Cyber Work

Despite being told she was “too young, too inexperienced, and too naïve” to contribute anything to the industry, Christine Izuakor decided to pursue a Ph. D. in Security Engineering at the age of 23. Four years later she completed the program, making her the youngest student and first African American woman to do so. On today’s episode, Dr. Izuakor talks about being a security engineering prodigy,...

What exactly is the cloud? And how do you secure infrastructure that is not your own? On today’s episode, Oliver Tavakoli, chief technology officer at Vectra AI, discusses current cloud security best practices as well as tips he’s picked up during his 25-year cybersecurity career. He also has some good advice for people thinking of starting their own company (hint: have cash saved up, you're...

Learn all about cybersecurity job hunting with Eric Jeffery, senior managing consultant and solutions architect for IBM Security. Eric created the "Cyber Security Gray Beard" podcast to share his job experiences and help others advance their careers so they too can enjoy professional happiness in the cybersecurity industry. We dive deep into job hunting, rebounding if you've been fi...

This week we're excited to have back one of the major figures in digital forensics, Paraben CEO Amber Schroader. Amber dives deep into the specific forensics skills you need to be successful, traits that make a good forensics investigator (her best team member is someone with a psychology background!) and the art of understanding language and semantics — all while walking us through key momen...

Get a peek behind the curtain of security architecture careers from Pranshu Bajpai, a security architect with Motorola who recently earned his doctorate in computer science with an emphasis on ransomware research and analysis. Pranshu discusses how to break into security architecture and build the skills you need for that type of a career. In particular, he says academic study at that height mostl...

Whose responsibility is privacy, and what skills do you need to effectively implement and carry out new regulations like the right to be forgotten? On today's episode, Gabe Gumbs, Chief Innovation Officer at Spirion, discusses how GDPR and CCPA are affecting cybersecurity careers and how the data privacy job market will shift in the coming years. He also shares his thoughts on the much-discus...

Few people know what it's like to help take down a $1.2 billion dollar Ponzi scheme, but that's exactly what today's guest did. Sam Rubin, VP at The Crypsis Group, explains how he had to re-create the crime within a courtroom, as well as the tasks of digital forensics folks at all levels, from intern to the person giving the testimony. There's a good chance you may want to go i...

Go deep into the weeds of Threat Modeling with Infosec Skills author Geoffrey Hill. He shares his Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation, waxes rhapsodic about the Radio Shack TRS-80 computer and explains threat modeling as a controlled form of sci-fi storytelling: "you can imagine a completely different world every day." He also provides excellent insight into the day-to-day duties of a th...

The demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals continues to grow, and effectively closing that gap requires a shared set of expectations around common work roles, core competency areas and upskilling employees. Join Leo Van Duyn, Cybersecurity & Technology Workforce Development Strategy at JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Bill Newhouse, Deputy Director of the National Initiative for Cybersecu...

Alissa Knight returns as the first ever three-peat Cyber Work guest, and the topic this week is — herself! Recorded at the end of pride month, Alissa talks about the benefits of diversity and inclusion when it comes to cybersecurity, her work hacking Bluetooth LE smart devices, her new company Knight Ink and a concept she’s created called “adversarial content.” – Start learning cybersecurity for f...

Today we're discussing a common career path, moving from networking to cybersecurity. Brad Pierce, Director of Network Security for HORNE Cyber, is a former network engineer turned pentesting and security professional. He does a great job of explaining the different skill sets required for network engineering versus cybersecurity, where those skills overlap and tips he picked up during his ca...

We love red teaming here at Cyber Work, and this week we're excited to explore a topic just few shades down the spectrum: purple teaming! Luke Willadsen of EmberSec dives into the ways combining red and blue team operations can help stress-test your security department — and explains the benefits of a purple team better than we've ever heard it before. He also has some great stuff to say...

Uncover the dark, sticky details of malware, ransomware and other nasties that reside one unguarded click away. On today's episode, Danny Jenkins, CEO and Co-Founder of ThreatLocker®, talks about some of the ways these ever-evolving malware types can ruin your digital life, the nuts and bolts of malware analysis, and why your CISO should be "annoying you if they're doing their job.&...

Students high school age and younger are getting fast-tracked into cybersecurity. Some are even learning concepts like packet tracing at just six years old, says Victor “Vic” Malloy, an Independent Consultant working with the CyberTexas Foundation as their General Manager. On today's episode, Vic shares his wealth of engaging stories about inspiring young people through the CyberTexas Foundat...

Take a deep dive into the world of cyber threat intelligence with today's guest, Charles DeBeck of IBM’s X-Force Incident Response and Intelligence Services. Threat intelligence is all about research and storytelling, combining hands-on know-how with analytical thinking skills to make a true cybersecurity tactician! You’re not just preparing for the battle in front of you, but for the waves o...

When it comes to your career, should you go red team, blue team or both? Today's guest is QuoLab Technologies Co-Founder Fabien Dombard, who's had roles ranging from penetration tester to malware incident responder to company founder. Fabien shares share thoughts on the skills, disposition and training needed in both defensive and offensive security roles, as well as tips on why you shou...

Information security analyst is the fastest-growing job category in the U.S., with 32 percent overall growth expected between 2018 and 2028. Take advantage of this opportunity and learn about the updated CompTIA CySA+ certification, which was refreshed in April 2020 to align with the most in-demand skills in this growing field. Join Patrick Lane, Director of Products at CompTIA, in this audio vers...

Individuals and organizations are shifting routines to accommodate Coronavirus health concerns, and bad actors are updating their strategies to capitalize on the new opportunities. Aaron Cockerill, CSO of Lookout, discusses how cybercriminals are looking to cash in or otherwise disrupt organizations during the pandemic, as well how workplace security is evolving with so many individuals now workin...

How can you stand out from the crowd when applying for your dream cybersecurity job, and how much should you make? Karl Sharman, a cybersecurity staffing and recruiting pro at BeecherMadden, answers those questions and more on today's episode. Learn how to get your foot in the door, how organizations can avoid writing Magical Unicorn Candidate job descriptions, and why the cybersecurity caree...

The 2020 presidential election is just around the corner, and cybersecurity is once again at the forefront. From disinformation campaigns and election-related vulnerabilities to lockdowns and vote by mail efforts due to COVID-19, we cover it all — and more — in this jam packed episode featuring returning favorite, John Dickson, Principal at Denim Group, Ltd. – Free election security resources: htt...

Explore the hidden corners of the internet and the stolen identities that live there with today's guest, Amyn Gilani, Vice President of Product at 4iQ. He talks about his path from red teaming to cyber attribution intelligence, where bad guys hide on the internet, and what it's like to be “on a mission to unmask cybercriminals.” – Start learning cybersecurity for free: https://www.infose...

Put on your white hat and learn how to hack for the good guys! Ethical hackers use the same techniques used by cybercriminals to assess an organization’s vulnerabilities and help keep them safe. Join Keatron Evans, Infosec instructor and Managing Partner at KM Cyber Security, in this audio rebroadcast of a popular webinar. You'll learn about getting started in ethical hacking, in-demand ethic...

Is what you're watching real, fake or a combination of both? Machine learning and artificial intelligence make it easier than ever to blur those lines, and cybercriminals are already exploiting the technology. Today's guest is Infosec Skills author Emmanuel Tsukerman, who literally wrote the book on machine learning for cybersecurity. He discusses the deep learning applications of cyberc...

Dive back into the world of Red Team operations with today's guest, John Cartrett of the SpiderLabs team at Trustwave. He leads clandestine-style operations in simulated attacks on organizations to help them find their least expected and most dangerous vulnerability points and tighten them up. Despite being a newly hot practice that a lot of people are just getting into, John has been red tea...

Digital forensics is an interesting field, but one that also can be a bit murky. It's handled in different ways in the private sector, military scenarios or government applications. (Spoiler: If you perform investigations on extremists and terror groups, be prepared to watch some fairly disgusting videos.) Learn all about military digital forensics and incident response from today's gues...