Zero Trust World is Clear to Land - Day 3

Time flies when you’re having fun, which is an accurate depiction of the last three days at the Zero Trust World conference in Orlando, Florida. There is quite a buzz going through the air about ThreatLocker after they announced their new endeavor, ThreatLocker Ops, which is their first foray into cyber attack detection. The ThreatLocker booth is hard at work answering questions and fielding requests to beta test the product. Not to mention their cool cash machine that new clients get to spend 30 seconds in to grab as much money as possible! It has been fun to watch.

The final day started out with CEO Danny Jenkins taking the stage once again to give an overview of the entire conference, as well as to reiterate what ThreatLocker does for its customers and why zero trust is the way of the future in cybersecurity. Danny has a way of speaking that is entertaining and informative which makes him a joy to listen to. One can clearly see the passion he has for security and for making the digital world a safer place to live.

The star of the day however is the speaker I have been waiting for all week: Captain Sully Sullenberger! If you are unaware of this man, you can learn about him in numerous documentaries, television shows, and even a major Hollywood film, “Sully”, which Captain Sullenberger co-wrote. Here is a quick synopsis: Captain Sullenberger was the pilot in charge of US Airways flight 1549, which encountered a flock of birds shortly after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City. Several birds were ingested into the engines of the plane, rendering them both inoperable. Not yet having gained enough altitude or airspeed to coast to a nearby airport to land, Captain Sullenberger made the decision to land the plane in the Hudson River, which he did so safely.  All passengers and crew survived and exited the plane to nearby ferries that came to rescue them. Such a situation would require true leadership to navigate through, which Captain Sullenberger showed. This is why he is here with us today, speaking about leadership in today’s world.

While Captain Sullenberger’s presentation did not directly deal with cybersecurity, it was a lesson in how to lead in not only our businesses but also our personal lives. He did this by detailing the events of his Flight 1549 experience, as well as some stories from his time as a fighter pilot in the US Air Force. Some key takeaways from it were that we need to make our processes and decisions based on “What is right, not who is right,” as well as to embrace change early when we can choose to, not when we are forced to. This is a lesson that can be directly applied to cybersecurity and more specifically zero trust.  I was honored to be able to hear Captain Sullenberger speak today and hope to set a similar example of leadership in my own career and life.

At long last, Zero Trust World has made a successful landing and we are taxiing to the gate. Each attendee is now armed with new knowledge, expertise, partners, and tools in their hunt for a stronger cybersecurity posture. As we all go our separate ways I think about how we will each have our own struggles and successes in cybersecurity in the coming year. Regardless of what happens, good or bad, we are better equipped to handle it today than we were yesterday. In one year’s time when Zero Trust World 2024 rolls around, we will have one more year of experience and learning to share as the cybersecurity community continues to grow.

Until next time…

Stay safe (and secure) out there!

Curtis McPherson is a Lead SOC Analyst who also spends time performing penetration testing and ethical hacking, making him a true purple team member. Curtis graduated cum laude from Penn State University with a bachelor’s degree in Security and Risk Analysis, concentrating on cybersecurity and digital forensics. In his time at Penn State, he participated in the Technology Club, which conducted open-sourced intelligence (OSINT) investigations into missing person cases, using social media and the internet to find clues to their disappearance. Curtis is married with two cats and a bouncy bearded collie named Laddie. In his spare time, Curtis is an avid fiction writer, Civil War historian, and a tried and true lover of all things related to airplanes and aviation.