CISO Perth 2025: Ransomware Trends and Cybersecurity Innovation

1 Jul 2025

The CISO Perth 2025 conference, organized by Corinium Global Intelligence, assembled more than 35 cybersecurity leaders to examine emerging challenges in Australia’s digital defense landscape. The event focused on three primary areas: ransomware mitigation strategies, third-party security risk management, and breakthrough approaches to incident response.

Event Leadership

Professor Dan Haagman provided strategic direction for the conference, with Maddie Abe and the Corinium team handling logistics. Prominent attendees included Caitriona Forde, Gavin Ryan, Faiza Khawar, Mia Araminta, and Serena King, among other recognized professionals.

Ransomware Mitigation Insights

Matt O’Kane delivered the conference’s most impactful presentation, sharing practical real-world case studies on combating ransomware threats. His framework emphasized simplification, stating: “Clutter is the enemy.” He advocated for defensive decision-making centered on functional, informational, and recovery priorities. O’Kane recommended: “Leverage tools that can reduce tool clutter” and “Use cloud to better secure during an incident.”

Vendor Risk Management Reassessment

Discussions challenged whether organizations impose unrealistic security demands on third-party vendors. A simplified assessment framework emerged, requiring vendors to demonstrate two key criteria: established security certifications (ISO 27001, SOC 2, or IRAP) and Single Sign-On capability. Participants noted this streamlined approach reportedly addresses approximately 90% of security concerns.

Regional Cybersecurity Collaboration

Cloudflare representatives Marc Poor, Adam Boyce, Steve Pollard, and Prayna Prasad contributed alongside Perth-based professionals including Prashant Singh and Miriam Sanchez-Blanco, exemplifying the region’s collaborative culture.

Conclusion

The event underscored Perth’s emerging position as a cybersecurity innovation center, with participants collectively advancing practical solutions addressing ransomware preparedness and vendor security challenges.