Husband. Father. Entrepreneur. CISO.

From Fear to Command

I have served as CISO for more than 100 organizations, and I learned that cybersecurity is never a technology problem. It is about the decisions people make. My work is to help leaders command their cybersecurity instead of fearing it.

Invite me to your stageSee my talks
Mr. Chen Heffer, CISO and founder of CyTech International, standing with arms crossed
"Nothing in cybersecurity is a technology problem. As long as a human sits between the keyboard and the chair, the problem is a human one."
The Belief

Fear Came with the Title.
It Was Never My Message.

For years, the image I inherited when I walked into a room was fear. It came with the title, never from me, and I never accepted it. I wanted people to leave the room stronger, not smaller. So I learned a better way: start with the business, and fear becomes understanding.

Mr. Chen Heffer, cybersecurity leader, standing and looking ahead
The Story

From the Chair to the Answer

1995

Military Intelligence and Air Force Cyber Operations

More than fifteen years in intelligence and cyber operations, where cybersecurity meant command and control of the real thing.

2008

The Sketch

Two years into the CISO's chair, I drew myself at the center of the page with eight arms, reaching for a field no one can fully control. Every year since has confirmed what that drawing said. The same year, I began mentoring the security leaders who came after me.

CISO

More Than 100 Organizations

CISO and Head of Cyber Security and Privacy at Deloitte Israel, Global CISO for Gilat Satellite Networks and Spinnaker Support, and CISO for Douglas County Government in Colorado, among more than 100 appointments worldwide.

2016

EC-Council Global CISO Forum Award

Innovative Security Project of the Year.

2017

CyTech International

I founded CyTech to carry what I know to as many people as possible, and invented CRAM™, a method that puts the business first.

Today

AQUILA C4I: The Answer to the Sketch

Four years of building a platform that finally gives the person at the center the arms the drawing was missing: one view of the business, as others see it.

The Talks

What I Speak About

Every talk starts with the business and ends with control. Each can run as a keynote, a fireside conversation or a workshop.

01

CISOs Are the Number One Cybersecurity Risk to Organizations

It does not have to be this way.

Our profession inherited a culture of fear, and many of us were handed the keys before anyone taught us to drive. I share what the next generation of security leaders can do differently, and how the CISO becomes the business's strongest ally.

02

Hackers Are Lazy

Attackers do not invent new ways in. They use what a business built, and what it missed while building it. When leaders see their business the way an attacker does, fear turns into a plan.

03

We Are on the Wrong Side of Our Eyeballs

None of us sees ourselves the way others do. I show leaders how to look at their business from the outside, before anyone else does, and act on what they see.

04

From Passenger to Pilot: How Executives Invest in Cybersecurity Instead of Spending on It

Most of a flight is handled by systems inside the aircraft, yet every passenger is glad to see an experienced captain in the cockpit. Cybersecurity works the same way. I show executives how to move from paying after an incident to investing before one, and from avoiding costs to growing the business: taking the controls instead of riding along.

The Record

Thirty Years, in Numbers

100+
Organizations served as CISO, including Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies
30+
Companies served as Data Protection Officer
2,000+
Security leaders trained and mentored since 2008
5
Books in the CISO Training Series

Teaching

  • Guest Professor for Cybersecurity, University of Denver
  • Head of the CISO Training Program, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
  • Previously at the Technion

Credentials

  • CISSP, CISM, CISA, CRISC, CDPSE
  • PCI ISA, PCIP
  • ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO 9001 Lead Auditor

Writing

  • The five-book CISO Training Series
  • Co-author, Network Analysis Using Wireshark Cookbook
  • Inventor of CRAM™
The Man

Why I Do This Work

I came to the United States with Gali, my wife of 27 years, and our four young children, with $2,000 and a reputation that did not cross the ocean with us. We rebuilt everything from the beginning.

In 2021, I lost Gali to brain cancer. My promise to her was simple: to live. Through May, my wife, I learned to live my faith openly, and in 2023 our son Lior was born.

I trust God to give me what I need each day. I do this work so that the generations after us inherit a safer world than the one we were given.

Mr. Chen Heffer smiling, in a dark blazer
For Reporters and Producers

Looking for a Voice on Cybersecurity?

I am available for interviews and comment, usually within 24 hours. I speak plainly, from the CISO’s chair, on these topics:

The Role of the CISOBoard-Level Cyber RiskCybersecurity as a Business DecisionAI and Automation in CybersecurityFrom Spending to Investing in CybersecurityThe Attacker’s View of a BusinessGovernance, Compliance and PrivacySecurity Culture and the Human SideIncident Readiness and Resilience
Send a media requestDownload the speaker pack
Mr. Chen Heffer seated, ready for a conversation
The Invitation

Invite Me into the Room

Four ways to work with me. Each starts with a short conversation about your audience and your goal.

A StageKeynotes, panels and conferencesA PodcastInterviews and live conversationsAn Advisory RoleBoards and executive teamsA Quick One-on-OneFor security leaders: a few questions, and what I see
Send an invitationDownload the speaker pack