In this episode of Keyboard Samurai, host Will Klusovsky sits down with Lauren Zabierek, Senior Vice President for the Future of Digital Security at the Institute for Security and Technology (IST), to dive deep into the concept of Secure by Design, a movement transforming how software security is built, measured, and sustained.

Lauren shares insights from her 22 years across national security, the U.S. military, intelligence community, and private sector, explaining how misaligned incentives in software manufacturing created systemic cybersecurity risks and what it takes to fix them.

Together, Wil and Lauren explore:

- What Secure by Design really means and why it matters for every business.

- The U.S. government’s role in shifting cybersecurity responsibility from the most vulnerable (like hospitals and small utilities) to the manufacturers.

- How organizations can embed security into culture, leadership, and product design, not just code.

- The evolution from checklist-based frameworks to outcome-based security.

- Lessons from aviation and automotive safety that can guide the digital future.

Whether you’re a cybersecurity leader, developer, policymaker, or tech founder, this conversation unpacks the cultural, economic, and policy forces shaping a safer digital world.

Find Lauren on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenz1010/

Find Wil on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilklu/

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