CISO Series Podcast

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series . There is a lot unknown before, during, and after a merger and that can make employees very susceptible to phishing attacks. But, at the same time, the due diligence that goes into an M&A can often open up signs of previous or active compromise, noted Rich Mason of Critical Infrastructure. What does a proposed merger do to a securi...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series . "Does anyone else feel like the security field is attracting a lot of low-quality people and hurting our reputation," asked a redditor on the cybersecurity subreddit who remembers a time when security personnel were seen as highly experienced technologists. But now they believe people view cybersecurity as an easy tech job to brea...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series . It appears our security awareness training is working, up to a point. Most people are well aware of the need for secure passwords, but they don't actually create secure passwords. This week's episode is hosted by me,  David Spark  ( @dspark ), producer of CISO Series and  Andy Ellis  ( @csoandy ), operating partner,  YL Ventures ....

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series . It appears we're not providing security awareness training fast enough. That's because hackers are specifically targeting brand new employees who don't yet know the company's procedures. Illicit hackers are discovering they're far easier to phish. This week's episode is hosted by me,  David Spark  ( @dspark ), producer of CISO Ser...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series . That headline is not a joke. An actual job listing on LinkedIn requested just that. We're all hoping this was an error. Regardless, the community response to it was truly overwhelming, speaking much to the frustration of green and junior cybersecurity job seekers who are truly looking for entry level jobs.  This week's episode is...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series . CISOs and other security leaders have a lot of stress. But so do other C-level employees. Why does a CISO's stress seem that much more powerful? Is it that their job is still in constant development, or is the "C" in their name just in title, but not authority? This week's episode is hosted by me,  David Spark  ( @dspark ), produc...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series . "The biggest threat to national security is that many of the most vital systems on the planet CURRENTLY run on outdated and insecure software," said Robert Slaughter of Defense Unicorns on LinkedIn. That's at the core of the third-party security issue. This week's episode is hosted by me,  David Spark  ( @dspark ), producer of CIS...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series Security leaders will often ask challenging or potentially gotcha questions as barometers to see if you can handle a specific job. They're looking not necessarily for a specific answer, but rather a kind of answer and they're also looking to make sure you don't answer the question a specific way. Don't get caught in the trap. This w...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series If you know a difficult concept very well and you're incapable of explaining it simply to others who don't understand it, it's known as the "curse of knowledge." It is for this reason far too many talented cybersecurity professionals struggle to educate others. This week's episode is hosted by me,  David Spark  ( @dspark ), producer...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series CISOs say stress and burnout are their top personal risks. Breaches, increased regulations, and the tech talent shortage are all contributors to the stress. Sure would be nice for the CISO and the rest of the team to look at a chart that showed the CISO's stress level in real time. This week's episode co-hosted by me,  David Spark  ...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series For some reason, the ABCs of sales ("Always Be Closing") in the world of cybersecurity sales has translated into "Always Be Creepy." Eagerness to make just a connection, forget closing, has turned into extremely forward approaches that would make anyone feel uncomfortable. This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark ( @dspark )...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series After every breach, you hear the same mantra from the attacked company: "We take security and privacy seriously." It's lost all its meaning. But what if you truly ARE serious about how you handle security and privacy? Should you say "seriously" twice? This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark ( @dspark ), producer of CISO Ser...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series There are vendors that CISOs can't look away from. Who are they and what did they do to get so much attention from CISOs? This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark ( @dspark ), producer of CISO Series and Mike Johnson . Our guest is Saša Zdjelar , svp, security assurance, Salesforce . Thanks to our podcast sponsor, Sysdig Sys...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series If you want to build a successful cybersecurity team, you need to be diverse, mostly in thought. But that diversity in thought usually is the result of people with diverse backgrounds who have had different experiences and have solved problems differently. It's actually really hard to hire a diverse team because what you want to do...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series What are signs your team is getting burnt out? It's not an imbalance of work and family, it's feeling you're having no impact. That you're working your tail off and nothing is getting accomplished. This happens often in cybersecurity. This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark ( @dspark ), producer of CISO Series and Mike John...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series Uggh, just saying "zero trust" sends shivvers down security professionals' spines. The term is fraught with so many misnomers. The most important is who are you going to trust to actually help you build that darn zero trust program? Are you going to look at a vendor that's consolidated solutions and has built programs like this repe...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series. You want an awesome job in cybersecurity, and you want to ask the right questions. What are the right answers, and which ones are red flags that should cause you to run? This week's episode is hosted by me,  David Spark  ( @dspark ), producer of CISO Series and  Andy Ellis ( @csoandy ), operating partner, YL Ventures . Our guest is...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series Are RSA and other big conferences worth it? It seems that fewer CISOs are actually walk the floor at these big trade shows. The really big meetings are happening outside of the conference. Why would CISOs attend these big conferences with airfares costing over $1000 and hotel rooms costing $500 to $800 a night? Are the customers and...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series Security professionals should turn in the cyber hero mentality for the "sidekick" role. Many cybersecurity leaders believe they need to save the company from all the stupid users who can't protect themselves. The reality is security professionals should lose the saviour mentality for a supporting role where they're running alongside...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series Just the words "zero trust" often causes security professionals to shiver. In general, CISOs are on board with the concepts of "zero trust," we just think they're uncomfortable with how it's being used for branding and marketing efforts. This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark ( @dspark ), producer of CISO Series and Mike J...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series You can make the right decision given the information you have, but everything is a risk, so there are times those good decisions are going to result in not the result you were hoping for. In essence, plenty of good decisions result in poor outcomes. This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark ( @dspark ), producer of CISO Seri...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series We explore the world of dishonesty in cybersecurity. Practitioners know that marketers will stretch the truth, but how far are we willing to let that go? Isn't this industry built on trust? Can cybersecurity continue to thrive if we can't trust each other? This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark ( @dspark ), producer of CIS...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series What can you do when your data keeps passing through different third party applications? Your data is being accessed and manipulated by more people, more applications, and more security policies that may not be aligned with your security policies. It seems once it leaves your environment, it's out of your control. This week's episod...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series If they can find flaws, security professionals are quick to label it as bad security behavior. But often, what is marked as "bad" may have problems, but when looked at from a reducing risk perspective it's actually a very good security behavior. This week's episode is hosted by me,  David Spark  ( @dspark ), producer of CISO Series...

All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series Getting someone to purchase gift cards is a popular vector for theft. Given that the gift card theft technique is so well known, many online sites have put up additional barriers to purchasing gift cards. Trying to buy them legitimately has become increasingly difficult. This week's episode is hosted by me,  David Spark  ( @dspark )...