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Why treating security like a data search problem changes everything

Why treating security like a data search problem changes everything

In a featured Security Boulevard article, Stairwell founder Mike Wiacek challenges one of cybersecurity’s core assumptions: that security is just about stopping the next alert. Instead, he argues — convincingly — that security is actually a data search problem.

“Cybersecurity isn’t an endpoint problem or a reactive defense game — it’s a data search problem.”

This mindset shift reframes how defenders can get ahead of attackers. Rather than waiting for malware to detonate or signatures to match, the focus becomes proactive: collect everything, preserve it, analyze continuously, and uncover threats before they’re active.

Here are a few key takeaways from the article:

Collect everything, even the “unimportant”: Anomalies hide in the noise. By ingesting all files — not just suspicious ones — defenders can surface rare or dormant threats missed by signature- or behavior-based tools.

Preserve data to build a “time machine”: Deleted files, overwritten logs, or forgotten alerts often hold the key to understanding future compromises.

Analyze continuously: Today’s clean file might be tomorrow’s threat. Continuous analysis lets you re-evaluate your environment as intelligence evolves.

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