12/10/2025
How ransomware stories actually start...
→ MFA exceptions created and never removed
→ Vendor access granted... then forgotten
→ Former employees still in Active Directory
→ Patches delayed because "operations can't take downtime"
→ Passwords shared in Slack because the real workflow was broken
The breach wasn't sophisticated. The attacker just walked through doors you left open.
Most executives treat cybersecurity like a technology problem but it's not, it most often is an operational discipline problem.
Risk profiles are significantly reduced by:
- Knowing what you are running in your environment
- Decommission what is not used
- Fix what's broken
Ask your team: Can I see our latest risk / vulnerability assessment?
Spoiler alert, this should be a clear risk assessment, with business context and remediation roadmap. Not a raw network scan.
That answer tells you everything about your real security posture.