Cybersecurity 101: Why it's time to rethink what we think we know

"Cybersecurity isn't just about prevention using firewalls and perimeter defense anymore. There needs to be an equal focus on risk management, resilience and readiness. And no, zero trust isn't a replacement for cybersecurity. It's a philosophy that should be embedded within it. I've spent decades in federal cybersecurity, from leading zero trust implementation at the Department of the Interior to helping agencies rethink breach readiness."

"Picture your agency as a castle. You've got a moat (firewalls), a drawbridge (access controls) and maybe even a few dragons (threat detection tools). But inside that castle? There's a great hall, a treasury and the royal archives that house all the historical and important information. If an adversary gets past the perimeter, what's stopping them from wandering the halls and taking everything of value?"

"That's where resilience comes in. Cybersecurity today isn't just about keeping people out - it's about minimizing damage when they get in. And with 2,678 attacks per government organization per week in Q1 2025, that's not a hypothetical. It's reality. Zero trust helps, but let's not confuse the map with the mission. Cybersecurity is the broader discipline of protecting systems, data and people. Zero trust is one strategic framework within it. It's not a silver bullet; it's a mindset shift."

Cybersecurity requires equal emphasis on prevention, risk management, resilience, and operational readiness alongside traditional perimeter defenses like firewalls and access controls. Zero trust functions as a strategic framework and mindset to be embedded within broader cybersecurity efforts, not as a replacement. Agencies face frequent attacks — 2,678 per government organization per week in Q1 2025 — making breach readiness essential. Rapid procurement and AI adoption increase attack surface and require secure systems feeding automated decision-making. Effective defense assumes breaches will occur and prioritizes minimizing damage, protecting data and systems, and ensuring organizational continuity.

Read at Nextgov.com