Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, host Chris Steffen welcomes Saqib Ahmad from Gigamon to discuss the pressing necessity of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) readiness. While quantum computing may seem distant, the hosts highlight the immediate and severe threat of "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" attacks. Adversaries are actively exfiltrating encrypted data today, betting on the...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, host Chris Steffen shifts to a solo format, addressing a pervasive fear dominating the industry: that Artificial Intelligence is destined to eliminate IT and cybersecurity jobs. Steffen challenges this "fear narrative," arguing that history shows technological shifts—from virtualization to cloud computing—consistently drive job growth and e...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, host Chris Steffen and co-host Ken Buckler are joined by Simon Pamplin, CTO of Certes AI, to demystify the urgent threat of quantum computing. The conversation pivots away from the "mythical" future of quantum and focuses on the pressing reality of "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" attacks, where adversaries exfiltrate encrypted data today with...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler explore a pressing security shift: adversaries are increasingly bypassing traditional credential theft to exploit the AI systems already embedded within corporate environments. The hosts discuss how "agentic" AI solutions often operate with overprivileged non-human identities, granting bots excessive access to...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, hosts Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler explore the often-misunderstood world of mainframe computing. Despite the pervasive narrative that mainframes are "antiquated" technology, the hosts argue that they remain the gold standard for availability, integrity, and resilience in high-stakes environments like banking, healthcare, and government. Th...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, hosts Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler discuss transformative announcements from the Microsoft Build Conference 2026. The central focus is Microsoft’s shift toward ARM-based architecture in partnership with NVIDIA, exemplified by the new RTX Spark superchip. This development marks a pivotal transition: moving personal AI agents from cloud-reli...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, hosts Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler revisit a foundational IT principle: the Single Point of Failure (SPOF). Using the mantra "two is one, and one is none," the hosts explore why modern organizations often overlook critical dependencies that, if compromised, can bring down entire systems. The discussion traverses the spectrum from analog to...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast , hosts Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler shift focus from software to the often-overlooked realm of hardware security . The conversation centers on a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report detailing federal efforts to identify and remove telecommunications and surveillance equipment containing intentional backdoors and vulnerabili...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler dissect Google’s recent discovery of the first clearly documented AI-assisted zero-day exploit. A threat actor utilized a Large Language Model (LLM) to develop a Python script designed to bypass two-factor authentication (2FA) on a widely used open-source system administration tool. The hosts highlight the "smo...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler tackle the controversial intersection of digital privacy and state legislation. The discussion centers on Utah’s recent mandate requiring adult content providers to verify ages even when users are behind a VPN. This creates a technical "catch-22," forcing providers to either implement invasive identity checks o...

In this special "Star Wars Day" edition of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler bridge the gap between sci-fi fantasy and modern security awareness. Utilizing the legendary franchise as a backdrop, the hosts deconstruct the glaring cybersecurity failures of the Galactic Empire to provide actionable lessons for today’s information security professionals. The discussi...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, hosts Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler explore the radical evolution of exploit triage following the RSAC 2026 conference. They highlight Anthropic’s "Mythos," a sophisticated red-teaming AI capable of autonomously discovering and chaining vulnerabilities without human oversight. Unlike traditional hacking methods that rely on static kits, mod...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler dive into the FCC’s 2026 ban on foreign-made routers and the growing national security risks lurking in consumer hardware. The hosts break down how Russian intelligence (GRU) is currently weaponizing unpatched home routers to execute DNS hijacking. By silently altering DNS settings, attackers can monitor your t...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast , Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler explore Google’s recent quantum computing milestone, which significantly accelerates the timeline for "Q-Day." Google’s research suggests that the physical qubit requirement to crack a Bitcoin signature could be slashed from millions to just 500,000, with scalable systems potentially arriving by 2029. While th...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler offer a comprehensive recap of RSAC 2026, cutting  through the noise of 40,000 attendees to deliver critical takeaways from the industry’s "Super Bowl." While AI dominated nearly 80% of vendor booths, the hosts differentiate between "marketecture" and meaningful innovation. They emphasize that deploying agentic...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler prepare for the 2026 RSAC in San Francisco. Dubbed the "Super Bowl" of security, the event expects over 45,000 attendees and 600 vendors at the Moscone Center. Chris, managing a schedule of nearly 40 meetings, joins Ken to navigate the overwhelming noise of the show floor. The duo identifies Agentic AI and auto...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler prepare for the RSA Conference (RSAC), often described as the "Super Bowl" of cybersecurity by talking about the EMA Vendor Vision report. To help attendees navigate the overwhelming presence of over 600 exhibitors, the hosts break down EMA’s "Vendor Vision" report, which spotlights ten essential innovators. Th...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, hosts Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler explore the shifting priorities of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) as they navigate the transition from rapid AI adoption to a more disciplined, risk-aware strategy. As of 2026, the "deploy first, secure later" mentality is facing a reckoning, particularly regarding autonomous or agentic AI. T...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler explore the looming reality of quantum computing and its inevitable collision with modern encryption standards. The discussion centers on Q-Day—the theoretical point at which quantum processors reach approximately 100,000 qubits, making current AES-256 encryption vulnerable to near-instantaneous decryption. The...

In this "Cybersecurity 101" episode, Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler demystify quantum computing and its looming implications for modern encryption. Ken contrasts traditional binary bits—static ones and zeros—with qubits , using the analogy of a spinning coin to represent the multiple simultaneous states quantum computers can process. This immense power allows quantum systems to solve complex proble...

In this episode, Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler dissect the federal government’s evolving—and somewhat strained—approach to cybersecurity. A major catalyst for the discussion is the recent withdrawal of agencies like CISA, the FBI, and the NSA from the RSAC conference following former CISA head Jen Easterly’s appointment there. While potentially a move toward fiscal responsibility—given the $5,000...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, host Chris Steffen and Simon Wijckmans, CEO of C-side, discuss the critical visibility gap in client-side security. While organizations invest heavily in infrastructure and server-side protection, the user's browser remains a largely unmonitored attack vector. Historically, solutions like Content Security Policies and JavaScript agents have...

In this episode of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast, Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler discuss a humorous yet sobering encounter with a failed AI-driven scam. Ken recently received a common "advance fee" investment scam email, but with a unique twist: the attacker accidentally sent the Python source code instead of the intended message. The code contained telltale signs of AI generation, includin...

In this episode, Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler are joined by Jim LaRoe, CEO of Symphion, to discuss the often-ignored threat of printer and IoT security. Jim reveals a startling set of "winning lottery numbers": printers account for 20% of network endpoints, yet 99% remain unprotected. With 67% of organizations reporting a printer-related security incident last year, these devices serve as a criti...

In this episode, Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler discuss the alarming security and privacy implications of the "Internet of All Things." The hosts highlight how manufacturers are connecting everything—from AI-powered treadmills to smart toothbrushes—often without considering the associated risks. A primary concern is the shift toward recurring revenue models, where companies gate-keep hardware featu...