Cyber Work

Today's guest is Anthony Pacilio, VP Neurodiverse Solutions at CAI. I met Pacilio at this year’s ISACA Digital Trust World event in Boston, and I was immediately fascinated with his insights on hiring and attracting neurodiverse professionals in security, IT, engineering and related industries, all of which suffer a skills gap and all of which are in need of new insights and working methods. Pacilio and I have a substantive conversation about changing the structure of the “6-hour marathon” interview process, the difference between an employee who stays in one job role vs. an employee who stays in but re-imagines that one job role, and why this new way of hiring and recruitment can lead to nothing less than an entire transformation of a company’s work culture. 

0:00 - Neurodiversity and cybersecurity leadership
4:18 - Pacilio's early years with tech
7:40 - Shifting roles in cybersecurity
12:55 - VP of neurodiverse solutions
16:10 - CAI's dedication to neurodiversity
 19:27 - Neurodiverse solutions in cybersecurity and IT
23:50 - Rethinking the cybersecurity role interview
26:32 - Adopting new interview strategies
33:03 - Examples and success stories
35:30 - Where neurodiverse workers succeed in cybersecurity
42:04 - Tips for neurodiverse learners in cybersecurity
45:58 - Advice for new cybersecurity professionals
52:30 - Learn more about CAI
53:05 - Outro

– Get your FREE cybersecurity training resources: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free
– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcast

About Infosec
Infosec’s mission is to put people at the center of cybersecurity. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with skills development and certifications while empowering all employees with security awareness and phishing training to stay cyber-safe at work and home. More than 70% of the Fortune 500 have relied on Infosec Skills to develop their security talent, and more than 5 million learners worldwide are more cyber-resilient from Infosec IQ’s security awareness training. Learn more at infosecinstitute.com.

Dan Roberts, host of the “Tech Whisperers” podcast, and a mentor, coach and leader to CISOs and other tech-focused C-suite members for nearly four decades, is today's guest. We talk about Roberts' earliest work, including coining the term “Developing the human side of technology” all the way back in 1984, to spearheading the CyberLX program for CISOs and those aspiring to be. Roberts also provides a four-stage growth chart for CISOs that, quite frankly, scales well to just about any tech career and teases a very exciting guest on the “Tech Whisperers” podcast!

0:00 - CISO's need leadership experience
4:47 - How Dan Roberts got into cybersecurity and tech
6:34 - What was tech like in the '80s?
9:20 - Common difficulties as a CISO
16:52 - What is CyberLX?
24:10 - Joining CyberLX to become a CISO
29:50 - How to become a CISO
34:45 - Cybersecurity and soft skills
38:05 - Skills needed in tech and security now
40:30 - Leading with the seven Cs
43:00 - Start your CISO career journey
46:23 - Getting uncomfortable to evolve in cybersecurity
47:49 - What is the Tech Whisperers podcast?
52:06 - Tech for Good project
54:18 - Exciting new projects for Roberts
56:30 - Outro

– Get your FREE cybersecurity training resources: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free
– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcast

About Infosec
Infosec’s mission is to put people at the center of cybersecurity. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with skills development and certifications while empowering all employees with security awareness and phishing training to stay cyber-safe at work and home. More than 70% of the Fortune 500 have relied on Infosec Skills to develop their security talent, and more than 5 million learners worldwide are more cyber-resilient from Infosec IQ’s security awareness training. Learn more at infosecinstitute.com.

Confidence Staveley of the CyberSafe Foundation and the CyberGirls program is today's guest. CyberGirls is a year-long cohort program in which women in Africa ages 18 to 28 can learn cybersecurity basics and create career tracks to fast-track these students into cybersecurity careers! Staveley tells us about the workings of the program, how she uses her YouTube channel to teach API security with food analogies and explains the origins of what is likely the first-ever Afrobeat song about security awareness!  This episode is as fun and inspiring as any I’ve recorded, so I hope you’ll tune in for today’s Cyber Work.

0:00 - Cybersecurity training for women in Africa
4:47 - How Confidence Staveley got into cybersecurity
10:35 - What is the CyberSafe Foundation?
16:57 - What is the CyberGirls fellowship?
21:30 - How to get involved in CyberGirls
30:10 - Inspiring success CyberGirls stories
43:11 - Keeping CyberGirls engaged
46:31 - API Kitchen YouTube show
52:00 - Cybersecurity initiatives in Africa
59:27 - Advice for working in cybersecurity
1:03:13 - CyberGirls' future
1:05:20 - Learn more about CyberSafe
1:07:22 - Outro

– Get your FREE cybersecurity training resources: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free
– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcast

About Infosec
Infosec’s mission is to put people at the center of cybersecurity. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with skills development and certifications while empowering all employees with security awareness and phishing training to stay cyber-safe at work and home. More than 70% of the Fortune 500 have relied on Infosec Skills to develop their security talent, and more than 5 million learners worldwide are more cyber-resilient from Infosec IQ’s security awareness training. Learn more at infosecinstitute.com.

Ian Campbell, security operations engineer at DomainTools, is someone who has truly carved a niche out for himself in his organization and in the cybersecurity landscape as a whole. His blogs for the DomainTools website have provided paths for neurodiverse cybersecurity professionals and allies who want to make their organizations more friendly to neurodiversity to undertake the small changes to work roles and company culture that can net huge improvements for folks with different types of cognition, patterns of learning, concentration challenges, and yes, nurturable strengths!

I’ve said it plenty of times here and I’ll say it again: cybersecurity is at its best when we’re all together, solving problems and creating solutions with our own diverse approaches.

0:00 - Neurodiversity in cybersecurity
4:00 - How Ian Campbell got into cybersecurity
6:50 - Cybersecurity journey
15:33 - What does a security operations engineer do?
18:37 - Chokepoints of security operations engineer role
20:22 - Supporting people with neurodiverse work and learning
25:50 - What hinders neurodiverse workers in cybersecurity?
30:17 - Altering work culture for neurodiverse workers
39:00 - Neurodivergent traits suited for cybersecurity
42:05 - Benefits of neurodiversity in cybersecurity
48:41 - Promoting communication for neurodiverse workers
52:36 - Positive policies for neurodivergent workers
58:20 - Learn more about DomainTools
1:00:00 - Learn more about Ian Campbell
1:00:23 - Outro

– Get your FREE cybersecurity training resources: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free
– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcast

About Infosec
Infosec’s mission is to put people at the center of cybersecurity. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with skills development and certifications while empowering all employees with security awareness and phishing training to stay cyber-safe at work and home. More than 70% of the Fortune 500 have relied on Infosec Skills to develop their security talent, and more than 5 million learners worldwide are more cyber-resilient from Infosec IQ’s security awareness training. Learn more at infosecinstitute.com.

Guest AJ Grotto is the William J. Perry International Security Fellow and founding director of the Program on Geopolitics, Technology and Governance at the Stanford Policy Center and Stanford University. Grotto has served in the National Cybersecurity Council under two successive presidents and brings decades of knowledge in international relations, policy and risk both to his students and to clients in his private sector consulting work. Grotto tells us about the current state of international cyber risk and response, gives his tips for students just getting started in international policy and why a suspicious-looking email took him away from the law profession and into the security space. 

0:00 - National security cyber issues
4:04 - How AJ Grotto got into cybersecurity
7:10 - Grotto's work in the National Security Council
10:25 - Skills used in the National Security Council
14:35 - Working at Sagewood 
17:00 - Global trends in cybersecurity
19:00 - Economies down; cyber crime up? 
20:17 - Cyber risk work at Stanford
23:10 - Cybersecurity students at Stanford
29:46 - How to take Grotto's class at Stanford
31:25 - Federal Zero Trust directives
34:49 - What to research for national security work
38:09 - Important global cybersecurity topics
40:06 - Learn more about Grotto, Stanford international policy
41:07 - Outro   

– Get your FREE cybersecurity training resources: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free
– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcast

About Infosec
Infosec’s mission is to put people at the center of cybersecurity. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with skills development and certifications while empowering all employees with security awareness and phishing training to stay cyber-safe at work and home. More than 70% of the Fortune 500 have relied on Infosec Skills to develop their security talent, and more than 5 million learners worldwide are more cyber-resilient from Infosec IQ’s security awareness training. Learn more at infosecinstitute.com.

Infosec IQ’s director of production, Steve Concotelli comes to us following years working in the movie and TV industry, and his ability to create and craft a great story is at the core of what makes Work Bytes the most award-winning security awareness series on the market! Learn more about Concotelli and the team’s ability to craft storylines with takeaways that stick, as well as the reasons why we create four different information delivery types to match the pace and time commitments of your workers. Maybe by the end, you’ll know which of the fantastical characters I mentioned at the start is most like you! Kick back and enjoy a few engaging minutes with this Cyber Work Hack. And take the Work Bytes Personality Quiz: https://infosec.involve.me/work-bytes-personality-quiz.

0:00 - Film storytelling in cybersecurity 
2:48 - How Concotelli moved from Hollywood to Infosec
3:56 - What is Work Bytes?
5:50 - Telling the story of Work Bytes
7:47 - Balancing fun and info
14:07 - What's new in Work Bytes?
19:21 - Big goals for Work Bytes
20:29 - Outro

About Infosec
Infosec’s mission is to put people at the center of cybersecurity. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with skills development and certifications while empowering all employees with security awareness and phishing training to stay cyber-safe at work and home. More than 70% of the Fortune 500 have relied on Infosec Skills to develop their security talent, and more than 5 million learners worldwide are more cyber-resilient from Infosec IQ’s security awareness training. Learn more at infosecinstitute.com.

Tomas Smalakys, CTO at NordPass, is today's guest. As our future seems choked with a never-ending need for new passwords of ever-growing complexity for everything we sign up for, Smalakys, along with some large tech organizations, is embracing a post-password future with a system of passkeys. What will it look like? How is it implemented? How will you be able to do this bleeding-edge work in the future? Tune in for today’s episode of Cyber Work and find out!

0:00 - The future of online passwords
3:43 - Tomas Smalakys' start in cybersecurity
8:40 - Managing software engineers
15:33 - Chief technical officer at NordPass
20:05 - The state of password security
27:22 - Imperfections in two-factor security
42:13 - How to know you've been compromised online
47:55 - The passkey system
1:02:41 - How to work in passwords and passkeys
1:09:05 - Learn more about Smalakys and NordPass
1:10:07 - Outro

– Get your FREE cybersecurity training resources: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free
– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcast

About Infosec
Infosec’s mission is to put people at the center of cybersecurity. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with skills development and certifications while empowering all employees with security awareness and phishing training to stay cyber-safe at work and home. More than 70% of the Fortune 500 have relied on Infosec Skills to develop their security talent, and more than 5 million learners worldwide are more cyber-resilient from Infosec IQ’s security awareness training. Learn more at infosecinstitute.com.

Anna Claiborne from Zayo talks about the spike of DDoS attacks they saw in the past year. Although distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks trend up nearly every year, new factors around advanced automation and ease of use may be driving the increase. Claiborne takes us back 20 years, when solutions to DDoS attacks involved trying the most far-out solution you could, often for the most far-out clients you could imagine! Seriously, I use the words “Wild West” to describe early security on a lot of episodes, but Claiborne really gives us some top-notch war stories. She’ll also let you know where to focus if you want to get started in telecom security, or any of near-infinite industries that would be impacted by telecom shutting down.

– Get your FREE cybersecurity training resources: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free
– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcast

0:00 - AI and DDoS attacks 
4:20 - How Anna Claiborne got into cybersecurity
8:24 - Claiborne's cybersecurity experiences 
14:10  - The changes in DDoS attacks
16:55 - Current DDoS escalations 
24:34 - Claiborne's role as a VP
34:25 - Why DDoS attacks have skyrocketed
38:32 - Why DDoS attacks are easier
42:55 - How much is DDoS effective?
44:24 - Tips for countering DDoS
47:16 - Careers involving DDoS attacks
51:09 - Acquire DDoS skills early
56:19 - Learn more about Claiborne and Zayo
57:48 - Outro
 
About Infosec
Infosec’s mission is to put people at the center of cybersecurity. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with skills development and certifications while empowering all employees with security awareness and phishing training to stay cyber-safe at work and home. More than 70% of the Fortune 500 have relied on Infosec Skills to develop their security talent, and more than 5 million learners worldwide are more cyber-resilient from Infosec IQ’s security awareness training. Learn more at infosecinstitute.com.

Oliver Tavakoli from VectraAI returns to the program to talk about – surprise! – AI! Having talked about Tavakoli's origin story on the past episode, we’re free to dig right into his main area of interest: the ways in which generative AI can be used by bad actors, whether introducing conflicting messages into GPT guardrail commands or escalating the nuance and complexity of fake-based social engineering attacks. We talk about long-term implications of this emerging tech opportunity, ways for new professionals to get comfortable with its requirements quickly, and Tavakoli lets us know what this “summer of AI” will mean for the coming years, and also why its endless innovation may cool for a few years, and that’s OK.

0:00 - Generative AI and bad actors
4:20 - Big changes for generative AI in 2020
7:11 - Example of an AI attack
15:30 - AI as a tool versus an intelligence
17:10 - Solutions with AI
22:47 - How AI will affect cybersecurity careers
32:18 - How does AI hurt your career?
38:40 - Job roles in cybersecurity that may become niche
40:40 - The year of AI?
43:25 - How to talk about AI
45:40 - What is VectraAI?
48:25 - Learn more about Tavakoli and VectraAI
49:30 - Outro

– Get your FREE cybersecurity training resources: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free
– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcast

About Infosec
Infosec’s mission is to put people at the center of cybersecurity. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with skills development and certifications while empowering all employees with security awareness and phishing training to stay cyber-safe at work and home. More than 70% of the Fortune 500 have relied on Infosec Skills to develop their security talent, and more than 5 million learners worldwide are more cyber-resilient from Infosec IQ’s security awareness training. Learn more at infosecinstitute.com.

Dr. Heather Buker of 6clicks has been a technical SME in the cybersecurity field her entire career, and 6clicks has introduced Ask Hailey, an AI-based governance risk and compliance (GRC) tool that promises to move the work of GRC into a new era. Also on the show, Infosec’s vice president of portfolio product strategy and cybersecurity superstar Keatron Evans in a guest-host capacity! Buker, Keatron and I discuss the spaces in which governance risk and compliance can greatly benefit from AI/machine learning enhancement, the crucial need to prioritize the decision-making skills of humans over everything else and why seemingly disparate career roles and pivots can still lead you in the career direction you desire most.

0:00 - Ask Hailey AI
4:17 - Heather Buker's start in cybersecurity
6:40 - Security compliance migration work and more
13:15 - Tasks of a chief customer officer
18:40 - What is Ask Hailey AI?
23:00 - Challenges in risk assessment
27:15 - Ask Hailey AI and GRC
38:05 - Advice to get into government cybersecurity
42:50 - Advice for cybersecurity students
44:50 - The big picture of AI
53:00 - Learn more about Buker and 6clicks
54:11 - Outro

– Get your FREE cybersecurity training resources: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free
– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcast

About Infosec
Infosec’s mission is to put people at the center of cybersecurity. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with skills development and certifications while empowering all employees with security awareness and phishing training to stay cyber-safe at work and home. More than 70% of the Fortune 500 have relied on Infosec Skills to develop their security talent, and more than 5 million learners worldwide are more cyber-resilient from Infosec IQ’s security awareness training. Learn more at infosecinstitute.com.