Overseeing risk is no small task for boards as a company’s footprint is no longer confined to local or even national boundaries. The globalization of business—spurred in large part by the Internet—has simultaneously expanded business opportunities while also introducing new worlds of risk that an organization must contend with.

The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) invited Joan Meyer, a partner at Baker McKenzie LLP, and SecureWorks Chief Threat Intelligence Officer Barry Hensley to offer their insights on these issues as part of a larger panel discussion at the Leading Minds of Governance–Southwest event.

Highlights from their conversation with NACD Directorship Publisher Christopher Y. Clark follow.

What is your outlook on the complexities of being an international company?

Joan Meyer: It’s becoming extremely complex because there is increasing enforcement from other jurisdictions. Five or six years ago, the U.S. was the predominant regulator and multinationals only had to deal with certain European countries in addition to the United States. Now, we are seeing emerging markets that are getting extremely aggressive. They are also putting in more restrictive laws and data privacy rules about the transfer of data. It’s a real conundrum for companies because they not only have to comply with U.S. law but the more robust law of various regimes, which create conflicts. Some of that risk may be theoretical because certain jurisdictions have not begun enforcing these laws —but it’s out there.

If you are disclosing information to a U.S. enforcement authority but you can’t get information out of a foreign jurisdiction, a U.S. regulator might not care— they just want the information. In this situation, not only is executive management caught in a bind, but the board will be asked: “What do we do?”

The U.S. Department of Justice is also pursuing individual prosecutions of mid-level managers and the C-suite, and there is increasing pressure on companies dealing with U.S. authorities to get cooperation credit by identifying individuals who are culpable for the misconduct. And it’s not only in the U.S. where that’s happening. Because the government wants real-time cooperation in pursuing individuals, it’s frustrating for companies because they are being pushed to provide investigatory conclusions to the government which they may not have completed. On a global basis—whether it’s Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, or Brazil—individuals are being actively pursued. The problem is compounded if they are expatriates who are working in these foreign countries for a limited period of time, don’t understand the culture, and are suddenly being subjected to detention or prosecution. This puts managers working outside countries with an established legal system at real risk because they may be pursued by authorities simply for a perceived failure to exercise their supervisory responsibilities in the right way.

What questions should a board chair ask the chief information security officer [CISO]?

Barry Hensley: First: What are our top five risks? Only by thinking like the enemy can the CISO begin to itemize and categorize the company’s security risks. Consider the following ways you may be attractive to cyber threats: your brand and how you’re perceived on the world stage; your digital capital, such as intellectual property, electronic currency, and personal data and how it’s secured; and your internet-exposed vulnerabilities.

Second: Does our security program have the visibility to detect an advanced adversary whose work eludes security controls? The threat does not remain static nor does the network. While some tactics and tradecraft are well known, the adversary is innovating, always seeking opportunities to bypass traditional protections. For example, while implementing multi-factor authentication is important, bad actors are finding ways to impersonate users and hijack credentials. Does your risk assessment learn from the headlines and adapt? It’s important to keep risk assessments current and update your mitigation strategies and budgets against these threats.

Third: Does your staff collectively understand the term “breach” and the conditions that trigger a formal response? Are you prepared with a meaningful, rehearsed, cross-disciplinary crisis response plan? While no company wants to dwell on the potential for serious incidents and breaches, preparation is still essential. This requires a real understanding of what constitutes an addressable incident, what triggers it, the steps that must occur to resolve the incident, and the people involved. Key tenets should be established, such as: knowing who’s in charge, how the board contacts the key players, and what the measurable actions we take to address the incident are.

Fourth: Is security training tailored to ensure appropriate audiences are aware of threat actors and their tactics? Different segments of the workforce present different risks, and the CISO must make sure each segment is aware of the tactics being used to exploit all avenues of compromise. Boards need to ask: Do employees understand how phishing works? Do administrators know the value of frequently changed passwords and vulnerability scans? Do web designers understand the importance of secure coding practices? Do executives and financial managers recognize that they are extremely lucrative targets for social engineering? And remember: there is no such thing as one-size-fits-all security training.

Want more? A panel of Fortune 500 company directors and subject matter experts will offer their insights on issues ranging from cyber resilience to the latest regulatory trends at Leading Minds of Governance–Southeast. Join us on March 16 in New Orleans, LA. Space is limited—register today.

Click here to read addition coverage of the Leading Minds of Governance–Southwest event with highlights from a discussion on the board’s role in overseeing talent and tone.