As the talent gap continues to grow across critical sectors, I would like to focus on the topic of neurodiversity specific to cybersecurity and what we, as CISOs, can do to recognize, attract, and support candidates from all backgrounds. Before sharing my thoughts, I'd like to explicitly state that I am not an expert in this topic, just a CISO who enjoys reading, pursuing knowledge, and sparking conversations.

Developing a cybersecurity mindset is crucial in today's digital landscape, where threats can be anywhere. It's all about understanding the risks, staying informed, and taking proactive steps to protect ourselves. Here's some ways I've helped develop my mindset:

Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) is a structured way to align IT with business goals while managing risks and meeting all industry and government regulations. It includes tools and processes to unify an organization's governance and risk management with its technological innovation and adoption.

Mastercard’s Deputy Chief Security Officer and former CIO to the President of The United States, Alyssa, Dr. Jay Abdullah has built an impressive network, or table, as she prefers to call it. Join Dr. Jay for her keynote from the Women in Cybersecurity Conference on Building Your Table.

For her Keynote speech at the Women In Cybersecurity, Katied decided to draw on her background in the construction industry. Building a technical foundation allows us to support our teammates, and understand what they are talking about, and how we can help them solve problems.

Jenn Deberge, Communications Director for the corporate security team at Mastercard knows a thing or two about networking. In her role, Jenn helps the employees at Mastercard understand the things they can do, to help keep their company safe, and the actions they can take to have a positive impact on their company’s security.

Security Advisor Alliance Board of Director Member, Ann Johnson hosts one of the finest cybersecurity podcasts in the industry, Afternoon Cyber Tea With Ann Johnson. Her interview style is inquisitive and thoughtful. Her guests are premier security leaders from around the world. On this episode of Afternoon Cyber Tea, Ann and her guest AJ Yawn explore the difficult challenge of breaking into the cybersecurity industry for first timers.

This great video from a small business organization in the UK, illustrates what a cyber attack would like like if carried out in the real world.

The Cybersecurity Canon, hosted by The Ohio State University is a curated catalog of the best books on the topic. Each year, members of the industry read, review, and select Hall of Fame members.

Ransomware is the most common type of attack being used today to cripple businesses and individuals use of their technology. Take a quick dive into what ransomware is, and some simple tactics to help protect yourself and your organization.

Anne Marie Zettlemoyer, VP of Security Engineering at Mastercard talks about her teams role in securing trillions of dollars in transactions in over 100 countries around the globe!

Ron Green, who leads the cybersecurity organization at Mastercard talks with Alissa Abdullah, Deputy CISO about his career and the path he’s taken to get where he is today.

Mastercard is leading the charge to help diversify our cybersecurity organizations.