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CISO Thoughts with
David Lindner

Contrast Security CISO David Lindner provides his top three weekly insights for CISOs, developers and the security community here. These are updated every Friday, so be sure to check back for the latest news on what's top of mind in AppSec and DevSecOps.

The latest insights as of June 13, 2025:

 

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Insight No. 1 — The great CISO exodus: Why your top defenders are planning a silent escape

What happens when your most critical security minds are quietly planning their exit? With 53% of cyber leaders exploring new roles, the cybersecurity industry faces a silent attrition problem rooted in the very nature of the job. The struggle to quantify success when risk is mitigated, coupled with persistent burnout and role uncertainty, leaves many feeling undervalued and unheard. This situation calls for a fundamental re-evaluation of how organizations support and reward their security leadership.

Insight No. 2 — Cloud vulnerability hype vs. reality: Stop counting, start checking if they matter

The recent claim of 115 cloud vulnerabilities per asset is a distraction. The real issue isn't the sheer volume of discovered flaws; it's whether they are actually reachable and exploitable. Many so-called "vulnerabilities" are theoretical risks that do not translate to real-world compromise. Security leaders must push back on this FUD-driven narrative and focus resources on genuine threats, not statistical noise.

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Insight No. 3 — Ditch the vulnerability rabbit hole. Focus fire on real threats, not phantoms

Chasing every reported vulnerability in applications is a losing battle and a strategic misstep. The path forward demands precise insight and context to discern actual risk from an overwhelming barrage of false positives. This focused approach means abandoning the pretense of "compliance theater" and dedicating resources where they truly matter: on vulnerabilities that present real threats to your organization.

 

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Don’t let your work culture hurt your cybersecurity

Foster a healthy cybersecurity culture by rewarding proactive reporting as opposed to  punishing mistakes. Shift from a blame-heavy mindset to one that values resilience and collaboration, reducing errors, and strengthening defenses.

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Cybersecurity Insights with Contrast CISO David Lindner 06/06/25

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Cybersecurity Insights with Contrast CISO David Lindner | 05/30/25

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Cybersecurity Insights with Contrast CISO David Lindner | 05/23/25

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David Lindner

Chief Information Security Officer, Contrast Security

David is an experienced application security professional with over 20 years in cybersecurity. In addition to serving as the chief information security officer, David leads the Contrast Labs team that is focused on analyzing threat intelligence to help enterprise clients develop more proactive approaches to their application security programs. Throughout his career, David has worked within multiple disciplines in the security field—from application development to network architecture design and support, to IT security and consulting, to security training, to application security. Over the past decade, David has specialized in all things related to mobile applications and securing them. He has worked with many clients across industry sectors, including financial, government, automobile, healthcare, and retail. David is an active participant in numerous bug bounty programs.

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