How Community-Led Intelligence Sharing Closes The Gap Between Threat Actors And Defenders

In the world of cyber threats and cybersecurity defenses, collaboration reigns supreme. Threat actors are often highly-organized and routinely observed joining forces, amplifying their capabilities and impact. For defenders, keeping up and staying ahead of existing and emerging threats is a monumental challenge. To meet it, cybersecurity teams are increasingly reliant on collective defense: comprehensive security controls enriched through threat intelligence, telemetry, enterprise context, and importantly, peer-driven insights and information sharing.

Anatoly Bodner, a Chicago-based hands-on cybersecurity executive and a cyber community leader, knows what it takes to build and run effective cybersecurity programs that successfully stand up to continuously-evolving threats.  Collaboration is one of Anatoly’s core principles. Outside of his day-job as Head of Cybersecurity for TreeHouse Foods, he contributes a part of his free time leading the Chicago OWASP Chapter. He also leads the Chicagoland Cybersecurity Exchange, a collaboration, education and networking forum for the Chicago cyber community.

"Threat actors are collaborating and adopting cutting-edge innovations in AI and automation more effectively than many enterprises. This doesn’t just tip the scale in their favor, it blows the scale right off the table," says Anatoly. "Within our industry, incorporating automation and threat intelligence to just keep up is table stakes. Staying ahead, however, requires us to do more." In his view, the answer lies not just in technology, but in how the cybersecurity community works together.

• Collaborative power: For Anatoly, this includes improving the way leadership and practitioners at all levels collaborate, working hand-in-hand to share information, observations, experiences, and techniques. "When hosting industry events and meetups, it’s amazing to me to see the power of community coming together in one room," he says. "Everyone shares a purpose. Connections are created. Conversations flow. Ideas are formed, experiences shared. This is the power of community, and what drives me to keep doing what I do."

• Innovation first: This collaboration, the connections, ideation and information exchange acts as a force multiplier for Cybersecurity teams and individuals, and has a lasting, profound impact on building and running cyber defense programs. "We know our tools, our processes, our context, but are often so bogged down that innovation takes a back seat," Anatoly explains. "Active exchange of information and ideas with our peers and our community tends to re-invigorate the desire and drive to do better, and hearing first-hand from others on the work they’ve done and successes they’ve achieved validates where those opportunities lie."

The cybersecurity industry moves forward at a blistering pace. Anatoly believes it’s essential that each and every professional, regardless of role and seniority, make an effort to be a member of a cyber community where new connections are made, ideas exchanged, and experiences shared. "For most of us, this work is not just about money, it’s about making a positive difference in this world. It is through this collaboration, driven by joint purpose, will we find success in meeting our individual objectives, personal and professional growth, and success of our collective mission," he concludes.