UNSECURITY: Information Security Podcast

The UNSECURITY podcast is back with episode 134. There’s so much going on in the world around us, so Evan and Brad thought it would be good to focus on six news articles and discuss them. The topics of discussion include a CMMC review, the FBI sharing pwnd passwords, a Walmart phishing attack, JBS Foods cyberattack, a Nobelium attack on U.S government agencies, and the Army telling remote workers...

On this week's episode of the UNSECURITY Podcast, Evan and Brad are joined by Gabriel Friedlander. Gabriel was looking for a way to bring security and awareness training to the masses. He used a similar concept to how marketing teams express complex concepts and sell using 30-second- and minute-long videos to build a training video platform called Wizer. Today, Wizer has free and paid training opt...

In an executive order announced on May 12, 2021, President Biden is aiming to improve the nation's cybersecurity practices. Naturally, as security professionals, Brad and Evan want to poke holes in the entire thing—find out what it gets right and where it misses the mark. Section 1. Policy Section 2. Removing Barriers to Sharing Threat Information Section 3. Modernizing Federal Government Cybersec...

For episode 131 of the UNSECURITY Podcast, Evan and Brad are joined by long-time friend, Chris Roberts. Chris's early life and trajectory in the information security industry both provide countless stories and lessons, so the three of them open the floor to whatever comes to mind! Give this episode a listen or watch and send questions, comments, or feedback to unsecurity@protonmail.com !

The UNSECURITY Podcast is pleased to welcome John Strand from Black Hills Information Security as a guest on episode 130. Along with Brad and Evan, John chats candidly about his path in security, what Black Hills is working on, the different pockets of security people, why it's important to work together as information security vendors to improve the community, and so, so much more. Give us a list...

Evan and Brad are joined by Ron Woerner for episode 129 of the UNSECURITY Podcast. Ron and Evan first met at RSA, and they bonded over their shared passion to help people from all walks of life better protect themselves from cyber threats. Together, the three have an open discussion about current events, projects Ron is working on, and what's generally top of mind. Give episode 129 a listen or wat...

In the first of a number of guests appearances over the next few episodes, Brad and Evan are joined by Roger Grimes—a bona fide information security authority and renowned author of 12 books. Together, the three of them have an open dialogue on what's top of mind for them right now, some of the projects they are in the middle of, and current events that have drawn a ton of all of our attention lat...

In this epsiode of the UNSECURITY Podcast, Evan and Brad have a candid discussion about how important it is to understand world events and apply the understanding to our jobs as security professionals. Everyone’s perspective is valid, so all perspectives (especially ones differing from our own) should be considered in our view of both society and our jobs. Give episode 127 a listen, and send comme...

Evan ran across an article this week titled "15 Security Pitfalls and Fixes for SMBs." Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) tend to be an underserved market, and with many businesses starting to regain their footing post-Covid, now is a great time to discuss SMB security. Brad and Evan analyze the "15 Security Pitfalls and Fixes for SMBs," provide their thoughts on the list, and give recommen...

We're just under two weeks away from FRSecure's annual CISSP Mentor Program—a free event that Evan and Brad host every year in the spring to help train industry professionals and get more people involved in the industry. In episode 125 of the UNSECURITY Podcast, Evan and Brad take a look back at why the program was started, how it's grown, and what to expect during this year's sessions. Give it a...

After a two-episode hiatus, Brad is back this week to join Evan for episode 124 of the UNSECURITY Podcast. In this episode, the duo attempts to answer as many questions about passwords as they possibly can. Finally they touch on some company happenings like the CISSP Mentor Program and S2 updates. Give this episode a watch/listen and then send us your questions, comments, or feedback to unsecurity...

Have we lost our ability to reason? Evan is joined for the second week in a row for episode 123 of the UNSECURITY Podcast to discuss reason and how it applies to information security and life. The duo also dives into password hygiene—what the importance of passwords is and how they each tackle passwords. Give this episode a watch or listen and let us know what you think or what questions you have...

Evan has always been a strong proponent of weaving mental health transparency and help into the information security industry—one that tends to have long hours, stressful moments, and many other challenges that contribute to mental health struggles. With Brad out this week, Evan is joined by Ryan Cloutier for an honest and transparent discussion of mental health in infosec, their own personal ment...

In light of the SolarWinds attack (which you've more than likely heard of by now), the US Senate met about the events surrounding the attack and what can be done to prevent (or at least reduce the likelihood of) similar events in the future. There were some very interesting witness testimonials, but not all good. If policymakers draft policy based solely on what these witnesses said, we might be i...

The UNSECURITY Podcast welcomes special guest Tony Alsleben this week. Tony is the head of security for CentraCare. With Brad and Evan, Tony discusses his career and current role, what being a CISO (and similar positions) in healthcare is like, some of the industry's biggest security challenges, and advice for healthcare security colleagues. The three of them also touch on the vCISO Handbook, the...

Episode 119 of the UNSECURITY podcast is jam-packed with a number of current events topics Evan and Brad have been following. The discussion includes a super useful and free “Legal Guide to Privacy and Data Security” written by a friend, a novel attack vector used to target the supply chain of some big tech players, and more on the water facility attack from last week and what that might mean for...

Since the initial announcement of CMMC requirements and certification, the information security industry has abruptly shifted its focus towards preparing for it. While there are differences between "compliant" and "secure," CMMC seems to be one of the best compliance approaches to date—really taking important security fundamentals into account. In this episode, Brad and Evan discuss the difference...

In episode 117 of the UNSECURITY Podcast, Evan and Brad listen to an impressive scam voicemail Evan received and talk about the novelty of it and how effective it might be. Then, they discuss privacy and whether it's truly the "right" people claim it to be. Finally, they talk about a well-known problem across the industry: burnout. Give this episode a listen/watch, then send us your questions, com...

Episode 116 of the UNSECURITY Podcast can really be broken into two parts. First. Evan and Brad discuss the CIS Controls Version 8 Public Call (running through 2/8/2021) and the changes that are expected made. Second, Evan posed a question about the root of all problems in the infosec industry on LinkedIn and has gotten an overwhelming response. Brad and Evan also chat about some of the responses....

Recurring guest and friend of the program, Amy McLaughlin, returns to the UNSECURITY Podcast this week to discuss her new book titled "Learning Continuity Planning: A Handbook for Schools, Colleges & Universities." With Evan and Brad in the process of co-authoring a book as well, the three of them discuss their new works in detail. They also touch on the 2021 CISSP Mentor Program (which registrati...

Thanks to Brad, FRSecure is now an official CMMC Registered Provider Organization (RPO). Given this, and the requirements beginning to trickle out to DoD service providers and supply chain, he and Evan chat about the upcoming requirements. Tune in to episode 114 to get an idea of what it looks like, what FRSecure is going to do for it, and what you can do to start preparing. As always, feel free t...

If you're a loyal follower of the UNSECURITY Podcast, you know that from time to time Evan takes trips down to Mexico to get away from everything so he can write. Well, he's back. This time, he's co-authoring a vCISO Handbook with Brad. In this week's episode, the co-hosts (and soon to be co-authors) talk about what readers can expect in their upcoming piece—which hopes to be done before fall of t...

Episode 112 of the UNSECURITY Podcast marks the final episode of 2020. With that, Brad and Evan take a look back at some of the major security topics that surfaced this year—primarily breaches. The hope is that by dissecting some of these large-scale security events, businesses can continue to push forward in their efforts to protect data and people. Happy New Year, everybody! As always, please fe...

Evan and Brad continued their at-home security series with episode 111 of the UNSECURITY Podcast. Coincidentally, this one is guided by a recent conversation Evan had with his mom, who is a 73-year-old woman concerned with her accounts and financials in the wake of the SolarWinds attack. Evan's mom is a metaphor for a lot of people—concerned and confused about newsworthy breaches and what to do ab...

If you're at all in touch with information security news, you likely already know about the SolarWinds compromise that was announced yesterday. With the majority of Fortune 500 companies and a number of US government entities using their product, this compromise has the potential to do serious damage. And that was felt throughout the security industry yesterday. So, we pivot! Today, Brad and Evan...