New episode of Chat with a Whitehat is live.

In this Episode, Ed Williams shares his journey from early BASIC programming to leading modern red team operations. We dive into real-world penetration testing stories, offensive security insights, and how AI is reshaping the field—while fundamentals still remain the key to success.

00:00 – 00:32 | Introduction & Ed Williams’ background
00:32 – 02:56 | Early interest in computers (BBC Micro & BASIC)
02:56 – 04:05 | Getting into cybersecurity & university experience
04:05 – 05:48 | Early tools, Perl vs Python, and learning to hack
05:48 – 07:09 | Building projects (mini kernel, remote bash, Unix systems)
07:09 – 08:30 | Fastest hack ever (domain admin in seconds)
08:30 – 09:59 | Real-world red teaming & social engineering stories
09:59 – 12:42 | Bank engagements & physical security testing
12:42 – 14:45 | Favorite type of security testing (infrastructure vs web)
14:45 – 17:09 | Importance of planning in penetration testing
17:09 – 18:07 | Time management & lessons learned during tests
18:07 – 19:33 | How to get better results in security testing
19:33 – 23:43 | How AI is being used in cybersecurity today
23:43 – 27:32 | AI’s impact on offensive & defensive security
27:32 – 29:33 | Biggest misconceptions about penetration testing
29:33 – 30:41 | Most underestimated attack vector (passwords)
30:41 – 32:41 | Why fundamentals matter in cybersecurity
32:41 – 35:19 | Advice for breaking into cybersecurity (2026)
35:19 – 36:10 | Where to find Ed Williams & closing remarks