Lessons from the School of Security Hard Knocks

Today's guest is Roland Cloutier, CISO at TikTok.

Patience is key. This is just one of the many lessons to be learned from this week’s episode. Roland discusses his current role and responsibilities as TikTok CISO, how he has advanced the security capabilities within TikTok, his message when recruiting new security practitioners, the differences between working as a CISO in a premier payroll processing organization versus a major social media company, what a “strategic converged security program is”, how he got his start in security (hint: it wasn’t in cyber!), what keeps him up at night, and as always, his toughest lesson learned.

Today's guest is Suzanne Kelly, CEO/Producer of The Cipher Brief.

"If we are afraid of failure, we will never succeed." In this episode, Suzanne discusses the vision and creation behind the Cipher Brief, the top national security issues we are currently facing, the threat that China poses, her book: "Master of War: Blackwater USA’s Erik Prince and the Business of War", if cyber offensive work should be outsourced, the Cyber Initiatives Group, ransomware attacks on critical infrastructure, what keeps her up at night, and as always, her toughest lesson learned. 

#nationalsecurity #cybersecurity #ransomware

Today's Guest is Bryan Ware, founder and CEO of Next5.

"The best defense is a good offense." In this episode, Bryan discusses his current role at Next5, the history behind co-founding Digital Sandbox, how to approach low probability events with high consequences, his work at CISA, the past, present, and future of cybersecurity, election systems' security, AI, and as always, his toughest lesson learned. 

#softwaresupplychainsecurity #ransomware #protectingcriticalinfrastructuresecurity #electionsystemssecurity #nationalsecurity

Today's Guest is Vijaya Kaza, Chief Security Officer, Head of Engineering & Data Science for Trust & Safety at Airbnb.

In this episode, Vijaya discusses her current role and duties at Airbnb and as a board member at Knock, the importance of automation and AI, relevant use cases, best practices, and where improvements are needed within these fields, how gender impacts working in the technology field, the importance of who you know, what keeps her up at night, and as always, her toughest lesson learned.

Today's Guest is Duncan Woodbury, Founder and CEO of Dream Team.

One part entrepreneur, one part security researcher. In this episode, Duncan discusses what he's doing today, some of the major cybersecurity threats to critical infrastructure, the dangers of recovery time from an attack, the difference between protecting OT vs. IT, why red teaming and pen-testing are so important, what keeps him up at night, how he got into the field, the cyberBoat Challenge, and of course, his toughest lesson learned. 

#supplychainsecurity #exploits #criticalinfrastructure

Today's Guest is Dr. Rebecca Wynn, Global Cybersecurity & Strategy Consulting at Click Solutions Group.

"How can we be a part of the fabric without disturbing the fabric?" In this episode, Rebecca discusses how she defines the role of a CISO, how she believes we should "push the envelope of cybersecurity", working with companies that have experienced data breaches, what it takes to build a good security team, how to best interact with board members, future trends in technology, and of course, her toughest lesson learned. 

Today's Guest is Harold Smith, CEO of Monkton, Inc.

"Too focused on the WHAT IF and not focused on WHAT WE CAN DO." In this episode, Harold discusses how Monkton brings mobility to the military and DoD, some use case examples, the certification process, his background and current work in mobile applications, how enterprise mobile security has changed over the years, and as always, his toughest lesson learned. 

Today's Guest is Michael Shinn, CEO of Atomicorp.

"Being compliant is not the same thing as being secure." In this episode Michael discusses the background of his company, the daily challenges they take on, his knowledge around federal regulations, his previous work in the White House, his first computer, what keeps him up at night, and of course, his toughest lesson learned.

Today's Guest is Tina Williams-Koroma, Owner/President of TCecure, LLC.

"I see challenges as opportunities." What does a life-long entrepreneur look like? Look no further! In this episode, Tina discusses how to deal with breaks, Governor Hogan's Cybersecurity Summit, patterns to better address critical infrastructure, how all of her degrees aid her current role, her book: "Our Father's Business: Pick Up the Mission, Then Drop the Mic", what keeps her up at night, and as always, her toughest lesson learned.

Today's Guest is Jim Routh, Advisor & Investor at SYN Ventures.

While stepping away from full-time CISO duties, Jim Routh hasn't slowed down. In this episode, Jim tells us what he's been doing since leaving Mass Mutual, what he looks for when engaging with new companies, why he began working with startups. He also discusses the differences between serving as the CISO of larger versus a smaller organizations, his unique hiring strategy, the greatest needs from the private sector, and as always, his toughest lesson learned.