Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks

This week we dive into GRC Engineering with Justin Pagano, Emre Ugurlu, and returning guest Terra Cooke, three of minds behind the new GRC Engineering Manifesto. We tackle: Why GRC folks are engineers (yes, really!) Moving beyond "legacy GRC" into systems thinking Building GRC tools that engineers actually want to use The intersection of AI and compliance automation This one gets nerdy! But if you...

Kristin Demoranville joins the show this week to talk securing the food supply chain as critical infrastructure, incidents’ effect on the global economy, representation in ICS/OT, and more! George K and George A talk to Kristin about: Dispelling misconceptions about OT security The food industry as critical infrastructure The need for more diverse voices in OT/ICS security to drive innovation and...

This week, Stacey Lokey-Day joins the show to talk about her career pivot from stay-at-home mom to cybersecurity analyst! George K & George A talk to Stacey about: How she leveraged a bootcamp experience into a successful career pivot Why she believes in "collecting experiences" early in your career, even the tough ones How her time in the SOC built up her resilience and confidence Finding you...

"Community" is getting bandied about a lot. What does it really mean, for both cybersecurity vendors and practitioners? This week's episode is a roundtable discussion recorded LIVE at Cyber Marketing Con in December 2024! The panel features Dani Woolf, Ben Siegel, Bronwen Hudson, Elliot Volkman, and BKBT's George K.  Some key topics covered: Community is not something you can just spend money...

HAPPY NEW YEAR from BKBT! to you and yours! We have big plans... We hope you have a peaceful New Year's, and we're wishing you all the prosperity for 2025! 😳 We still can't believe we won Cybersecurity Podcast of the Year at the SANS Difference Maker Awards! Keep the celebration going with 30% off all orders from the BKBT Swag Shop.  Discount will automatically be applied to all orders over...

Happy holidays from BKBT to you and yours! Enjoy the time, and may be it restful, relaxing, and free of critical open-source vulns. 😳 We still can't believe we won Cybersecurity Podcast of the Year at the SANS Difference Maker Awards! Keep the celebration going with 30% off all orders from the BKBT Swag Shop.  Discount will automatically be applied to all orders over $25, thru Dec 31st! Shop...

As 2024 comes to close, we revisit some of the most listened to episodes in Season 3 so far! Don Jeter, CMO at Torq talks about breaking through the noise, and how to stand out in a market full of boring B2B copycats Lauren Palmer talks about why Sales is a profession people should be proud of, and how to build teams that don't abuse trust Andrew Owlett, global cybersecurity executive, explores ho...

This week we sit down with Cecil Pineda to talk about building real community in cybersecurity, vendor relationships that actually work, and how to avoid being that annoying sales person calling every Monday. George K and George A talk to Cecil about: 🛠️ Why technical operations experience matters for CISOs ☝️ The art of "bothering someone" (yes, there is an art to it!) 💡 His advice for vendors t...

Mainframe pentester Michelle Eggers joins us to share her incredible journey into cybersecurity, and specifically her niche in mainframe security. George K and George A talk to Michelle about: 💪 Her hustle and flow switching careers into pentesting, including 40+ interviews and an intense training cohort 🍀 How she carved out a rare specialty in mainframe security through networking and seizing o...

JR Cunningham, CISO at Nuspire, joins the show to talk about why cybersecurity isn't just another IT job - mentally, it's more like being a first responder. George K and George A talk to JR about: 🤔 Why we should consider cyber teams like first responders (not just IT staff) 😵‍💫 The unique mental health challenges of incident response 💪 Building cultures where defenders can actually take care...

Andrew Owlett joins the show to talk about what actually matters in cybersecurity career development (hint: it's not your GPA)! George K and George A talk to Andrew about: Why "failing" early in his career shaped his approach to leadership The problem with cyber's culture of shame and how to build confidence What cross-functional skills ACTUALLY look like (and how you probably already have them) T...

🎙️ Veterans Day Podcast Panel! We brought together an incredible panel of veterans who made the leap into cybersecurity: George K and George A get into a raw and honest conversation about: 🔄 The realities of transitioning out to civilian life 😳 The culture shock of moving from military to corporate life 👏 Why military experience IS relevant experience (even if you think it isn't) 🤝 The power o...

BONUS! In the last of our interviews recorded live at GoSec 2024  in Montreal, we talk to Andréanne Bergeron, PhD, Director of Research at GoSecure.  George K and George A talk to Andréanne about her unconventional foray into cybersecurity and the lessons learned, as an academic, for workforce development and educating the next generation of defenders. She discusses her studies of cyberc...

Ofer Klein CEO & Co-founder of Reco AI jumps into the ring to talk about making the leap from e-commerce to cybersecurity, and why having "outsider" experience can be a superpower. George K and George A talk to Ofer about: 🧠 The psychology behind selling to enterprises and why it transcends industry verticals 📈 Making the tough calls during rapid growth and learning to "get invited to the pa...

Episode 100! And this time, George K and George A are the ones in the hot seat! Guest host, and friend of the pod, Amber DeVilbiss takes the mic to put the Georges on the spot. They take on listener questions about: Tech and industry trends, AI, new risks The deep, dark, and personal Selling and marketing tactics And MORE! Thank you to all the listeners who submitted questions!

This week we step outside cyber to learn how to make sales a profession that sellers can be proud of. Lauren Palmer, VP of North America at Interlink, joins the show! George K and George A talk to Lauren about: Why she believes sales is a "giving profession" What sales leaders can do to equip their teams for success without relying on high pressure tactics What objectives really matter when measur...

Recorded LIVE: The Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks closing keynote at SecureWorld Denver! Titled, "Radical Transparency," George K and George A took on the holy trinity in cyber: people, process, and technology.  For each part they break down where we need radical transparency to build trust, on both the buying and selling sides of the industry. They also ask something new of the audience...

All year we've been trying to rebrand "soft skills" as essential business skills for any cybersecurity professional. Evgeniy Kharam has literally written the book on it. He sat down with us live at GoSec 2024 to talk about his new book, "Architecting Success: The Art of Soft Skills in Technical Sales." This is a great breakdown of what kinds of communication skills are needed for both buyers and s...

Aaron Pritz of Reveal Risk joins us this week to deepfake George K in real-time video! Also, how to engage the workforce on new and emerging risks 👀 To see the video deepfake, check out our LinkedIn Page ! George K and George A talk to Aaron about: 🤖 Using deepfake tech for good - security awareness training that will blow your mind 🗓️ Why limiting security awareness to October is a mistake 🧠 U...

How do you build multiple successful companies? The dynamic duo behind Knight Group, Alissa and Mel Knight, join the show to talk about their relentless entrepreneurial journey. In this episode: 💡 How to balance multiple passion projects and determine which ideas to pursue 🤝 The challenges and rewards of working with your spouse (spoiler: therapy helps!) 🧠 How their technical cyber backgrounds...

How do you know what’s a winning idea? Serial cyber entrepreneur Stuart McClure sat down with us live at GoSec 2024 to record his thoughts on go-to-market strategies. Stuart was the founder of Cylance, the fastest company to record $100M in ARR, and he’s the lead author on a book about hacking techniques. In short, he talks the talk and walks the walk. In this episode: 💡How to tell a genius idea...

Don Jeter, CMO of Torq joins the show this week to talk about his crusade against boring cyber marketing, and why that means his title is really Chief Menace Officer. In this episode: 💡Brand leads to demand. Focus on narrative and differentiation first. 🥳 Balancing fun, irreverent branding with deep technical expertise. 🔭 Looking outside cyber for inspiration - internet culture, consumer brands...

September is Suicide Prevention Month. CISO Ben Howard joins the show to share his story for the first time. *Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation.* If you are feeling suicidal, call or text 988 to get help immediately. George K and George A talk to Ben about: 🔍 The pressure CISOs face and how it impacts mental wellbeing 🧠 Breaking the stigma around mental h...

Tabletop exercises, a necessary evil or just a compliance snoozefest? This week, Kailee Miner sits down to talk about how she's revolutionizing cyber threat readiness training to make boring TTXs a thing of the past. In this episode: 🥱 Why traditional tabletop exercises often fail to engage participants 🎭 How realistic simulations improve readiness vs. dry PowerPoint presentations 💰 Why compani...

Welcome to Season 3! This week we’re bringing you the live recording of our talk at SquadCon during Hack Summer Camp a few weeks back. Our talk was called, “Future Proof Your Career with Cyber Threat Intelligence Techniques.” Many thanks again to the Black Girls Hack Foundation and the SquadCon crew for having us, and to Rebekah Skeete for the killer intro! And, we’re fast approaching episode 100...