Data Security Decoded

This episode delivers critical battlefield stories regarding the operational reality of modern identity based threats. Selena Larson, Staff Threat Researcher and Lead, Intelligence Analysis and Strategy at Proofpoint and Host of the DISCARDED podcast and the Only Malware in the Building podcast, joins host ⁠Caleb Tolin⁠ to detail the specific mechanics of device code phishing campaigns, revealing...

In this comprehensive roundtable episode, a powerhouse panel of seasoned security professionals—Cynthia Kaiser, Matt Castriotta, Allison Wikoff, John Fokker, Amit Malik, and Joe Hladik—joins host Caleb Tolin to confront the uncomfortable realities facing modern organizations. As digital infrastructure becomes more interconnected, traditional defense playbooks are being constantly challenged by sop...

Are your cloud security controls actually protecting your infrastructure, or are they just keeping the lights on? With host Caleb Tolin, Matt Castriotta, Field CTO for Cloud at Rubrik, breaks down the tactical gaps exposed when organizations blindly replicate data center mindsets in public cloud networks. Castriotta charts the history of high-profile incidents from the Colonial Pipeline timeline u...

What happens when the adversary’s dwell time is measured in years, but your defense is measured in tickets? Adam Karcher, FBI Supervisory Special Agent, Cyber Division, and a member of the Bureau’s AI Working Group, joins host Caleb Tolin to break down the "convergent evolution" of modern cyber threats. Karcher explains why defenders are often stuck in a cleanup cycle, while threat actors operate...

Dr. Ido Sivan Sevilla joins host Caleb Tolin⁠⁠⁠ to break down battlefield stories from a massive analysis of over 3,000 local government entities. Dr. Sivan Sevilla, who serves as an Assistant Professor at the UMD College of Information and holds joint positions at the Hebrew University School of Public Policy & Governance and the School of Computer Science and Engineering, brings a multidisciplin...

In this episode, host⁠ ⁠Caleb Tolin⁠⁠ explores the battlefield of enterprise defense, which has moved from simple data theft to ultra heinous crimes that put patient outcomes at risk. Guest⁠ ⁠Cynthia Kaiser⁠⁠ shares Battlefield Stories from her time at the FBI and her current work as SVP of the Ransomware Research Center at⁠ ⁠Halcyon⁠⁠, illustrating how the industrialization of cybercrime has reac...

The race for AI dominance has created a dangerous imbalance between business velocity and cyber resilience. In this episode, host Caleb Tolin is joined by Joe Hladik, Head of Rubrik Zero Labs, and Staff Security Researcher Amit Malik to break down the findings of their latest report on agentic adoption. The discussion centers on the Agentic Paradox. This is the technical reality that tools designe...

Adversaries are already logging into your network using your own admin credentials. In this episode, Caleb Tolin sits down with Allison Wikoff to move past the identity clichés and analyze the specific behavioral signals that separate routine IT maintenance from state-sponsored sabotage. They dissect why resilience is not a flash of genius during a crisis, but a mindset that organizations can adop...

Cybersecurity in healthcare is undergoing a critical shift. What was once viewed as a back-office IT concern is now directly tied to patient safety and clinical outcomes. In this episode of Data Security Decoded, host Caleb Tolin sits down with John Fokker, Vice President of Threat Intelligence Strategy at Trellix, to explore new findings that reveal a significant increase in inpatient mortality r...

In this RSAC Conference recap, Dave Bittner, Host of The CyberWire Daily, joins Data Security Decoded host Caleb Tolin from the guest seat to unpack the biggest theme dominating the conference: artificial intelligence, and, more specifically, agentic AI. From wall-to-wall AI messaging across San Francisco to in-depth conversations with security leaders and analysts, one thing became clear: the ind...

Security teams spend enormous effort chasing the latest threats, yet often overlook one of the most revealing sources of truth already in their environment: backups. In this episode of Data Security Decoded, host Caleb Tolin sits down with Kyle Fiehler, Transformation Analyst at Rubrik Zero Labs, to explore why backup data has become a critical — and largely ignored — form of security telemetry. K...

AI promises speed, scale, and efficiency—but it also magnifies privacy risk in ways many organizations aren’t prepared for. In this episode, Caleb Tolin welcomes Ojas Rege of OneTrust for a practical, wide-ranging conversation on how data privacy and governance must evolve alongside enterprise AI adoption. Ojas explains why AI fundamentally changes the privacy conversation: the same systems that e...

As enterprises race to adopt AI, many are discovering that traditional security models no longer hold. In this episode of Data Security Decoded, host Caleb Tolin is joined by Camille Stewart-Gloster, CEO of CAS Strategies and former Deputy National Cyber Director, to unpack how AI is redefining cyber risk at every layer of the organization. Camille explains why identity-based attacks are so effect...

Russian-aligned hacktivist groups are increasingly targeting industrial control systems and OT environments—and sometimes it’s shockingly easy. In this episode, Daniel dos Santos, VP of Research at Forescout, walks through how his team used a honeypot to observe an attack against a simulated water treatment facility. We explore attacker motivations, common entry points, and what defenders must pri...

AI is changing how malware is built—and how it’s caught. In this episode, Caleb Tolin is joined by Amit Malik, Staff Security Researcher at Rubrik Zero Labs, to unpack how large language models are transforming malware analysis, enabling defenders to sift through thousands of samples and surface truly novel threats. From Chameleon malware abusing WSL to AI-generated attack code, this conversation...

In this episode of Data Security Decoded, Cybersecurity veteran Dawn Cappelli joins host Caleb Tolin to unpack the rapidly evolving threat landscape facing operational technology environments. With decades of experience spanning CERT, Rockwell Automation, and now Dragos, Dawn breaks down how geopolitical conflicts, empowered hacktivists, and ransomware are reshaping OT risk. She shares the five cr...

In this episode of Data Security Decoded, host Caleb Tolin sits down with Hayden Smith, CEO of Hunted Labs, as he breaks down how software supply chain attacks really work, why open source dependencies create unseen exposure, and what modern threat actors are doing to exploit trust at scale. Caleb and Hayden dive deep into real-world attacks, emerging TTPs, AI-powered threat hunting, and what orga...

Welcome to Data Security Decoded. Join host Caleb Tolin in conversation with Morgan Adamski who leads Cyber, Data, and Tech Risk at PwC and is a former US national security leader who spent 16 years tracking nation-state threats inside the US government. Coming out of a career spent inside secure facilities without windows or phones and working to address China’s prepositioning in US critical infr...

In this episode of Data Security Decoded, join host Caleb Tolin as he welcomes back Joe Hladik, Head of Rubrik Zero Labs, to unpack the findings from their new report, Identity Crisis: Understanding & Building Resilience Against Identity-Driven Threats, Joe breaks down how the explosion of non-human identities, from API keys to AI agents, is rewriting the threat landscape and forcing security lead...

Welcome to Data Security Decoded. Join host Caleb Tolin in conversation with Lauren Zabierek, Senior Vice President for the Future of Digital Security at the Institute for Security and Technology. A former CISA leader and long-time national security professional, Lauren unpacks the principles of Secure by Design, Secure by Default, and Secure by Demand and how these frameworks are reshaping the so...

Cyber resilience in financial services is often treated as a checklist of tools and controls, rather than what it truly is: a system of people, intelligence, and collaboration working together. In this episode of ⁠Data Security Decoded⁠, join ⁠Caleb Tolin⁠ as he sits down with ⁠Troy Wells⁠, Intelligence Officer at FS-ISAC and former U.S. Army intelligence officer, to explore how principles like te...

Identity-based ransomware is no longer a fringe tactic; it’s becoming the playbook of today’s most dangerous adversaries. Scattered Spider, a financially motivated e-crime group, has shifted the model from smash-and-grab encryption to a far more devastating combination of double extortion, social engineering, and hypervisor encryption attacks. In this episode of Data Security Decoded, host Caleb T...

Chinese state-backed cyber operations are often misunderstood as a single, centrally controlled machine. In reality, they are fragmented, diverse, and strategically aligned with China’s national objectives, from economic development to critical infrastructure positioning. In this episode of ⁠Data Security Decoded⁠, join ⁠Caleb Tolin⁠ as he sits down with ⁠Mei Danowski⁠, Co-Founder of Natto Thought...

Cyber threat intelligence is often misunderstood, seen as a niche reporting function instead of the connective tissue that links defenders, leaders, and strategy. In this episode of ⁠Data Security Decoded⁠, join ⁠Caleb Tolin⁠ as he sits down with ⁠Scott Scher⁠, a cyber threat intelligence (CTI) expert with an unconventional backstory, to explore how his off‑grid years shaped his view on resilience...

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 o...