Ahead of the Threat Podcast: Season 2, Episode 2: John Hammond episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 24, 2026

Ahead of the Threat Podcast: Season 2, Episode 2: John Hammond

from Ahead of the Threat: The FBI Cyber Podcast · host Official FBI

Search no further for an engaging, practical conversation from two cybersecurity experts! Diving into the FBI’s Operation Winter SHIELD initiative, John Hammond, the principal security researcher at Huntress, (who also has a YouTube channel with 2.1+ million subscribers) joins host Brett Leatherman for a wide-ranging discussion on hacking trends, how not every user in your organization needs full rights access, and that a basic inventory of IT equipment can be the most important cybersecurity step you take! Starting the show, Brett is joined by Michael Machtinger, the FBI’s deputy assistant director for the Cyber Intelligence Branch. After learning how the branch supports the Bureau’s cyber mission, the two discuss “slave” hackers from North Korea, CISA’s latest recommendation for end-of-life devices, and how hackers use remote proxy servers to attack within the U.S.

Search no further for an engaging, practical conversation from two cybersecurity experts! Diving into the FBI’s Operation Winter SHIELD initiative, John Hammond, the principal security researcher at Huntress, (who also has a YouTube channel with 2.1+ million subscribers) joins host Brett Leatherman for a wide-ranging discussion on hacking trends, how not every user in your organization needs full rights access, and that a basic inventory of IT equipment can be the most important cybersecurity step you take! Starting the show, Brett is joined by Michael Machtinger, the FBI’s deputy assistant director for the Cyber Intelligence Branch. After learning how the branch supports the Bureau’s cyber mission, the two discuss “slave” hackers from North Korea, CISA’s latest recommendation for end-of-life devices, and how hackers use remote proxy servers to attack within the U.S.

NOW PLAYING

Ahead of the Threat Podcast: Season 2, Episode 2: John Hammond

0:00 0:00

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Ahead of the Threat: The FBI Cyber Podcast?

Episode duration information is not available.

When was this Ahead of the Threat: The FBI Cyber Podcast episode published?

This episode was published on February 24, 2026.

What is this episode about?

Search no further for an engaging, practical conversation from two cybersecurity experts! Diving into the FBI’s Operation Winter SHIELD initiative, John Hammond, the principal security researcher at Huntress, (who also has a YouTube channel with...

Can I download this Ahead of the Threat: The FBI Cyber Podcast episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!