Technically proficient people often face challenges when looking for (or being elevated to) leadership roles. In the cyber realm, this can become even murkier. We have hackers, who often view rules as guideposts (or even challenges, for that matter); incident responders and threat intelligence officers who tend to have great regard for rules and a well-developed (if not regimented) approach to unraveling mysteries; and product engineers who are astute at design and technical issue resolution. The net is this: Cyber brainiacs are really good at solving problems. And less good at inspiring (or ..read more

Quantum computing relies on quantum physics for computational power and computes much faster than classical computers. It’s predicted to provide major breakthroughs across society, science and business. At the same time, it poses a risk to key cryptographic algorithms we depend upon for the safety of our digital world. Meaning, it has the potential to render existing communications as insecure as if they weren’t encoded at all. In this episode, host Mitch Mayne talks with one of the scientists working on quantum-safe encryption algorithms. Dr. Walid Rjaibi has spent considerable time experime ..read more

Late last year, a well-known ride share app and a gaming company were hacked using well-crafted social engineering attacks. Stephanie Caruthers—known online as “Snow,’ is a professional hacker herself and has a solid working theory on how the attacks happened. Stephanie’s take: the criminal may have purchased already stolen credentials of users off the dark web, used that data to research the target victims, and then combine those sources of information to engineer highly targeted attacks.Which raises the question: Is your information out on the dark web, and how can it be used ..read more

Attacks on Operational Technology (OT) and Industrial Control Systems (ICS) grabbed the headlines more often in 2022—a direct result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparking a growing willingness on behalf of criminals to target the ICS of critical infrastructure. Conversations about what could happen if these kinds of systems were compromised were once relegated to “what ifs” and disaster movie scripts. But those days are behind us, and the threats to OT and ICS are real and ongoing. Roya Gordon and her team at Nozomi Networks keep a close eye on these kinds of threats, and recently release ..read more

Cryptocurrency has become the favored tender for ransomware groups. Because of the intricacies of blockchain technology, it is often difficult for law enforcement to trace criminals who demand cryptocurrency payments. But is there a way to regulate cryptocurrency in a way that provides fewer hiding places for criminals—but doesn’t disrupt the market? We speak with Megan Stifel, Policy Officer at the Global Cyber Alliance, who as part of the Ransomware Task Force, issued the recommendation to closely regulate cryptocurrency—but still preserve the market. Key Takeaways: 00:08 - 01:15 ..read more

When there is a cyber incident, the focus is often the technical side of the attack and remediation. Another important aspect of breach management—communication—often takes a back seat. When communication is done badly, consumers can lose trust, brands can erode, and corporate names can become synonymous with high-profile attacks. Loren Dealy Mahler has built a career on creating organization-wide communication plans, and talks about the importance of having the right people using the right words at the right time. Key Takeaways: 00:05 - 01:18 Intro to episode 01:32 - 03:0 ..read more

Attacks on operational technology (OT)--gas pipelines, electrical grids, banking services—are on the rise. In this episode, we speak with Chris Kubecka about how these incidents can affect economies and public safety in every geography, and how we might defend against them. Chris is the Chair of the Cyber Program at the Middle East Institute (MEI) and has brought Operational Technology safety front and center across the globe. She details how these incidents can be a serious breach affecting economies around the world. Key Takeaways: 00:06 - 01:07 Intro to episode 01:40 -  ..read more

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