Inside THOR Collective, a Dispersed Team Delivering Open-Source Research

In this episode of the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast, host Sherrod DeGrippo is joined by Lauren Proehl, Sydney Marrone, and Jamie Williams to dig into the THOR Collective — a fresh, community-driven initiative bringing modern energy to threat intel.  The group discusses the ongoing tension where developers focus on user-friendly design while security professionals aim to break things to prevent malicious use. They also dive into the THOR Collective, a community-driven initiative with open-source projects like Hearth and their twice-weekly Substack newsletter, Dispatch, which combines research, memes, and real-world lessons to uplift the InfoSec community. The conversation touches on the challenges of security, the disconnect between the public and understanding risks, and the need for more user-friendly, AI-driven security solutions that cater to various skill levels. In this episode you’ll learn:      The value of consistently publishing high-quality content How the THOR Collective addresses this issue through innovative and digestible content The importance of making complex InfoSec topics approachable for different experience levels Some questions we ask:       What’s going on with the rise in toll scam text messages? Why has social engineering remained such a successful tactic for threat actors? How does THOR Collective welcome new voices in InfoSec, and why is this crucial in today’s security landscape? Resources:  View Lauren Proehl on LinkedIn View Sydney Marrone on LinkedIn  View Jamie Williams on LinkedIn  View Sherrod DeGrippo on LinkedIn  THOR Collective Related Microsoft Podcasts:                   Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson The BlueHat Podcast Uncovering Hidden Risks     Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts  Get the latest threat intelligence insights and guidance at Microsoft Security Insider The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.