Cyber Pulse

Welcome to Cyber Pulse episode 19

On this episode we press pause on a game you're really enjoying, Cyber Pulse. The National Cryptologic Foundation has loved bringing you Cyber Pulse, and while we're taking a break, there's always a chance we'll fire up the mics again in the future. The cyber world never stops evolving, and neither do we.
We'll look back at our journey and what we've learned, say thank you to our guests and listeners, talk about staying cyber-safe, and say "So Long, And Thanks For All The Phish!"

Welcome to Cyber Pulse episode 18!

Our guest this episode is Terryn Valikodath is a senior consultant at Cisco Talos Incident Response with multiple years of experience in Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DF/IR), cybersecurity and IT administration. He has worked with a wide variety of organizations on their worst days and loves nothing more than battling the bad guys as a part of the vanguard. Terryn has spoken at various cybersecurity conferences, including Wild West Hackin Fest, with a particular focus on merging soft skills with technical ability.

In this episode we talk about Terryn's journey in cyber, including his journey to Cisco, his work with the Cisco Talos security team, his DFIR methodology, why he enjoys teaching and sharing his knowledge, and some of his current work on emerging threats, finally we get some advice for those looking to get into the field.

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Welcome to Cyber Pulse episode 17!

In this episode we are teaming up with our favorite Cyber Security expert, Kennedy Taylor Tibbets, for a crossover with #CyberChats where we discuss the pros and cons of family tracking apps like Life360. We talk about privacy issues, potential misuse by stalkers, effects on child development, possible trust issues with family and loved ones, and the effect on battery performance. Our goal is to give you the facts so you can decide if a family tracking app is right for you.

We cite a few articles during the chat, listed here in case you want to dive in:

"The Popular Family Safety App Life360 Is Selling Precise Location Data on Its Tens of Millions of Users". The Markup.

"Alleged Stalking Victims Accuse Tile of Advertising Its Devices as Women Trackers". Gizmodo.

Stalking victims sue Tile, Amazon over trackers". www.theregister.com.

Arkansas law firm sues Tile creators after stalking issues with device.

Child Development - Cambridge University Press publication "Self-Regulation and Autonomy: Social and Developmental Dimensions of Human Conduct"

"'Don't leave campus': Parents are now using tracking apps to watch their kids at college". The Washington Post.

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Welcome to Cyber Pulse episode 16!

In this episode we are teaming up with our favorite Cyber Security expert, Kennedy Taylor Tibbets, for a crossover episode with Cyber Chats where we discuss some of the hot technological gifts this year, what you can do to keep your privacy private, and some basic things to stay safe online.

We review Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, Apple AirTags, Fitbit Inspire 3, Oura Ring Gen 4, Meta Quest 3 VR Headset, Apple iPad Air 11-inch, Google TV Streamer 4K, and several items for the younger people in your life.

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Welcome to Cyber Pulse episode 15!

Our guest this episode is Simon Hartley. Simon is a Cybersecurity Practice Lead at IBM Consulting. He specializes in product security, connected vehicles, and automotive security. He supports clients in cybersecurity, quantum safety, and AI, delivering compelling products with trust, safety, and security. He is an advisor to the SAE and contributor to their cybersecurity books.

Previously, he worked with Quantinuum to quantum harden US critical infrastructure. He successfully introduced a mobile security platform with CIS Mobile after working with Apple and Samsung to harden their platforms for US Government needs. Simon was a co-founder of automotive startup RunSafe Security, VP at startup Kaprica Security, and held executive roles with HP, Red Hat, and Capgemini. He is a CISSP, with a BS in Physics, MS in Law & Cybersecurity, MBA, and a Purdue doctoral candidate in cybersecurity.

In this episode we talk about Simon's journey in cyber, automotive security issues and solutions, quantum computing timelines and its potential effects on critical infrastructure, mobile security and government hardening, and get some advice for those looking to get into the field.

In our News Pulse, we look at EDR-Freeze: New Attack Technique Puts Security Software Into a Coma.

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Welcome to Cyber Pulse episode 14!

Welcome back to Cyber Pulse. Today we're diving deep into one of the most fascinating cybersecurity incidents of 2025 – a threat actor installed Huntress EDR on their own attack infrastructure.

In this episode we talk about EDR, cyber-criminals, what was revealed, attacker research, AI use in cyber attacks, and how we can better defend going forward
:
- Huntress Blog: "Rare Look Inside Attacker Operation"
- Infosecurity Magazine: "Threat Actor Accidentally Exposes AI-Powered Operations"
- Technical Tools Mentioned:▪ Huntress EDR Platform
- Censys (censys.io)
- Evilginx Framework
- ROADtools Token eXchange
- Make.com Automation Platform
- LunaProxy/Nstbrowser Residential Proxies

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Welcome to Cyber Pulse episode 13!

Welcome to a special episode of Cyber Pulse. Today we don't have a guest for you - instead we are focusing on the Tea Dating app leak. We'll discuss what happened, why it was uniquely bad, and what you can do to protect yourself going forward. Let's get started!

In this episode we talk about data privacy, the Forensic Aspects of the Tea leak, User Impact & Legal Fallout, Implications for Other Apps, What Tea Did Right (and Wrong), What Was Exposed, Why the Tea Leak is Unique, How to Protect Yourself Going Forward

Sources used: Hackread, Digital Watch Observatory, Security Affairs, FOX 7 Austin, CPO Magazine, Security Affairs, The New Yorker, The Washington Post

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Welcome to Cyber Pulse episode 12!

Our guest this episode is Dr. Kim Wuyts. Dr. Wuyts is a leading privacy engineer with over 15 years of experience in security and privacy. Her mission is to raise privacy awareness and get organizations to embrace privacy engineering best practices. She is a guest lecturer, experienced speaker, and invited keynote at international privacy and security conferences such as RSA, OWASP Global AppSec, Troopers, CPDP, and IAPP DPC. In the last few years, Kim has been delivering privacy awareness and privacy threat modeling training at many events, including academic guest lectures and internal company training. Kim is also a co-author of the Threat Modeling Manifesto, program co-chair of the International Workshop on Privacy Engineering (IWPE), and a member of ENISA's working group on Data Protection Engineering.

In this episode we talk about Privacy, threat modeling, the LINDDUN privacy threat modeling framework, the differences between privacy and security, GDPR, and the future of privacy threat modeling

In our news Pulse we look at the latest from Salt Typhoon's nine month breach of the US National Guard systems.

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It's Pride Month, and in this episode of Cyber Pulse, we reach halfway around the globe to interview the amazing Lesley Carhart. They are a US Air Force veteran, DEFCON Hacker of the Year, and currently Director of Incident Response for North America at the industrial cybersecurity company Dragos, Inc., leading response to and proactively hunting for threats in customers’ ICS environments.

They share how they got started, the critical differences in Incident Response in OT environments from typical IT environments, how to avoid common mistakes when working with ICS, some guidance on how to break into the field, and why they had to move to Australia.

Topics discussed: Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR), DFIR in Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Operational Technology (OT) environments, key Incident Response differences between IT and OT environments, getting into ICS/OT

In our News Pulse, Godfather malware is using virtualization to steal data from legit banking apps.

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In this episode of Cyber Pulse, we team up with #CyberChats' host Kennedy Taylor to interview Tennisha Martin, Founder and Executive Director of BlackGirlsHack, a nonprofit that's opening pathways into cybersecurity for Black women and girls across the country. With a background in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon and over 15 years of experience in government consulting, Tennisha brings both technical expertise and a deep commitment to equity in tech.

She shares what inspired her to create BlackGirlsHack, how the organization is helping to bridge access gaps, and why building diverse cyber talent pipelines is critical to the future of the field. We also explore her work as a mentor, ethical hacking advocate, and educator — and why representation matters from entry-level to the executive suite.

Whether you're breaking into cyber, mentoring others, or rethinking what inclusive leadership looks like, this conversation offers practical insight and powerful inspiration.

Topics discussed: cybersecurity education, cybersecurity, diversity, opportunity, cyber kids, cyber careers

In our news Pulse, Microsoft's Recall app is back, and why this is bad for your privacy and security.

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