Interview Special - Why Security Awareness Is a Social Responsibility - With Ishmael Pennino and Liam Stock-Rabbat

In this episode of The Awareness Angle, I’m joined by two people who genuinely live and breathe community-led security awareness, Roberto Ishmael Pennino and Liam Stock Rabbat.This conversation goes well beyond phishing simulations and training slides. We talk openly about why community matters so much in security awareness, how loneliness and isolation are fuelling modern scams, and why human connection might be one of the most important defences we have right now.We dig into Ishmael and Liam’s joint initiative focused on cybersecurity awareness for everyone, not just people working in corporate roles, and why giving back to the wider community should matter to all of us in this space. We also explore the real-world impact of scams, shame, and silence, including why normalising these conversations can genuinely help people feel safer online.There’s plenty in here for awareness professionals, as well as for anyone interested in human risk, behaviour change, and making security feel more human.🎙️ In this episode, we cover• Why community work matters in security awareness• The human cost of scams, beyond just financial loss• How awareness can genuinely help people feel safer• AI as both a challenge and an enabler for awareness teams• What needs to change to improve online safety for everyoneIf you care about people, culture, and doing security differently, this one’s for you.👍 Like, subscribe, and share if this episode resonates💬 Let us know your thoughts in the commentsIn this episode, we discuss the "Shamrock Project", but we had that wrong. It's Operation Shamrock and more details on them and the great work that they do can be found at www.operationshamrock.orgWe also discussed my interview with Daisy Wong and her own personal experience witha romance scam. You can watch that video at https://youtu.be/T7rrOmGRAoUStay aware, stay secure.The Awareness Angle: Interviews is our ongoing series of real, no-fluff conversations with the people rethinking how we approach security, risk, and human behaviour.Read The Episode Discussion Pointshttps://www.riskycreative.comYouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@riskycreativeLinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/[email protected]://www.riskycreative.comAbout The Awareness AngleA CYBERSECURITY PODCAST where we talk about SECURITY AWARENESS and security education. We are professionals in HUMAN RISK and Information Security Awareness. We know PHISHING CAMPAIGNS. We know PHISH. We have done annual SECURITY TRAINING. We have sent NEWSLETTERS and made videos. We have created security awareness CULTURE STUDIES and are passionate about HUMAN BEHAVIOURS. Whether you're a Cyber Security Awareness professional or simply curious about human risk, this podcast is your go-to resource for fresh perspectives and creative solutions.Intro and outro music16! by falling foreverhttps://fallingforever.bandcamp.com/track/16LicenseCreative Commons Attribution 4.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0