September 23, 2025

Inside the Snowden Breach with Chris Inglis, Former Deputy Director of the NSA

44 minutes

This episode features Chris Inglis, former U.S. National Cyber Director and longtime Deputy Director of the NSA.

With over 40 years in national security, Chris was at the center of one of the most high-stakes breaches in U.S. history: the Edward Snowden incident.

In this episode, Chris shares what really happened inside the NSA during those critical months, and how siloed systems, password sharing, and missed signals allowed Snowden to operate undetected. He unpacks key lessons on preparing for low-probability, high-impact events, defending against identity misuse, and why trust must always come with verification.

This is a behind-the-scenes look at the Snowden breach, and what every cybersecurity leader needs to learn from it.

Guest Bio

Chris served as the first national cyber director of the United States, and as deputy director of the NSA for eight years. Chris has spent more than four decades in public service shaping the future of national cybersecurity.

His career includes serving as a commissioner on the US Cyberspace, solarium Commission, and as as an advisor to the Department of Defense and the intelligence community. Chris has received numerous honors for his service, including the President's National Security Medal and the DNI distinguished service medal.

A U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, he holds advanced degrees in engineering and computer science from Columbia University and the George Washington University. His military career includes over 30 years in the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard, retiring as a brigadier general. Most recently, he served as a U.S. Naval Academy Looker Distinguished Visiting Professor for cyber studies and as a commissioner on the U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission.

Guest Quote

" The thing that you practice, whether it's one or a million things you're going to practice will never happen, but the thing that does will be informed by the muscle memory you've developed over that practice period. And you'll know that you either can or cannot weather the storm with your own resources.”

Time stamps

01:29 The Snowden Incident: A Deep Dive

06:07 NSA's Internal Challenges and Lessons Learned

07:29 Organizational Silos and Technical Blind Spots

13:42 Crisis Management and Response Strategies

16:56 Public Perception and Trust

23:22 Misunderstandings of Snowden's Allegations

28:15 Lessons from the Snowden Incident

29:44 Cybersecurity in the Business World

29:57 How the Snowden Incident Reshaped NSA's Threat Monitoring

36:49 Strategic and Tactical Approaches to Security

42:35 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Sponsor

Identity Breach Confidential is brought to you by Semperis, the leader in identity-driven cyber resilience for the hybrid enterprise. Trusted by the world’s leading businesses, Semperis protects critical Active Directory environments from cyberattacks, ensuring rapid recovery and business continuity when every second counts. Visit semperis.com to learn more.

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