SolarWinds CISO: World’s Cyber Regulations Still ‘In Flux’

The information security chief for SolarWinds says the world needs tough cybersecurity laws.

Tim Brown made this case in an interview Sunday (Sept. 29) with the Financial Times (FT), his first since a federal court dismissed much of a federal lawsuit against him.

Brown was the first chief information security officer to fight efforts by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to hold him personally liable for a large-scale Russian cyberattack. The suit accused Brown and the company of misleading investors by not sharing “known risks” and inaccurately representing the firm’s security measures.

Now, the FT said, Brown is warning that the world’s cyber regulations are still “in flux,” which “absolutely adds stress across the globe” on people in his field.

“When you don’t have rules to follow, it’s very hard to follow them,” said Brown. “Very few security people would ever do something that wasn’t right, but you just have to tell us what’s right in order to do it,” he added.

SolarWinds, an IT supply chain company based in Austin, was the target of a Russian hack in 2020. 

According to the FT, the SEC lawsuit was part of a push by the regulator to tackle cyber risks, signaling that individuals could be held responsible for hacks.

But in July, a federal judge dismissed all but one claim about Brown and the company, ruling that the SEC’s effort to apply accounting rules to cybersecurity measures was “not tenable.”

In other cybersecurity news, PYMNTS wrote recently about the role of chief financial officers (CFOs) in navigating cyberthreats, regulatory requirements and third-party risks.

“By proactively addressing these challenges, CFOs cannot only protect their organizations from financial loss and reputational damage but also position themselves as key leaders in the ongoing battle for cybersecurity resilience,” that report said.

Taking a collaborative approach can mean CFOs working closely with chief information officers and chief information security officers to make sure that cybersecurity measures are not only in place but are also in keeping with the overall business strategy. 

The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Middle-Market CFOs Tag Competitive Positioning Among Top Drivers of Uncertainty” looked at the priorities and concerns that are top-of-mind for finance chiefs, especially ones in the middle market.

“It found that with the specter of uncertainty looming large, finance chiefs are focused on maintaining and enhancing their companies’ competitive positioning — something that an effective risk posture is key to supporting,” PYMNTS wrote.