How CISOs Can Survive the Personal Toll of a Breach with Tim Brown, General Partner and CISO in Residence at Team8
Show notes
What’s it like to be at the center of the storm that is a cyber crisis? You can prepare as much as you want, but you don’t really know until you’re in it.
Recorded live at Black Hat 2026, this episode features Tim Brown, General Partner and CISO in Residence at Team8 and former CISO of SolarWinds. Tim shares the story of the week he learned the SEC was charging him personally—and then had a heart attack. He explains why CISOs need to confirm Board support in writing before a crisis hits, why recovery is critical for managing stress, and what startup founders get wrong about CISOs.
Tim led SolarWinds through the aftermath of one of the most significant cyberattacks in history. He is also a Distinguished Engineer, one of only six Dell Fellows worldwide, and appears in Semperis' new documentary Midnight in the War Room.
Guest Bio Tim Brown has spent over 25 years at the intersection of security, technology, and leadership. As CISO of SolarWinds, he guided the company through the aftermath of one of the most significant cyberattacks in history—and became one of the most credible voices in the industry on what organizations can learn from the experience of a breach.
In February 2026, Tim became a Partner and CISO in Residence at Team8—one of the world's leading cybersecurity venture groups—where he works with founders from ideation through product growth.
Beyond his CISO role, Tim is a Distinguished Engineer, one of only six Dell Fellows worldwide, a former CTO, and a former Chief Product Officer. He is an active advisor to multiple security companies across the funding lifecycle.
Guest Quote “When you think about it, you stress your muscles, you allow them to recover, then you stress them again, and they get stronger. So, although we can't control stress, we can absolutely control recovery.”
Timestamps 01:04 Meet Tim Brown 01:46 The SEC Charges and Tim’s Heart Attack 03:36 How CISOs Can Protect Themselves 05:19 A Sarbanes-Oxley for Security 06:25 The CISO Role Is Still Young 08:04 Stress Isn't the Problem 11:17 How Small Breaks Make a Big Difference 12:44 What Founders Get Wrong About CISOs 15:34 Tim’s Feature in Midnight in the War Room 17:04 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Sponsor The HIP Podcast is brought to you by Semperis, the identity-driven cyber resilience and crisis management company trusted by the world’s largest enterprises and government agencies to protect critical identity systems. Purpose-built for multi-cloud and hybrid identity environments—including Active Directory, Entra ID, Okta, and Ping Identity—Semperis helps organizations prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from identity-based cyberattacks. Visit semperis.com to learn more.
Links Connect with Tim on LinkedIn
Midnight in the War Room tells the story of cyber defenders on the front lines. See this pioneering documentary at an upcoming screening near you: https://www.semperis.com/midnight-in-the-war-room/events/