Intelligent CISO Issue 93 | Page 15

COVER story

With an estimated US $ 7 trillion in global premiums, the insurance industry is a cornerstone of the world economy. But this vast, interconnected sector, built on managing risk, faces a profound, modern challenge: cyber-risk.
Paige Adams, Group Chief Security Officer at Zurich Insurance Group

HIGH STAKES, HIGH SECURITY: MASTERING CYBER-RISK IN THE AGE OF AI

he very nature of the business –

T collecting, storing and analysing vast amounts of sensitive customer data – makes insurance companies prime targets for cybercriminals.

Paige Adams, Group Chief Security Officer at Zurich Insurance Group, knows this better than most. With a career spanning decades in cyberdefence, including a long tenure in the US Navy and key roles at Zurich, Adams has been at the forefront of the fight against evolving digital threats.
As the insurance industry navigates an increasingly complex landscape of ransomware, supply chain vulnerabilities and the new dangers posed by AI, a strong and proactive defence is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.
In this exclusive interview with Intelligent CISO, Adams discusses the unique cyber challenges facing the insurance sector and shares his insights on the strategies needed to build a resilient, futureproof organisation. We dive into how a major global insurer like Zurich approaches risk management, the importance of fostering a security culture, and what keeps a seasoned CISO up at night.
How are organisations adapting their security strategies to protect sensitive data from the new types of threats enabled by AI, such as deepfake attacks and AI-driven social engineering?
Across the industry, security leaders are shifting their strategies to account for the speed, scale and realism that AI now enables for threat actors. Deepfakes, AI-driven phishing and synthetic identities have raised the bar for what constitutes a‘ convincing’ attack.
The most forward-leaning organisations are responding in three main ways: first, by
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