1.6 CYBERSECURITY IS A FULL-TIME ACTIVITY
You can’t let your cybersecurity guard down when you leave the office. Today’s executives
seemingly are always connected to the Internet in one way or another. When they aren’t
connected, many of them don’t view it as a respite; they view it as a calamity. While in their
office, they rely upon a host of IT to conduct their daily business. Mobile devices such as
smart telephones, tablet computers, and other such devices have untethered executives,
permitting them to access information while commuting, traveling on business, or even
while they are on vacation.10 While many executives complain about being slaves to their
emails and other electronic exchanges, nonetheless, they insist upon having the capability
to be continually accessible.
Such accessibility requirements create interesting cybersecurity challenges. Many
executives and those who work for them frequently perform work on their personal computing
devices. The resulting exchange of information between home and work IT devices
exposes both to potential cybersecurity threats and creates its own class of vulnerabilities.
As such, we propose that executives should treat home computing systems with the same
due care and due diligence as they would their computing systems at the office. During the
course of this book, we will share tactics, techniques, and procedures that will be helpful
both at home and in the office as you protect your vital information.