All year we've been trying to rebrand "soft skills" as essential business skills for any cybersecurity professional. Evgeniy Kharam has literally written the book on it. He sat down with us live at GoSec 2024 to talk about his new book, "Architecting Success: The Art of Soft Skills in Technical Sales."

This is a great breakdown of what kinds of communication skills are needed for both buyers and sellers trying to solve security problems. Don't miss it!

This episode was produced with the support of GoSecure.

Aaron Pritz of Reveal Risk joins us this week to deepfake George K in real-time video! Also, how to engage the workforce on new and emerging risks

👀 To see the video deepfake, check out our LinkedIn Page!

George K and George A talk to Aaron about:

🤖 Using deepfake tech for good - security awareness training that will blow your mind

🗓️ Why limiting security awareness to October is a mistake

🧠 Un-commoditizing training and making it relevant year-round

📱 Real-world advice on preventing deepfake attacks (it's easier than you think!)

For all you CISOs and security awareness pros out there - this episode is a must-listen. Aaron brings the heat with practical tips and a fresh perspective on engaging employees.

How do you build multiple successful companies? The dynamic duo behind Knight Group, Alissa and Mel Knight, join the show to talk about their relentless entrepreneurial journey.

In this episode:

💡 How to balance multiple passion projects and determine which ideas to pursue

🤝 The challenges and rewards of working with your spouse (spoiler: therapy helps!)

🧠 How their technical cyber backgrounds inform their creative endeavors

🏥 Alissa’s recent health scare and the wake-up call that changed their approach to work-life balance

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🏆We’ve been nominated as Podcast of the Year for the SANS Difference Maker awards! Voting is open now through Oct 4. You can vote for the show here: https://www.sans.org/about/awards/difference-makers/

Thank you for your support!

How do you know what’s a winning idea? Serial cyber entrepreneur Stuart McClure sat down with us live at GoSec 2024 to record his thoughts on go-to-market strategies.

Stuart was the founder of Cylance, the fastest company to record $100M in ARR, and he’s the lead author on a book about hacking techniques. In short, he talks the talk and walks the walk.

In this episode:

💡How to tell a genius idea from just a neat feature

🤝How to build and scale without repeating the same tired playbook

🧠 How a background in psychology equipped him with the skills for business

⚡️Why being able to make fast decisions is so important

This episode was produced with the support of GoSecure.

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🏆We’ve been nominated as Podcast of the Year for the SANS Difference Maker awards! Voting is open now through Oct 4.  🗳️ Vote for the show here: https://www.sans.org/about/awards/difference-makers/

Thank you for your support!

Don Jeter, CMO of Torq joins the show this week to talk about his crusade against boring cyber marketing, and why that means his title is really Chief Menace Officer.

In this episode:

💡Brand leads to demand. Focus on narrative and differentiation first.

🥳 Balancing fun, irreverent branding with deep technical expertise.

🔭 Looking outside cyber for inspiration - internet culture, consumer brands, and more

⚡️Speed and authenticity matter. Be ready to capitalize on trends.

For all you marketers trying to break through the noise - take notes. This is how it's done.

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⭐️ Submit your questions for our AMA episode! ⭐️

Send your questions to [email protected] with “AMA” in the subject line.

No subject is off the table! Win prizes if we take on your question with our mystery guest host!

September is Suicide Prevention Month. CISO Ben Howard joins the show to share his story for the first time. *Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation.*

If you are feeling suicidal, call or text 988 to get help immediately.

George K and George A talk to Ben about:

🔍 The pressure CISOs face and how it impacts mental wellbeing

🧠 Breaking the stigma around mental health

🛠 Practical steps cybersecurity leaders can take to support their teams' mental health

✍ Creating a culture of openness and vulnerability

If you are struggling and feeling suicidal, call or text 988. Help is available, speak with someone today.

Tabletop exercises, a necessary evil or just a compliance snoozefest? This week, Kailee Miner sits down to talk about how she's revolutionizing cyber threat readiness training to make boring TTXs a thing of the past.

In this episode:

🥱 Why traditional tabletop exercises often fail to engage participants

🎭 How realistic simulations improve readiness vs. dry PowerPoint presentations

💰 Why companies should invest in communication skills for technical experts, not just certifications

💪 Building resilience through hands-on experience, not just theoretical scenarios

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⭐️ Submit your questions for our AMA episode! ⭐️

Send your questions to [email protected] with “AMA” in the subject line.

No subject is off the table! Win prizes if we take on your question with our mystery guest host!

Welcome to Season 3! This week we’re bringing you the live recording of our talk at SquadCon during Hack Summer Camp a few weeks back. Our talk was called, “Future Proof Your Career with Cyber Threat Intelligence Techniques.” Many thanks again to the Black Girls Hack Foundation and the SquadCon crew for having us, and to Rebekah Skeete for the killer intro!

And, we’re fast approaching episode 100 of this podcast! We’re doing an AMA with a very special guest host. 

So, what do you wanna ask us? 

Email your questions to [email protected], with "AMA" in the subject line. If we air your question, you can expect some special swag your way!

Season 3 of Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks is coming soon!

Same human focus in cyber. Same fire. 👊⚡️

This week we're featuring a Best Of edition, packed with the gold from episodes past. We were away at Black Hat last week, and we're gearing up for the start of Season 3!

This episode features:

• Dr. Chase Cunningham on Zero Trust
• Sarah Breathnach on why whitepapers need to go
• Chas Larios are connecting with practitioners
• Adrian Wood on the securing the ML development pipeline
• Mari Galloway on breaking into cyber
• Reanna Schultz on life in SOC