Episodes

TechSpective Podcast Episode 109 I admit that I am cynical in general about customer experience. On the rare occasions I have to call for support or interact with customer service, I feel like it's often an exercise in both frustration and futility. It often takes hours and multiple transfers and escalations just to get to someone who either A) understands what the problem is, and B) actually has the knowledge and skill to help solve it. But, I am open to the possibility that generative AI might...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 108 Unless you've been camping off the grid for all of 2023 or recently emerged from a year-long coma, you're most likely aware of all of the buzz and hype around generative AI. Tools like ChatGPT, Dall-E, Google's Bard, and countless others have proliferated exponentially and captured the attention of both companies and consumers. Generative AI tools are capable of relatively impressive results. A quick search online will find endless examples of people finding reci...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 107 IT security teams have a tough job--made more challenging by the growing complexity of the attack surface and technology landscape and the overwhelming volume of information. They need to be able to accelerate the processing and analysis of data so they can streamline the decision-making and incident response processes. That is where UEBA can help. Kumar Vikramjeet, a Senior Security Engineer on the threat hunting team at Adobe, joins me on this episode of the Te...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 106 Security analysts spend their days monitoring activity in applications and across the network to identify vulnerabilities, detect attacks, and take the appropriate actions to prevent or mitigate threats. However, a good percentage of the work that is done in a Security Operations Center (SOC) is tedious--tasks that must be done, but hinder the ability to focus on the more complex work of identifying and resolving issues. John Gillis, a Senior Cybersecurity Analys...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 105 It's more or less expected that organizations are "in the cloud" these days in some way, shape, or form, but having a cloud strategy is important. In the early cloud days, moving to the cloud gave organizations a competitive advantage. At this point--with pretty much everyone in the cloud--it's sort of the opposite. Being in the cloud is the default, and any business that is not in the cloud is simply sabotaging its own success. That said--what does it mean, exac...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 104 Organizations invest signficant money and resources in cybersecurity in a constant, 24/7 battle to protect applications and data from cyber adversaries. It's a bit of a cat-and-mouse game that has gone on for decades. Threat actors devise innovative exploits and attack techniques, and new security tools and strategies are introduced to defend against them, so threat actors come up with unique new attacks. Rinse and repeat. But, what if we had applications that co...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 103 Security equals compliance--at least in theory, assuming it's effective security. But compliance doesn't necessarily equal security. Igor Volovich, VP of Compliance Strategy at Qmulos, joins me on this episode to talk about the goals and limitations of compliance frameworks and efforts. Some elements of cybersecurity compliance are in the "eye of the beholder," so to speak. Volovich shares great insight on separating data from opinion, and the pitfalls of basing ...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 102 Identity security is crucial for effective cybersecurity. When it comes down to it, many attacks are successful because threat actors are able to somehow steal, hack, or otherwise circumvent identity controls. The Identity Defined Security Alliance (IDSA) is an independent source of thought leadership, expertise, and practical guidance for identity security--comprised of identity and security vendors, solution providers, and practitioners. IDSA is a non-profit or...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 101 There are many facets to cybersecurity. Organizations seek to prevent or block as much as possible, while also constantly monitoring their environments, and--in most cases--working to detect and respond to any malicious code or behavior that somehow slipped past the outer defenses. Threat hunting is an element of cybersecurity that helps security operations teams proactively identify and take action against active threats. Not everyone agrees on the definition of...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 100 This is a milestone podcast--the 100th episode. Triple digits. In honor of the 100th episode, I invited the guest who helped launch the whole thing with Episode 001--Malcolm Harkins. Malcolm was CISO at Intel at one time, and served as Chief Security and Trust Officer at Cylance among many other roles. As it happens, Malcolm and I are now coworkers as well. Malcolm is the Chief Security and Trust Officer at Epiphany Systems, where I manage marketing. He is also a...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 099 Do you like to do jigsaw puzzles? I generally don't have the patience, but my wife is a jigsaw puzzle fanatic. Gathering threat intelligence is a lot like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. Whether you do jigsaw puzzles or not, you probably at least understand the concept enough to know that if I just give you 13 random pieces from a 1,000-piece puzzle and you don't have access to the box to see what the finished puzzle is supposed to look like, it's relatively useless....

TechSpective Podcast Episode 098 In theory, cybersecurity is a top priority for most organizations. The actual execution, on the other hand, often leaves a lot to be desired. Security enablement is essential for moving cybersecurity from an aspirational concept to a business reality. Astrid Bailey, a Senior Security Operations Manager on the Security Engagement Team at Adobe, is my guest on this episode to talk about security enablement and the value of security champions. Astrid has been an IT ...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 097 Ransomware is one of the top things keeping CISOs and other company executives up at night. A Ransomware.org survey found that 83% consider the risk of getting hit by ransomware to be the same or higher than it was last year--and 84% consider ransomware to be a significant business threat. Cybereason has conducted ransomware surveys over the past couple of years that highlight just how insidious ransomware attacks can be. Threat actors exfiltrate sensitive data a...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 096 Doing your own research makes sense. You should not believe everything you see, or read, or hear. Critical thinking is a crucial skill. It is not only fair to question information and seek out alternative perspectives to determine what is right or true, it is advisable--if not imperative. But, how? Sam Curry, CSO at Cybereason and President of Cybereason Government, joins me to chat about this issue. There has been a dramatic rise in the last few years of people ...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 095 The cybersecurity industry has been around for quite a while--and both Raj Samani and I have been involved in some way for most of it. Yes, that "dates us" both a bit, but it also means that we have firsthand experience and perspective on how the industry has evolved. Raj Samani is currently SVP and Chief Scientist at Rapid7. He was a guest on this podcast back in 2019 before it was rebranded as the TechSpective Podcast. At the time, he was with McAfee--which sor...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 094 There are nearly 3,000 cybersecurity companies out there--and you can find them all in the Security Yearbook 2022. This is the third annual release of the Security Yearbook by research analyst and author Richard Stiennon. He has compiled them alphabetically, geographically, and by industry category, along with key details such as their location, current headcount, and the percentage of change in headcount from the previous year. Security Yearbook 2022 is truly a ...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 093 Zero trust remains a hot topic for 2022. It has been around for the last decade, but it has gained momentum in response to the shift to remote work resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the spike in ransomware attacks. President Biden and CISA have cited zero trust as one of they keys for improving security in the public sector and for critical infrastructure. Back in December, I had Den Jones--who had just joined Banyan Security as Chief Security Offi...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 092 CISOs are tasked with a balancing act that is often difficult to achieve--delivering quality apps quickly without sacrificing security. Traditionally, organizations tend to lean toward the speed to market side of that equation at the expense of security, but the attack surface and threat landscape continue to expand and organizations are more aware of the security risks they face. They are also aware of the business and financial consequences of failing at cybers...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 091 Gathering relevant artifacts and performing a forensic investigation following a cybersecurity incident is a challenge for any organization. However, for larger companies that have a presence across multiple sites and countries, the challenge is far more complex. Not only is there a higher volume of incidents to respond to and investigate, but there are regional regulations and compliance restrictions that limit where and how data and other artifacts can be share...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 090 May was Mental Health Awareness Month. I recorded this podcast with the intent of publishing it in May, but COVID finally caught me after two-and-a-half years so I was sidelined for a bit. Fortunately--or unfortunately depending on your perspective--while May is Mental Health Awareness Month, mental health is actually an issue all year long, so the content is just as valuable in June. My guest on this episode is Ian McShane. Ian is curently VP of Strategy at Arct...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 089 There is no such thing as perfect or invulnerable cybersecurity. The goal of cybersecurity is to raise the bar or cost of entry to make it as challenging as possible for threat actors, and to detect and identify new threats as quickly as possible. Given the sheer size of the threat landscape and the volume of threats, it's also important to automate as much as possible. There are tons of cybersecurity tools out there, but even with a comprehensive mix of solution...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 088 What have you got going on next Tuesday? Identity Management Day is coming up on April 12. Identity Management Day is a one-day virtual conference that brings together security leaders, vendors, and advocates to raise awareness, share best practices, and inspire individuals —and organizations of all sizes—to take action when it comes to effectively managing and securing digital identities. You will be able to visit with exhibitors in the virtual expo starting at ...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 087 In a former life, I was a network administrator and IT support manager. One of the core responsibilities was to ensure resilience and business continuity even in the event of a power outage--and that meant relying on UPS (uninterruptible power supply) devices. APC was the brand we used, and--as far as I know--APC is the default that most companies turn to. New research from Armis discovered multiple vulnerabilities in APC Smart-UPS devices that could potentially ...

TechSpective Podcast Episode 086 Connecteam is an Israeli startup with a mission to provide everything a company needs to empower, manage, and engage its deskless workforce. That mission is resonating with investors as well, as the company recently announced $120 million in Series C funding. Global efforts to quarantine and limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have dramatically accelerated digital transformation efforts. The pandemic drove businesses to adopt a 100% remote, work-from-home b...