Security Gets Serious Episode 007: Veteran CISO Mark Weatherford

In this episode of Security Gets Serious, host Ben Carr sits down with Mark Weatherford, former Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for both California and Colorado, as well as Deputy Undersecretary for Cybersecurity at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  

Mark and Ben dive into the complex roles and responsibilities of the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), drawing on Mark's extensive experience in leading security teams at the highest levels of both state and federal government.  

Mark currently serves as the Vice President of Policy and Standards at Gretel, is the Founding Partner of Aspen Chartered Consulting, and holds positions on the Board of Directors and Advisory Boards of numerous leading and emerging cybersecurity and technology companies.

With a career spanning both public and private sectors, Mark has held several high-profile executive roles in cybersecurity. His previous positions include Global Information Security Strategist at Booking Holdings, Chief Cybersecurity Strategist at vArmour, Principal at The Chertoff Group, Chief Security Officer at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), and Chief Information Security Officer for the state of Colorado.

In 2008, Mark was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as California's first Chief Information Security Officer. Three years later, the Obama Administration selected him to serve as Deputy Undersecretary for Cybersecurity at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

A former naval officer with a deep background in cryptology, Mark was instrumental in advancing the U.S. Navy's cybersecurity capabilities. He served as the Director of Navy Computer Network Defense Operations, Director of the Navy Computer Incident Response Team (NAVCIRT), and was responsible for establishing the Navy's first operational red team, underscoring his commitment to strengthening cyber defense strategies.

Your Host, Ben Carr, Halcyon Chief Security and Trust Officer: Carr is a Security & Risk Executive and recognized thought leader with more than 25 years of results driven experience in developing and executing security strategies. Carr has served in global leadership roles at advanced technology, high risk, and rapid growth companies such as Ericsson (Cradlepoint), Qualys, Aristocrat, Tenable, Visa and Nokia. Ben has served as a member of the Board of Directors for organizations such as IT-ISAC and NTXPKUA. He is an advisor for Noname Security and Syn Ventures and has previously served on Advisory boards for Living Security, TruStar, Mimecast, Qualys, and Accuvant.

Subscribe to the Show:

• Apple Podcasts

• Spotify

• Amazon

• Podcast Index

• Podcast Addict

• Podchaser

• Pocket Casts

• Deezer

• Listen Notes

• Player FM

‍

‍

Halcyon.ai eliminates the business impact of ransomware. Modern enterprises rely on Halcyon to prevent ransomware attacks, eradicating cybercriminals’ ability to encrypt systems, steal data, and extort companies – talk to a Halcyon expert today to find out more and check out the Halcyon Attacks Lookout resource site. Halcyon also publishes a quarterly RaaS and extortion group reference guide, Power Rankings: Ransomware Malicious Quartile.