Brad Geesaman, Principal Security Engineer at Ghost, joins the podcast today to explore how AI and large language models are transforming the world of application security. The discussion starts with the concept of "toil"—the repetitive, exhausting work that drains AppSec teams as they struggle to keep up with mountains of security findings and alerts. Brad shares his insights on how LLMs can provide meaningful leverage by handling the heavy lifting of triage, classification, and evidence gathering, while keeping humans firmly in the loop for final decisions. They also discuss the seismic shift happening in the AppSec market, with AI-native approaches potentially disrupting traditional security tooling. Listen along to hear more about the future of secure coding and how artificial intelligence might finally give security teams the helicopter view they need to fight fires effectively.

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In this special episode of the Application Security Podcast we meet nine of the OWASP Board of Directors candidates. Each candidate discusses their unique qualifications, experiences, and vision for OWASP's future. Topics include enhancing OWASP's impact, improving outreach and education, securing funding, and engaging local chapters. Don't miss this insightful debate as these candidates share their strategies to help secure a brighter future for OWASP. 

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Francesco Cipollone, the CEO of Phoenix Security, shares his extensive experience in AI and security, discussing the crucial difference between true AI agents and glorified chatbots. Learn why Phoenix Security utilizes six different LLMs instead of a single super agent. Understand the sobering economics behind AI implementation and the importance of adopting AI responsibly. Get practical advice on integrating AI agents to enhance, not replace, human capabilities, while touching on the Agentic AI Manifesto's key principles. This conversation is perfect for anyone navigating the AI landscape both cautiously and optimistically.

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Simon and Devika Gibbs, the innovative minds behind Cybersec Games, join us on the episode today. Discover how the Gibbs duo are revolutionizing the way we teach and learn security concepts through interactive gaming. Learn about their journey from developing stationary for agile teams to delving into the world of threat modeling games like Elevation of Privilege. We talk about the power of gamification in cybersecurity education, and get the inside scoop on their Cybersecurity Game Challenge, which invites creative minds to bring their game ideas to life. 

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Our guest today is Akansha Shukla, an information security professional with over 10 years of experience in application security, DevSecOps, and API security. We’re discussing why API security remains one of the least mature areas of AppSec today and exploring the challenges developers face when securing APIs. Akansha shares her insights on incorporating APIs into threat modeling exercises, the ongoing struggles with API discovery and inventory management, and the authorization challenges highlighted in the OWASP API Security Top 10. The conversation also touches on whether "shift left" is truly dead and why we still haven't solved basic security problems like input validation despite having the frameworks to address them.

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The European Union's Cyber Resilience Act is set to revolutionize how we approach product security worldwide. In this episode, we sit down with application security expert Nariman Aga-Tagiyev to break down everything you need to know about this legislation. Nariman has over 20 years of software development experience and today he’s sharing his expertise with us. Learn what the EU CRA is and why it matters for global software companies, key compliance requirements, and how OWASP SAMM can help you.

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Marisa Fagan, Head of Product at Katilyst and veteran security culture expert joins us today to  share practical strategies for building and scaling security champions programs that actually work, from designing effective pilots to avoiding common pitfalls that can derail your initiatives. Learn how to motivate developers using the SAPs model (Status, Access, Power, Stuff), why getting management buy-in is crucial before launching, and discover the metrics that truly demonstrate security culture success. Marisa reveals why most programs fail, shares her blueprint for creating sustainable security culture initiatives, and discusses the evolution beyond security champions to include privacy and accessibility programs. 

Resources Mentioned: 

• Security Champion Success Guide: https://securitychampionsuccessguide.org/

 • OWASP Security Champions Guide: securitychampions.owasp.org

 • People-Centric Security book by Lance Hayden 

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Aram Hovsepyan joins the podcast today to chat about the misconceptions behind common security metrics. Aram tells us how total vulnerability counts and CVSS scores can be misleading and he introduces us to the Goal Question Metric framework, this framework is a better approach to building truly effective security dashboards. Learn about the critical qualities of good metrics and how to ensure that your metrics accurately reflect your organization's security posture and readiness. Also, discover overlooked metrics that could offer deeper insights into your application security.

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We’re discussing the intersections of application security (AppSec) and sales strategy with our guest, Sean Varga. Sean shares the unique challenges and best practices in AppSec sales, like the importance of empathy, understanding customer needs, and community participation. Learn about the OWASP top 10 for AppSec Sales and discover how to achieve success by aligning with customer goals, maintaining detailed living documents, and fostering strong partnerships. 

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Sarah Jane Madden joins us to discuss the evolving role of AI in software development. We reflect on the changes and challenges posed by AI, including the potential for over-reliance and the misconception that traditional software engineering practices like the SDLC are obsolete. The conversation explores the nuances of AI-generated code, emphasizing the importance of maintaining foundational engineering skills and a critical understanding of the tools used. Madden shares insights from her keynote at OWASP Barcelona and stresses the need for responsible and thoughtful integration of AI in development workflows. Key takeaways include leveraging AI for efficiency while avoiding complacency and ensuring a deep, ongoing engagement with code and quality practices.

Previous Episode with Sarah-Jane Madden: Threat Modeling to Established Teams

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