Once a Marine, always a Marine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s certainly true for Doug Pierson, a recently retired US Marine Corps Major General who manages our Microsoft Executive Support Team. As part of that role, he works with our company\u2019s senior leaders and created an Executive Cyber Defense service offering to assist them with protecting themselves and the company from Malicious Cyber Actors (MCAs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cYes, this is a different situation, but not so much that the lessons don\u2019t apply. We need our executives to be very vigilant.\u201d<\/p>\nDoug Pierson, senior director of IT Service Management, Microsoft Digital<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
While serving in the U.S. Marines, one of his assignments was deputy commander of Marine Corps Forces Cyber Command, U.S. Cyber Command, where he led multiple Joint Task Forces protecting the United States worldwide from cyber and asymmetric threats via nonstop offensive and defensive cyber operations. At Microsoft, he and his team have created a service offering that is founded on his time in direct contact with near peer and other adversary MCAs to help our executives protect themselves and the company from cyber threats that they face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The attackers and battlefields may be different, but the concept is the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, this is a different situation, but not so much that the lessons don\u2019t apply,\u201d says Pierson, now a senior director of IT Service Management in Microsoft Digital, the company\u2019s IT organization. \u201cWe need our executives to be very vigilant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As technology advances and proliferates, so too do the different ways that MCAs hack into businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Executives\u2014and the people around them, such as executive assistants, chiefs of staffs, and other closely aligned administrators\u2014are particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks. As criminals look to access trade secrets, impersonate individuals, and use sensitive or confidential information for malicious means, we’ve seen an expansion in their unique approaches to finding and exploiting vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recently, Pierson and our Executive Support Team saw an opportunity to scale up how we protect our leaders\u2019 communications and data, with approaches tailored to each person\u2019s workflows and potential vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They tackled the problem from three angles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
- People.<\/strong> Besides Microsoft executive leadership, we advise support staff, clients, client stakeholders, and anyone else who might unintentionally create access vectors that lead bad actors to our executives.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Places.<\/strong> Many of our executives travel to high-risk locations that require proactive security measures. We also take into consideration whether a destination has Microsoft infrastructure in place, making it safer. Areas without Microsoft infrastructure might leave someone vulnerable. Airports, for example, might require you to sign onto a public Wi-Fi network or put you at risk of \u201cshoulder surfing,\u201d meaning someone looking at your laptop and gaining access to sensitive information. Our Executive Support Team provide awareness of how to safely navigate through these locations, while partnering with our Executive Protection Unit to enable a multilayered virtual and physical cyber shield while on the road.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Things.<\/strong> No matter who the staff member is and where they\u2019re located, we ensure they have devices that are updated with the latest software, functional for mobile use, and include secure measures like cloud backup or VPN. We set them up with travel routers, provide insight on IoT home network devices, and offer support for other tools that secure communications and internal information.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
As we continue to refine and build out our operating principles for executives that allow them to conduct business safely from any device and location, we learned several key lessons along the way. In simplest terms, executive support regularly ties in with an internal partnership on executive cyber protection in a “triad”:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
- Our Executive Support Team maintains cyber security in proximate access: coordinating directly with the executives and their teams on IT security practices, devices, travel, and immediate concerns.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Our Executive Protection Unit maintains physical security overwatch for executives in the office and during travel\u2014most notably when in a high-risk area.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Lesson 1: Partner with your CISO team<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Our team works with the Microsoft Office of the CISO to monitor and consistently review network and account activity on-net, and off-net for anomalies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our initiative has been a success in large part because we set clear, easy-to-follow guidelines and invested time and resources into educating staff on those guidelines. As an example, we deliver quarterly Protect Your Tech upskilling sessions that routinely attract 20 executive assistants (EAs), who learn about things not readily apparent as well as how to find cyber protection capabilities via Executive Support or other teams within Microsoft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt started with a foundational set of tips and tricks due to very real and specific need, given active targeting of the Executive Admin community and how much passion EAs have around protecting their executive on multiple levels,\u201d Pierson says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In newsletters, informational booklets, and the regularly offered Protect Your Tech sessions, we discuss the foundational importance of using multifactor authentication (MFA), strong passwords, keeping devices updated, and avoiding untrusted Wi-Fi networks. We then go from there into more specific measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cWe provide executives with a secure physical device enabled with Cloud PC, a system that essentially mirrors their primary computer within a highly secure virtual environment.\u201d<\/p>\nNolan Mitchell, IT service manager, Microsoft Digital<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
We also regularly educate support staff on how to manage their devices with Entra ID or Intune, save files to OneDrive and SharePoint, and identify scam links or fake accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, we meet with executives prior to travel to high-risk locations, setting them up with a secure environment in advance of their trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe provide executives with a secure physical device enabled with Cloud PC, a system that essentially mirrors their primary computer within a highly secure virtual environment,\u201d says Nolan Mitchell, an IT service manager in Microsoft Digital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That means that if a device is lost or stolen, data is designed to remain accessible through the cloud rather than being stored locally on the device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cWe\u2019re seeing governments put laws and policies in place that enable them to view what is on your devices, so we remind our folks that those laws and policies exist, and that they should be mindful or give very specific guidance related to traveling with their devices.\u201d<\/p>\nElias Gonzales, director of executive protections, Global Security<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
We also might advise them on what they shouldn\u2019t bring with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re seeing governments put laws and policies in place that enable them to view what\u2019s on your devices, so we remind our folks that those laws and policies exist, and that they should be mindful or give very specific guidance related to traveling with their devices,\u201d says Elias Gonzales, a director of executive protection in Microsoft Global Security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This strong foundation has led to our team being more proactive before a threat emerges, rather than being reactive to attacks that might have already impacted them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe fact that folks are engaging us regarding security, for high-risk travel briefs, and to understand the environment they will be operating in before they start moving around\u2014that\u2019s a good thing,\u201d Mitchell says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lesson 2: Collaboration is the way<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s all about working together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe realized early on that leveraging our expertise and collaborating across organizations would make our initiative way more effective,\u201d Pierson says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Much of Pierson’s work at Microsoft Digital, for example, is informed by his extensive experience commanding offensive and defensive cyber units in the Marines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Likewise, Asaf Kashi, a Microsoft vice president and deputy CISO, taps into his deep knowledge and experience leading teams that maintain Microsoft capabilities, systems, and tool security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cWe notify and involve executives on threat actors and actions around areas of ownership. We tell them,\u2018Here\u2019s how to keep yourself and your team secure in an agile environment.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\nAsaf Kashi, vice president and deputy CISO<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Collaboration across physical and digital security is crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think sometimes the can be very siloed, but increasingly, there\u2019s this understanding across Microsoft that it’s a blended threat\u2014you can\u2019t be good at one and ignore the other,\u201d Gonzales adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Equally as important is the third arm of the triad: executive support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our Executive Support Team also works closely with other executive teams, both within the Microsoft universe (LinkedIn Executive Support as an example) and at other companies via showcase opportunities, to trade best practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe notify and involve executives on threat actors and actions around areas of ownership. We tell them, \u2018Here\u2019s how to keep yourself and your team secure in an agile environment,\u2019\u201d says Asaf Kashi, a Microsoft vice president and deputy CISO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lesson 3: Stay vigilant and proactive<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cybersecurity is a rapidly moving target, which means we have to stay on top of the latest hacks and trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt changes fast,\u201d Mitchell says. \u201cYou need to be dynamic to keep ahead of MCAs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One way we do this is by reviewing case studies of attacks and benchmarking our security protocols against our peers and partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt really does involve engagement with the industry and having a pulse on what\u2019s going on there,\u201d Gonzales says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also have to remind staff to remain vigilant in even the safest of environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople are the easiest and most vulnerable link in the chain,\u201d Pierson says. \u201cYou have to constantly remind yourself to be alert.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This may mean trading some conveniences for peace of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSecurity is intended to be an inconvenience,\u201d Gonzales says. \u201cIf it\u2019s an inconvenience for you, it will be for bad actors. And so we need to accept the criticality of it, and do as we\u2019re asked to do when it comes to our devices and our data.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nKey takeaways<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re looking to implement or upgrade your cybersecurity protocols, consider these tips for a comprehensive approach:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
- Set clear guidelines and establish best practices. <\/strong>Information around updating your devices or signing into the network should be easily digestible and applicable to a broad audience. Getting everyone onto MFA solutions like Passkey will reduce your risk of account compromise by greater than 99%.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Vigilance means making cybersecurity an ongoing initiative. <\/strong>Your efforts shouldn\u2019t stop with one attack or executive event. Use every opportunity available to keep cybersecurity at the forefront for your team while learning about the latest trends, updating current policies, and expanding security measures.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Share information widely and consistently. <\/strong>Make sure leaders and admins alike have access to resources for securing their devices and accounts. Consider hosting educational seminars or office hours.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Partner with other teams.<\/strong> Take advantage of expertise across your organization to beef up your security measures, keep tabs on potential cyber threats, and spread knowledge.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Adopt the latest technologies<\/strong>. Increasing velocity of AI-enabled cybercrime as well as highly sophisticated nation-state MCA activity means that the use of the latest OS and cybersecurity tools offer the best layers of IT protection possible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Try it out<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
- Visit our CISO landing page to learn more about how our internal security team works to secure the company.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Related links<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
- Apply our lessons from rolling out Copilot for making AI stick in your organization.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Implement a Zero Trust policy like ours for tightening security.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Learn how Baseline Security Mode helped us harden our digital defenses.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Prevent oversharing with our new approach to sensitivity labels.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Once a Marine, always a Marine. That\u2019s certainly true for Doug Pierson, a recently retired US Marine Corps Major General who manages our Microsoft Executive Support Team. As part of that role, he works with our company\u2019s senior leaders and created an Executive Cyber Defense service offering to assist them with protecting themselves and the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":232,"featured_media":25304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_hide_featured_on_single":false,"_show_featured_caption_on_single":true,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[923,904,820,927,903,937],"coauthors":[915],"class_list":["post-25303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-microsoft-digital","tag-cloud-platform","tag-customer-zero","tag-device-management","tag-modern-work","tag-security","tag-security-and-governance","m-blog-post"],"yoast_head":"\n
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