Podcast
CISO Series Podcast
Hosted by David Spark, Mike Johnson, and Andy Ellis · EN
Discussions, tips, and debates from security practitioners and vendors on how to work better together to improve security for themselves and everyone else.
69episodes
Episodes
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The Difference with AI Red Teaming is We Added the Word AI
Oct 1400:37:31Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining us is our sponsored guest, Khush Kashyap, senior director, GRC, Vanta. In this episode: Skip the Sermon When to coach versus command Making risk quantification useful Recognizing a distinct discipline Huge thanks to our sponsor, Vanta Vanta automates key areas of your GRC program—including compliance, risk, and customer trust—and streamlines the way you manage information. A recent IDC analysis found that compliance teams using Vanta are 129% more productive. Get back time to focus on strengthening security and scaling your business at https://www.vanta.com/landing/demo-grc?utm_campaign=new-way-grc&utm_source=ciso-series-podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=banner
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Don’t Worry, We’ll Get to Solving Your Problem on Slide 87
Oct 700:36:41Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week’s episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis (@csoandy), principal of Duha. Joining them is Daniel Liber, CISO, Monday.com. In this episode: AI security's blind spot problem Vendors don't understand the assignment Marketing budgets overshadow actual innovation Accuracy versus effectiveness Huge thanks to our sponsor, Material Security Built specifically for Google Workspace, Material is a detection and response platform that protects Gmail, Google Drive, and accounts by proactively eliminating security gaps, stopping misconfigurations, and preventing shadow IT before they turn into costly problems. See Material in action today - https://material.security/providers/google-workspace?utm_source=third-party&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=20251007-cisoseries
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Time to Choose a Security Vendor: Dart Board or Spin the Wheel?
Sep 3000:44:17Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week’s episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Mike Johnson, CISO, Rivian. Joining them is Pavi Ramamurthy, global CISO and CIO, Blackhawk Network. In this episode: We can't promise safe, but we can promise ready Are we accidentally building security nightmares? Being held accountable for things you had no say in The safe space problem in vendor evaluation Huge thanks to our sponsor, Adaptive Security Sponsored by Adaptive Security — the first cybersecurity company backed by OpenAI. Adaptive helps security leaders defend against AI-powered social engineering threats like deepfakes, vishing, and GenAI phishing with advanced phishing simulations and next-generation security awareness training. Adaptive’s new AI Content Creator enables teams to instantly convert threat intelligence and compliance updates into interactive, multilingual training — no instructional design required. Trusted by Fortune 500s and backed by Andreessen Horowitz and the OpenAI. Learn more at http://www.adaptivesecurity.com
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Now That You Mention It I HAVE Heard Some Hype Around These AI Tools
Sep 2300:34:24Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week’s episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Mike Johnson, CISO, Rivian. Joining them is Erwin Lopez, CISO, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. In this episode: The AI experimentation phase isn't optional When selling security becomes the hardest part of the job Threat actors aren't hacking in anymore We build, we bond, and we can't bear to let go Huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker Human error remains one of the top cybersecurity threats. Just one wrong click can open the door to ransomware or data loss. With ThreatLocker, unauthorized apps, scripts, and devices are blocked before they can ever run. See how ThreatLocker can help you gain more control over your environment. Learn more at Threatlocker.com/CISO
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Wait, SMS Doesn’t Stand for “Super Mega Secure?”
Sep 1600:42:55Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week’s episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining us is our sponsored guest, Brian Long, CEO, Adaptive Security. In this episode: Hiring North Korean operatives on a Tuesday AI coding and the death of specifications Deepfake personas beyond video calls The middleman problem with SMS Huge thanks to our sponsor, Adaptive Security AI-powered social engineering threats like deepfake voice calls, GenAI phishing, and vishing attacks are evolving fast. Adaptive helps security leaders get ahead with an AI-native platform that simulates realistic genAI attacks, and delivers expert-vetted security awareness training — all in one unified solution. And now, with Adaptive’s new AI Content Creator, security teams can instantly transform breaking threat intel or updated policy docs into interactive, multilingual training — no instructional design needed. That means faster compliance, better engagement, and less risk. Trusted by Fortune 500s and backed by Andreessen Horowitz and the OpenAI Startup Fund, Adaptive is helping security teams prepare for the next generation of cyber threats. Learn more at adaptivesecurity.com.
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We All Agree That Prevention Is the Best Advice We're Never Going to Follow
Sep 900:44:27Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week’s episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining us is Jason Loomis, CISO, Freshworks. In this episode: Making organizations take their security medicine Building CISO support systems Holding the door for humans Underappreciated risks: beyond the headlines Huge thanks to our sponsor, Safe Security SAFE is the category leader in Cyber Risk Quantification (CRQ) and the first vendor to deliver fully autonomous Third-Party Risk Management.We help CISOs, GRC, and TPRM leaders continuously and efficiently quantify, prioritize, and mitigate cyber risks across their entire attack surface — enabling digital growth and resilience. Learn more at tprmdemo.safe.security.
SummaryNot Enough Hallucinations? Let’s Outfit Your LLM with Another LLM
Jul 8, 2025Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week’s episode is hosted by me, David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Edward Contreras, senior evp and CISO, Frost Bank. Joining us is Anthony Candeias, CISO, Weight Watchers. In this episode: AI agents require structured supervision, not autonomy Hiring for potential over credentials in cybersecurity AppSec training effectiveness depends on organizational relevance AI oversight requires purpose-built models, not general solutions A huge thanks to our sponsor, Vanta Vanta’s Trust Management Platform helps 10k+ companies—like Atlassian, Quora, and Chili Piper—start and scale their security programs and build trust with buyers. Vanta saves security teams time and improves program visibility by automating 35+ compliance frameworks, such as SOC 2 and ISO 27001, and GRC workflows, like risk management. Get started at Vanta.com/CISO
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We Can Either Build Resilience or Just Always Be Perfect
Jun 24, 2025Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week’s episode is hosted by me, David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Edward Contreras, senior evp and CISO, Frost Bank. Joining us is Ryan Bachman, executive vice president and CISO, GM Financial. In this episode Identity consolidation versus simplification Entry-level pathways into cybersecurity Evolution of the CISO role toward business resilience Applying simplification principles to cybersecurity complexity Huge thanks to our sponsor, Doppel Doppel is the first social engineering defense platform built to dismantle deception at the source. It uses AI and infrastructure correlation to detect, link, and disrupt impersonation campaigns before they spread - protecting brands, executives, and employees while turning every threat into action that strengthens defenses across a shared intelligence network.
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I Can’t Choose. I Love All My Assets Equally.
May 27, 2025Summary readyAll links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week’s episode is hosted by me, David Spark (@dspark), producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis (@csoandy), partner, YL Ventures. Joining us is Tim Jacobs, vp, CISO, Commonwealth Care Alliance. In this episode: Starting from zero Prepare for decisive decisions Working back from unacceptable Discovering inefficiencies A huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker ThreatLocker® is a global leader in Zero Trust endpoint security, offering cybersecurity controls to protect businesses from zero-day attacks and ransomware. ThreatLocker operates with a default deny approach to reduce the attack surface and mitigate potential cyber vulnerabilities. To learn more and start your free trial, visit ThreatLocker.com.
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Why Learn Security Fundamentals When We Could Just Chase Our Tails?
May 20, 2025Summary readyAll links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series. I host this week’s episode, David Spark (@dspark), producer of CISO Series and Jesse Whaley, CISO, Amtrak. Joining them is their guest Vaughn Hazen, CISO, CN. In this episode: The classics endure The rules of the rail "Prove It. With data." It's all just software A huge thanks to our sponsor, Doppel Doppel is the first social engineering defense platform built to dismantle deception at the source. It uses AI and infrastructure correlation to detect, link, and disrupt impersonation campaigns before they spread - protecting brands, executives, and employees while turning every threat into action that strengthens defenses across a shared intelligence network. Learn more at https://www.doppel.com/platform
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