Cyber Security Interviews

This is the 5th part of the podcast's return after a brief hiatus. Daniel Ayala continues his interview of me. In this fifth part, we will discuss the start-up resources we provided in our Hang Out A Shingle presentation, what I am doing with Accel Consulting, selling to CISOs, tips to avoid when presenting cyber services, the selling to CISOs Master Class we are developing, and so much more!

This is the 4th part of the podcast's return after a brief hiatus. Daniel Ayala continues his interview of me. In this fourth part, we will discuss my first forensic litigation case, the importance of data governance, the myth of cyber, why I am tired of cybersecurity conferences, and so much more!

This is the 3rd part of the podcast's return after a brief hiatus. Daniel Ayala continues his interview of me. In this third part, we will discuss what I am doing as a Special Master and Court Appointed Neutral, the reasons I think there will be a continued convergence of legal, cybersecurity, and data privacy, why I decided to start another consulting firm, data valuation, and so much more!

This is the 2nd part of the return of the podcast after a brief hiatus. Daniel Ayala continues his interview of me. In this second part, we will discuss how I got started in the industry, defining moments of my career, my first computer, early entrepreneurship, characteristics I look for in professionals, the toxic cybersecurity gatekeeping, and so much more!

After a hiatus, the Cyber Security Interviews podcast is back! A lot has happened in my life over the past 18 months. I have endured death, despair, divorce, and car theft, to name a few traumatic events that made me take a break from several endeavors. However, it has allowed me to reprioritize many things to understand where I am now and where I want to go. This is the first of several episodes where Daniel Ayala interviews me. In this first part, we will cover mental resiliency, the importance of taking time off, how to be your best, and so much more!

Leeann Nicolo is the Incident Response lead at The Coalition and specializes in digital forensics and cyber investigations. She has conducted investigations into ransomware, phishing, hacking, data breaches, trade secret theft, and employee malfeasance. Leeann has investigated thousands of digital devices and has extensive subject matter expertise in Windows enterprise forensics, mobile device forensics, business email compromise, cloud security, and ransomware. Prior to joining Coalition, Leeann worked at Kivu Consulting in Denver and Kraft Kennedy in New York City overseeing complex cyber investigations and discovery matters for law firms and large multinational corporate clients. She conducted her undergraduate studies at the University of Albany in Information Systems, then achieved my Masters of Science in Cybersecurity at Pace University. She is also a SANS Lethal Forensicator Coin Holder and on the GIAC Advisory Board. In this episode, we discuss her start in information technology, how she made the move to cybersecurity, the discrimination she has faced in the industry, becoming a manager, strong women role models, mentoring others, and so much more. Where you can find Leeann: LinkedInThe CoalitionWall Street Journal

Shannon Brazil is a Senior Cyber Security Specialist working within a CIRT of a Canadian Fortune 500. She has been in IT for over 12 years, with the last three years in Cybercrime investigations with law enforcement and recently moving into the private sector to focus on Digital Forensic analysis and investigations and Incident Response. As a hobby, Shannon dives into OSINT CTFs, helps promote young women to enter the STEM industry through Technovation - an innovative program for young entrepreneurs, and offers mentorship to those looking to venture into Cyber Security. She is also a course designer and developer with her local college that aims to arm the new generations with tactics, techniques, and knowledge in becoming experts in Digital Forensics and Investigations. In this episode, we discuss starting as a chef, skills learned from culinary arts, moving from IT to investigations, burnout and self-care, mentors she follows, why she mentors others, diversity and inclusion, and so much more. Where you can find Shannon: LinkedInTwitterWebsite

Cimone Wright-Hamor works at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) as a cybersecurity researcher while pursuing a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering at Iowa State University. She has spent the last decade of her life interning at a variety of organizations. She has had ten internships at more than six different organizations, including public and private industries ranging from Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft to successful startups such as Smart-Ag, state government, and national laboratories. Cimone has spent the last five years of her career working in the cybersecurity field. While completing research, she has helped protect the infrastructure for the State of Iowa and ensured that startup companies are developing software with security in mind. In this episode, we discuss getting started in information security due to responding to an incident, an early upbringing which prepared her for cybersecurity, bridging theory to engineering, teaming with dev and security teams, the importance of project updates, increasing diversity in the industry, and so much more. Where you can find Cimone: LinkedInblackcomputeHERPNNL

Jenna Waters is a Cybersecurity Consultant at True Digital Security where she specializes in information security program development, industry compliance assessments, threat intelligence, and cloud security controls. She is an experienced professional who consults with companies across multiple industries in achieving security-related best practices and/or regulatory compliance objectives related to risk management and compliance frameworks, and various privacy laws throughout the United States. Jenna began her career in the United States Navy working under the U.S. Fleet Cyber Command at the Naval Intelligence Operations Center (NIOC) and with the National Security Agency (NSA). Afterward, she graduated from the University of Tulsa with a degree in Computer Information Systems. Jenna is passionate about sharing her knowledge of cybersecurity with business owners, public policy leaders, and healthcare, financial, and tech industry members. When she isn’t busy helping her clients protect their customers’ data, Jenna is a voracious reader, aspiring hobbyist, and dog mom of two. In this episode, we discuss starting cybersecurity with the U.S. Navy, tying spoken languages to coding languages, leading and managing people, building an information security program, getting leadership buy-in, using frameworks for resiliency, diversity and inclusion, and so much more. Where you can find Jenna: LinkedInTwitterBlog

Nato Riley is an Integrations Engineer at Blumira and the Co-founder of Cloud Underground. Nato provides infrastructure, code, and security across all his efforts and is focused on helping Blumira build the most effective and efficient SIEM on the market for small to mid-sized businesses. He is the host of the “Nato as Code” and the "Cloud Underground" productions on YouTube, the creator and maintainer of the Olympiad platform, and the founder of notiaPoint (now known as Cloud Underground). In this episode, we discuss starting in technology repairing computers, going to school for public speaking, finding passion in information security, trying too hard to pass certification tests, going out on his own, mentorships, burnout, diversity, and so much more. Where you can find Nato: LinkedInTwitterNato as Code - YouTubeCloud Undeground - YouTube

Sara Avery is a Regional Sales Manager at Zscaler. She has held various positions over the past 20 years in the Information Technology field and discovered her passion for information security 15 years ago. Her career has largely been spent in sales and account management with a laser focus on my customer's success. Sara's tenured experience in cybersecurity has given her a strong understanding of the complex technology and intelligence required to keep enterprises secure. From a young age, she was raised to be a strong female and leader. Her mother, along with other trailblazing women, campaigned to start the Equal Rights Amendment in Colorado in the early 1970s. With a passion for helping others, Sara wanted to start a group that would help, mentor, learn and guide women and founded Women in Cyber Security, ISSA Denver. Her vision was to find a way to inspire and support women in all areas of information security, as well as develop and mentor the younger female generation for the future of the dynamic and ever-changing world of information security. In this episode, we discuss her early start with Y2K, why she helped start Women In Security with the Denver ISSA chapter, the evolution of communications with workstyles, getting young girls into STEM, how she is championing equality at work, dealing with gaslighting, mansplaining, and microaggressions, removing the stigma of "the hacker," and so much more! Where you can find Sara: LinkedInWomen In Security - ISSA Denver

Jennifer Brown is an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, diversity and inclusion consultant, and author. As the successful founder, president, and CEO of Jennifer Brown Consulting, headquartered in New York City, Jennifer is responsible for designing workplace strategies that have been implemented by some of the biggest companies and nonprofits in the world. She has harnessed more than 14 years of experience as a world-renowned diversity and inclusion expert through consulting work, keynoting, and thought leadership. Jennifer has spoken at many top conferences and events such as the International Diversity Forum, the Global D&I Summit, the Forum for Workplace Inclusion, the NGLCC International Business & Leadership Conference, the Out & Equal Workplace Summit, Emerging Women, as well as at organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the NBA, Google, IBM, and more. She is the bestselling author of; Inclusion: Diversity, The New Workplace and The Will to Change and a new book; How To Be An Inclusive Leader: Your Role in Creating Cultures of Belonging Where Everyone Can Thrive. Jennifer is the host of the popular weekly podcast, The Will to Change, which uncovers true stories of diversity and inclusion. In this episode, we discuss being an ally to underrepresented groups, biases in the workplace, how the COVID crisis has shed a light on diversity, how leadership needs to change the culture, removing harmful processes, finding diverse mentors, the risks to business by not embracing diversity, and so much more. Where to find Jennifer: LinkedInTwitterAmazonBlog and Website

Alyssa Miller leads the security strategy for S&P Global Ratings as Business Information Security Officer (BISO), connecting corporate security objectives to business initiatives. She blends a unique mix of technical expertise and executive presence to bridge the gap that can often form between security practitioners and business leaders. Her goal is to change how we look at the security of our interconnected way of life and focus attention on defending privacy and cultivating trust. A native of Milwaukee, Alyssa began her IT career as a programmer for a Wisconsin-based financial software provider. Her security passion quickly shaped her career as she moved into a leadership role within the ethical hacking team, conducting penetration testing and application assessments along with her team. As a hacker, Alyssa has a passion for security that she evangelizes to business leaders and industry audiences through her work as a cybersecurity professional and through her various public speaking engagements. When not engaged in security research and advocacy, she is also an accomplished soccer referee, guitarist, and photographer. In this episode, we discuss why she misses conferences, starting with computers at an early age, diversity, equity, and inclusion, the discrimination she has faced, the lack of understanding of privilege, discriminatory hiring practices, how to be an ally, and so much more! Where you can find Alyssa: LinkedInTwitterAlyssa In-SecurityThinkers360

Chloé Messdaghi is the Chief Strategist at Point3 Security. In addition to her passion for keeping people safe and empowered both on and offline, she is also interested in increasing the numbers of marginalized genders in information security. She is the Co-Founder of Women of Security (WoSEC) and Hacking is NOT a Crime and the Founder of WeAreHackerz (WomenHackerz). Chloé is a keynote speaker at major information security conferences and events and serves as a trusted source for national and sector reporters and editors. She holds a master of science (MS) from the University of Edinburgh, and a BA in international relations from the University of California, Davis, as well as a certificate in entrepreneurship from Wharton and other professional certificates. In this episode, we discuss the adjustment to conferences from home, feeling unwelcome in cybersecurity as a woman, pivotal moments that kept her in security, making real changes in diversity, equity, and inclusion, how biases develop, removing the bro-culture in management, changing the perceptions of hackers, and so much more! Where you can find Chloé: LinkedInTwitterPersonal Page

Julian Waits is the general manager of cybersecurity at Devo Technology. He has over 30 years of experience in senior leadership roles at technology companies, specializing in security, risk, and threat detection. He serves on several industry boards, including the International Consortium of Minority Cybersecurity Professionals (ICMCP) and National Cybersecurity STEM Education (NICE), promoting the development of the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. In this episode, we discuss missing travel, working more in COVID-19, recruiting from non-traditional places, diversity, equity, and inclusion, his start in music before technology, changing people's understanding of differences, removing unconscious biases, his mentors, why language matters, and so much more! Where you can find Julian: LinkedInTwitter

This is the last episode in the five-part series on mental health, self-care, and neurodiversity. This will not be the last time I speak about these issues on the podcast. I encourage everyone to take these issues seriously and help remove stigmas and champion differences in the way our brains work. Cybersecurity professionals spend most of their day focused on the health and wellbeing of the environments in their care. However, the cost of reducing risk and keeping our networks safe often comes at the price of our professionals' mental health. Many InfoSec professionals burn out, suffer from anxiety and depression, and turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, which further exacerbate underlying psychological and physical health issues. This is an abridged version of one of my public presentations on mental health. My goal is to alleviate the stigma around mental health and stress the importance of open and frank dialogs about this serious issue impacting our community. I will share my journey, reverse engineer the stigma of mental health in business, and look at ways we can hack mental health in productive and meaningful ways. Episode Disclaimer: This podcast's information is not intended or implied as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We make no representation and assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained in or available through this presentation. THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. Please speak to your physician before embarking on any treatment plan. NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL TREATMENT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HEARD ON THIS PODCAST.

Danny Akacki is just a storyteller perpetually looking for a stage. He loves nothing more than attending conferences, giving talks, writing blogs, and finding new ways to reach as many people as he can to educate about cybersecurity. For him, there is no greater satisfaction than community building. Danny has been fortunate enough to spend his career in Defense, learning from some of the best in the business, including teams at Mandiant, GE capital & most recently as a Technology Advocate with Splunk. He loves what he does and the people he gets to do it with. In this episode, we discuss his mental health journey, adjusting to a new role during COVID-19, finding outlets for stress release, if mental health issues are worse in cybersecurity, neurodiversity, PTSD, and so much more. Where you can find Danny: LinkedInTwitterYouTubeTwitch Episode Disclaimer: This podcast's information is not intended or implied as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We make no representation and assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained in or available through this presentation. THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. Please speak to your physician before embarking on any treatment plan. NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL TREATMENT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HEARD ON THIS PODCAST.

Ryan K. Louie, MD, Ph.D. is a board-certified psychiatrist focusing on the mental health impact of cybersecurity, and the psychiatry of entrepreneurship. Ryan received his MD and Ph.D. degrees from the Stanford University School of Medicine and completed residency training in psychiatry at the University of Hawaii Department of Psychiatry. Ryan completed an internship with the Office of International Health and Biodefense at the US Department of State and was the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship to Japan. Ryan has published academic articles in psychiatry and cell biology and is the inventor of the patented microtubule lumen-cast nanowire technology. In this episode, we discuss the stigmas of mental health, coping skills, the economic costs for not addressing mental health, neurodiversity, handling COVID-19 stress, removing job pressures in information security, and so much more! Where you can find Ryan: LinkedInTwitter Episode Disclaimer: This podcast's information is not intended or implied as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We make no representation and assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained in or available through this presentation. THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. Please speak to your physician before embarking on any treatment plan. NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL TREATMENT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HEARD ON THIS PODCAST.

Amanda Berlin is the Lead Incident Detection Engineer for Blumira and the CEO and owner of the nonprofit corporation Mental Health Hackers. She is the author of a Blue Team best practices book called "Defensive Security Handbook: Best Practices for Securing Infrastructure” with Lee Brotherston through O'Reilly Media. She is a co-host on the Brakeing Down Security podcast and writes for several blogs. Amanda is an avid volunteer and mental health advocate. She has presented at a large number of conventions, meetings, and industry events such as DerbyCon, O’Reilly Security, GrrCon, and DEFCON. In this episode, we discuss her start in help desk, speaking amount mental health, depression and anxiety, men's reluctance to report health issues, neurodiversity, how organizations can encourage self-care, using medication, the Mental Health Hackers organization, and so much more. Where you can find Amanda: LinkedInTwitter - InfoSystirTwitter - Mental Health HackersMental Health HackersBrakeing Down Security Podcast Episode Disclaimer: This podcast's information is not intended or implied as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We make no representation and assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained in or available through this presentation. THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. Please speak to your physician before embarking on any treatment plan. NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL TREATMENT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HEARD ON THIS PODCAST.

Bill Hudenko, Ph.D. has significant experience in the fields of both mental health and technology. Dr. Hudenko is a licensed psychologist, a researcher, and a professor who holds a joint appointment as a faculty member at Dartmouth's Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. His research focuses on the use of technology to improve mental health delivery and patient outcomes. Dr. Hudenko is also an experienced software engineer and former database administrator for the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Dr. Hudenko is currently the CEO of Trusst Health Inc., a company devoted to providing high quality, affordable remote psychotherapy via messaging. In this episode, we discuss his background in brain and computer sciences, the intersection of technology and mental health, our brains' development, neurodiversity, mental health stigma, decision making, and so much more! Where you can find Bill: LinkedInDartmouth's Department of Psychological and Brain SciencesDartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine Episode Disclaimer: This podcast's information is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We make no representation and assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained in or available through this presentation. THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. Please speak to your physician before embarking on any treatment plan. NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL TREATMENT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HEARD ON THIS PODCAST.