Pwned: The Information Security Podcast
by Justin Fimlaid
Pwned is a weekly information and cyber security podcast addressing real-world security challenges. Occasionally funny, always informational, and driven by those who live and breathe security. Each episode we dive into the latest and greatest in technology, security frameworks, best practices, and how-tos. We’ll chat with industry leaders to learn how they got to where they are, what they see coming, and how they learned from their mistakes.
Episodes
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Episode 200 - Reflections of Pwned...Until Next Time
In this episode of Pwned, Justin and Jack celebrate their milestone 200th episodes the best way they can…with some good old Ransomware Rye. Join the duo offsite at Mad River Distillers tasting room in Burlington, Vermont, as they review podcast excerpts from the last few years and respond with...
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Episode 199 - When a BlackCat Crosses Your Path...
In this episode of Pwned, BlackCat rises from the grave for another life full of ransomware attacks; this time targeting a healthcare organization, Change Healthcare, for a whopping $22 million. Join Justin and Jack as they look through the facts and speculate that BlackCat may not be who they…
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Episode 198 - Heard it Through the Grapevine - Beyond the Beltway, 2024
It’s a first, with Jack going solo, and the subject is a set of 8 recent recommendations from senior IT and security leaders at the recent e.Republic/Center for Digital Democracy Beyond the Beltway show. Panels of executives described their experience with successful security and technology...
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Episode 197 - Curt Wood, CISA, and the Cavalry
Well-known public sector executive advisor, Curt Wood, joins the team to talk about the role of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), statewide cybersecurity, and the complex responsibilities of leaders as they understand and integrate multiple communities in their...
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Episode 196 - The Recent MOAB Event -- Mother or Just Another?
Justin Fimlaid and Jack Danahy are talking about the recent 26.6B records found exposed. While the records are mainly old, the Pwned perspective is always new. Listen in for some history, some discussion of other expert views like Troy Hunt and others, and a perspective on whether this Mother of...
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Episode 195 - Reflections on Election Security
In a discussion covering election issues from disinformation to voter access, Justin Fimlaid and Jack Danahy are both dispelling and reinforcing listener concerns about the impact of technology and cyber threats on the upcoming elections. Tune in for an in-depth discussion on disinformation…
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Episode 194 - Pulling MXDR Out of the Pit of Despair
It’s been over two years since the team examined the overuse and increased malleability of the term “XDR” and were forced to sentence that term to the Pwned terminology dungeon, the “Pit of Despair”. Well, times change, and our intrepid topical explorers are seeing signs that a reexamination is...
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Episode 193 - Nostra-BlameUs: The 2022 Predictions Revisited
In honor of releasing the 2023-2024 SLED CPR, Justin and Jack take a walk down memory lane and discuss their predictions from the 2022 CPR, and how they fared in 2023. Have all 5 predictions panned out the way the duo thought, or did some fall short? Tune in to find out. Check out our annual SLED...
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Episode 192 - It's Back! Pwned Previews the 2023-2024 SLED CPR
In this episode, Justin and Jack are giving a sneak preview of this year’s SLED Cybersecurity Priorities Report. It’s all fresh off the presses and the team is giving a birds-eye view of the process, focus, and conclusions that the CPR is bringing to (and from) State, Local, and Higher Education...
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Episode 191 - Leaving 2023: Time for Defense in Breadth
The Pwned podcast leaps into 2024 with Justin Fimlaid and Jack Danahy talking about what they've were seeing at the end of 2023, some ideas on improving for 2024, and some new ideas around understanding more about predicting breach impact and exposure. The guys are looking at some new ideas like...
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Bonus: Top 3 of '23
To wrap up 2023, we would like to take the chance to reflect on what we’ve all seen this year, and what has headlined our coverage here at Pwned. Come on along and relive three of our past episodes that created the most activity, and join us in seeing how far we’ve all come. Our top 3 episodes…
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Episode 189 - Shaky Plans - Pwned Takes on the President's Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights
In the second part of our series on Federal AI proclamations, Justin and Jack make a point-by-point assessment of the Federal view on inalienable protections from AI misbehavior. If you’re concerned with AI’s incursions into everyday life or are interested in understanding whether our leaders…
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Episode 188 - Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy. Pwned on the President's AI Executive Order
In this episode, Justin and Jack are reviewing the recent presidential executive order on AI. While there are plenty of good ideas in the mix, the team is taking some time to examine their feasibility, their value, and their likelihood of execution in our current, fast-paced, AI environment. Stay...
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Episode 187 - Pwned Making the Case for Judicial Security
Following Justin's work with members of the press on the recent Kansas City court system ransomware shutdown, he and Jack are talking about the potential impacts and repercussions of increasing cyberattacks against the judiciary. There are issues of timely judgements, sealed records, even courts...
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Episode 186 - The Acquisition of Revelstoke
In this episode of Pwned, Justin and Jack discuss the recent acquisition of automation firm Revelstoke by managed security vendor Arctic Wolf. With a lot of cash on the line, is this deal a right swipe, or do they think Arctic Wolf will be left in the dark when the lights come up? Tune in for the...
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Episode 185 - An Unconventional Take on Cybersecurity Awareness
In this episode of Pwned, Justin and Jack tackle Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023. Coming at you with three unconventional tips to keep in the back of your mind, the duo dive into the world of security for vendors, purchasers, and members of the public. Key takeaways 00:00 – Title Sequence…
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Episode 184 - 4 Steps to a Security Strategy
In this episode of Pwned, Justin and Jack are evaluating a four-step process for developing a cybersecurity strategy and end up creating one of their own. If you’re looking for some ideas or a blueprint for your own planning, it’s probably worth a listen. Stay tuned for our upcoming blog: 4 Steps...
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Episode 183 – Making a New Cybersecurity Job Work
In this mailbag episode of Pwned, Justin and Jack respond to a listener question that has all the earmarks of a well-known security problem: a new leader starting in an organization with what feels like a random mix of products and problems. By talking through the different elements of the...
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Episode 182 – The Next AI Episode – With Diana Kelley!
This week, Justin and Jack are talking AI with one of the security industry’s most well-known experts and influencers, Diana Kelley of Protect AI. The topics, like the growth of AI, are all over the place, from the impacts of AI on security teams to secure AI development, and even a quick mention...
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Episode 181 – Breached Trust: Lazarus Making Friends
In this breach of the week episode, Justin and Jack look into the recent attacks targeting the GitHub developer community. Developers are increasingly being targeted by North Korean state-sponsored threat actors to use and execute poison code. Tune in to get the scoop. The DarkReading article can...
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Episode 180 – Thales Not Impervious to Imperva’s Charm
Multifaceted French security and defense firm, Thales, has acquired longtime application and availability cybersecurity pioneer, Imperva, in a major acquisition from U.S. cybersecurity private equity leader, Thoma Bravo. In this RightSwipes episode of Pwned, Justin and Jack review the histories…
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Episode 179 – Collaboration Celebration
In Massachusetts, a group of communities are banding together to improve IT acquisition effectiveness. In this episode of Pwned, Justin and Jack explore the benefits of this alliance, ideas on the cybersecurity impact, and the relationship between this effort and other regional and whole-of-state...
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Episode 178 – SOC Talk
In this episode Justin and Jack are taking a question from the mailbag on choosing regional or private security operations centers (SOCs). The conversation quickly turns to finding the best SOC for your needs, the most beneficial preparation before engaging with vendors, and the right of any...
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Episode 177 – The Obligatory AI Episode: Prevail or Fail? Can’t Spell Either Without AI
From ChatGPT to predictive analytics, AI techniques are changing all industries and knocking on the door of cybersecurity. Justin and Jack are answering with an episode examining potential advancements and limitations that we’ll likely encounter over the next few years. If you’re interested in an...
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Episode 176 – Outcomes, Prescriptions, and Presidential Policy
The White House has released another statement on their National Cybersecurity Strategy. This time Justin and Jack are supportive of the tone and some of the content. In this episode, hear about the new approach to improving cybersecurity with an emphasis on vendor responsibility, liability,...
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Episode 175 – Acquisitions Defining a Changing Landscape for Deception
In this RightSwipes episode, the unexpected union of Proofpoint and Illusive creates an irresistible combination for Justin and Jack. They’re talking through the applicability of deception technology, market appetite, and Proofpoint’s move to deepen their bench with Illusive. The question remains...
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Episode 174 – Getting More Intelligence Out of Threat Intelligence
In this episode, Justin and Jack are talking about threat intelligence, from its ideal content mix to the audience, and ways to improve its usefulness and availability. Threat intel is about more than feeds. It’s about hunting, sharing, and enriching our understanding of threats whenever we can....
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Episode 173 – An Old Friend, Some Old Equipment, and New Challenges All Around: Part 2
In part two of “An Old Friend, Some Old Equipment, and New Challenges All Around,” we welcome back Zack Borst. Since his departure from NuHarbor Security, Zack has since embarked on a mission to enhance emergency management, including cyber preparedness, and now he’s talking with Justin and Jack...
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Episode 173 – An Old Friend, Some Old Equipment, and New Challenges All Around: Part 1
Our latest episode welcomes back Zack Borst, former co-host and co-contributor to Pwned in its earlier seasons. Zack has since embarked on a mission to enhance emergency management, including cyber preparedness, and he’s talking with Justin and Jack about the state of cybersecurity systems and...
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Episode 172 – Applications, Security, Supply Chain, and SBOMs
In an episode that is close to Jack’s heart and history, he and Justin explore a renewed interest in the security of applications. They discuss the new Application Security Center of Excellence (ASCOE) being built at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, shifting far left of boom by prioritizing...
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Episode 171 – Balancing Security to the Left and Right of Boom
In this episode, Justin and Jack delve into the growing trend toward increased investment in detection and response. With the rise in successful attacks and public breaches, detection and response are getting plenty of love, sometimes at the expense of preventative measures. Tune in as our duo...
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Episode 170 – Staying on Course When You’ve Got Headwinds
In this mailbag edition of Pwned, Justin and Jack are presented with a question from a listener who’s feeling pressured to justify continuing cybersecurity tooling spend. They’ve seen this happen repeatedly and offer recommendations for responding with well-articulated tradeoffs and benefits and...
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Episode 169 – The Lesson Is in the Struggle
In this episode, Justin and Jack discuss a recent CISO dialogue around the difficulties in replacing staff that move on, and strategies for easing the impact of losing talented folks to competitors or lottery wins. From educating other team members, to succession planning and developing close...
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Episode 168 – Roadmaps and Socializing Support for Security
In this episode, Justin and Jack respond to a note from the mailbag. A listener inquires about successful approaches to recruiting support for security initiatives, and the team shares stories about educating stakeholders, developing champions, and encouraging security program collaborators,...
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Episode 167 – Cybersecurity Seat – Half-full/Half-empty, Have Patience
Following a listener request, Justin Fimlaid and Jack Danahy are talking about successful paths forward when a CISO finds themselves in a role that’s a little larger than they expected, or an organization has a well-meaning CISO that needs a little more time to get it right. This happens all the...
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Episode 166 – Rethinking Cyber Insurance to Help it Survive, and Thrive
Following well-publicized comments from Zurich Insurance CEO Mario Greco on the potential demise of cyber insurance, Justin and Jack are digging deep. They describe the challenge to insurers, the potential for unlimited liability, and propose a new and more intentional model that benefits…
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Episode 165 - Atonement and Autonomous Aggrandizement
In this last episode of PWNED Season 3, Justin and Jack are paying off the year’s debts from infractions against the Pit of Despair, while analyzing a BlackHat announcement by a leader in the market. There are debts to be paid, and there’s a striking new example of the old security tendency to...
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Episode 164 - BREAKING NEWS: Annual SLED Cybersecurity Priorities Report is LIVE
After much work and a little fanfare, the 2022 SLED Cybersecurity Priorities Report has been publicly released. Justin and Jack are giving a quick overview of the findings, along with their usual, and unavoidable, take on some of the results. For those of you who have participated in the research...
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Episode 163 - Are CISOs Dying on the Security Hill or Just Stumbling Over a Cliff?
In this episode of PWNED, Justin springs an unexpected topic, based on his deep affection for social media. Seeing a post from a security leader who feels he has been unfairly held accountable by his company, he’s bringing it to the podcast. We’ve got victimhood, CISO expectation setting,...
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Episode 162- Previewing the Annual SLED Cybersecurity Priorities Report
In this episode, Justin and Jack are talking about the trends, common concerns, and research done to support the soon-to-be-released 2022 SLED Cybersecurity Priorities Report. Input from hundreds of sources has been combined with insights from major vendors and the NuHarbor team to deliver some...
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Episode 161 - Checked Out
Following the news that Twitter, now owned by Elon Musk, is charging users for a “blue check” next to their name — an icon that once signaled a verified and authentic user, Justin and Jack discuss the cybersecurity implications behind this new phenomenon, and clear away the confusion and chaos…
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Episode 160 - Is it time for CrowdSwipes?
In this RightSwipes episode of Pwned, Justin and Jack start with an analysis of the recent CrowdStrike acquisition of Reposify, and while they may not agree on the love match, it starts an interesting new debate on “Best-in-Breed” versus “Combined Value” players in cybersecurity. It’s an…
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Episode 159 - The Pwned Public Chat with the Public Sector: Part 3
In this final episode with Justin and Jack speaking to a group of state security leaders, the PWNED team is talking about a series of topics from new, more successful awareness campaigns to the challenges of avoiding being a target in the first place. This entire session is driven by audience...
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Episode 158 - The Pwned Public Chat with the Public Sector: Part 2
In their second episode in front of a group of public sector tech execs, Justin and Jack are talking about the challenge and risks of application security, including the cascading exposure from supply chain vulnerabilities like log4j. They also spend some time talking about the attack trend…
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Episode 157 - The Pwned Public Chat with the Public Sector: Part 1
In this first installment of a three-part series, Justin and Jack are speaking with public sector leaders about the unique challenges and successes of securing platforms and systems within the State, Local, and higher Ed (SLED) community. They’ve got plenty of experience and plenty to say as they...
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Episode 156 - School’s Out – Ransomware and K-12
Following another school system breach and some pretty dire reporting, Justin and Jack are reviewing current events and talking about the current environment of risk and impact to K-12. There is plenty to discuss, but the result is a much more balanced view and some thoughts on applying a...
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Episode 155 - Last Words and LastPasses – A Breach of the Week Two-fer
In a new two-for-one Breach of the Week, Justin and Jack discuss a couple of controversial events from the news this week. First, the recent disclosures by Twitter’s Pieter (Mudge) Zatko and a follow-on article by long-time security icon Edward Amoroso, have our hosts sharing two different points...
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Episode 154 - Rickhouse Swipes
Justin and Jack join John Egan, founder of Mad River Distillers, for a chat about his thoughts on cybersecurity acquisitions, and his own experience as a lawyer in the technology field. Special thank you to John, Mad River Distillers President Mimi Buttenheim, and General Manager/Head Distiller...
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Episode 153 - Mailbag – Deciding Your Future Based on the Past
We’ve got more mail! Thank you to Mike for sending in this intriguing question about how to decide what cybersecurity college program to attend to get the most for your future. Justin and Jack have an answer for you, and it’s a little more complicated than you would think; take a look at a...
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Episode 152 - Research, Report, Release, Repeat
With the release of the new Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) report, by Jon Oltsik, in late July, Justin and Jack sit down and discuss their thoughts on the research and the importance of consolidating industry-wide terminology and technology. Will they deem the report to be spot-on, or are there...
About this show
Pwned is a weekly information and cyber security podcast addressing real-world security challenges. Occasionally funny, always informational, and driven by those who live and breathe security. Each episode we dive into the latest and greatest in technology, security frameworks, best practices, and how-tos. We’ll chat with industry leaders to learn how they got to where they are, what they see coming, and how they learned from their mistakes.
Hosted by
Justin Fimlaid