The Cyber Mettle Podcast with Alyson & Omar

Can AI actually improve penetration testing, or does it create an entirely new attack surface? In this episode of The Cyber Mettle Podcast , Omar Sangurima and Alyson Laderman sit down with cybersecurity researcher and executive Dan Shallom to explore how agentic AI is reshaping offensive security, vulnerability discovery, and security assessments. Dan explains why today's AI isn't simply making p...

Thinking about the AAIR certification from ISACA? Just hours after completing the Advanced AI Risk (AAIR) exam, Omar Sangurima sits down with Alyson Laderman to share his candid experience, preparation approach, key takeaways, and lessons learned from one of ISACA’s newest AI-focused certifications. In this Cert Corner episode, Omar discusses how the AAIR exam compares to certifications like the A...

Your backups may be protected. Your data may be protected. But what happens if you lose access to the systems that let you access everything else? In this episode of  ⁨@TheCyberMettlePodcast⁩  , Omar Sangurima and Alyson Laderman sit down with Muli Motola, CEO and Co-Founder of Acsense , to discuss one of the most overlooked areas of cybersecurity and resilience: Identity and Access Management (IA...

Can AI make organizations more effective without replacing people?   Cybersecurity leader Joshua Copeland joins Omar Sangurima and Alyson Laderman to discuss AI, workforce development, cybersecurity, governance, and the unintended consequences of automation. In this episode: • Why AI should augment people rather than replace them • The hidden costs of AI adoption • AI-generated code and cybersecur...

Most cybersecurity career advice focuses on technical skills. This episode explores the skill that often determines long-term success: building genuine relationships. What does it take to build a successful cybersecurity career when your background isn't technical? In this episode of The Cyber Mettle Podcast, Omar Sangurima and Alyson Laderman sit down with Arielle Cireseanu-Acevedo, Esq. to discu...

What happens when cybersecurity, investigative journalism, hacker culture, and privacy rights collide? Pulitzer Award-winning journalist Yael Grauer joins  ⁨@TheCyberMettlePodcast⁩  to unpack data brokers, surveillance tech, OSINT culture, online privacy, hacker paranoia, and why your personal information is far more exposed than most people realize. In this episode of The Cyber Mettle Podcast, Dr...

“AI won’t take your job” is comforting. But, James McQuiggan explains why that’s not entirely true and what cybersecurity professionals must do next. In this episode of The Cyber Mettle Podcast , Dr. Omar Sangurima and Alyson M. Laderman, Esq. sit down with cybersecurity veteran James McQuiggan to discuss the uncomfortable reality of AI disruption, workforce resilience, human risk, deepfakes, and...

AI is changing cybersecurity hiring faster than most companies are prepared for. Recruiter Pete Strouse joins  ⁨@TheCyberMettlePodcast⁩  to explain why entry-level roles are disappearing, how GRC is evolving, and what professionals must do to stay relevant. In this episode of The Cyber Mettle Podcast, Omar Sangurima and Alyson Laderman sit down with Pete Strouse, founder of InfoSec Connect and wid...

Thinking about the CISM? The exam is changing, and most people misunderstand what it actually tests and validates. Here’s what ISACA really expects, plus how to think like a manager (not an engineer) to pass. In this Cert Corner episode of  ⁨@TheCyberMettlePodcast⁩  , Dr. Omar Sangurima and Alyson Laderman break down the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) certification: what it is, what...

AI isn’t replacing cybersecurity professionals. It’s reshaping what matters. The future belongs to those who can connect the dots, not just execute tasks. In this episode of  ⁨@TheCyberMettlePodcast⁩  , Omar Sangurima and Alyson Laderman sit down with Frederic (Fred) Descloux to explore one of the biggest shifts happening in cybersecurity today: the return of the generalist. Fred Descloux is the f...

Scams aren’t what they used to be, and your loved ones are the target. From AI voice cloning to data brokers, this is the conversation families need to have now. This episode of  @TheCyberMettlePodcast  tackles one of the most urgent — and uncomfortable — topics in cybersecurity today: protecting seniors and vulnerable family members from modern scams. Hosts Omar Sangurima and Alyson Laderman are...

Breaking into AI governance, privacy, or cybersecurity isn’t about where you start, it’s about how you think. Dr. Kyle David went from historian to AI governance leader and shows exactly how others can do it too.   In this episode of The Cyber Mettle Podcast, Omar Sangurima and Alyson Laderman sit down with Dr. Kyle David, founder of Dr. David Privacy and creator of leading IAPP certification trai...

AI isn’t just another tool — it’s changing risk, liability, and how businesses operate. If you’re treating AI like SaaS, you’re already behind. In this episode of  @TheCyberMettlePodcast  , Omar Sangurima and Alyson Laderman sit down with Graeme Rudd (former Green Beret, recovering lawyer, and founder of Assessed Intelligence ) to unpack one of the most urgent issues in modern business: the conver...

Most people enter cybersecurity knowing they want "in." Very few know which door to walk through — and the industry does almost nothing to help them figure it out. In this episode, Dr. Omar Sangurima and Alyson Laderman, Esq. break down the full InfoSec color wheel — red, blue, white, purple, orange, yellow, and green teams — and give aspiring professionals, hiring managers, and workforce develope...

Is the AI Governance Professional (AIGP) cert worth it? Here’s the real, unfiltered breakdown ... immediately after taking the exam. In this Cert Corner episode of The Cyber Mettle Podcast, Omar Sangurima breaks down his experience taking the AI Governance Professional (AIGP) certification from the IAPP just hours after sitting for the exam. From preparation strategies and study tools to exam stru...

When it comes to cybersecurity, there are those out there who point to a talent shortage within the workforce pipeline. But more and more experts are realizing that there is no shortage of talent; rather, there is a shortage of entry-level jobs for newcomers to the field to step into. And as statistics prove that that is the case, where are the next generation of cyber defenders supposed to start...

What does it actually take to build a third-party risk program from the ground up? In this Cert Corner episode, Omar breaks down the Certified Third-Party Risk Professional (CTPRP) certification, what he learned, and who should consider taking it. Third-party risk is one of the fastest-growing challenges in cybersecurity and enterprise risk management. But if you’re tasked with building a vendor r...

AI is transforming agriculture. But are we securing it? Autonomous tractors. Precision farming. Remote sensing. Starlink-connected equipment. The attack surface is growing — and food is critical infrastructure.   In this episode of  ⁨@TheCyberMettlePodcast⁩  , we sit down with Ezekiel “Zeke” McReynolds, cyber defense analyst and agricultural engineer, to explore the intersection of AI, autonomy, a...

AI agents are moving at machine speed. Security teams are overloaded. How do you protect identity and access in a world that won’t slow down? In this episode of The Cyber Mettle Podcast, Omar Sangurima and Alyson Laderman sit down with Ofir Stein, CTO and Co-Founder of Apono, to unpack how identity and access management must evolve in the age of AI agents. From cloud transformation lessons to dyna...

In this Cert Corner episode, Omar Sangurima reviews the COSO Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) certificate offered through the AICPA. As cybersecurity professionals increasingly present to boards and executive leadership, understanding enterprise risk becomes critical. Omar shares his candid experience with the course structure, exam difficulty, cost, and practical value — and reflects on how ERM r...

GRC isn’t about checklists. It’s about structure, accountability, and human behavior. In this episode of The Cyber Mettle Podcast, Dr. Mike Brass — Head of Governance, Risk & Compliance and Enterprise Security Architecture at National Highways (UK) — joins Dr. Omar Sangurima and Alyson Laderman, Esq. for a deep dive into: • Why cybersecurity is fundamentally about human behavior • The evolutio...

Small businesses aren’t “too small” for cybercrime; they’re often the easiest target. NIST’s Daniel Eliot breaks down free, practical on-ramps to CSF 2.0, starting with MFA. In this episode, Omar Sangurima and Alyson Laderman are joined by Daniel Eliot (NIST), who leads small business engagement in NIST’s Applied Cybersecurity Division. Together, they unpack what small businesses actually need to...

Online exploitation doesn’t look the way most people expect.   In this episode of The Cyber Mettle Podcast, hosts Omar Sangurima and Alyson Laderman are joined by cybersecurity professional and parent Jessica Weiland to unpack how online grooming, sextortion, and digital exploitation actually begin, often through games, chat features, and apps children and teens use every day.   Rather than focusi...

Thinking about the Shared Assessments CTPRA certificate? Omar breaks down what’s actually tested, including SIG, standardized control assessments, and risk tiering, plus what surprised him. Also: proctoring, time management, pricing, and who this cert is really for. Welcome to the first episode of Cert Corner, a new Cyber Mettle segment where Omar shares practical, experience-based breakdowns of s...

Is there really a cybersecurity talent shortage, or are we defining “entry-level” wrong? Jennifer Cutler-Scotti joins The Cyber Mettle Podcast to challenge the pipeline myth, explain how experiential learning fills real gaps, and outline what industry, academia, and government must do together to prepare the next generation of cyber professionals. CHAPTERS  00:00 – Introduction & guest overvie...