Building a Brutalist Security Program: A Complete Guide

This guide is designed for organizations looking to build a security function from the ground up or overhaul one that's underperforming. Based on Security Brutalism principles, it emphasizes strength, simplicity, and an uncompromising focus on core fundamentals.

Core Philosophy

A Brutalist Security Program focuses on:

Transparent and Minimalist Design

No unnecessary complexity: security measures are clear, direct, and understandable
Systems expose their security mechanisms explicitly rather than hiding behind abstracted layers
Open-source, auditable security models over proprietary black-box solutions

Resilient, No-Nonsense Infrastructure

Redundancy and robustness over sleekness
Simple, hardened systems over fragile, interdependent components
Hardware-based security and strict access controls over software-only solutions
Default security over user convenience

Function Over Form

Security interfaces are utilitarian, information-dense, and highly functional
Raw, clear data representation without unnecessary distractions
Command-line efficiency over polished graphical interfaces

Foundational Principles

Uncompromising Focus: Prioritize essential security controls that directly reduce the most significant risks
Strict Simplicity: Avoid complex systems—choose what's easiest to implement, maintain, and understand
Ruthless Efficiency: Maximize security with minimal resources
Extreme Clarity: Document everything clearly and concisely
Firm Ownership: Clearly define who is responsible for each security control

The Brutalist Security Team

Build a small, agile team focused on establishing and maintaining core security functions:

Essential Roles

Security Lead: Sets strategy, manages team, communicates with stakeholders
Security Engineer: Implements and maintains security controls
Security Analyst: Monitors systems, responds to incidents, assesses vulnerabilities

Team Characteristics

Highly Skilled: Deep expertise in core security domains
Results-Oriented: Focused on tangible security improvements
Pragmatic: Prioritizes effective solutions over perfect ones
Autonomous: Able to work independently and make quick decisions

The Six Fundamentals

1. Risk Management

Identify your organization's most critical assets (data, systems, people)
Determine the most likely and impactful threats to those assets
Implement controls to mitigate those risks
Use a simple risk matrix (High/Medium/Low) and document everything in a risk register

2. Asset Management

Maintain a complete and up-to-date inventory of all hardware, software, and data
Classify assets based on their sensitivity and importance
This is not optional, you cannot secure what you do not know you have

3. Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Implement the principle of least privilege
Enforce strong passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all critical systems
Regularly review and revoke access when no longer needed
No tolerance on password policies, MFA, and least privilege access
Clear audit trails and forensic logging. If something happens, it should be instantly traceable

4. Vulnerability Management

Establish a process for identifying, assessing, and remediating vulnerabilities
Regularly scan systems and applications for known vulnerabilities
Patch systems promptly, prioritizing critical and high-risk vulnerabilities
Document exceptions and compensating controls

5. Incident Response

Develop a basic incident response plan focused on: Identification: How do you know something is wrong? Containment: How do you stop it from getting worse? Recovery: How do you get back to normal?
Execute with precision, no hesitation or ad-hoc solutions
Implement harsh containment measures: automatic isolation of compromised systems and immediate credential revocation
Test the plan regularly

6. Security Awareness

Provide mandatory security awareness training to all employees

Focus on practical topics: phishing and social engineering reality, password security importance, data handling consequences, incident reporting procedures

Keep it short, relevant, and engaging

Use realistic training based on actual attacks and horror stories

Implementation Timeline

Phase 1: Assessment and Planning (Weeks 1-4)

Week 1: Stakeholder Identification and Engagement

Identify key stakeholders (executives, department heads, IT, legal)
Conduct initial meetings to understand concerns, priorities, and expectations
Establish communication channels and reporting mechanisms

Weeks 1-2: Asset Inventory and Risk Assessment

Create comprehensive list of all organizational assets
Categorize assets based on criticality (High, Medium, Low)
Identify potential threats and vulnerabilities
Assess likelihood and impact of each risk
Prioritize risks using simple risk matrix
Document findings in risk register

Week 2: Define Security Goals and Objectives

Based on risk assessment, define clear, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) security goals
Ensure goals align with business objectives

Weeks 3-4: Develop Security Roadmap

Create phased plan outlining steps to achieve security goals
Prioritize quick wins and foundational elements
Include timeline, resource allocation, and key performance indicators
Focus on 3-6 month chunks for clarity

Phase 2: Foundational Security Controls (Months 1-6)

Months 1-2: Security Policies and Procedures

Develop clear, concise, actionable security policies
Focus on essential areas: Acceptable Use Policy, Password Policy, Data Classification Policy, Incident Response Plan, Vulnerability Management Policy
Keep documentation simple, avoid legal jargon
Try to keep policies as one-pagers

Months 1-3: Access Control

Implement principle of least privilege
Establish robust IAM system
Enforce strong password policies and MFA
Establish process for regular access reviews

Months 2-4: Vulnerability Management

Establish vulnerability identification, assessment, and remediation process
Implement regular vulnerability scanning
Prioritize patching based on risk
Document exceptions and compensating controls

Months 1-4: Incident Response

Develop basic incident response plan
Ensure key personnel understand their roles
Establish communication plan
Conduct tabletop exercise

Months 3-6: Security Awareness Training

Conduct regular security awareness training for all employees
Create realistic training based on actual attacks
Give horror stories and use code to show developers what can go wrong
Keep training concise and engaging

Phase 3: Ongoing Security Management (Months 6-12)

Months 6-9: Security Monitoring and Logging

Implement security monitoring tools to detect and respond to security events
Establish centralized logging system
Real-time threat intelligence feeds with openly visible system logs and alerts
Aggressive intrusion detection with loud, unmissable alerts
Regularly review logs and alerts

Months 9-12: Continuous Improvement

Regularly review and update security policies and procedures
Conduct periodic security assessments and audits
Track KPIs to measure program effectiveness
Adapt program to address new threats and organizational changes

Months 9-12: Third-Party Risk Management

Identify and assess risks associated with third-party vendors
Ask vendors for threat models and last five incidents with remediation details
Implement controls to mitigate risks
Establish process for ongoing monitoring of third-party security

Architecture Principles

Self-Contained Security Units

Containerized applications and strict network segmentation
Minimized attack surface by stripping unnecessary features
"If it's not essential, it should be removed"

Raw Exposure and Monitoring

Systems should not obscure their security status
Real-time threat intelligence feeds openly visible to security teams
Aggressive intrusion detection with unmissable alerts rather than subtle warnings

Tool Selection Criteria

Choose tools that are: Simple to use, reliable, well documented, cost effective, prioritize open-source solutions where appropriate, and avoid complex, bloated, or vendor-locked solutions.

Essential Metrics

Track only what matters for risk reduction, for example:

Basic Metrics

Time to detect and respond to incidents
Number of successful attacks
Vulnerability remediation rates
Percentage of employees completing security training
Number of security policy violations
Number of exceptions created
Percentage of systems with MFA enabled

More dvanced Metrics (once program matures)

Percentage of controls automated
Policy surface area (less = clearer enforcement)
Number of exception paths (lower = better)

Key Success Factors

Leadership Approach

Lead from the front. Be actively involved in assessments and response
Empower teams to make real-time decisions
Communicate directly, focus on actionable outcomes
Iterate immediately based on hard data
No hesitation or reliance on reactive, ad-hoc solutions

Cultural Elements

Prioritize default security over user convenience
Strict authentication, logging, and monitoring as foundational principles
Hard but effective access controls with no tolerance for shortcuts
Embrace clarity and function over elegance and convenience

Continuous Evolution

Regularly reassess and guard against unnecessary complexity
Maintain lean, efficient, and resilient security
Adapt to new threats while maintaining core principles

Conclusion

A Brutalist Security Program may feel austere, even unforgiving at times, but it's highly effective. Prioritizing simplicity, transparency, and resilience over elegance and convenience leads to the ability to create a sturdier, more reliable foundation for managing risk.

Rather than smoothing over complexity with decorative abstractions, Security Brutalism embraces clarity and function, favoring systems and controls that are direct, enforceable, and built to endure.

Start with the fundamentals. Build deliberately. Maintain ruthlessly. The result is a security program that actually secures.