Future of Threat Intelligence

In this week's episode of the Future of Cyber Risk podcast, David speaks to Craig Jones, Director of Cybercrime at INTERPOL. They discuss the mission and purpose of INTERPOL to reduce cybercrime worldwide, and how they go about doing that on a daily basis through data aggregation, creating frameworks, and sharing intel with nations and locales worldwide. They also discuss the hurdles of varied cybercrime legislation, how criminals may use AI to exploit, and advice for law enforcement and policy makers on how to better combat cybercrime.

Topics discussed:

• The role that INTERPOL plays in stopping global cybercrime, and how they do that on an operational level each day.

In this week's episode of the Future of Cyber Risk podcast, David speaks to Bob Carver, Principal Cybersecurity Threat Intelligence and Analytics at Verizon. They discuss the importance of looking for subtle issues no one else may see, why security practitioners should gain more awareness in network and sysadmin activities, and how to build a culture of security. They also talk about how to train staff about phishing and social engineering, what the future of cyber will look like, and advice for improving risk management programs.

Topics discussed:

• What a day-in-the-life looks like, starting with scanning packet captures for anomalous activity and looking for risk no one else sees.

In this week's episode of the Future of Cyber Risk podcast, David speaks to Evan Blicker, Sr. Cyber Threat Investigator - Dark Web Lead at LinkedIn. They discuss what the dark web is, what you can find there, and the biggest misconceptions about the dark web — like why it should be viewed more as a community of people rather than a dangerous arena. They also talk about how to get started with dark web investigations securely, why the biggest challenge is communicating about dark web threats, and what the future of the dark web will look like.

Topics discussed:

• A day-in-the-life of a cyber threat investigator which includes building out the dark web vision for LinkedIn, that involves knowing what's out there and finding leads.

In this week's episode of the Future of Cyber Risk podcast, David speaks to Miranda Bruce, Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Oxford, and Steve Santorelli, Chief of Staff at Team Cymru, about the RISE and Underground Economy conferences. A RISE scholarship recipient, Miranda talks about her experience attending the Underground Economy conference, the value of meeting individuals in the industry, and how it helped further her research. Together, they discuss the benefits the conference provides for the security community, and why organizations should consider sponsoring the conference to increase security knowledge and practice worldwide.

Topics discussed:

• What the RISE and Underground Economy conferences are and how they were created to bridge the gap between law enforcement and industry.

In this week's episode of the Future of Cyber Risk podcast, David speaks to Carolyn Kissane, Associate Dean of the MS in Global Affairs and MS in Global Security, Conflict, and Cyber Crime at the NYU Center for Global Affairs. They discuss how the Center for Global Affairs prepares students for how cyber security will play a bigger role in geopolitics, energy resource management, and global conflict. They also talk about the rise of cyber attacks being used by governments against other nations, how to anticipate a future where AI and robotics contribute to warfare, and what practitioners can do today to increase their cyber risk awareness.

Topics discussed:

• What a day-in-the-life of an associate dean is like in a Center that helps students understand geopolitics and energy security, and prepares them for the future of global affairs.

In this week's episode of the Future of Cyber Risk podcast, David speaks to Assaf Kipnis, Owner and Head Consultant/Advisor at ASK Integrity Solutions, which conducts adversarial network analysis, risk assessment, and counter-threat intel. They discuss the day-to-day activities of threat intelligence and hunting down adversaries, what adversary accounts typically look like on social media, and how digging deeper into those accounts can reveal connections leading to large-scale takedowns. They also discuss common scams prevalent today, how everyday people can keep themselves safe online, and what organizations can do to improve their threat intelligence.

Topics discussed:

• The day-to-day efforts and expectations around threat hunting, and why once you find an adversary you should monitor them to learn from them.

In this week's episode of the Future of Cyber Risk podcast, David speaks to Dr. Eugene H. Spafford, Professor of Computer Sciences at Purdue University, Dr. Leigh Metcalf, Senior Network Security Research Analyst at CERT, and Dr. Josiah Dykstra, Technical Director, Critical Networks & Systems at NSA, authors of the book Cybersecurity Myths and Misconceptions: Avoiding the Hazards and Pitfalls that Derail Us. They discuss the various myths and misconceptions that can hamper security, how to mitigate bias during incident response, and how to use critical thinking to avoid assumptions around threat intelligence.

Topics discussed:

• The processes, approaches, or methodologies cybersecurity professionals can use to identify misconceptions or myths, including education and critical thinking.

In this week's episode of the Future of Cyber Risk podcast, David speaks to Andy Piazza, Global Head of Threat Intelligence at IBM X-Force, a threat intelligence sharing platform. They discuss the day-to-day responsibilities of IBM's threat intelligence team in creating strategy and overseeing threat collection, the ways in which threat actors are leveraging ransomware today, and why businesses should lean into their security vendors to help them stay protected. They also discuss the best skills for security practitioners, overcoming visibility challenges, and clear and concise communication is key.

Topics discussed:

• What a day in the life of the head of threat intelligence is like, and how Andy works to drive strategy, support clients, and inform threat collection teams.

In this week's episode of the Future of Cyber Risk podcast, David speaks to Jordan Howell, Assistant Professor and Cybersecurity Researcher at University of South Florida. They discuss how Jordan works with his students each day, how there needs to be a shift in academia to focus on more holistic training, and the variety of skills that students need to have to be successful security practitioners. They also talk about how AI can be a tool to either close or expand gaps in security, how scholarship around cybercriminal behavior needs be improved, and advice for those just starting out in their security careers.

Topics discussed:

• A day-in-the-life of how Jordan works with students and industries to advance cybersecurity training and skills acquisition.

In this week's episode of the Future of Cyber Risk podcast, David speaks to Erik Rasmussen, Global Head of Cybersecurity and Risk Management at Grobstein Teeple LLP, a leading consulting firm offering cybersecurity and business consulting services. They discuss what it means to be a leader in the cybersecurity world, how Erik's secret service and social sciences background contribute to his consulting, and how he works with clients on a daily basis. They also discuss what security practitioners tend to get wrong, what skills are important for security, and advice for new security professionals.

Topics discussed:

• Erik's background that lead him to security, from majoring in history, to attending law school, to being recruited to the secret service, to finally moving into the private sector as a security consultant.