Thought Leadership

Cybersecurity ghostwriting for CISOs and security leaders

I'm a cybersecurity ghostwriter for CISOs, security leaders and security company founders. You bring the ideas; I write bylined articles in your voice for LinkedIn, your company blog or trade publications. $1,500 USD per article, first draft in 7 business days, and nothing goes live without your approval.

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300+ published articles since 2022 · Bylines at StationX · CompTIA Security+ certified · Works in security governance, risk and compliance

What a cybersecurity ghostwriter does (and what stays yours)

A cybersecurity ghostwriter turns a security leader's ideas, opinions and experience into articles published under the leader's own name, on LinkedIn, a company blog or a trade publication. The leader supplies the point of view and approves the final text; the ghostwriter handles structure, drafting, research and editing. A good one understands the technology well enough that the leader isn't explaining basics or correcting terminology.

Here's the split:

Yours: the ideas, the opinions, the name on the byline and the final say on every word.
Mine: the structure, the drafting, the research behind the claims and the editing.

Is that honest? Executive ghostwriting is normal practice because the thinking is yours and you approve everything before it's published. I write it; it says what you think.

CISO ghostwriting: what's included for $1,500 USD

Each article is $1,500 USD and includes:

Writing in your voice, from your perspective
A topic and angle we develop together
Research to back the argument where claims need support
2 revision rounds per article
A formatted article, ready to publish
Your approval before anything goes live

The first draft arrives in 7 business days. New clients pay 50% up front and 50% on delivery. You can start with a single article.

$1,500 USD per article; see all rates

LinkedIn ghostwriting for CISOs

I write long-form articles. I don't currently offer short LinkedIn posts or a daily posting schedule.

LinkedIn articles and newsletter issues

Your $1,500 USD article can be published as a LinkedIn article or as an issue of your LinkedIn newsletter, under your name. It's written to be read in full by peers, buyers and hiring committees, not skimmed in a feed.

One article, three places

The same approved article can do more than one job:

LinkedIn: publish it as an article or newsletter issue to reach your network.
Company blog: run it on your company's site to give its content an expert voice that stands apart from generic security marketing.
Trade publications: submit it to industry outlets and cybersecurity media to reach people outside your network. Check each outlet's rules on previously published work before you post it elsewhere first.

Speaking support: pair a conference talk or panel with a published article on the same topic, so the ideas keep working after the event.

Where and when the article runs is up to you. I write it and deliver it ready to publish; I don't pitch outlets or post on your behalf.

Why a practitioner ghostwriter matters for security leaders

I'm Richard Dezso. My day job is in security governance, risk and compliance, and I write the security policies for the organization I work for. I'm CompTIA Security+ certified, and I've written 300+ published security articles since 2022, including bylines at StationX and ghostwritten content for a managed detection and response (MDR) provider and an application security platform, through a third-party SEO agency.

What that means for you:

The terminology is right the first time.
Fewer "that's not how it works" edits on your side.
An article your peers and your engineers will respect.

Topics I cover:

Vulnerability management: prioritization, remediation, exposure reduction and program maturity
Application security: AppSec strategy, secure development, ASPM and software supply chain risk
Cloud security: CSPM, IAM, encryption, architecture risk and governance
Board communication: security updates, reporting language, business framing and executive visibility
Vendor risk: third-party exposure, due diligence and risk ownership
Incident response: preparedness, decision-making, communications and post-incident lessons
Compliance and governance: framework alignment, policy clarity and security program communication
AI security: adoption risk, GenAI governance, code security and emerging challenges

More about Richard Dezso.

How it works: from your notes to a published byline

The whole process takes about an hour of your time per article, including your input and your review.

1. You share the idea
Tell me the topic, your opinion, the audience and where the article will run. Share it however suits you: written notes, a call, a short questionnaire, or a mix.
2. I draft it in your voice
The first draft arrives in 7 business days. To match your voice, I read what you've already written and listen to any talks or podcasts you've done. If there's little to go on, we do a call, because people sound most like themselves when they talk. After the first article, I keep a running voice note (your favourite phrases, your pet peeves, the words you avoid) so each article gets closer.
I use AI to speed up research, but every word you publish is written and checked by me.
3. You review, and so does your comms or legal team if needed
You get 2 revision rounds. If your employer requires approval of anything you publish externally, the draft goes through that review before anything is published. Edits from your comms or legal team count as one of the 2 rounds, so gather your own edits and theirs and send them together. Small factual or legal fixes are free. Bigger rewrites after you've approved the draft are billed. Nothing goes live until you've approved it.
4. You publish
The article arrives formatted and ready for LinkedIn, your company blog or a trade outlet. You decide where and when it runs.

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Confidential by default

Ghostwriting clients are never named in Polaris marketing, and NDAs are welcome. Your work stays yours.

My own ghostwriting experience came through an agency under the same rules, which is why those clients are described here by type only.

Samples: published bylines and anonymized ghostwriting

Ghostwritten work is anonymous by design, so here's what you can read:

Published bylines on StationX:

Cyber Kill Chain vs. MITRE ATT&CK: a comparison of two major security frameworks and how they differ in structure, use and defensive value.
Metasploit Tutorial: a hands-on guide to how one of cybersecurity's best-known frameworks is used in practical testing.
ChatGPT for Cyber Security: how AI can be applied in security work, with practical use cases and broader security implications.

Anonymized ghostwritten thought leadership: three excerpts on compliance as operational discipline, connecting governance, risk and compliance, and making security useful to the business. Read anonymized ghostwriting excerpts and published bylines.

Who this is for

A good fit if you are:

A CISO who wants a byline without spending hours writing
A security leader preparing for a talk or panel
A leader building visibility with boards, buyers or recruiting pipelines
A security company founder or CTO who needs a founder byline
An organization that needs technically credible content for external audiences

Not a fit: if you need a book-length manuscript or a daily posting schedule, I'm not the right writer for you.

Need blog posts, guides or ebooks for your security company instead? See cybersecurity content writing.

Cybersecurity ghostwriting FAQ

What does a cybersecurity ghostwriter do?

How much does CISO ghostwriting cost?

Ghostwritten thought leadership is $1,500 USD per article. That covers an article in your voice, a topic and angle developed together, research where claims need support, 2 revision rounds and a first draft within 7 business days. New clients pay 50% up front and 50% on delivery, and you can start with a single article.

Can you ghostwrite my LinkedIn content?

Yes, as long-form articles. Each article can be published as a LinkedIn article or a LinkedIn newsletter issue under your name, and the same approved article can later run on your company blog or in a trade outlet. I don't currently offer short LinkedIn posts.

Will the article sound like me?

That's the goal. I read what you've already written and listen to any talks or podcasts you've done. If there's little to go on, we do a call. After the first article, I keep a running voice note of your phrases and preferences so each article gets closer.

How much of my time does it take?

About an hour per article. That covers your input (notes, a call, a questionnaire or a mix) and your review of the draft.

Do you use AI?

I use AI to speed up research, but every word you publish is written and checked by me.

Will you ever name me or my company?

No. Ghostwriting clients are never named in Polaris marketing, and NDAs are welcome.

What if my employer has to approve what I publish?

The review step allows for it. If your comms or legal team needs to approve external publications, the draft goes through that review before anything is published. Their edits count as one of your 2 revision rounds, so gather your own edits and theirs and send them together. Small factual or legal fixes are free; bigger rewrites after approval are billed. Where and when the article runs is up to you.

Do I need a sales call?

No. Send a few details through the contact form and you'll get a reply within one business day with next steps and pricing.

Start with one article

Tell me the topic, the audience and where it will run. You'll get a reply within one business day with next steps and pricing. No sales call required.