Understanding Adversaries: S4:E43🎙️LIVE with Matthew Rosenquist

31 Jul 2025 · 1 min

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1:25

Matthew Rosenquist argues that cybersecurity teams focus too much on technical defenses and ignore the human adversary. Without understanding attackers' motives, processes, and people, security fails. He cites Sun Tzu and advises future CISOs to study adversary psychology alongside tactics.

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and cybersecurity. Yeah, absolutely.
Know your adversary. You have to. Most technologists don't do that. They don't look to see who their adversary is. They're more interested in what's the playing field, right? Or the battlefield. Sun Tzu talks about the battlefield, and that's technology. And if you're only focused on the battlefield, you're missing so much of— and that's why a lot of security fails. We only address it from one perspective. We're not seeing the people, we're not seeing the adversaries or the processes. And if you only look at it from a technical perspective, you will get far, but you will not win. Yes.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So if that's the only thing you guys listening right now get out of this podcast, definitely worth it. Future CISOs out there, this is incredible. So, and I'm not going to ask you, I ask everybody about books, movies, podcasts, and all that. I know you don't do any of that, which is— I don't have time for any of that stuff. I understand, but let me ask you this for you personally, though. Is there maybe a song, a book, a movie that would be your life's theme or anthem? Anything comes to mind?
I don't know. Something with Robin Williams, some comedy. I don't know.
Robin Williams was a great actor. I love his comedy. Okay.