The Security Hippie is Barak Engel's second book. As the originator of
the "Virtual CISO" (fractional security chief) concept, he has served as
security leader in dozens of notable organizations, such as Mulesoft,
Stubhub, Amplitude Analytics, and many others. The Security Hippie
follows his previous book, Why CISOs Fail, which became a sleeper hit,
earning a spot in the Cybercannon project as a leading text on the topic
of information security management.
In this new book, Barak looks at security purely through the lens of
story-telling, sharing many and varied experiences from his long and
accomplished career as organizational and thought leader, and visionary
in the information security field. Instead of instructing, this book
teaches by example, sharing many real situations in the field and actual
events from real companies, as well as Barak's related takes and thought
processes.
An out-of-the-mainstream, counterculture thinker - Hippie - in the world
of information security, Barak's rich background and unusual approach to
the field come forth in this book in vivid color and detail, allowing
the reader to sit back and enjoy these experiences, and perhaps gain
insights when faced with similar issues themselves or within their
organizations. The author works hard to avoid technical terms as much as
possible, and instead focus on the human and behavioral side of
security, finding the humor inherent in every anecdote and using it to
demystify the field and connect with the reader.
Importantly, these are not the stories that made the news; yet they are
the ones that happen all the time. If you've ever wondered about the
field of information security, but have been intimidated by it, or
simply wished for more shared experiences, then The Security Hippie is
the perfect way to open that window by accompanying Barak on some of his
many travels into the land of security.
