Trust Issues: Recent Episodes
CyberArk
Throughout human history, bad actors have been invading boundaries and stealing identities to get things they want. Conversely, protectors have emerged whose mission is to defend against those threats. Join us on a journey as we tell the ongoing story of the cyber champions who are constantly innovating against new emerging threats, and the people and businesses whose astounding achievements are predicated on their ability to defend and protect themselves.
Today’s episode of Trust Issues focuses on spycatching! Eric O'Neill, a former FBI counterintelligence operative and current national security strategist, joins host David Puner to discuss his legendary undercover mission to capture Robert Hanssen, one of the most notorious and damaging spies in U.S. history. O'Neill details his “cover job” of working beside Hanssen in the FBI’s new information assurance (cybersecurity) division, while secretly uncovering his espionage activities. O'Neill’s made-for-the-big-screen experiences emphasize the challenges posed by malicious insiders – some of the most difficult and expensive cybersecurity threats of our time. His gripping account draws intriguing parallels between spies and cyber criminals, shedding light on identity security’s significant role in thwarting insider espionage and defenders’ continuous push to outpace attacker innovation.
Crystal Trawny, Optiv’s Practice Director, Privileged Account and Endpoint Privilege Management, joins host David Puner for an exploration into the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity and identity management. Trawny highlights the significance of understanding customers' needs in the identity space, discussing topics such as resistance management, deployment timelines and scope alignment. The episode sheds light on the maturation of privileged access management (PAM) programs, delving into various use cases, including local administrator privileges, database access and endpoint management. The discussion also looks at the pressing concerns of ransomware and insider threats, prompting the consideration of effective privilege elevation and just-in-time (JIT) access controls.
In this episode of Trust Issues, host David Puner talks with CyberArk CEO Matt Cohen, who shares his distinct take on leadership – emphasizing the importance of leading without fanfare. Cohen talks about his transition into the CEO role, insights on identity security and the current threat landscape. He also touches on the significance of company culture, professional development – and his admiration for a particular Boston Red Sox manager’s leadership style. The discussion delves into CyberArk's purpose-driven mission of securing identities to protect everything its customers are building.
Three key takeaways from this episode are:
1) The significance of authenticity and humility in leadership.
2) The criticality of identity security in today's evolving threat landscape.
3) The value of customer-centricity and trust-building in nurturing successful relationships.
While generative AI offers powerful tools for cyber defenders, it's also enabled cyber attackers to innovate and up the ante when it comes to threats such as malware, vulnerability exploitation and deep fake phishing. All this and we’re still just in the early days of the technology. In this episode, CyberArk Labs’ Vice President of Cyber Research Lavi Lazarovitz, discusses with host David Puner the seismic shift generative AI is starting to bring to the threat landscape – diving deep into offensive AI attack scenarios and the implications for cyber defenders.
Diana Kelley, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Protect AI joins host David Puner for a dive into the world of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), exploring the importance of privacy and security controls amid the AI Gold Rush. As the world seeks to capitalize on generative AI’s potential, risks are escalating. From protecting data from nefarious actors to addressing privacy implications and cyber threats, Kelley highlights the need for responsible AI development and usage. The conversation explores the principle of least privilege (PoLP) in AI, the privacy implications of using AI and ML platforms and the need for proper protection and controls in the development and deployment of AI and ML systems.
Scattered across the internet are jigsaw puzzle pieces containing your personal information. If reassembled by an attacker, these puzzle pieces could easily compromise your identity. Our returning guest today is Len Noe, CyberArk’s resident transhuman (a.k.a. cyborg), whose official titles these days are Technical Evangelist, White Hat Hacker and Biohacker. Noe joins host David Puner to shed light on the concept of synthetic identity, which involves gathering publicly available, unprotected data and then using AI chatbots and platforms like ChatGPT along with predictive analytics to correlate the data and generate deep digital portraits of individuals. Then, thinking like an attacker, Noe dives into how this new digital clairvoyance has the potential to up threat actors’ games and what organizations and individuals should be doing to combat it. Noe also shares his POV on the implications for cybersecurity and his concerns about sharing personal and proprietary information with AI chatbots and platforms.
In the spring of 2022, Costa Rica was hit with a series of large-scale, long-lasting ransomware attacks, which wreaked havoc on the government and healthcare system – and paralyzed imports and exports. The ripple effects were far-reaching and the economy was crippled. President Rodrigo Chaves declared a national state of emergency. Trust was shaken. On today’s episode, Vinicio Chaves Alvarado, acting CISO at BAC Credomatic, the Costa Rica-based international bank, talks with host David Puner about being on the frontlines of stabilizing and building back trust. As he puts it, "We are not only cybersecurity professionals – we not only create cybersecurity controls or detect or react to threats. We create trust."
Being a Chief Information Security Officer is a tough job. CISOs are on the front lines, protecting against the unknown day after day, week after week. It's no wonder mental health issues such as depression and anxiety are surging in our industry. There are a lot of things that need to change, but on a positive note, this once-taboo subject is starting to get the attention it so desperately deserves. This is in part thanks to security leaders like Kirsten Davies, CISO at Unilever, stepping forward. On today’s episode, host David Puner talks with Davies about some of her passions, including the humanization of the teams in our cybersecurity community. She's equally passionate about being an innovative cyber protector and finding solutions to the multitude of challenges high-level CISOs face on a daily basis. The timing of the episode is apropos because October is both Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Depression and Mental Health Awareness and Screening Month. Time to elevate this critical conversation, advocate against stigma, and bring awareness to the various resources available to those who need them.
Even when looking at layered enterprise solutions designed to thwart attacks and contain them, we must always go back to cybersecurity basics at the individual level. And that’s what, on today's episode, guest Bryan Murphy, CyberArk’s Senior Director of Architecture Services and Incident Response stops by to talk with host David Puner about. Murphy also dives into the importance of cyber hygiene as an essential preventive measure for protecting identities, as part of a defense-in-depth strategy. It’s a perfect fit for October, which happens to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CSAM). Raise your awareness and give it a listen!
U.S. government agencies are warning that ransomware actors are "disproportionately targeting the education sector," especially K-12. That’s because sensitive student data, overworked staff and competing priorities make investing in cybersecurity talent and tools a major challenge. On today's episode, host David Puner checks in with Matt Kenslea, CyberArk's Director of State, Local and Education (SLED), for a discussion about these targeted cyberattacks, the challenges they pose – and what schools can do.
Len Noe – our favorite cyborg and CyberArk resident technical evangelist and white hat hacker – is back! On today’s episode, he’s talking with host David Puner about risky QR codes. On first blush it may seem like a simple subject, but attackers are having a field day with them and there seems to be a general lack of awareness about it. Help stop the havoc-wreaking and find out what you can do to protect yourself.
Sports, at their highest levels, are shaped by lifetimes dedicated to practicing, strategizing and anticipating. The same goes for cybersecurity. Although, in our world, it's not a game and there are no set parameters. On today’s episode, host David Puner speaks with Clarence Hinton, CyberArk Chief Strategy Officer, Head of Corporate Development about looking into the future and preparing for the unknown. Like hockey, it’s about skating to where the puck’s going – not where it’s been.
If you're in the business of collecting consumer data these days, you better be in the business of protecting that data. Or you could find yourself with no business. On today's episode, host David Puner talks with Thomas Tschersich, Chief Security Officer of Deutsche Telekom (parent company of T-Mobile) and Chief Technical Officer of Telekom Security, about the new rules of data privacy and protection and how telecommunication providers must live and breathe trust as they operate critical infrastructure.
For every me or you, there are now 45 machine identities. That's 45 machine identities for every single human identity, according to the CyberArk 2022 Identity Security Threat Landscape Report. And 68% of those machine identities have some level of sensitive access. Attackers know this, and are doing their best to take advantage of those odds. Host David Puner sits down with Udi Mokady, Founder, Chairman and CEO of CyberArk, shortly after the wrap of the company’s Impact 2022 conference, for a talk about Identity Security – where CyberArk has been, where it's going – and a little about guitar playing too.
How do we stand a chance against emerging cyber threats? It's because, in large part, there are researchers at the cutting edge – dedicated to the pursuit and understanding of novel threats and vulnerabilities – by thinking just like attackers. That's the world in which Lavi Lazarovitz, CyberArk Labs’ Head of Security Research, lives and thrives. Lazarovitz leads an elite group of white hat hackers, intelligence experts and cybersecurity practitioners. Host David Puner talks with Lazarovitz about deconstructing the attack cycle and various ways to better understand how threat actors operate – in the ongoing effort to stay ahead of them.
Securing critical infrastructure that powers our way of life can be a sleepless job. But sometimes that's the cost of being a protector... Today's guest, Carla Donev, is no stranger to working round-the-clock. As Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at NiSource, she leads security operations for one of the largest utilities in the country, which delivers gas and electricity to millions of citizens across six states. Host David Puner talks with Carla about the evolving threat landscape and how building safer, more resilient operations is key to preserving trust.
You may have heard the famous Mike Tyson quote, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Applied to the context of cybersecurity, the message is – when things get real, what will you do? How will you react? You can attempt to prepare for seemingly every scenario under the sun, but you still can’t know when or how or where you'll actually get punched.
So how do you prepare for the unknown – for that metaphorical Iron Mike punch to the face? And what do you do when it happens? That's what host David Puner gets into with today's guest Shay Nahari, CyberArk’s VP of Red Team Services.
Fighting attacker innovation requires a level of innovation that can only be achieved through a collaborative approach. One that brings diverse backgrounds, perspectives and solutions together to strengthen cyber resilience from every angle. Melissa Carvalho, Vice President of Identity and Access Management at Royal Bank of Canada, speaks with host David Puner on the importance of diversity and inclusion in cybersecurity and how it has factored into the evolution of her role.
While COVID-19 strained the healthcare system in every possible way, it also sparked a revolution. By emphasizing trust’s central role in every interaction – between patients and clinicians and across interconnected IT ecosystems – the pandemic brought clarity and opportunity to rebuild. Mike Towers, Chief Digital Trust Officer at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, speaks with host David Puner on technology’s growing role in building transparent, equitable healthcare systems and driving better outcomes for all.
In our cyber world identities are typically split into two distinct categories: human and machine. But there's one notable intersection: cyborg. On today's episode, host David Puner talks with Len Noe, technical evangelist, white hat hacker – and CyberArk's resident transhuman.
Today, thanks to cheap plug-and-play ransomware kits, anyone with a credit card can get into the cyber extortion action. No special training or skills required. So, what can we do? In the premiere episode of the Trust Issues™ podcast, David Puner talks about this and more with Andy Thompson, advisor & evangelist at CyberArk Labs.