The C-suite is the senior executive layer of a company, including roles such as the CEO, CFO, COO, and CISO. These leaders set priorities, approve budgets, and decide how much risk the organization will accept. In cyber security, the C-suite matters because many defenses only work when executives fund them, support policies, and enforce accountability across the business.
Attackers often target the C-suite with phishing, business email compromise, and impersonation scams because executives can authorize payments, approve sensitive changes, or bypass normal controls. Defenders also need the C-suite involved to respond quickly to incidents, weigh security against business pressure, and communicate risk in plain language. Good cyber leadership depends on turning technical warnings into executive decisions that the whole organization will follow.