iscover
Share this article on:
Powered by
MOMENTUM
MEDIA
Microsoft’s previous CISO is moving into a “critical” new role, while a recent hire moves in.
Software giant Microsoft has announced a reshuffle of its security roles, seeing some people move into new roles or leave the company. At the same time, a recent hire takes on the mantle of chief information security officer.
Microsoft executive vice-president Charlie Bell explained the changing roles in a LinkedIn post, praising the outgoing CISO Bret Arsenault and relative newcomer Igor Tsyganskiy, who will take up the role starting 1 January 2024.
Arsenault – who has been in the role for 14 years – has been appointed a new role as chief security adviser for the company. According to Bell, the role will be a holistic one across the entire company and product range.
“Bret will focus on escalating our impact across the entire ecosystem: Microsoft, partners, customers, government agencies, and important communities,” Bell said.
Despite asking Tsyganskiy to take over as CISO following a rough few months security-wise for Microsoft, Bell had nothing but praise for Arsenault’s time in the role.
“He’s been instrumental in establishing a strong security culture, building a world-class security organisation, driving our zero-trust strategy, and leading work across the industry,” Bell said. “Bret is one of the most respected global security leaders on the planet. He’s also been a trusted advisor and mentor to so many at Microsoft, including me.”
Tsyganskiy himself has only been with Microsoft for four months, joining the company after a seven-year stint with investment firm Bridgewater Associates, covering a number of technology-related roles as well as president of the company. Bell was similarly bullish about Tsyganskiy’s capabilities as CISO.
“Igor is a technologist and dynamic leader with a storied career in high-scale/high-security, demanding environments,” Bell said. “He brings deep knowledge and experience from his previous role outside of Microsoft, and I look forward to continuing to collaborate with him on this important work.”
Bell noted that the change in roles was made against a background of increased cyber threats.
“So much of the world depends on Microsoft for its digital safety, and we need look no further than the news headlines to know we live in a rapidly evolving threat landscape, one that is highly demanding and drives us to continually innovate and deliver,” Bell said.
While that is certainly true generally, it also applies more specifically to Microsoft, which has faced quite a few of its own security challenges over the last six months. China-backed hackers compromised a number of Outlook accounts in May, taking advantage of a security lapse involving forged authentication tokens.
Several US federal agencies were affected, and the incident is currently being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Safety Review Board.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
Be the first to hear the latest developments in the cyber industry.
