“If we don't face reality, it'll come and bite us in the ass.” 

Speaking in the opening keynote at the CPX Conference in Vienna, Nadav Zafrir, Chief Executive Officer at Check Point said there is a constant need to know where cracks and vulnerabilities are, and a need to take a more concerted focus on the practice of security.

Zafrir, who stepped into the role after co-founder Gil Shwed announced his decision to step away from the CEO position, said “security is about security” and all too often, he sees that “security has become a little bit about bells and whistles, and celebrities and sports cars.”

He said: “We need to remember, security is tough. A lot of it is understanding what the attackers are doing. It's about understanding a myriad of threats and controls and at the end of the day is about security.”

Attacking Aspect

Zafrir said a good day in the office is the day when nothing bad happens, and then you wake up for the next day and hope that nothing bad happens. Reflecting on his time as an investor, he said he has had the opportunity in his previous life to see this industry from the attacking aspect, “and I think this opportunity allowed me to appreciate the asymmetry that we all have to deal with.”

Saying that attackers “are unfortunately a little bit more accurate than we are” when it comes to adopting and exploiting new technologies, and whilst practitioners cannot be fortune tellers, they need to be ready for that future.

“I had a lot of fun starting over 20 companies, some of which became category leaders,” he said. “When I think about my guiding principles coming from that background, I would say the following: first and foremost, and with brutal honesty. Eyes wide open all the time because if we don't face reality, it'll come and bite us in the ass, and we all know that.

“So, first and foremost, we need to be aware of what's happening and we need to be super honest with ourselves, where the balance is right and where the cracks are.

"Beyond that, we need to innovate as if our lives depend on it - because they do. Last but not least, it takes a village because this is a team sport, and thank you for being a part of our business. Thank you for being a part of  Check Point’s ecosystem. It is a team sport, and this is asymmetry between offense and defense we can Prevail if we act as a team.”

Important Mission

Zafrir said “cyber is my passion” and he loves the fact that it is an ever-changing environment. “I love the learning competition and also, and I think we should be proud that for all of us, this is an important mission,” he said. “In a world that's changing faster than ever, I believe that one of the most elusive things in our lifetime right now is especially going forward is trust.”

He said that the element is trust is also where community can come together, to promote digital trust. “If trust spirals out of control, everything and that it means to be a civilisation, comes under threat,” he said. “I'm here at Check Point because I believe we have the ability to impact that. Coming from innovation, which I love, but now doing it at scale, with all of you is the reason I joined Check Point.

“Thank you again for the trust that you put in, maybe, and I hope that our honeymoon continues, and that our relationship evolves.”

Dan Raywood Senior Editor SC Media UK

Dan Raywood is a B2B journalist with more than 20 years of experience, including covering cybersecurity for the past 16 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes.

He has spoken at events including 44CON, Infosecurity Europe, RANT Conference, BSides Scotland, Steelcon and ESET Security Days.

Outside work, Dan enjoys supporting Tottenham Hotspur, managing mischievous cats, and sampling craft beers.