ThreatAware CEO Jon Abbott says that the complexity of IT estates creates security ‘blind spots’, opening businesses to attacks.
A business’ cybersecurity landscape is often complex and sprawling, with a large number of tools. While this may sound good, ThreatAware CEO Jon Abbott says that a “fragmented network” of cybersecurity tools can be “overwhelmingly challenging to manage”.
With businesses paying out record levels in ransomware last year and generative AI-driven cyberthreats on the rise, it is important for companies to mobilise their security arsenal effectively to face the ever-growing challenges of cybersecurity. And according to Abbott, the solution is to simplify.
The complexity of the average IT estate creates security “blind spots”, he explains, “which are like open windows asking for a burglar to step inside”. This makes it “easier than ever” to exploit unnoticed vulnerabilities.
He says that the large number of siloed tools operating independently, coupled with an over-reliance on outdated manual processes puts organisations on the back foot when it comes to evaluating security risk and decision making.
“A key driver” for this issue is a “disconnect between security and infrastructure teams”, he explains. “All too often, these operations are opening gaps that leave organisations exposed to threats.”
Abbott has spent the last 25 years in the IT industry. He started his career at Thomson Media, now known as Ebiquity, when he was just 16. Later, in 2007, he co-created Priority One with Steve Thomson, the founder of his previous workplace. Abbott says leaving a secure job to launch Priority One was the “biggest risk” he ever took.
“The first six months were gruelling, marked by immense effort and personal sacrifices, but I was convinced it would work,” he says.
And in 2018 – more than a decade later – the two would venture out again to create ThreatAware.
“We identified a growing need in cybersecurity,” he says, initially only serving Priority One clients with their new business. In 2023, ThreatAware emerged as standalone business.
“Throughout my career, from media monitoring to MSSPs [Managed security service providers], I’ve seen firsthand how even prestigious companies can fall victim to cyberattacks.”
A recent Flashpoint report found that threat actors compromised more than 3.2bn credentials in 2024 – a 33pc rise in numbers from the year before.
The cyberthreat intelligence platform reported that around 75pc of the stolen credentials were obtained via information-stealing malware, which has low overhead costs and is becoming increasingly simpler to access.
Once threat actors gain access, they use the stolen credentials to infiltrate organisational systems and install ransomware or exfiltrate and sell private data.
This, while the fate of the critical vulnerability database run by non-profit MITRE, used by IT administrators and cybersecurity professionals worldwide hangs in the balance – saved only by a last minute contract extension, for now.
Abbott does not think that a reactive approach to cybersecurity works, instead he believes in a better way to defend against the cyberthreat landscape – a “single source of truth” on a company’s security posture.
“This real time visibility means teams can work together seamlessly to proactively address these blind spots,” he says. With his work, Abbott hopes to bridge the gap between business teams.
His company works with organisations across industries, including retail, manufacturing, financial services, legal and energy providers. It works towards streamlining security solutions, giving teams “visibility of every asset in each IT estate and every single device” logged into the network.
“At ThreatAware, my team thrives on innovation,” he says, with one end goal in mind – “to help other businesses gain full visibility and control over their security landscape”.
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