Podcast Episode 54 is out: Steve Durbin from Information Security Forum

Podcast

By Lukas on 5 Mar 2025

Cybersecurity, Risk, and How To Be ‘Unattractive’ to Hackers

How do we protect ourselves in a world where cyber threats are not just possible, but inevitable? In this episode of A Little Bit Radical, host Rob Fawkes speaks with Steve Durbin, CEO of the Information Security Forum (ISF), a global, not-for-profit organisation helping businesses manage cybersecurity risks.

Steve shares his unconventional leadership journey, from growing up in Kenya and developing an instinct for questioning the status quo to leading one of the most influential cybersecurity organisations in the world. He talks about risk management, human behaviour in cybersecurity, and why you should aim to be the least attractive target for cybercriminals.

In this episode, we discuss:

🔍 Cybersecurity is risk management: Why it’s about managing risk, not eliminating threats altogether.
🌍 Growing up in Kenya: How experiencing different cultures shaped Steve’s approach to leadership.
🤔 Trusting your gut in cybersecurity: Why instincts and intuition matter—even in a data-driven industry.
🚨 Cybercrime-as-a-Service?! How criminals can buy hacking tools online, complete with 24/7 customer support.
🛑 Making yourself ‘unattractive’ to hackers: Why being a boring, low-value target is actually the best cyber defence strategy.
👥 The people factor: Why cybersecurity isn’t just a tech issue—human behaviour plays a bigger role than we think.
📱 Steve’s radical idea: Put down your phone and actually experience the world instead of just documenting it.

Memorable Quotes:

🗣️ “Every time you go online, you’re stepping into the Wild West. Be prepared.”
🗣️ “People think cybersecurity is about technology—it’s actually about people and behaviour.”
🗣️ “The best cybersecurity strategy? Be so unappealing that hackers move on to someone else.”