Episode Summary: In this episode of The New CISO, host Steve Moore is joined by Nicola Sotira, head of CERT at Poste Italiane. Nicola shares his journey from working on cryptographic devices in the pre-internet era to leading security teams today. His early work with assembly language, hardware security, and cryptanalysis offered unique challenges, but it also taught him the value of persistence, creativity, and mentorship. Steve and Nicola discuss the evolving role of hardware in cybersecurity and the importance of securing the supply chain. Listen in to hear about the lessons Nicola learned from breaking hardware before it was sold and how they continue to inform his approach to security today.

Listen to Steve and Nicola discuss the importance of hardware security, debugging code, and supply chain risks:

00:00 - Nicola Sotira: Career in Cryptography

04:46 - The Realities of Debugging Without Modern Tools

07:58 - Key Lessons from Early Hardware Security Work

12:43 - The Importance of Hardware in Cybersecurity

16:26 - Supply Chain Security Risks and Real-World Examples

23:00 - Criminal Collaboration and Emerging Cyber Threats

Links: LinkedIn