Story
One day, Mulla saw a troop of horsemen coming towards him. He saw himself as an enslaved person in his imagination. He was frightened.
Mulla climbed the nearby wall and hid inside an open grave.
The horse riders came and saw Mulla shivering with his eyes closed.
“What are you doing in the grave?” asked one of the Horsemen.
Mulla opened his eyes and saw a horseman’s silhouette in front of the sun.
“Why did you run away? Are you ok?”
Mulla realized they were good men, exited the grave, and said, “Look, just because you ask me questions first, I am not privileged to answer.”
The confused horse riders looked at each other and looked back at Mulla.
Mulla concluded, “It depends on your viewpoint. The truth is, I am here because of you, and you are here because of me.”
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Cybersecurity Wisdom
Security and vulnerability are complementary. They are two sides of the same coin. One does not exist without the other.
In the above story, an insecure solution such as Mulla invites vulnerability – the horsemen.
The external vulnerability comes later. It starts with internal vulnerability. When we hear or read about any data breach or security incident, it’s an external event. The breach has already occurred when there is a gap in the due diligence.
The truth is that security exists because of vulnerability, and vulnerability also exists because of security.
Mulla’s story has a happy ending. However, in the world of cybersecurity, the exploitation of vulnerability can put an organization’s reputation, money and brand image into the grave.
The Mulla Nasiruddin’s story and art are inspired by the book The Exploits of The Incomparable Mulla Nasruddin.
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