Agent of Influence

A Day in the Life of a NetSPI Penetration Tester

In this episode of Agent of Influence, Nabil sits down with NetSPI’s very own security consultants Austin Altmann and Marissa Allen. They discuss what it’s like to be a penetration tester, NetSPI’s entry-level training program (NetSPI University), improvements to the current computer science curriculum, cybersecurity career misconceptions, characteristics of a successful pentester, refurbishing old Macs, and Kiwi the cockatiel.

“Cybersecurity is Everyone’s Business” | How Can We Make Cybersecurity More Mainstream?

In this episode of Agent of Influence, Nabil speaks with Dave Chatterjee, PhD, Professor at The University of Georgia and Duke University – and author of Cybersecurity Readiness: A Holistic and High-Performance Approach. They discuss cybersecurity readiness factors related to governance, why CISOs must be proactive, the need for development and security goal alignment, rewarding failure, today's cybersecurity curriculum, how to make security more mainstream, and more. 

Middle School Teacher Turned CISO Talks Reverse Engineering, Asset Management, and More

In this episode of Agent of Influence, Nabil speaks with Seth Edgar, CISO at insurance solutions provider AF Group. Hear Seth discuss his unconventional career path, parallels between his experience as a middle school teacher and his role as a CISO, lessons learned from reverse engineering, cyberattack trends in the insurance space, the most effective security activities, plus, his favorite places to explore outdoors with his family in Michigan.

The Future of Penetration Testing is Not Check-the-Box | Get to Know NetSPI’s New CTO

In this episode of Agent of Influence, Nabil speaks with Travis Hoyt, a well-known financial services security leader – and NetSPI’s new Chief Technology Officer (CTO)! They discuss why he's excited to be at NetSPI and his priorities as CTO, the value of tech-enabled services, the future of pentesting, the growth of the virtual CISO (vCISO) space, how we can improve security education, and what’s “next next” in cybersecurity technology innovation. 

The Evolution of Incident Response, Lessons Learned from Chinese-Based Tech Companies, Mental Health, and More

In this episode of Agent of Influence, Nabil speaks with Doug Brush, Global Advisory CISO at Splunk. Doug discusses M&A security challenges, the evolution of incident response, why we need accurate asset inventory, his experience working with Chinese based organizations DJI Drones and TikTok, taking politics out of privacy, mental health in cybersecurity, neurodiversity, and the secret to the best cocktails. 

“Shift Left, But Not Too Left”: A Conversation on AppSec and Development Trends

In this episode of Agent of Influence, Nabil speaks with Maty Siman, founder and CTO at Checkmarx. Hear Maty share the Checkmarx origin story and discuss application security and development trends, how to manage open-source software risks, the concept of shift left, challenges of API security, the future of IAST, static analysis best practices, and biking in the Israeli desert. 

What’s Keeping Security Leaders Up at Night? DDoS, Ransomware, 5G, and Security Employment

In this episode of Agent of Influence, Nabil speaks with Michael “Kaz” Kaczmarek, head of product management for Neustar’s Security Solutions business unit. They discuss how his engineering background has supported him in cybersecurity, the nature of creativity and problem solving, the rise of ransom-related DDoS attacks, how 5G and the hybrid workforce are causing a shift in attack patterns, considerations for paying a ransom, cybersecurity staffing challenges, best practices for securing smart home devices, and a memorable dining experience at minibar in D.C.

Communicating Cybersecurity ROI, AppSec Frameworks, AI and ML Security, and More

In this episode of Agent of Influence, Nabil speaks with Diana Kelley, founding partner and CTO at Security Curve, volunteer, security architect, keynote speaker, among her many other roles. They discuss how she unknowingly jumpstarted her security career after she found a vulnerability in ARPANET at age 13, tips for communicating cybersecurity ROI to leadership, the top frameworks and processes for application security, DevSecOps, how to safely leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence, inclusivity in cybersecurity, and their rescue pets. 

Application Security and Penetration Testing Insights from a Utilities Sector CISO

In this episode of Agent of Influence, Nabil speaks with Manish Khera, a CISO at a major utilities company. Hear Manish’s thoughts on utility sector cybersecurity challenges and opportunities, the Biden administration’s 100-day electrical grid security plan, consultancy versus internal cybersecurity careers, the future of penetration testing, threat modeling success stories, and his 15-year-old daughter’s entrepreneurial ventures. They also share advice on how to build an application security champions program that builds harmony between development groups and AppSec. 

Is Data Science the Key to a Mature Security Program?

In this episode of Agent of Influence, Nabil speaks with Jim Routh, a well-known security leader and current board member at various innovative early-stage cybersecurity startups. Listen to Jim’s insights on how to define and encourage innovation, build a mature security program using data science, why risk frameworks alone are not enough, security past versus security present, how the pandemic has challenged the human factor, and last but not least, his pickleball hobby.