5 Cybersecurity Questions Every CEO Should Be Able To Answer

Cybersecurity has long been a tricky topic for CEOs: while it technically affects everyone, its technical nature can cause some leaders to tune out. But as threats mount in the face of AI, CEOs can’t afford to ignore their cybersecurity infrastructure or defense strategy.

In other words, some questions can’t be glossed over.

Everyone (customers, vendors, investors, board members, fellow C-suite colleagues, etc.) has concerns about cybersecurity today. With every new device, breach and piece of data, there are bigger questions about what will happen if the wrong people infiltrate a system, network or portal.

If a CEO doesn’t know what’s happening within his or her company, vendors may be hesitant to renew partnership contracts, customers might avoid opening a new account, and board members might question the very stability of a company’s foundation.

CEOs don’t need to personally review logs or configure cybersecurity tools, but they should be able to answer a few specific questions when asked. After all, cybersecurity questions are business questions.

Question 1: How Do You Protect Customer and Sensitive Business Data?

A CEO doesn’t need to discuss and debate cryptographic keys, but they do need to understand how the company protects sensitive information and who is in charge of the safeguards.

• Strong answers address control access, exposure risks and storage protocols. For example, a CEO might discuss how they’ve allocated more resources to a business continuity plan or appointed a new CTO with more experience in fighting malware.
• Weak answers rely on general assumptions that the company’s IT team has segregated the most important information and confined it to a small handful of individuals. This generic answer doesn’t address cybersecurity ownership or individual responsibilities.

Question 2: Do You Require Multifactor Authentication (MFA)?

MFA is everywhere these days, and while it introduces a level of additional friction for the user, it’s also an undeniably effective way to reduce breaches and compromised accounts. A CEO should not only know whether the organization requires MFA but how the additional layer impacts the company’s larger risk profile.

• Strong answers reference MFA in conjunction with related security measures. They help stakeholders understand how the organization consistently and methodically enforces integrated policies to thwart a wide variety of attacks.
• Weak answers will simply affirm MFA protocols without delving into specific details. For example, a CEO may know that MFA is required for new accounts, but not for old accounts signing in on a new device.

Question 3: Can You Recover if Something Goes Wrong?

Business continuity is the gold standard in cybersecurity. While stakeholders certainly care about cyber protections, they also want to know that a company can quickly get back on its feet in the face of both man-made and natural disasters.

• Strong answers will include key bullet points of a realistic and thoroughly vetted plan. They should specifically address how the company will adjust and adapt to common events, whether that’s a fire or a successful deepfake email campaign.
• Weak answers may reference outsourced assets, like an MSP or the cloud, even if these organizations don’t take ownership in the event of a disaster. Or CEOs may speak about vague timelines (e.g., ASAP), which can create uncertainty and distrust about their disaster recovery plans.

Question 4: Have You Experienced Security Incidents, and What Changed as a Result?

When Fortune 500 corporations can be successfully breached, organizations are often judged more on how they handle a security incident than whether they were targeted. CEOs should know how threats are detected, how they’re triaged and what was gleaned from the firm’s ongoing patterns.

• Strong answers highlight the follow-up and growth of the company, even if the security incident did not result in a public-facing breach. CEOs should learn lessons from both the hits and near-misses, and use these examples as stepping stones to strong process improvements.
• Weak answers may simply deny any security incidents or only speak about general safety concerns that all organizations legitimately face. CEOs who can’t speak from personal experience may appear unaccountable at best and negligent at worse.

Question 5: What Are Your Biggest Cybersecurity Risks Right Now?

Most people, including boards and management, don’t want to hear a technical explanation about cybersecurity today. However, they do want to be aware of the biggest risks and the larger threats to both the company’s reputation and revenue.

• Strong answers discuss how risks are being addressed head-on, and who’s in charge. They acknowledge any existing gaps and how those gaps are being actively closed. They also touch on how AI’s evolution means that every organization’s security risks are constantly changing at a rapid rate.
• Weak answers may discuss broad-spectrum risks, such as data breaches or AI infiltration. While it isn’t necessary to know every potential security threat, it is important to discuss known risks and how the organization is taking proactive steps to get in front of them.

Understanding the CEO’s Role in a Company’s Cybersecurity

There can be a fine line between reciting jargon and relaying genuine cybersecurity details. A CEO doesn’t have to become an expert, but they should be able to answer cybersecurity information from a business standpoint.

A CEO’s answers should reflect visibility into risks, accountability for cybersecurity outcomes, and the operational hierarchy that governs it all.

To learn more about how to understand and convey your organization’s cybersecurity posture to your stakeholders, connect with your Warren Averett Technology Group advisor directly, or ask a member of our team to reach out to you.