WE'RE IN!

In Nicole Perlroth’s blockbuster 2021 book, “This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends,” the former New York Times journalist conveys cybersecurity experts’ mounting anxiety about increasingly dangerous digital threats. From spyware to ransomware, the black market for cyber tools that skirt the law is lucrative and often poorly understood. 

Nicole points to catastrophic cyberattacks like NotPetya, a 2017 ransomware look-alike that attempted to obliterate Ukraine’s critical infrastructure before causing billions of dollars in damages worldwide. But even with geopolitical tensions now at a fever pitch, Nicole, now a cybersecurity advisor and investor, explains why “mutually assured digital destruction” has so far helped stave off major attacks on U.S. critical infrastructure. 

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Also covered in the podcast: 

* The importance of educating board members about cybersecurity 

* What constitutes a cyber weapon

* Why Nicole is optimistic about the future of ransomware

Hudney Piquant kicked off his cybersecurity career working for a startup out of a garage in Michigan. He has since uncovered critical vulnerabilities as a Synack Red Team member, joined Synack full time as a solutions architect and been honored with a Most Inspiring Up And Comer award by CyberScoop last fall. 

Tune into the latest episode of WE’RE IN! to hear Hudney share his insights into getting started with the Synack Red Team, the importance of mentorship in the cybersecurity community and his “sixth sense” that helps him to find creative workarounds for tough security challenges. 

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More topics covered in the podcast:

* Why we haven’t seen the last of the blockbuster Log4j vulnerability 

* The importance of applying an adversary’s perspective on your networks

* How to build trust among professionals skeptical of ethical hackers

In the latest episode of WE’RE IN!, Selena Larson shares insights into malicious hackers and scammers she’s tracking as senior threat intelligence analyst for Proofpoint. Business email compromise, ransomware, sextortion, multi-factor authentication bypass techniques – dealing with the onslaught of modern cyberthreats “is very much like playing whack-a-mole,” she said. By unpacking attackers’ motivations and psychological profiles, defenders can train themselves and their teams to avoid falling into common traps. 

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More reasons you should listen: 

* Hear Selena discuss what makes threat intelligence actionable, versus extra noise for a SOC

* Find out about an alarming cyber espionage campaign that recently targeted journalists

* Learn why Selena despises evil TOADs – “telephone-oriented attack delivery” attacks

Philanthropist Craig Newmark is most famous for founding the classifieds site Craigslist nearly 30 years ago. But he’s recently earned praise in the cybersecurity community for pledging $50 million in early 2022 to support a cyber civil defense initiative through his namesake philanthropy. 

On the latest episode of WE’RE IN!, hear Craig describe what he means by cyber civil defense and listen to his candid thoughts on everything from quantum computing to the dangers of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns. He also shares insights into the philanthropic strategy driving many of his contributions to the field of cybersecurity and continuing education.

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Tune in to hear more about: 

* Challenges in fostering collaboration across the cybersecurity community, from the White House to organizations like the Aspen Institute’s Cybersecurity Group

* How a “cybersecurity nutrition label” could empower consumers 

* Craig’s participation in the Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, one of the oldest virtual communities

Journalist Andy Greenberg is no stranger to the murky world of cryptocurrency. The senior writer for WIRED and longtime cybersecurity journalist was one of the last reporters to interact with pseudonymous Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto before they evidently ceased communications. 

In his new book, “Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency,” Andy follows the gripping story of IRS special agent Tigran Gambaryan as he follows the money to zero in on some of the most mysterious and monstrous criminals in the cyber underground. 

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Don’t miss the inaugural episode of WE’RE IN! Season 2 to hear more from Andy on: 

* How Tigran joined forces with expert investigators and cryptographers to jettison misconceptions about the anonymity of major cryptocurrencies, exposing alleged criminal masterminds in the process

* The genesis of successful crypto tracing and analysis firms like Chainalysis

* The twisted motivations of those who founded infamous dark web emporiums like AlphaBay and Silk Road

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Links: 

* https://andygreenberg.net/

* https://www.wired.com/

* https://www.synack.com/

* https://readme.security/

Ready to hear from top cybersecurity newsmakers, executives and storytellers? Eager for advice on how to launch a successful cyber career? Curious about hacking threats that seem to grow more menacing by the day? Get ready for Season 2 of WE'RE IN! 

Co-hosted by Synack security operations engineer Bella DeShantz-Cook and longtime cybersecurity journalist Blake Sobczak, WE'RE IN! takes you inside the brightest minds in cybersecurity for unique insights and colorful stories from the front lines of our digital transformation. Don't miss the latest season of this breakout podcast, sponsored by Synack! 

Ready to hear from top cybersecurity newsmakers, executives and storytellers? Eager for advice on how to launch a successful cyber career? Curious about hacking threats that seem to grow more menacing by the day? Get ready for Season 2 of WE'RE IN! 

Co-hosted by Synack security operations engineer Bella DeShantz-Cook and longtime cybersecurity journalist Blake Sobczak, WE'RE IN! takes you inside the brightest minds in cybersecurity for unique insights and colorful stories from the front lines of our digital transformation. Don't miss the latest season of this breakout podcast, sponsored by Synack! 

Application security maven Tanya Janca – AKA SheHacksPurple – is an accomplished author, pentester and onetime music festival organizer. But she’s perhaps best known as the founder of We Hack Purple, a community of security professionals dedicated to sharing useful cyber information including coding trainings and coursework. (Dynamic application security testing Bright Security acquired We Hack Purple earlier this year, bringing its own approach to the “shift left” dilemma of moving cybersecurity earlier in the software development cycle.)

Tanya has spent much of her career in cybersecurity and IT empowering others to strengthen their own skills. With We Hack Purple, she built a community from the ground up, and she’s organized plenty of security talks and capture-the-flag tournaments along the way. Computer science can be a nebulous, wide-ranging field – Tanya has further helped people zero in on what they should focus on learning in the wide world of cybersecurity. 

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Tune into the episode to hear more on: 

* The story behind Tanya’s bestselling book, “Alice and Bob Learn Application Security” 

* The qualities that make a good pentester: “You have to be very determined and detail oriented,” as Tanya put it

*  #cybermentoringmonday and the value of professional mentorship 

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Links: 

* https://wehackpurple.com/

* https://brightsec.com/

* https://www.synack.com/

* https://readme.security/

Melanie Teplinsky fell in love with cryptography at an early age, which led her to landing her first job at the National Security Agency at 16. From there, she found her niche in cybersecurity at the intersection of technology and the law. 

As a senior fellow at American University in the Law Tech, Law, and Security Program, Melanie helps craft cybersecurity policies that scale and attempt to solve big, societal problems. First, she has to understand how cybersecurity technology and models, such as zero trust, are implemented at companies and organizations of all sizes. Then, she applies those principles to existing laws and government mandates to understand the pitfalls and gaps. 

Between her early start in cyber and national policy-making, Melanie has a unique perspective to share with the infosec community.

Listen to the episode to hear more about: 

* How cybersecurity policy can transform small- and medium-size businesses’ approach to zero trust 

* Why protecting innovation efforts at universities and small companies is paramount for the cybersecurity industry

* The positive outcomes from collaboration between the public and private sectors 

Links: 

* https://www.wcl.american.edu/impact/initiatives-programs/techlaw/our-team/melanie-teplinsky/

* https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/cybersecurity-for-innovative-small-and-medium-enterprises-and-academia/

* https://www.synack.com/

* https://readme.security/

Zinet Kemal is an infosec powerhouse. After emigrating from Ethiopia to Minnesota with her husband, she started her life over. She left behind her community and career as a lawyer and dived into the world of information security. 

She has since become a children’s book author and works as a cloud security engineer for Best Buy, while raising her four kids and completing her master’s degree in cybersecurity from Georgia Tech University. 

In the latest episode of WE’RE IN!, Zinet shares how she published two children’s books during the pandemic, “Proud in Her Hijab” and “Oh, No ... Hacked Again!: A Story About Online Safety,” and about her work with Black Girls in Cyber. 

Listen to the episode to hear more about: 

* How you can teach kids (and grandparents) about cybersecurity 

*Zinet’s journey from immigrant to best selling author 

*The power of diversity in cybersecurity 

Links: 

*https://zinetkemal.com/

*https://www.synack.com/

*https://readme.security/