The Security Repo

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, Thomas Jost shares his journey from software development to becoming a Senior Application Security Engineer, offering insights into the value of diverse tech backgrounds in AppSec. He discusses the real-world friction between security practices and developer workflows, especially around static analysis and CI/CD slowdowns. Thomas also emphasizes the importance of soft skills, mentorship, and community networking for success in the cybersecurity space.Passionate about breaking things and helping teams fix those things. After a solid career in software development, Thomas Jost is now fully devoted to application security and DevSecOps as a Sr. Applications Security Engineer.https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmtjost/

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, Dwayne McDaniel sits down with Yash Shahani, a seasoned AppSec engineer and vulnerability hunter, to dive into the nuances of manual code review and the limitations of automated security tools. They explore the evolving role of AI in AppSec, its promise and pitfalls, and why human intuition still plays a vital role in catching complex logic flaws. Yash also shares practical tips for exploring unfamiliar codebases and emphasizes the importance of treating security as a shared responsibility across teams.Yash Shahani is a security researcher and AppSec engineer with a background in building and breaking applications. He holds a Master’s in Information Security from Carnegie Mellon and focuses on finding the vulnerabilities that tools miss. Yash is an active member of the security community and an organizer for BSides San Francisco. He’s passionate about making security easier to adopt - something teams naturally build into software development, not bolt on later.

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, Maria Khodak explores how graph theory and data visualization can be used to uncover machine learning vulnerabilities like data poisoning. She explains how her work as a penetration tester intersects with research on threat detection and the importance of making abstract security concepts more human-readable. The conversation also covers her journey into cybersecurity, the value of visualization tools like Gephi, and her call to make the field more inclusive and curious-driven.Maria Khodak is a security engineer and penetration tester at a large company focusing on web application, API, and network testing. She also researches machine learning vulnerabilities, threat detection, and graph theory in her free time. https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-khodak-10b26a192/https://gephi.org/

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, Ailin Castellucci shares her inspiring journey from selling shoes to building cybersecurity teams and leading human-centric education projects. She discusses the unique challenges and perspectives of cybersecurity education in Argentina, emphasizing the importance of empathy, communication, and passion in the industry. Ailin also delves into her current work fostering hacker communities and promoting accessible security education across South America.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/acastellucci/

Ailin is an Information Security specialist and Hacking Community Builder at Strike. She previously worked at Mercado Libre, Lemon, and Galicia bank, and now leads Hécate, a project that combines creative solutions with human-centered education.

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, Chris Kulakowski, a seasoned detection engineer from IBM, delves into the complexities of threat detection, from writing detection rules to collaborating with red teams for proactive security strategies. He shares insights on prioritizing security risks, the evolving role of AI in cybersecurity, and the importance of adaptability in the ever-changing threat landscape. Chris also offers advice for aspiring security professionals and reflects on the positive trends in global cybersecurity efforts.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckulakowski/

Chris Kulakowski is a driven technologist, innovator, and tinkerer of all things. His career spans across 15 years of Digital Media, Information Technology, Security Operations, Threat Intelligence and Digital Forensics roles. He is currently a senior technical staff member specializing in threat detection at IBM, supporting IBM internal businesses. Prior to IBM he held various roles at General Motors and Optiv. He is seasoned in responding to incidents, developing new threat detection content, and an expert in EDR technology.

Chris holds a Computer Criminology degree from Florida State University and several industry leading cyber security and digital forensics certifications including CISSP, EnCE, GCFE, GREM, and Security+. Chris is also accredited with a Stanford University Advanced Computer Security Certificate.

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, Bleon Proko dives into the intricacies of AWS security, focusing on the role and impact of quarantine policies in mitigating the risks of compromised credentials. He explains how AWS policies prioritize denial to prevent privilege escalation, lateral movement, and financial fraud, offering practical strategies for securing sensitive identities. Additionally, Bleon shares insights on essential tools for penetration testing and gives candid advice about navigating cloud security challenges.Bleon is an Info-sec passionate about Infrastructure Penetration Testing and Security, including Active Directory, Cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP, Digital Ocean), Hybrid Infrastructures, as well as Defense, Detection and Thread Hunting. He has presented topics related to Cloud Penetration Testing and Security in conferences like BlackHat USA, Europe and Sector, DEF CON, SANS Pentest Hackfest Hollywood and Amsterdam, as well as several BSides on USA and Europe.His research include Nebula, a Cloud Penetration Testing Framework (https://github.com/gl4ssesbo1/Nebula) and other blogs, which you can also find on his blog (blog.pepperclipp.com). He is also the author of YetiHunter and DetentionDodger (https://github.com/Permiso-io-tools/[DetentionDodger | YetiHunter]).He is also the author of the upcoming book "Deep Dive into Clouded Waters: An overview in Digital Ocean's Pentest and Security" (https://leanpub.com/deep-dive-into-clouded-waters-an-overview-in-digitaloceans-pentest-and-security)

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, we welcome back Mackenzie Jackson, security researcher and founder of this very show, to discuss the evolving landscape of AI in cybersecurity. Mackenzie dives deep into how AI is reshaping open-source security, revealing research that uncovered 600 unreported vulnerabilities in popular packages. We also explore the growing risks of AI-generated package hallucinations, how attackers might exploit them, and why security tools must be made more accessible to developers.https://www.linkedin.com/in/advocatemack/https://www.aikido.dev/Mackenzie is a security researcher and advocate with a passion for code security. He is the former CTO and founder of Conpago, where he learned firsthand the importance of building secure applications. Today, Mackenzie works for Aikido Security to help developers and DevOps engineers build secure systems.

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, we sit down with cybersecurity expert Gerard Johansen to dive deep into identity and access management (IAM) challenges in the enterprise space. We explore the explosion of data and identities, the ongoing debate over who "owns" IAM in organizations, and how threat actors are evolving their tactics to exploit identity-based vulnerabilities. Gerard also shares insights from his experience in digital forensics and incident response, offering advice on how security professionals can sharpen their skills and make an impact in the field.https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerardjohansen/Gerard Johansen is a cyber security professional with over a decade of experience specializing in Incident Response, Digital Forensics, and Threat Intelligence. Gerard has been fortunate to work with a wide range of organizations from enterprise environments, industrial, boutique consulting and international security providers. He is a frequent speaker at various conferences and also an author, currently working on the fourth edition of Digital Forensics and Incident Response. Gerard is currently employed with an MDR firm based out of Denver, CO.

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, we sit down with Josh Kuntz, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, to explore the unique challenges of securing state agencies. With nearly three decades in public service, Josh shares his insights on navigating government cybersecurity, hiring the next generation of security professionals, and the evolving role of CISOs. We also discuss how AI and social engineering are reshaping the threat landscape and why patching remains the top security concern after 25 years.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-kuntz-cissp-35a825176/

Josh serves as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), where he is recognized as a leading expert in cybersecurity across the state. With nearly three decades of public service, including six years in the Marine Corps and 24 years with various state agencies, he has cultivated a wealth of experience in physical and information security, IT management, major information resource project procurement, project management, contract management, and risk management.

His career highlights include eight years at the Texas Department of Public Safety (TXDPS), where he oversaw the statewide Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (TLETS) satellite network, and three years at the Texas Youth Commission (TYC) as their first Information Security Officer (ISO), leading the security program during its merger with the Juvenile Probation Department. He also served seven years at the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TXDMV) as their inaugural ISO, where he took on additional roles as interim Chief Information Officer and interim Project Management Office Director.

A passionate advocate for cybersecurity training, Josh established a public-private partnership that provided cybersecurity training and certification for 90 state employees. As CISO of the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), he built a robust cybersecurity team and launched an apprenticeship program, while also offering cybersecurity guidance to the 28 workforce boards across Texas.

In 2023, Josh initiated a 12-month CISO Mentorship Program designed to cultivate the next generation of cybersecurity leaders within the state. He holds a degree in criminal justice, achieved CISSP certification in 2012, and was honored as the Austin ISSA CISO of the Year in 2024. With his extensive background and commitment to excellence, Josh continues to shape the future of cybersecurity in Texas.

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, we sit down with Zach Hill from Antisyphon Training to discuss affordable cybersecurity education and the evolving landscape of IT training. Zach shares insights on the importance of hands-on learning, the challenges of misinformation in online education, and how AI is reshaping entry-level IT roles. We also dive into unconventional career paths into security and the critical need for foundational knowledge like networking and version control.https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamnerdy/https://antisyphontraining.comZach Hill is a dad, mental health advocate, creator, hacker, and self-described nerd.In 1999, Zach dropped out of high school of freshman year due to severe depression and anxiety issues.  What he thought for a long time was a curse was in all reality a blessing.  While everyone he knew was in school, Zach was at home on the internet learning everything that he could about websites, search engine optimization, internet marketing, and eventually social media.  In 2008, Zach was burnt out from web development and discovered that he had an interest in the infrastructure side of technology and quickly transitioned his career into technical support for school districts, by 2018 Zach was in charge of security awareness training and MDM administration for a hospital.In 2018, he quit his full-time position to focus on a YouTube channel that he had created in 2014 called IT Career Questions.  This channel was built to help people find their way into the growing world of IT and has grown with a reach of over 20 million people, and a fan base of over 280,000 subscribers.In 2021, Zach joined forces with TCM Security to continue the mission of helping others in their journey through IT.As of 2024, Zach is proudly with Antisyphon Training, a company Powered by Black Hills Information Security, where he continues to help people find their path into the world of IT and cybersecurity.