SolarWinds dismissal continues to impact CISOs!

SCWorld.com reported “Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and their companies face unrelenting attacks by cybercriminals and nation-state actors. Over the past two years, they have also been navigating an evolving legal and regulatory landscape shaped by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC’s decision Nov. 20 to dismiss its case against SolarWinds and its CISO marks an inflection point — one that clarifies the boundaries of the SEC’s authority without abandoning its overall role in cybersecurity oversight.” The December 16, 2025 report entitled "What the dismissal of SolarWinds really means for CISOs” (https://tinyurl.com/454fapyn) included the following comments about “What this means for CISOs”:

The changing landscape elevates the strategic role of the CISO while lowering the likelihood of individual enforcement actions based on internal cybersecurity decisions. The dismissal of the SolarWinds case clarifies that the SEC is most focused on accurate disclosures — not auditing the maturity of internal cybersecurity programs — making the CISO’s cross-organizational leadership even more essential. CISOs now play a central role in:

•  ensuring public statements about cybersecurity risks are accurate and supported by internal documentation;

•  coordinating with general counsel and other internal teams on disclosures;

•  briefing boards on material cyber risk and governance structures; and

•  evaluating organizational cybersecurity to prevent incidents and subsequent disclosures.

This heightened visibility for cybersecurity has created new opportunities for companies to differentiate themselves. Collaboration across legal, technical, risk, and operational functions allows CISOs to showcase mature approaches to cyber governance. With more public attention on their practices, companies are adopting a broad array of offensive measures to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.

No surprises here!