Shows / Safe Mode Podcast
Episodes
Safe Mode PodcastNetRise’s Tom Pace on why telecom’s Salt Typhoon problem may never go away
In this episode of Safe Mode, Greg talks with Tom Pace, CEO of Netrise, about the recent Salt Typhoon cyberattack against U.S. telecom networks and how the…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Kemba Walden and Devin Lynch on securing the AI Stack
Greg is joined in studio with Kemba Walden and Devin Lynch from the Paladin Global Institute about securing the future of AI. They break down the multilayered…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Valence Security’s Yoni Shohet on the growing risk tied to SaaS applications
Greg is joined in studio with Kemba Walden and Devin Lynch from the Paladin Global Institute about securing the future of AI. They break down the multilayered…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Intel471’s Will Dixon goes behind the scenes on the DanaBot takedown
This week, Greg talks to Will Dixon, Senior Intelligence Collection Manager for Intel471, about the lifecycle and takedown of DanaBot — one of the most…
- Safe Mode Podcast
DARPA’s Andrew Carney on AIxCC’s quest for truly autonomous AI
Greg Otto talks with Andrew Carney, project manager at DARPA, about the AIxCC competition. With the finals set to be held in August during DEF CON, they…
- Safe Mode Podcast
RSA CEO Rohit Ghai on the promise and peril of passkeys
Greg Otto talks with RSA CEO Rohit Ghai on the global shift toward passkeys and passwordless authentication. Together, they explore pressing issues including…
- Safe Mode Podcast
MIND’s Eran Barak
Greg Otto talks with Eran Barak, CEO and co-founder of MIND, on the dramatic rise of insider threats in cybersecurity, exploring recent high-profile cases and…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Bishop Fox’s Rob Ragan and Iron Man Suit for pen testers
Greg Otto talks with Rob Ragan, Principal Technology Strategist at Bishop Fox, as he shares his vision of building an “Iron Man suit” for human security…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Olivia Rose on why the CISO role may not be the pinnacle of security work
In this episode, Greg sits down with Olivia Rose, Founder and CISO of the Rose CISO Group, to talk about her role in "CISO: The Worst Job I Ever Wanted," a…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Semperis CEO Mickey Bresman on the power of tabletop exercises
In this episode, Greg sits down with Semperis CEO Mickey Bresman to explore how organizations can proactively prepare for cyber crises before they strike. The…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Expel CEO Dave Merkel on the impact of AI & Automation in modern SOCs
In this episode, we sit down with Dave Merkel, CEO of Expel to take an honest, practical look at how AI and automation are reshaping the modern Security…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Recorded Future’s Alexander Leslie on the ‘MarkoPolo’ traffer team
In this episode, Greg talks with Alexander Leslie, Threat Intelligence Analyst for Recorded Future’s Insikt Group and his research on “Marko Polo” – a…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Verizon’s Alex Pinto on the takeaways from the 2025 DBIR
On this episode of Safe Mode, Greg talks with Alex Pinto, Associate Director of Threat Intelligence at Verizon Business, as we unpack the key findings from…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Will Pearce on the ever-changing field of offensive AI security
In this episode, Greg talks with Will Pearce, CEO and Co-founder of Dreadnode about the rapidly evolving field of offensive AI security. Greg and Will discuss…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Lior Div on how security teams should be using AI agents
In this episode, Greg talks with Lior Div, co-founder and CEO of 7AI. Lior and Greg explore how security teams are being reinforced with AI Agents and identify…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Ken Bagnall on how companies can work with governments to take down malicious infrastructure
In this episode, Greg Otto talks with Ken Bagnall, CEO of Silent Push Ken sheds light on the dynamics of the current cybercrime ecosystem. Ken reveals that a…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Edera’s Alex Zenla on how to make cloud computing and AI secure-by-design
In this episode, Greg Otto talks with Edera co-founder and CTO Alex Zenla, charting her path from beginnings in Minecraft IRC channels to pioneering container…
Safe Mode PodcastAllie Bohan on how to handle the non-technical side of a ransomware attack
In this episode, Greg Otto talks with FTI Consulting’s Allie Bohan exploring the challenges organizations face in maintaining effective communication during…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Discover’s Sunil Mallik on the ever-changing roles of the CISO
In this episode, Greg Otto talks with Sunil Mallik, the CISO of Discover Financial Services. Sunil shares his career path and the evolving challenges and…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Chainguard’s Dan Lorenc on the next decade of software supply chain security
In this episode, Greg Otto talks with Dan Lorenc, CEO and co-founder of Chainguard. They explore the challenges organizations face with CVE management, where…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Virtru’s John Ackerly on how the feds are keeping data secure and interoperable
In this episode, Greg Otto talks with Virtru Co-founder and CEO John Ackerly , discussing the significance of open standards, the challenges and successes of…
Safe Mode PodcastFBI’s Cynthia Kaiser on Salt Typhoon’s ‘indiscriminate’ data collection
In this episode, you will hear Cynthia Kaiser, deputy assistant director in the bureau’s cyber division talk about the implications of the Salt Typhoon breach…
Safe Mode PodcastChainalysis’ Jackie Burns-Koven on the drop in ransomware payments
Greg Otto talks with Jackie Burns-Koven, Head of Cyber Threat Intelligence at Chainalysis. They discuss research from Chainalysis that shows a 35% drop in…
Safe Mode PodcastGoogle’s John Hultquist on how APTs are using generative AI
Greg Otto talks with John Hultquist, Chief Analyst for Google Threat Intelligence Group. They explore the qualitative differences between AI-generated and…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Hugh Thompson on what the SEC got right (and wrong) with its cyber incident reporting mandate
Greg Otto talks with Hugh Thompson, Executive Chairman for RSAC Conference. Greg and Hugh discuss how the SEC's cyber disclosure regulations have fallen short…
Safe Mode PodcastGabrielle Hempel on AI regulation on the federal and state level
Greg Otto talks with Exabeam’s Gabrielle Hempel about the complex terrain of AI regulation at both the federal and state levels, offering a deep dive into the…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Guidepoint Security’s Jason Baker on lessons learned from negotiations with ransomware groups
As we head into 2025, Greg talks with Jason Baker, a ransomware negotiator for Guidepoint Security, on how ransomware has shifted and evolved, and the…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Phil Venables on the State of the CISO
In the first episode of 2025, Greg Otto dives into a conversation with Phil Venables, the Chief Information Security Officer of Google Cloud, who shares…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Vik Phatak on the inherent issues in native cloud firewalls
In the latest episode of Safe Mode, Greg Otto talks with Vik Phatak, Chairman and CEO of CyberRatings.org. Cyber Ratings recently released a report assessing…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Emily Crose on the government’s long history with hackers
In the latest episode of Safe Mode, Greg Otto talks with Emily Crose about her new book “Hack to The Future: How World Governments Relentlessly Pursue and…
- Safe Mode Podcast
GreyNoise’s Andrew Morris on using AI to find zero-days
In the latest episode of Safe Mode, Greg Otto talks with Andrew Morris, founder and chief architect of GreyNoise. Greg and Andrew talk about some recent work…
- Safe Mode Podcast
The evolution of Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit
In the latest episode of Safe Mode, we talk to Peter Anaman, principal investigator in Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit. Peter takes us on a deep dive on how…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Securing the Skies: Aerospace Cybersecurity with David Brumley
In this episode, Greg Otto chats with David Brumley, an offensive cybersecurity professor at Carnegie Mellon and CEO of Mayhem Security, as he is collaborating…
- Safe Mode Podcast
What will GenAI regulation look like in 2025?
In the latest episode of Safe Mode, Greg Otto talked with Casey Bleeker, CEO of the generative AI security firm SurePath AI, about the future of AI regulation…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Special CyberTalks Edition with National Cyber Director Harry Coker
In case you didn't have the chance to attend CyberTalks, we have the keynote address from the event: National Cyber Director Harry Coker highlighted the White…
- Safe Mode Podcast
DomainTools’ Sean McNee on how China is watching the Russia-Ukraine conflict
In this episode, we delve into the escalating cyber threat posed by China with guest Sean McNee, Head of Threat Research at DomainTools. Sean shares insights…
- Safe Mode Podcast
ReversingLabs’ Saša Zdjelar on the ‘black box’ of commercial software
This episode of Safe Mode explores the critical issue of software supply chain security with Saša Zdjelar, ReversingLabs' chief trust officer. Discover why the…
Safe Mode PodcastCal-Berkeley’s Elijah Baucom on how students are helping nonprofits avoid spyware
How can small nonprofits and civic organizations defend themselves against some of the most insidious malware on the planet? By reaching out to Elijah Baucom…
Safe Mode PodcastMandiant’s Michael Barnhart on the North Korean IT worker crisis
Since 2022, Mandiant has tracked North Korean IT workers who, posing as non-North Koreans, secure employment in various industries to fund DPRK's weapons…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Trellix’s John Fokker on the latest cybercriminal snapshot
CyberScoop Editor-in-Chief Greg Otto was out at Mandiant's mWISE conference last week, and talked with Trellix’s head of threat intelligence, John Fokker…
- Safe Mode Podcast
How organizations are handing AI security
AI is transforming how companies secure their IT infrastructure, especially in industries like airlines, health care, retail, and telecommunications, which…
- Safe Mode Podcast
We’re back! RunSafe CEO Joe Saunders on secure-by-design in IoT devices
Secure-by-design transforms secure code from an afterthought to an inherent feature, weaving a resilient shield directly into the fabric of every application…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Ted Schlein on the cybersecurity industry and the latest twist in the Trump-Iran hacking saga
If you want to understand cybersecurity policy, it’s not enough to focus on Washington D.C. — you have to also grok the American tech industry. Few people have…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Hack-and-leak op targets Trump; a technical deep dive with John Hammond on the CrowdStrike outage
With Election Day rapidly approaching in the United States, the Trump campaign claims that the first major hack-and-leak operation has arrived. After a handful…
- Safe Mode Podcast
A deep dive with Tim Starks on the Biden administration's cybersecurity initiatives
An epidemic of ransomware, cyberattacks on gas pipelines, Chinese infiltration of American critical infrastructure — these are just some of the cybersecurity…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Sara Hooker on compute thresholds for AI; CrowdStrike breaks the internet
AI governance regimes the world over have seized on compute thresholds as a mechanism for implementing various controls on artificial intelligence systems. The…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Dewey Murdick on enabling principles for AI governance; a landmark breach at AT&T
Around the world policymakers seem to be grappling with the same question: How best to govern artificial intelligence? The Center for Security and Emerging…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Allan Liska on why it’s time to ban ransomware payments; Russian info ops
We are living through an epidemic of ransomware. Last year alone, the amount paid to ransomware operators exceeded $1 billion, and the entities getting hit and…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Selena Larson on e-crime matching nation state hackers; Disinfo before the Supreme Court
When studying cyberoperations, it’s easy to become enamored with state-backed hackers. Russian and Chinese operations have done much to shape our understanding…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Protecting teens against sextortion; threats to election workers
The proliferation of artificial intelligence is exposing teens to a new online threat: AI-generated sexual imagery. Heather Barnhart is a fellow at the SANS…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Keeping Ukraine’s grid up and running amid war; Snowflake customers under attack
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian power grid has come under sustained attack by Russian forces, and keeping it up and running…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Josh Harguess on AI red-teaming; an Israeli info op targets the U.S.
To address AI risks, policymakers and technologists around the world have embraced the concept of AI red-teaming — the adversarial testing of AI models. But AI…
Safe Mode PodcastJoe Sullivan on his legal battle with the feds; the latest on Russian influence operations
Joe Sullivan on his legal battle with the feds; the latest on Russian influence operations by Safe Mode Podcast
- Safe Mode Podcast
Omkhar Arasaratnam on open source security; AI dogfighting
In recent weeks, a series of troubling operations targeting open source software libraries have been uncovered in which bad actors — likely tied to nation…
- Safe Mode Podcast
The FBI’s Brett Leatherman on LockBitSupp’s unmasking; a spyware reckoning in Poland
In recent years, the persona known as LockbitSupp has emerged as a notorious figure in the cybercrime underground. The primary administrator of the LockBit…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Stefan Soesanto on Ukrainian hack and leak ops; cyberattack in Georgia
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, it was immediately apparent that the conflict would in part be waged in cyberspace. As Russian tanks rolled…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Rumman Chowdhury on AI red-teaming; a Sisense supply chain attack
At last August’s DEF CON computer security conference, more than 2,000 people tried their hands at breaking some of the world’s most advanced AI models. That…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Sayash Kapoor on AI risk; Federal agencies affected by Russian breach of Microsoft
Amid the endless hype about AI — how it will either revolutionize the world or end it as we know it — Sayash Kapoor is a rare voice of reason. A PhD candidate…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Dave Aitel on ‘secure by design’; CISA’s rules for cyber incident reporting
In order to deliver major improvement in the security of the digital systems we all rely on, the Biden administration has embarked on a major initiative known…
- Safe Mode Podcast
Byron Tau on data brokers; US sanctions, indicts Chinese hackers
Journalist Byron Tau sits down with host Elias Groll to discuss his eye-opening book about commercially available data. CyberScoop reporter Derek B. Johnson…