Ahead of the Threat

The show goes international with a British insight into cybersecurity. Guest Richard Horne, the CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC, part of the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters, GCHQ) meets with host Brett Leatherman in FBI Headquarters for an engaging discussion about the state of cyber threats and practical advice for companies. One highlight is a chilling question: can a...

Ahead of the Threat takes off to the skies! United Airlines Chief Information Security Officer and Vice President Deneen DeFiore joins host FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Brett Leatherman to learn how the aviation industry protects passengers and airline systems from cyberattacks. Deneen shares that airlines are already built around how to handle imperfect days and conditions, so a cybersec...

Joining the show is a security practitioner who also happens to be a CEO. Joe Levy of Sophos and host Brett Leatherman, head of the FBI’s Cyber Division, discuss the application of Operation Winter SHIELD, with Levy calling it one of the most effective and approachable lists of cybersecurity tips available. Adopting just one of the plan’s 10 steps will make any company “infinitely better off,” Lev...

Microsoft joins the conversation on all things Operation Winter SHIELD, the FBI’s list of the 10 most impactful cybersecurity actions for organizations big and small. Sherrod DeGrippo, general manager of Microsoft's Global Threat Intelligence, shares why she wrote a blog post about the Bureau’s effort with host Brett Leatherman, head of FBI Cyber. The two highlight the increasing role AI plays in...

Is a breach a security problem or a business problem? For guest Amy Herzog, CISO and vice president of Amazon Web Services, "security is what you bring to customers." Amy joins the show for a wide-ranging discussion with host Brett Leatherman on Operation Winter SHIELD. The two touch on how, in reality, AI makes bad hackers mediocre hackers; the importance of log retention (first mention this seas...

Search no further for an engaging, practical conversation from two cybersecurity experts! Diving into the FBI’s Operation Winter SHIELD initiative, John Hammond, the principal security researcher at Huntress, (who also has a YouTube channel with 2.1+ million subscribers) joins host Brett Leatherman for a wide-ranging discussion on hacking trends, how not every user in your organization needs full...

In the first full episode for Season 2, host Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, welcomes the self-described cyberthreat hunter John Hultquist, the chief analyst of the Google Threat Intelligence Group. In their conversation, John highlights that not being hacked is unrealistic. Creating resilience, especially in how fast you can get back online following an attack, i...

Ahead of the Threat returns for its second season! Join our new host, Brett Leatherman, the assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, as he discusses the current landscape of cyberthreats targeting businesses and critical infrastructure with the goal to inspire listeners to step back from the day-to-day to see the cyber threat more clearly, connect the dots and drive change.  With guests ran...

The show is on the road! Filming on location at the annual RSAC Conference in San Francisco, hosts Bryan Vorndran and Jamil Farshchi welcome Dr. Hugh Thompson, the executive chairman of RSAC and the program coordinator of the RSAC Conference. The annual conference gathers thousands of cybersecurity officials from the private and public sector to discuss ways to thwart attacks and institute best pr...

Are you an expert in communications? Do you need communications help? Are you ready for how to communicate to employees, the government, or your customers if a crisis happens? Many agencies believe they have it covered, but when a crisis does happen, the reality comes into focus that communications is a more nuanced and involved part of a response. Meredith Griffanti and her team do this “all day,...

Class is in session! Professor Scott Aaronson, a leading researcher in quantum computers, takes time away from his teaching at the University of Texas at Austin to give Ahead of the Threat a detailed overview of quantum theory and the applications of what a quantum computer could do—when one is invented. Though a real quantum computer remains unlikely for a few more years, its potential to unravel...

Paul Proctor, a Gartner analyst for 20 years, joins the show to discuss practical approaches businesses can apply to make cybersecurity more effective. Through thousands of hours of outreach, Proctor sees a broken system that can improve with better communication and partnership between executives and chief information security officers to create strategies based on “outcome-driven metrics.” One e...

For our first episode of 2025, Charles Carmakal joins the show to discuss all things Scattered Spider. As the chief technology officer at Mandiant, Charles details a disturbing trend of compromises through seemingly unsophisticated, yet highly effective approaches, including hackers who trick organization help desks into granting them system access. Hosts Bryan Vorndran, the assistant director of...

For our last episode until 2025, FBI Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran and FBI Strategic Engagement Advisor Jamil Farshchi speak to Rachel Lavender, managing director of the cyber practice at Marsh McLennan. As a seasoned cyber-insurance broker, Rachel discusses the partnership between a company and a cyber-insurance service, working together to build and implement effective cybersecurity measures...

This week on Ahead of the Threat, FBI Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran and FBI Strategic Engagement Advisor Jamil Farshchi speak to Wendi Whitmore, senior vice president of Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42. Drawing on her experience with cyber threat intelligence and incident response, Wendi talks about the growing sophistication of the cybercriminal business model and the need to have visibility acro...

On this episode of Ahead of the Threat, FBI Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran and FBI Strategic Engagement Advisor Jamil Farshchi speak to Chris Cwalina, global head of cybersecurity and privacy at Norton Rose Fulbright. Chris and his team of lawyers advise clients on how to minimize damage from sophisticated data breaches and cybersecurity incidents. Chris reveals why many companies have a false...

On this episode of Ahead of the Threat, FBI Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran and FBI Strategic Engagement Advisor Jamil Farshchi speak to Kevin Mandia, founder and CEO of Mandiant, one of the world’s leading cyberthreat intelligence and incident-response firms. Drawing on his vast industry experience, Kevin talks about game-changing breaches and the history of cybersecurity, the increasing preval...

In December 2021, UKG Kronos was hit with a ransomware attack that impacted thousands of business customers. On this episode of Ahead of the Threat, FBI Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran and FBI Strategic Engagement Advisor Jamil Farshchi speak to Aron Ain, former CEO and current executive chair at UKG, who gives a firsthand account of what it’s like to lead a multinational technology company duri...

On Ahead of the Threat, Bryan Vorndran, assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, and Jamil Farshchi—a strategic engagement advisor for the FBI who also works as Equifax’s executive vice president and chief information security officer—discuss emerging cyber threats and the enduring importance of cybersecurity fundamentals. Featuring distinguished guests from the business world and governmen...