Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 33 minutes ago
Climbing Toward the Summit of Defense: Practical Methods for Strengthening CSIRT Organizations and Specialists
Aya Ohara (SimpleForm, Inc., JP), Kaori Fukuda (DNV Business Assurance Japan, JP), Ikuya Hayashi (NTT-CERT, JP)
Modern cyber threats evolve faster than many CSIRTs can adapt, creating increasing pressure on limited teams to maintain resilience. This presentation introduces a five‑year initiative designed to build adaptive, scalable collaboration within Japan’s CSIRT community. Through 57 continuous sessions involving 508 organizations and 534 practitioners, the initiative generated curated evidence on how sustained, community‑driven interaction strengthens collective defense capabilities.
The findings reveal that the most valuable outcomes were not planned but emerged organically through monthly engagement. These include accelerated specialist development, reduced dependence on senior experts, and the formation of an “organic adaptive model” in which mutual learning and distributed support enhance both individual and organizational capacity. Simple academic models—combined with a strong focus on psychological safety—help explain why these mechanisms work and how they can be replicated.
The session will also provide practical tools that participants can implement immediately to strengthen adaptability and collaboration within their own CSIRTs. Ultimately, this work offers actionable guidance for organizations and communities seeking to climb toward their own summit of defense and build adaptive systems for modern threats.
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Aya Ohara is an experienced cybersecurity professional specializing in CSIRT operations and incident coordination. Since 2017, she has been a dedicated member of the Nippon CSIRT Association, where she strengthens national security collaboration through her leadership in the Regional Activities Committee.
Beyond her operational expertise, Aya is a passionate community builder, organizing regional workshops and peer-learning events to foster trust and professional networking. As a seasoned trainer in capacity-building programs, she is committed to developing the next generation of security practitioners and enhancing organizational resilience. Her core interests lie in communication strategy within security teams and building robust, trusted relationships across the CSIRT community.
Kaori Fukuda is a cybersecurity consultant specializing in CSIRT/PSIRT operations, factory security, and supply chain risk management. She has extensive experience in security governance, privacy protection, and regulatory compliance, and previously led IT operations and connected-car cybersecurity initiatives at a major automotive manufacturer. Since 2020, Kaori has been with DNV Business Assurance Japan, where she helps organizations improve resilience and align with global cybersecurity standards. She also serves as a board member of the Nippon CSIRT Association and contributes to advancing cybersecurity maturity across the ecosystem through advisory, assessment, and training activities.
Ikuya Hayashi is the Steering Committee Chair of the Nippon CSIRT Association and a Senior Manager responsible for CSIRT operations across the NTT Group, including NTT-CERT, NTT, and NTT Security Japan. He has more than a decade of experience in designing enterprise communication systems, as well as over 15 years of academic and professional experience in CSIRT architecture and operations.
He studied organizational theory and business engineering at the graduate level. He has been actively promoting CSIRT adoption in Japan and has served as a Visiting Lecturer since 2015, with a focus on cybersecurity workforce development. Ikuya is the author of several books, including CSIRT: From Planning to Operation and Communication and Knowledge in Organization, and holds CISSP, SIM3 Auditor, and RISS certifications.
Climbing Toward the Summit of Defense: Practical Methods for Strengthening CSIRT Organizations and Specialists
Aya Ohara (SimpleForm, Inc., JP), Kaori Fukuda (DNV Business Assurance Japan, JP), Ikuya Hayashi (NTT-CERT, JP)
Modern cyber threats evolve faster than many CSIRTs can adapt, creating increasing pressure on limited teams to maintain resilience. This presentation introduces a five‑year initiative designed to build adaptive, scalable collaboration within Japan’s CSIRT community. Through 57 continuous sessions involving 508 organizations and 534 practitioners, the initiative generated curated evidence on how sustained, community‑driven interaction strengthens collective defense capabilities.
The findings reveal that the most valuable outcomes were not planned but emerged organically through monthly engagement. These include accelerated specialist development, reduced dependence on senior experts, and the formation of an “organic adaptive model” in which mutual learning and distributed support enhance both individual and organizational capacity. Simple academic models—combined with a strong focus on psychological safety—help explain why these mechanisms work and how they can be replicated.
The session will also provide practical tools that participants can implement immediately to strengthen adaptability and collaboration within their own CSIRTs. Ultimately, this work offers actionable guidance for organizations and communities seeking to climb toward their own summit of defense and build adaptive systems for modern threats.
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Aya Ohara is an experienced cybersecurity professional specializing in CSIRT operations and incident coordination. Since 2017, she has been a dedicated member of the Nippon CSIRT Association, where she strengthens national security collaboration through her leadership in the Regional Activities Committee.
Beyond her operational expertise, Aya is a passionate community builder, organizing regional workshops and peer-learning events to foster trust and professional networking. As a seasoned trainer in capacity-building programs, she is committed to developing the next generation of security practitioners and enhancing organizational resilience. Her core interests lie in communication strategy within security teams and building robust, trusted relationships across the CSIRT community.
Kaori Fukuda is a cybersecurity consultant specializing in CSIRT/PSIRT operations, factory security, and supply chain risk management. She has extensive experience in security governance, privacy protection, and regulatory compliance, and previously led IT operations and connected-car cybersecurity initiatives at a major automotive manufacturer. Since 2020, Kaori has been with DNV Business Assurance Japan, where she helps organizations improve resilience and align with global cybersecurity standards. She also serves as a board member of the Nippon CSIRT Association and contributes to advancing cybersecurity maturity across the ecosystem through advisory, assessment, and training activities.
Ikuya Hayashi is the Steering Committee Chair of the Nippon CSIRT Association and a Senior Manager responsible for CSIRT operations across the NTT Group, including NTT-CERT, NTT, and NTT Security Japan. He has more than a decade of experience in designing enterprise communication systems, as well as over 15 years of academic and professional experience in CSIRT architecture and operations.
He studied organizational theory and business engineering at the graduate level. He has been actively promoting CSIRT adoption in Japan and has served as a Visiting Lecturer since 2015, with a focus on cybersecurity workforce development. Ikuya is the author of several books, including CSIRT: From Planning to Operation and Communication and Knowledge in Organization, and holds CISSP, SIM3 Auditor, and RISS certifications.
