In this episode of Data Security Decoded, host Caleb Tolin sits down with Dustin Droullard, a cyber threat intelligence expert and former Army intelligence analyst, to discuss how global conflict is increasingly playing out in cyberspace, from digital espionage to civilian-targeted cyber operations. This episode highlights why organizations must rethink their cyber risk strategies in light of modern geopolitical threats and growing digital exposure.

What You’ll Learn:

• How influence operations are used to confuse, divide, and destabilize
• Understanding your organization’s role in geopolitical conflicts
• What basic cybersecurity practice still gets overlooked
• Where small businesses can find free resources to improve security posture and resilience 
• How anthropology, business, and literature studies can power cyber careers
• The gap in current cyber education and how to fix it with critical thinking and specialization

Episode Highlights:

• [00:00:33] From Army Intelligence to Cyber Operations
• [00:02:45] Espionage vs. Effects: Cyber Tactics in Geopolitical Conflict
• [00:06:38] Influence Operations and Psychological Warfare
• [00:10:39] Why Every Business is a Target, Whether They Know It or Not
• [00:13:21] Cybersecurity on a Budget: Resources for Underserved Organizations
• [00:15:57] Anthropology in Cyber: Understanding the Human Behind the Hack
• [00:20:33] Non-Tech Majors That Thrive in Cybersecurity
• [00:23:03] What Cyber Schools Are Missing: Business, Collaboration & Critical Thinking

Episode Resources:

• Caleb Tolin on LinkedIn
• Dustin Droullard on LinkedIn
• CISA – Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Data Security Decoded is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so