Ep. 154 - Security Awareness Series - Whispering Sweet Security Nothings with Ed Skoudis

In this episode, Chris Hadnagy and Ryan MacDougall are joined by Ed Skoudis.  Ed is a SANS Institute Fellow, Instructor, and Director of Cyber Ranges.  He is the founder of Counter Hack, an innovative cyber security company that works as trusted information security advisors to government, military, and commercial enterprises by providing in-depth security architecture, penetration testing, red teaming, incident response, and digital forensics expertise. Ed frequently presents industry keynotes based on the latest attack vectors he identifies during his team's penetration testing projects, expert witness work on large-scale breaches, security research into late-breaking malware and exploits, and incident response engagements. Over his career, Ed has taught over 20,000 students in computer incident response and penetration testing.  Ed and his team are also the creators of the SANS Holiday Hack Challenge, a free gift to the community every December challenging tens of thousands of people to build their cyber security skills in a fun, quirky adventure to save the holiday season. September 20, 2021  00:00 – Intro  www.social-engineer.com   Managed Voice Phishing     Managed Email Phishing     Adversarial Simulations     Social-Engineer channel on SLACK     CLUTCH     www.innocentlivesfoundation.org  03:26 – Ed Skoudis Intro  05:26 – How did you get started, how did you get into this field?  09:18 – What do you looking for when building your team?  10:47 – How long will you observe a person to determine if they have the integrity or skill that you want?  12:44 – What advice would you give for companies to find people with the skill and integrity they need more quickly than observing them for 2-4 years?  22:00 – "Nothing new" in social engineering vs infosec, which is constantly changing  23:45 – Why do you feel experience like participating in CTF's are so valuable for people in this community? 28:57 – What is your advice for people on how to find quality CTF's?  www.holidayhackchallenge.com  www.ctftime.org  www.wechall.net  https://opentoallctf.github.io/  32:04 – How long does it take your team to construct these challenges?  35:54 – If someone wants to sponsor this event, where can they go?  www.holidayhackchallenge.com  36:42 – Who are the colleagues or mentors that have been most influential to you, people you wouldn't be where you are today if not for them?  Ed's Nana – Evelyn Hiddings  Manager at Bellcore - Miriam Hernandez Cagle  SANS instructor, founder of In Guardians - Mike Poor  Security Expert - Johnny Long  SANS founder – Alan Paller  40:30 – What are some action steps corporations should start doing right now based on the advice you gave today to build a great team?  Have a good corporate culture and leadership  Be thoughtful and meaningful, make it fun, and challenge them  Take input from your team and empower them  43:09 – Do you have any advice for employees dealing with burnout, how to practice self-care, or other coping mechanisms?  Monthly meeting with state of the business, business reflections  Rituals – Get a bagel and call mom on Saturdays, morning walk, calling friends out of the blue  Gratefulness – when stressed, pause and think about what you're grateful for  Get off social media for a few days  50:27 – Book Recommendation  The Code Book by Simon Singh 51:53 – Outro  www.innocentlivesfoundation.org  www.social-engineer.com