Blackpoint Cyber

Return of the Mac

Demystifying cybersecurity, one episode at a time. Join MacKenzie Brown, VP of Security at Blackpoint Cyber and former incident manager, as she welcomes expert guests to get real about breaches, incident response, and the people in the middle of it all. Whether you're a security professional, MSP business owner, or just dipping your toes in, they'll break down the complexity of infosec with minimal buzzwords and maximum offbeat candor.

Author

Blackpoint Cyber

Category

Technology

Podcast website

podcasters.spotify.com

Latest episode

Oct 30, 2025

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Episodes

014: Defense in the Driver's Seat: A Conversation with Kyle Kirkwood 30.10.2025

In this engaging conversation, MacKenzie Brown, Oli Thordarson, and Kyle Kirkwood explore the parallels between racing and cybersecurity. They discuss the importance of data analysis, team dynamics, and preparation in both fields. Kyle shares insights from his racing experience, emphasizing the need for quick decision-making and the role of engineers in strategy. The discussion highlights how less...

013: Privileged Access and the Vendor Playground, with Wes Spencer 25.04.2024

Organizations often struggle most with privileged access control, which is the root cause of many breaches—and they also often lack monitoring capabilities to detect those breaches. Mac welcomes Wes Spencer of CyberFox to discuss how these deficiencies enable live-off-the-land tradecraft, and the challenge facing MSPs: Identifying security vendor solutions that compensate for these gaps while sati...

012: Putting the Intelligence Back Into Threat Intel 11.04.2024

In cyber, we often hear the term "threat intelligence-driven," but what does that actually mean? James McCarter’s intelligence background as a Marine gives him a very unique view of what threat intel is—and what it is not. A former cryptologic linguist, James is President and CEO of Shadowscape, which provides intelligence-driven cybersecurity, training and analytics. To hear him tell it...

011: So You Think You Can Stack, with Kevin Lancaster 27.03.2024

The tech stack: It’s a constant conundrum for MSPs. From pricing to bloat to vendor relationships, there are lots of questions around the technologies you use to serve and protect your clients. As CEO of Channel Program, Kevin Lancaster vets innovative products to guide MSPs in curating an optimized stack. Kevin joins Mac to discuss MSPs’ overwhelming task of choosing technologies in a crowded mar...

010: After-Action on Right of Boom, with Ryan Weeks 14.03.2024

Right of Boom has come and gone and it was another fantastic conference, unique in the MSP world for educational content rather than sales pitches. Mac is joined by Ryan Weeks, the mastermind behind content curation for Right of Boom, to recap the con and discuss the behind-the-scenes of planning the event and the decisions that went into attendees’ learning journey. Listen as Ryan dives into the...

009: One Phish, Two Phish, Red Phish, Blue Phish 17.02.2024

Security awareness training is an important part of user education—but no matter how aware of threats users are, they can still be caught off-guard. So can the problem of end user behavior actually be solved? Mac is joined by Connor Swalm, the CEO and founder of Phin Security, which provides phishing simulation and security awareness training for MSPs.  Phin's approach to training the end user...

008: Shedding Light on the Dark Web 07.02.2024

The so-called Mother of All Breaches recently made headlines with its sheer number of records leaked—26 billion. And while it's not necessarily as earth-shattering as the headlines make it seem, it brings up important questions about the cryptic ecosystem where this kind of breached data circulates: the dark web. What is the dark web and how did it come to be? Who hangs out there, what can you...

007: Beyond a Buzzword: AI Joins the Mainstream MSP 23.01.2024

AI-based services have popped up in everything from content development to personalizing the customer experience to coding. But can AI enable MSPs and help them solve their maturity problems? How can security teams leverage AI capabilities for defense? Mac welcomes Jimmy Hatzell, CEO and co-founder of Hatz AI, to talk about AI as a service for MSPs, what it means for threat actors developing cyber...

006: New Year, Same Defenses: CIS Affirmations, with Phyllis Lee 11.01.2024

If you've been in the cybersecurity industry for any length of time, you’ve probably heard about the CIS Controls. But what is this framework all about, and why should you care? Mac is joined by Phyllis Lee, VP of Content Development at the Center for Internet Security, to break down the CIS Controls, why so many organizations find them so useful, and how they can help your business become sec...

005: Rebounds, Response and Resolutions: Wrapping Up 2023 and Getting Minds on Glass for 2024 22.12.2023

In a special year-end wrapup episode, Mac looks back on the year in cyber and learns how to make a Vegas bomb that packs a serious punch. First, it’s a recap of 2023’s top attack types. She’s joined by Jason Rathbun, technical director of threat ops at Blackpoint Cyber, who shares the Blackpoint SOC’s “Save of the Year” and mixes up a mean cocktail. Mac shares the Top Cyber Predictions for 2024 an...

004: Here Comes the Boom, with Andrew Morgan 12.12.2023

The MSP community loves nothing more than to get together at a good conference, and Right of Boom has fast become a favorite. With Right of Boom ‘24 coming up, Mac is joined by its founder, Andrew Morgan, to discuss how the event came to be, what makes it so special, and what to expect in Vegas. Andrew, who’s been in the MSP world since before they were called MSPs, shares some ConnectWise history...

003: Always in Writing, Always in Cash: Understanding the World of Cyber Insurance 28.11.2023

Cyber insurance is a delicate and confusing world, and there's a massive disconnect between insurers and the cybersecurity industry. So what does the average MSP need to know? What is the cyber insurance process in the event of an incident? And how can MSPs protect themselves from liability if their customer experiences a breach? Joseph Brunsman of Brunsman Advisory Group is a veteran of the t...

002: Beer Pong Battle, Cyber Style 16.11.2023

When Pax8’s Matt Lee and CNWR’s Jason Slagle take on MacKenzie’s team for a game of beer pong and a cyber Q&A, all bets are off. Matt and Jason field questions along with ping pong balls in what might just be the most insightful game of beer pong ever—but then again, the bar is low. Tune in to hear the top cybersecurity area where MSPs fail, the top three tactical initiatives you should priori...

001: Big, Existential Cyber Questions and the Role of Empathy, with Wes Spencer 01.11.2023

There’s always more to a cyber incident than meets the eye. MacKenzie Brown kicks things off with Wes Spencer, VP of Cybersecurity Strategy at CyberFOX and founder of Empath Cyber, to talk about what it’s like behind the scenes of a breach, the importance of empathy, and why attacks continue to plague organizations in the first place. Are we failing at cyber? Hear their insights on the MGM hack, W...

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