Cybersecurity isn't just a concern for large corporations. It's vital for businesses of all sizes. It's essential for companies to know how to protect sensitive data, restore from backups, and regularly test their systems with internal pen tests to keep their teams safe. Today's guest is Bryce Austin. Bryce is the CEO of TCE Strategy, a cybersecurity advisory firm. They provide vulnerability scans, penetration tests, fractional CISO services, and incident response services. He is also a professional speaker on ransomware. Bryce is the fractional CISO to many companies, including one on the S&P 500.

We talk about the key aspects of cybersecurity for businesses, and how to be proactive with patching, training and strong password management. He shares his experiences with major cyber incidents including ransomware, phishing and the Target breach, and how defense in depth, backups and financial controls are key. Bryce also mentioned the use of password managers, regular vulnerability scanning and external monitoring to increase cyber resilience. We share practical tips for all businesses to protect against ever changing cyber threats.

• [00:59] Bryce started TCE Strategy in 2016. It's their goal to keep their clients one step ahead of cybercriminal risk.
• [01:32] He has a degree in chemistry. Technology was just for fun. He ended up working in the payroll space which was ripe for cyber security concerns.
• [03:00] He was really pushing cybersecurity and then their company was purchased by Wells Fargo. It ended up being amazing training for starting his own cybersecurity business.
• [05:24] Bryce shares how he was affected by the Target security breach. He ended up unemployed and was deeply affected by food stamp requirements for his family.
• [07:34] He wanted to make sure he would never go through this again and started his company.
• [08:19] His public speaking began in 2011.
• [09:17] He was indirectly affected by the Target breach, and he also shares his indirect personal one.
• [12:59] Bryce was actually spearfished in 2018.
• [14:36] Incident response is when something happens from a cybersecurity standpoint and damage has occurred. Oftentimes data is encrypted. This is a ransomware attack.
• [17:18] Bryce tells the story about how a hotel was hacked and a large payment was able to be intercepted.
• [18:31] Phishing attacks are where someone clicks on a bad link.
• [20:38] His biggest Christmas gift was none of his clients getting hacked.
• [21:05] They also had a ransom demand where they had to pay a million dollars.
• [23:02] If they would have been looking harder this wouldn't have happened.
• [26:26] Issues with hooking up to the Internet and having default passwords.
• [28:07] Why it's impractical to make ransomware illegal.
• [31:12] Even criminals have a reputation to uphold and usually hand over the encryption key.
• [33:56] Bryce talks about some of the preventative things that people can do.
• [34:47] Be proactive and have diligent patching.
• [35:37] Don't use the same passwords over and over. Use a password keeper.
• [36:54] Have offline backups.
• [38:09] Follow all processes and procedures when moving money. Use unique passwords.
• [39:27] It's important to encrypt your backups.

Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.

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The CISO role is constantly changing. With all the shifts in cybersecurity, it's crucial to find ways to attract new talent to close the growing skills gap. CISOs now juggle complex systems managed at multiple levels and handle burnout amongst many other responsibilities.

Today's guest is Jill Knesek. Jill is the Chief Information Security Officer for Blackline, a company that does financial SaaS solutions. It’s based out of the Los Angeles area. She’s been there almost three years now as the CISO, running the information security team.

She previously served as Chief Security Officer for BT Global Services. She has more than 15 years' experience directing security programs, including service as a special agent for the FBI assigned to the Cyber Crime Squad in Los Angeles Field Office, where she was involved in several high-profile cases, including Kevin Mitnick.

In this episode, we cover the CISO role evolving from low visibility to a C-level position, managing multi-cloud infrastructures and aligning with other teams and the ongoing cybersecurity skills gap and burnout. Jill also talks about incident response and crisis management and collaboration within the cybersecurity community to fill the blind spots and strengthen the defenses.

• [01:23] She's now the Chief Information Security Officer for Blackline, a company that does financial SaaS solutions.
• [02:00] She was also an FBI special agent for 3 and 1/2 years working cybercrime. She was super excited, because this was her lifelong dream.
• [03:35] She loved the FBI, but she knew she could do more for the industry on the private side.
• [04:21] Jill talks about how the CISO role has evolved. It's now a C-level position.
• [06:26] Some of the boards were very interested in what was going on with security. There has to be a balance with funding and proving your success.
• [07:39] Now complexity is an issue.
• [09:03] The cloud adds so many connecting services.
• [11:45] CISOs are getting more responsibility and need more qualified people in their teams. There's a gap with not enough people coming into the cybersecurity industry.
• [12:30] How the idea of stress and working nights and weekends can deter some graduates from the cybersecurity industry.
• [15:15] Boards and executive committees expect the CISO to be right in the middle of things. They want real-time updates and to know what everyone is working on right now.
• [17:47] The importance of keeping a calm level-headed view when something goes wrong.
• [21:41] We learn about the flow of straightening out curves or incidents. Learn during the small incidents and practice the process.
• [23:57] The importance of not scolding the team for being too quick to react. It's better to have a false alarm than to ignore a serious problem.
• [25:10] Jill does a one-to-one with everyone on her team each quarter. She tries to Mentor them with some of the things that she's learned.
• [30:29] We hear about a couple of incidents where ransomware got into the environment.
• [35:01] When someone else reported that something weird was going on in the network.
• [38:27] To help with the talent gap, we need to start introducing cybersecurity at the high school level.
• [42:15] It's important for CISOs to be connected with other groups and events.

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With the increase in targeted cyber attacks, it's more important than ever for organizations to quickly identify and respond to threats. AI is helping security teams by acting as virtual analysts, handling much of the investigation work. However, human oversight is still essential for the final steps and judgment.

Today's guest is Michael Lyborg. Michael is the Chief Information Security Officer at Swimlane. Prior to taking his current role, Michael was Global Vice President of Advisory Services, a highly sought-after expert by the world's largest Fortune 500 companies and global government agencies to advise on the creation and operation of industry-leading security operations.

In this episode Michael shares his experience and wisdom on today’s cybersecurity challenges. We talk about the balance of automation and human oversight, the risks and rewards of putting AI into security operations, and defense in depth strategies. Michael also covers how military style threat assessments can help with cybersecurity, how AI is evolving for threat prioritization and analysis, and the need for continuous testing and monitoring to prevent automation failures. If you want to know how to stay ahead in a complex cyber world, this episode is full of practical advice.

• [01:06] Michael has been with Swimlane for about 7 years mainly focusing on larger enterprises, government clients, and partners. He's helping with the automation journey and experience. He also built security programs for other companies and was a Marine.
• [02:07] Prior to the Marines, he did IT and network security. Michael is originally from Sweden.
• [04:22] Operational risk management or conducting a limited threat assessment. He's always thinking like a hacker and looking for gaps in security.
• [06:29] Michael tells a story about his wife's recent experience with a cybersecurity scam.
• [12:11] How a company decides what level of friction is appropriate to implement proper security.
• [13:59] Michael talks about balancing what is and isn’t automated.
• [16:16] Michael shares the story about his early days of automation.
• [17:23] Continuously review and monitor your automations.
• [18:41] Starting with documentation is a good first step.
• [21:45] Michael talks about how awesome it is being able to work in security and automation and help businesses grow and achieve outcomes. He believes in automating the mundane tasks.
• [22:26] We learn about AI being involved in the defensive side of cybersecurity.
• [24:50] AI can also bridge the gap between the security team and non-technical people.
• [26:33] We discuss places where AI probably shouldn't be used.
• [27:58] Find where AI works for you and then think about incorporating it in your security services.
• [31:01] The importance of having controls in place when using AI whether it's for security or data analysis.
• [33:00] Risk can be reduced by training on specific tasks.
• [34:18] Michael shares the value of mixing human and artificial intelligence through Swimlane.
• [39:08] The importance of bridging gaps and getting rid of silos.

Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.

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