teissPodcast - Cracking Cyber Security

Why has the US banned the use of Chinese company Huawei’s technology? To what extent is Huawei a security threat? What are the deeper issues at play in this power struggle? These are questions we’ll be exploring on this week’s cracking cyber security podcast.

Malcolm Taylor, Head of Cyber Security at ITC Secure Networking, joins me to discuss what’s really at the root of tensions between the US, UK and China in the battle over the use of Huawei 5G technology. We also talk about the wider issues of surveillance and data privacy. What's a surveillance state? What surveillance is ok and what is not? What would George Orwell make of all this?

What can we learn from the way 'national security' government organisations think about and buy security? 

This week I’ll be speaking with ex-BAE Systems cyber security technical director and now co-founder of Garrison, Henry Harrison. He tells us what we can learn from government organisations in their approach to security and advises on the mind-set and strategies companies should adopt when buying security. 

Also, our podcast has been nominated for not just one but two awards at this year’s EU Security Blogger Awards…We are up for "Best New Cyber Security Podcast" and "Best Security Podcast"…We’d like to thank all of you for your support over the past year and we also ask that you go and vote for us! Cast your votes here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/eubloggerawards2019 (entries 1 and 5)

On this podcast we speak with CEO and co-founder at Tessian, Tim Sadler, about whether - amidst high stress and anxiety – CISOs can afford to be creative and take risks in their decision-making. We also ask, can the role of defender really be a creative one? Tim also shares advice on how to *creatively recruit* for *creative thinkers* and how he keeps his own leadership inspired.

Also, our podcast has been nominated for not just one but two awards at this year’s EU Security Blogger Awards…We are up for "best new cyber security podcast" and "best security podcast"…We’d like to thank all of you for your support over the past year and we also ask that you go and vote for us! Cast your votes here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/eubloggerawards2019 (entries 1 and 5)

Our theme this week is “Zero trust” – what is it and how can you implement it in your organisation. 

On the episode I’m joined by Richard Archdeacon, Duo Security’s Advisory CISO about a ‘Zero Trust’ approach to security (ie ‘trust no-one, verify everything’) and how this addresses some of the biggest concerns for Security Professionals: from digital transformation to enabling remote working. We discuss the evolution of trust, the psychology of a zero trust approach and how hackers are evolving in the perimeterless era.

That’s the question we’ll be tackling on this episode of the cracking cyber security podcast. 

Peter Woollacott, CEO and Founder of Huntsman Security, joins us this week to discuss the changing face of cyber risk and how businesses can better understand their cybersecurity posture. 

We cover security scorecards, cyber insurance and whether it’s possible to place a price on risk, as well as reflecting on how far a success GDPR has been - almost a year since its implementation. Peter, who’s been in the cyber security industry for over 20 years, is from Australia, so we took the opportunity to ask what the UK could learn about cyber regulation from our friends in Oz.

Cryptographer Bruce Schneier once said, "only amateurs attack machines, professionals target people" and yet how far should we be blaming humans for the breakdown of our cyber security?

Joining us on this podcast is Flavius Plesu, former CISO at Bank of Ireland and co-founder and CEO of OutThink – a platform which is transforming the way companies are engaging with their employees.

Many organisations push out some sort of security awareness training, simulated phishing emails, or bright, amusing posters relaying the importance of cyber security – but how effective are these traditional methods? Or could they, in fact, be doing more harm than good when it comes to building a solid relationship between the workforce and security teams?

Flavius explains why we should be reframing the conversation around what is expected from humans and why we need to be talking about "managing human risk" rather than "behavioural change". We also explore what the role of the CISO should be and how the public and private sectors can work better together.

March 12 2019 marked the 30 year anniversary of the World Wide Web and it was around this time that I met with former senior British Intelligence Officer and Head of Cyber Security at ITC, Malcolm Taylor.

The serendipity of the occasion provided an opportune moment to ask Malcolm how he thinks the web has evolved since its inception and whether it’s, ultimately, been a force for good or bad…We also discussed the nature of privacy and trust and how they’ve changed during that time and are changing still.

As a starting point, however, I began asking Malcolm about “spear phishing” – and how criminals specifically target their victims through carefully designed emails. This is in contrast to traditional phishing attacks usually conducted by sending malicious emails to as many people as possible. Lots of food for thought and tips to protect your “digital tattoo”.

Are CISOs suffering from an image crisis? Do they need a rebranding of sorts? How can they be taken seriously by the board and be seen as part of business operations as opposed to purely an investment? With us to explore these questions is TEISS podcast regular Joe Carson, Chief Security Expert at Thycotic. He’ll explain why 2019 is the year of the CISO but also why CISOs need to do more listening than talking.

This week on the show we have ESET’S Malware Analyst and Researcher, Lukas Stefanko and Head of Automated Threat Detection and Artificial Intelligence, Juraj Jánošík. TEISS caught up with them at Mobile World Congress last month in Barcelona where we discussed the tactics criminals are employing to hack into mobile phones and how we can stay secure with the fast moving innovations in the mobile space. 

When it comes to movers and shakers in the tech world, our guest this week is certainly making some noise in that realm. Sian John, MBE, is the Chief Security Advisor at Microsoft and the tour de force behind the #queuefortheloo initiative; a series of events and online resources aimed at women (and men) in the cyber security sector. On this podcast Sian discusses how the #queuefortheloo campaign came about as well as why we’ve gone backwards when it comes to attracting and recruiting diverse talent to the industry.