Fred Harris

60 seconds with Fred Harris

"I think there will be less of a tolerance for risk acceptance in cyber security, which will require better hygiene on a continual basis."

Emerging from the pandemic, the world has witnessed a series of global incidents spanning geopolitical unrest through to economic crisis. Whilst each situation is entirely unique, they all have implications on the financial services sector and a knock-on effect on cyber related incidents.  Société Générale’s Fred Harris discusses heightened geopolitical tensions, the dwindling tolerance for risk acceptance in cyber security, and the required skill set for cyber risk practitioners.

 

What’s keeping you awake at night?

I jokingly say that I sleep like a baby, I wake up every 2 hours and cry. Seriously though, lately for me it has been the growing global geopolitical tensions and the potential implications on the financial services sector.

 

How do you envisage the future of cyber risk management?

I think there will be less of a tolerance for risk acceptance in cyber security, which will require better hygiene on a continual basis. The concepts of permitting vulnerability risk acceptance or near end of life or end of support software in your environment will no longer be acceptable. This will allow cyber risk practitioners to spend more time focusing on moving their cyber programs forward and the risks associated with that change.

 

What advice would you give organisations rethinking their approach to cyber risk management?

It is important that cyber risk practitioners have experience in cyber security operations roles. This will allow them to earn creditability with the first line of defence and should result in acting as an independent advisor in addition to the traditional independent reviewer and challenger.

Join Fred as he discusses Running WWIII scenarios for the next geopolitical flair-up: cyber risk and threat intelligence at the upcoming Cyber Risk Summit Boston (April 13).