Why You Need Cybersecurity Metrics

WAKE-UP CALL FOR CISOs! Let's cut through the noise and talk about what REALLY matters in cybersecurity leadership. STOP obsessing over tool metrics. START focusing on actual security outcomes. Here's the hard truth: Having 100% deployment of your EDR doesn't mean you're secure. Perfect patch compliance doesn't guarantee protection. A green dashboard doesn't equal effective security. What REALLY matters the CIOs or the board members? At least the ones I work with are: 1. Threat Management Effectiveness - How quickly are threats detected? - What's your mean time to contain? - Are you stopping threats before they impact business? 2. Business Impact Metrics - Reduction in successful attacks - Revenue protected from cyber incidents - Business operations preserved 3. Risk Reduction Outcomes - Critical asset protection status - Attack surface reduction trends - Third-party risk improvements The shift is simple but powerful: ❌FROM: "We deployed 15 new security tools" ☑️ TO: "We reduced attack surface by 60% and cut incident response time by 75%" This isn't just a metrics change. It's a mindset revolution. CISOs: Your board doesn't care about tool deployment stats. They care about business risk management and protection of revenue. Time to evolve. Time to focus on outcomes that matter. Agree? Disagree? Let's discuss in the comments: #METRICS #CISO #Leadership #SecurityStrategy #RiskManagement

"𝘞𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘺𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘖𝘐." The CFO's request was reasonable but revealed a fundamental disconnect in how organizations evaluate security investments: conventional financial metrics don't apply to risk mitigation. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 Traditional security justifications relied on fear-based narratives and compliance checkboxes. Neither approach satisfied our financially rigorous executive team. Our breakthrough came through implementing a risk quantification framework that translated complex security concepts into financial terms executives could evaluate alongside other business investments. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆: 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲  𝟭. 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: We established our annual loss exposure by mapping threats to business capabilities and quantifying potential impacts through a structured valuation model.  𝟮. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: We created an objective framework to measure how effectively each security control reduced specific risks, producing an "effectiveness quotient" for our entire security portfolio.  𝟯. 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀: We analyzed the relationship between control spending and risk reduction, identifying high-efficiency vs. low-efficiency security investments. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀: 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁  • Our IAM investments delivered the highest risk reduction per dollar spent (3.4x more efficient than endpoint security)  • 22% of our security budget was allocated to controls addressing negligible business risks  • Several critical risks remained under-protected despite significant overall spending 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻  𝟭. 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: Security isn't about being "secure" or "vulnerable"—it's about managing probability and impact systematically.  𝟮. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀: Each security control must clearly link to specific business risks and have quantifiable impacts.  𝟯. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Our analysis revealed that several long-standing "essential" security investments delivered minimal risk reduction. By reallocating resources based on these findings, we:  • Reduced overall cybersecurity spending by $9M annually  • Improved our quantified risk protection by 22%  • Provided clear financial justification for every security investment 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑟: 𝑉𝑖𝑒𝑤𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑦𝑒𝑟𝑠. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠.

Most security teams are tracking the wrong metrics. (I see it all the time as an Advisor) Many are flying blind. Making decisions on gut, not data. Struggling to translate cyber to business, unable to get budget Fingers crossed hoping nothing bad happens 🤞🏼 But the right data changes everything. 🧙🏼♂️Here’s what you should be watching: 1. Mean Time to Detect (MTTD):  ↳Average time to spot an incident, how quickly can you identify threats before damage. 2. Mean Time to Respond (MTTR):  ↳Average time to contain an incident, how effective your team can limit impact. 3. Incident Volume:  ↳Total incidents over a period, the level of threat activity and your team’s workload. 4. Phishing Click Rate:  ↳ Percentage of employees who fall for simulated phishing, showing the org's human risk exposure. 5. Patch Compliance Rate:  ↳Percentage of systems patched on time, how well you’re closing common attack paths. 6. Vulnerability Remediation Time:  ↳ Average time taken to fix vulnerabilities, how quickly you reduce exploitable weaknesses. 7. % of Critical Vulns Open Past SLA:  ↳High-risk vulnerabilities left unresolved past deadlines, revealing dangerous delays in protection. 8. Endpoint Detection Coverage:  ↳Endpoints with security agents deployed, showing where attackers may still have blind spots. 9. MFA Coverage:  ↳Percentage of accounts/apps protected by MFA, reflecting how well identity risks are controlled. 10. Backup Success & Test Rate:  ↳Percentage of backups completed & verified, readiness to recover = resilience. 11. Security Awareness Training Completion:  ↳Percentage of staff who finish training, orgs commitment to reducing human risk. 12. Third-Party Risk Assessment Coverage:  ↳Percentage of vendors assessed, how much supply chain risk you actually understand. 13. % of Incidents Escalated to External Notification:  ↳Incidents requiring disclosure, how often issues affect legal & reputation. 14. Dwell Time:  ↳ Average time attackers stay undetected, how long adversaries have to move before you respond. 15. False Positive Rate:  ↳Percentage of alerts deemed false, how much noise distracting your team. 16. % of Privileged Accounts Reviewed:  ↳Percentage of high-level accounts audited, control over insider and admin misuse risks. 17. Compliance Alignment Score:  ↳Percentage of required controls in place, indicating audit readiness & regulatory obligations. 18. % of Incidents with Root Cause Identified:  ↳Incidents where the true cause is found, preventing repeat attacks. Get these in place and you'll sleep at night, and get that budget to improve. Which one do you find the most important?⤵️ 🔄 Repost to help others improve cybersecurity 📲 Follow Wil Klusovsky for wisdom on cyber & tech business

Turning Cyber Risk Into Boardroom Metrics That Matter - Forbes Cybersecurity has always come with a translation problem. Technical teams speak in terms of vulnerabilities and threats, while boards want to understand risk in dollars and business impact. As attacks become more costly and regulatory scrutiny grows, however, the gap between technical risk and business accountability is shrinking fast. The Boardroom Is Asking New Questions Boards and executives increasingly want to know: How much risk are we taking on, in real financial terms? Are cybersecurity investments justified? Are we actually reducing exposure—or just reacting to the latest crisis? All fair and valid questions. The pressure to answer these questions isn’t just external. Internally, organizations are moving away from blank-check security budgets. Leaders expect to see risk—and progress—quantified in business language: dollars, business impact, and return on investment. From Jargon to Dollars It is an eternal struggle. For most companies cybersecurity is a cost center, not a revenue-generating function. The better cybersecurity is at achieving its stated objectives, the less necessary it seems—if there are no successful attacks, why spend so much money on defending against them? Cyber risk quantification is quickly gaining ground as a bridge between IT and the C-suite that addresses this challenge. The promise is simple: turn technical scenarios into dollar-based outcomes so everyone is on the same page. CRQ platforms don’t just talk about possible vulnerabilities—they show what a breach could really cost, how an investment reduces exposure, and where risk is shifting across the organization. This approach is becoming the new standard as boards and regulators demand clear evidence of measurable progress. A New Player in the US Market The changing landscape is driving international players to expand their presence. Squalify, a Munich-based cyber risk quantification provider, just announced its U.S. entry, launching with a Bay Area healthcare customer. The company’s platform, backed by Munich Re’s cyber loss data, aims to help organizations move from reactive, compliance-based security toward proactive, ROI-driven strategies. #cybersecurity #CyberRiskQuantification #CRQ #boardofdirectors #riskmanagement #ROI

Executive leadership and boards must understand key cybersecurity metrics to protect their organizations effectively. This newsletter highlights essential metrics across risk reduction, financial impact, compliance, security awareness, operational efficiency, and third-party risk. By focusing on business risk, using simple visualizations, and connecting metrics to strategic goals, cybersecurity professionals can present clear, actionable insights that drive informed decision-making and bolster organizational security.