In this episode of Adopting Zero Trust, hosts Elliot Volkman and Neal Dennis discuss critical infrastructure security with expert guest Ian Branson, Vice President of Global Industrial Cybersecurity at Black and Veatch.

The discussion centers around the philosophical and strategic approaches to handling incidents and breaches, especially in the operational technology (OT) realm. Branson highlights the importance of understanding what needs protection, the integration of IT and OT security, and the crucial role of threat intelligence. They also explore the evolving need for converging physical and digital security data to manage risks effectively.

01:37 Starting Point for Protecting Critical Infrastructure

04:52 Funding and Resource Allocation for Cybersecurity

10:57 Threat Intelligence and Incident Response

16:25 IT and OT Convergence

23:47 Discussing Employee and Equipment Management

26:19 Integrating Physical and Cyber Security

34:39 Proactive Security Measures in New Constructions

40:46 Balancing Rapid Response and Availability

In this episode of Adoption Zero Trust (AZT), host Neal Dennis and producer Elliot Volkman sit down with Bradon Rogers, Chief Customer Officer at Island, to discuss how AI is compounding the already existing problems tied to shadow IT. The conversation explores how modern enterprises handle the growing complexities of unregulated software use, the role of enterprise browsers in mitigating risks, and the dynamic between user experience and cybersecurity.

01:16 Shadows within shadows

04:15 AI in Approved Solutions

09:14 Enterprise Browser and Security

14:25 Transition to Browser-Based Applications

16:23 Enterprise Browser Capabilities

18:45 Data Protection and Shadow IT

24:39 Shepherding Data in the Enterprise Browser

25:17 Policy Perspectives on AI and Data Flow

28:16 Exploring SBOM and AI Integration

35:39 Browser Security and Application Boundaries

41:40 BYOD and Privacy Concerns

44:48 Third-Party Scenarios and Onboarding

Catch this episode on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, or Amazon. You can read the show notes here.

Live from ThreatLocker’s Zero Trust World (ZTW), cybersecurity heavyweights Dave Bittner, host of CyberWire Daily and Dr. Chase Cunningham AKA Dr. Zero Trust shared their unfiltered thoughts on the state of cybersecurity, AI, and government regulations. From the shifting landscape of compliance enforcement to the role of hitting critical mass of AI in both defense and cybercrime, we can expect an extraordinary level of change in the years ahead.

01:37 Cybersecurity Landscape Overview

01:58 Government and Cybersecurity

02:39 Leadership and Appointments in Cybersecurity

03:47 Future of CISA and Compliance

06:41 Managing Cybersecurity News

14:54 The Role of LLMs in Cybersecurity

16:22 Global Perspective on AI and LLMs

18:47 Reflecting on Past Technological Predictions

20:18 The Double-Edged Sword of AI and Surveillance

24:21 The Dark Side of Technological Advancements

26:17 Debating the Term 'AI' and Its Implications

28:43 Historical Anecdotes and Unanswered Questions

It’s mid-February, but somehow, we’ve already been through what feels like a year's worth of change in the cybersecurity and regulation world. Beyond the standard incidents, outages, and attacks… there have been obvious impacts that have downstream effects. Regardless of regulatory changes, which we’ll cover as those impact our space, AZT brought together a few minds who have thoughts on the year ahead.

To properly kick off season four, we have the privilege of chatting with two wonderful guests:

Lawrence Pingree, VP of Technical Marketing at Dispersive, but you are more likely to know his name from his time at Gartner. However, he has a varied background ranging from CTO to security engineer, so don’t let that marketing line in his title fool you.

Oliver Plante, VP of Support at ThreatLocker, has around 15-20 years of IT under his belt. He also has seen a thing or two when it comes to implementing new cybersecurity strategies

03:21 Predictions for the Year Ahead

04:06 Zero Trust and Least Privilege

05:40 The Future of Cyber Defense

07:21 AI and Cybersecurity

08:41 Threat Intelligence and Preemptive Defense

09:50 Challenges and Innovations in Cybersecurity

14:23 The Role of AI in Cyber Attacks

26:18 Quantum Computing: Threat or Savior?

29:31 Passwordless Security: The Future

30:57 Challenges of Deepfake Technology and Passwordless Security

33:03 Blockchain and Its Applications in Security

35:33 Debate on Password Management Practices

38:03 User Responsibility and Security Automation

47:50 Government's Role in Cybersecurity

57:14 Future of Cybersecurity and Zero Trust

Catch this episode on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, or Amazon. You can read the show notes here.

Neal and I are excited to welcome you back to AZT as we kick off our fourth season. After four years of trying out different formats and episodes, including at least an entire season terrorizing vendors for slapping Zero Trust on their box as if it were something you could buy, we’re ready to narrow our focus a bit.

In this episode of 'Adopting Zero Trust (AZT)', host Neal Dennis and producer Elliot Volkman delve into the often-overlooked realm of soft or 'non-tech' skills in cybersecurity.

This week, we chat with Courtney Hans, VP of Cyber Services at AmTrust Financial Services, and Evgeniy Kharam, author of Architecting Success: The Art of Soft Skills, who help us explore how non-technical skills are vital in shaping the careers of cybersecurity professionals.

Our guests share the importance of effective communication, emotional intelligence, and adaptability. The hosts and guests share personal anecdotes, training tips, and the necessity of bridging technical prowess with essential soft skills to improve stakeholder engagement and career advancement. The episode emphasizes the value of being comfortable with discomfort and soliciting feedback to enhance one’s professional journey in cybersecurity.

Season 3, Episode 15: We gather a panel of journalists, communications, and a researcher to discuss how cybersecurity news and incidents are reported.

You can read the show notes here.

In the world of cybersecurity journalism, you can broadly divide it into four competing forces: reporters, communications teams, researchers, and readers. Each requires the other to accomplish its goals, but they all have very different priorities and goals.

This week we explore some of these dynamics by bringing together a panel representing comms, journalism, and research to discuss the game of tug-of-war during incident response and incident reporting.

Danny Palmer was a long-standing cybersecurity reporter at ZDNet prior to recently joining DarkTrace, Josh Swarz is the Senior Communications Manager at Microsoft focusing on threat intelligence, our host Neal Dennis is former NSA and has lived many lives around either keeping secrets or uncovering them, and producer Elliot Volkman has been a reporter for two decades and works with Josh on elevating research at Microsoft Threat Intelligence.

In our final preview episode of GRC Uncensored, we explore a particularly bipolar debate: do you need a GRC tool to manage compliance, or will spreadsheets suffice?

After this, we will be back to our regularly produced AZT episodes. The last episodes of our pilot for GRC Uncensored can be found on your favorite podcast app or newsletter on Substack.

We are interrupting our regularly scheduled podcast series to introduce you to a new series we developed: GRC Uncensored.

This pilot season will elevate conversations about GRC that are often buried under millions of dollars in marketing spend. No boring talks about controls or frameworks, just unfiltered discussions with auditors and practitioners in the GRC space. We'll be back to our regular AZT episodes in a couple of weeks.

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In the first episode of 'GRC Uncensored,' hosts Troy Fine, dubbed the 'GRC Meme King,' and Elliot Volkman, alongside guest Kendra Cooley dive into the complexities of Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) in cybersecurity. The discussion unravels the 'love-hate' relationship many security professionals have with compliance frameworks like SOC 2, exploring how they have become commoditized and possibly devalued over time.

The conversation touches upon the challenges security practitioners face in conveying the true value of GRC to businesses, the potential pitfalls of 'SOC in a box' offerings, and the broader implications of compliance becoming a 'check the box' exercise. Moreover, the episode delves into the broader regulatory landscape and the ongoing debates about the role of government regulations in cybersecurity compliance. This candid dialogue sets the stage for future episodes that promise further to dissect the nuances of cybersecurity audits and standards.

00:00 Welcome to GRC Uncensored

01:34 Introducing Kendra Cooley

02:05 Love-Hate Relationship with GRC

03:16 The SOC 2 Debate

04:33 Challenges with SOC 2 Audits

09:10 The Value of SOC 2 in the Industry

12:04 The Evolution of Compliance Frameworks

20:39 False Sense of Security in Compliance

24:46 The Buzz Around AI and Quantum

25:10 Staying Updated as a Security Professional

26:45 Challenges in Penetration Testing and Vendor Assessments

27:37 Compliance and Its Impact on Security

30:10 Government Regulations and Their Effectiveness

32:23 The Complexity of Privacy Laws

38:29 The Role of GRC Teams in Risk Management

42:30 Concluding Thoughts and Future Episodes