Episode II: Attack of the Clones – Cybersecurity Edition

By Mark Dorsi, CISO | Advisor | Mentor

In Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, the galaxy teeters on the brink of chaos as an army of identical soldiers, created to defend the Republic, marches into battle—marking the beginning of the galaxy-wide Clone Wars. Similarly, in Spaceballs, Mel Brooks offers a different flavor of disorder—one fueled by bumbling leaders and confusing interfaces, drawing parallels that hit uncomfortably close to home.

While one is a sci-fi epic and the other a parody, both serve as cautionary tales of what happens when tools lack clarity and purpose. In cybersecurity, we face our own 'attack of the clones': a flood of dashboards that look alike, blink alike, and leave everyone—CISO or otherwise—wondering what to do next.

Attack of the Clones

The Spaceballs analogy might seem far-fetched, but it’s eerily reflective of a persistent problem in cybersecurity: the prevalence of Mr. Radar-style dashboards. These are products built with a flurry of blinking indicators, complex graphs, and inscrutable jargon that might delight a technical team but leave everyone else in the dark.

"If you’re a technical expert with decades of experience, you might be able to make sense of these tools by reading through all the tea leaves. But what about the CFO? The CEO? The board?"

These stakeholders aren’t looking for a regurgitation of technical details; they need clear, actionable insights that connect threats to real business risks.

Why It’s Better When the Customer Drives the Conversation

The most effective tools are those that empower CISOs to respond with clarity and confidence when a question comes from their customer—whether that’s internal stakeholders, executives, or external partners.

Key Benefits of a Business-Oriented Cybersecurity Tool:

• Immediate Value: Actionable insights reduce time wasted on technical deep dives.
• Focus on Relevant Threats: Align tools with customer-driven concerns, not irrelevant data.
• Efficiency in Communication: Clear dashboards eliminate unnecessary back-and-forth.
• Empowerment Through Context: Helps security leaders make informed decisions.

Moving Beyond the Clones

The current landscape of cybersecurity tools often feels like Attack of the Clones—reformulations of the same blinking light dashboards that fail to deliver meaningful insights.

What Founders Should Focus On:

• Map Threats to Business Impact: Show how vulnerabilities affect critical operations.
• Prioritize Crown Jewel Protection: Focus on securing an organization's most valuable assets.
• Speak the Language of Leadership: Present security risks in executive-friendly terms.
• Eliminate Noise: Prioritize real threats over unnecessary alerts.
• Enable Collaboration: Help security teams work effectively with other departments.

The Future Is in the Story

At the heart of this transformation lies an often-overlooked truth: CISOs are storytelling salespeople. We may not carry quotas, but we are constantly selling ideas, priorities, and strategies across our company, our customer base, and our industry.

To sell effectively, CISOs need the right tools—tools that don’t just highlight blinking lights but tell a compelling, data-driven story about risk, impact, and urgency.

Final Thoughts

Founders, the future of cybersecurity doesn’t lie in more blinking lights or slightly updated clones. It lies in empowering CISOs with the tools they need to sell security as a business imperative. Build for clarity, connection, and outcomes—and you’ll build products that truly stand out.

The Spaceballs crew may have been content to fumble their way through with Mr. Radar, but modern organizations don’t have that luxury. It’s time for founders to recognize that CISOs aren’t just defenders; they’re storytellers and salespeople. And with the right tools, they can close the deal every time.

May The Force, er, The Schwartz be with you!