Dr. Eric Cole is a former CIA hacker, cybersecurity commissioner to the Obama administration, and advisor to clients including the Obama family, Bill and Melinda Gates, Lockheed Martin, and McAfee.

In his new book, CYBER CRISIS: Protecting Your Business from Real Threats in the Virtual World, Dr. Cole gives readers a clear-eyed picture of the information war raging in cyberspace.

Drawing upon more than 30 years of experience—from the CIA to the White House to Fortune 500 companies worldwide—Dr. Cole offers practical, actionable advice tailored towards everyday people, often with little to no technical experience, about the steps we should all take to protect our professional and personal data.

During our conversation with Dr. Cole, we hear some of the stories included in the book and how they were shaped by his many experiences in public service, commercial ventures, and civilian life.

Understanding and translating technical topics into business and everyday language may be just that missing link we have been looking for.

While you can never be completely safe and secure, there is a lot you can do to prepare and react, but how can you do that if you do not understand what the problem is?

Listening to this podcast may just help you to get started.

About the book

Today, we live our lives—and conduct our business—online. Our data is in the cloud and in our pockets on our smartphones, shuttled over public Wi-Fi and company networks. To keep it safe, we rely on passwords and encryption and private servers, IT departments and best practices. But as you read this, there is a 70 percent chance that your data is compromised . . . you just don’t know it yet.

Cybersecurity attacks have increased exponentially, but because they’re stealthy and often invisible, many underplay, ignore, or simply don’t realize the danger. By the time they discover a breach, most individuals and businesses have been compromised for over three years. Instead of waiting until a problem surfaces, avoiding a data disaster means acting now to prevent one.

In Cyber Crisis, Eric Cole gives readers a clear-eyed picture of the information war raging in cyberspace. Drawing on 30 years of experience—as a professional hacker for the CIA, as the Obama administration’s cybersecurity commissioner, and as a consultant to clients around the globe from Bill Gates to Lockheed Martin and McAfee—Cole offers practical, actionable advice that even those with little technical background can implement, including steps to take on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis to protect their businesses and themselves.

No matter who you are or where you work, cybersecurity should be a top priority. The information infrastructure we rely on in every sector of our lives—in healthcare and finance, for governments and private citizens—is both critical and vulnerable, and sooner or later, you or your company will be a target. This book is your guide to understanding the threat and putting together a proactive plan to minimize exposure and damage, and ensure the security of your business, your family, and your future

Guest Dr. Eric Cole, CEO & Founder, Secure Anchor (@drericcole on Twitter)

This Episode’s Sponsors

Nintex: https://itspm.ag/itspntweb

Blue Lava: https://itspm.ag/blue-lava-w2qs

Resources Book: CYBER CRISIS: Protecting Your Business from Real Threats in the Virtual World — https://www.amazon.com/Cyber-Crisis-Protecting-Business-Threats-ebook/dp/B08JQLWDQK

For more podcast stories from Audio Signals: https://www.itspmagazine.com/audio-signals

Are you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel? https://www.itspmagazine.com/podcast-series-sponsorships