experience Before Chasing a Full-Time Role Sometimes you need experience before you get paid. Offer help to small companies or startups with basic security. Look for internships, freelance work, or volunteering opportunities. Join bug bounty programs even a few valid reports add real value to your resume Show proof → join the community → take an entry-level role → grow from there. These steps can help you get shortlisted, but in the interview, skills matter the most. So focus on learning, showcase what you know, stay consistent, and keep improving.

🔐 How to Land Your First Cybersecurity Job (Even Without Experience) Breaking into cybersecurity isn’t just about degrees — it’s about skills, proof, and consistency. Here’s what really works 👇 Pick Your Path: Decide whether you want to go into SOC analysis, penetration testing, or risk management. Knowing your direction helps you focus your learning. Master the Tools: Learn Nmap, Wireshark, Snort, Metasploit, Burp Suite — and practice daily on platforms like TryHackMe or HackTheBox. Create a Strong Portfolio: Your portfolio = proof you can do the job. 5. Optimize LinkedIn & Resume Showcase your expertise clearly. 💼 LinkedIn: Headline: “Cybersecurity Analyst | Penetration Testing | IDS/IPS Expert” About: Share your story, skills. Posts: Share project writeups, cybersecurity news, or your learning journey. 📝 Resume: Keep it 1 page, focused on skills + hands-on experience. Tailor for each job you apply to. Network Strategically Many cybersecurity jobs come from connections, not applications. Engage on LinkedIn — comment on posts by analysts, CISOs, recruiters. Join communities: CyberDefenders, Reddit r/netsec, local cyber meetups. Attend webinars and conferences. Ask for advice, not jobs — build genuine relationships first. Apply Smartly: When applying Tailor your resume to match the job description. Mention specific tools listed in the posting. Prepare a short message to recruiters (why you fit the role). Apply on: LinkedIn Jobs Indeed / Glassdoor Company career portals Referrals from your network Interview Preparation Cybersecurity interviews test practical knowledge + scenario reasoning. Keep learning, share your progress, and recruiters will notice your growth.

If you treat cyber like IT, risk multiplies. I’ve spent 20+ years in rooms where that sentence proved true. Not because IT isn’t smart. Not because security teams don’t work hard. But because cyber isn’t about devices. It’s about decisions. When leaders treat cyber like “the firewall team’s job,” here’s what actually happens: → Risk decisions get made by default → Budget becomes reactive → Revenue exposure hides in technical language → The board gets updates, not choices And when something breaks? It’s suddenly a business crisis. Not an IT ticket. Cybersecurity is about decisions, not devices. Every control you buy is a business bet. You’re deciding: 💰 What revenue you’re willing to put at risk ⏱ How long you can afford to be down 🤝 How much client trust you’re prepared to gamble 📈 How fast you want to grow without breaking Firewalls don’t decide that. Your leadership team does. Here’s where I see companies get it wrong: ❌ “IT will handle it.” That means no one owns risk at the executive level. ❌ “Just buy the tool.” Tools don’t reduce risk without priority and alignment. ❌ “Are we compliant?” Compliance is a floor. Strategy is the ceiling. The companies that win treat cyber like capital allocation. They ask: → What decision does this control support? → What business outcome does this protect? → What risk are we consciously accepting? That shift changes everything. Now the CISO isn’t presenting dashboards. They’re presenting options. Option A: Accept the risk Option B: Invest $X to reduce exposure Option C: Change the business process That’s a leadership conversation. When cyber is just tech, it competes with help desk tickets and server upgrades. When cyber lives at the decision table, it protects revenue, speed, and survival. Devices are tactical. Decisions are strategic. If you treat cyber like infrastructure, you’ll fund it like overhead. If you treat cyber like decision-making, you’ll govern it like risk. And risk is a leadership responsibility. Cybersecurity isn’t about what you installed. It’s about what you’re choosing. 🧙🏼♂️ Cyber maturity isn’t a tech upgrade. It’s a governance upgrade. 📲 If you’re rethinking how risk decisions are made at the executive level, follow @Wil for straight-talking insight. If you want help building that structure, my inbox is open. 📥