CISO Series Podcast

David Spark, Mike Johnson, and Andy Ellis

  • 39 minutes 56 seconds
    I'm Worried That We're Not Worried About the Right Worries With AI

    All 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 their sponsored guest, Danny Jenkins, CEO, ThreatLocker.

    In this episode:

    • AI for AI's sake
    • Stop selling, start protecting
    • Stop calling everything sophisticated
    • Least privilege, rebranded

    Huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker

    ThreatLocker makes Zero Trust practical. With Default Deny, Ringfencing, and Elevation Control, CISOs get real control that's easy to manage and built to scale. Stop threats before they execute and reduce operational noise without adding complexity. See how simple prevention can be at ThreatLocker.com/CISO.

    9 December 2025, 11:00 am
  • 35 minutes 8 seconds
    You Can't Fall Behind in AI if You Never Start

    All links and images can be found on CISO Series.

    This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark, producer of CISO Series, and Mike Johnson, CISO, Rivian. Joining us is John Barrow, CISO, JB Poindexter & Co.

    In this episode:

    • Building unicorns, not hunting them
    • Cold War frameworks for modern threats
    • Trading dollars for stories
    • Mirror, mirror on the wall

    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 vanta.com/ciso

    2 December 2025, 11:00 am
  • 39 minutes 23 seconds
    Why Architect for Human Error When We Can Make People Feel Really Bad About It?

    All 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 Richard Rushing, CISO, Motorola Mobility.

    In this episode

    • Mindset over tools
    • When hygiene becomes risk
    • Systems for actual humans
    • Conversations over compliance

    Huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker

    ThreatLocker® Defense Against Configurations continuously scans endpoints to uncover misconfigurations, weak firewall rules, and risky settings that weaken defenses. With compliance mapping, daily updates, and actionable remediation in one dashboard, it streamlines hardening, reduces attack surfaces, and strengthens security. Learn more at threatlocker.com.
    25 November 2025, 11:00 am
  • 41 minutes 1 second
    Are You Implying This Line Graph Isn't a Compelling Cybersecurity Narrative?

    All 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 our sponsored guest, Nathan Hunstad, director, security, Vanta.

    In this episode:

    • Metrics that matter
    • Testing for real
    • AI as an assistant
    • Intelligence without context

    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 vanta.com/ciso

    18 November 2025, 11:00 am
  • 45 minutes 26 seconds
    Our CISO Certainly Puts the Tool in Multi-Tool (LIVE in LA)

    All links and images can be found on CISO Series.

    This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Jeff Steadman, deputy CISO, Corning Incorporated. Joining them is Quincey Collins, CSO, Sheppard Mullin. This episode was recorded live at the ISSA LA Summit in Santa Monica, California.

    In this episode:

    • The foundational debate
    • Strength over breadth
    • Beyond traditional backgrounds
    • Keeping perspective on risk

    Huge thanks to our sponsors, Adaptive Security and Dropzone AI

    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. Learn more at adaptivesecurity.com.

    Dropzone AI autonomously investigates every security alert—no playbooks needed. This AI SOC analyst queries your CrowdStrike, Splunk, threat intel feeds, and 60+ other tools to build complete investigations in 5 minutes. Unlike black-box automation, it shows every query, finding, and decision. See it work yourself—explore the self-guided demo at dropzone.ai.

    11 November 2025, 11:00 am
  • 39 minutes 26 seconds
    I Don't Just Guess About Effectiveness, I Make Educated Guesses!

    All links and images can be found on CISO Series.

    This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis (@csoandy), principal of Duha. Joining us is Sara Madden, CISO, Convera.

    In this episode:

    • Optimizing for reality, not idealism
    • Engineering governance instead of monitoring compliance
    • When AI finds what humans miss
    • The measurement problem

    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. https://threatlocker.com
    4 November 2025, 10:00 am
  • 44 minutes 1 second
    It's a Little Hard to Evaluate New Solutions When You're Screaming "AI" at Me All the Time (Live in Houston)

    All links and images can be found on CISO Series.

    This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Jerich Beason, CISO, WM. Joining them on stage is Jack Leidecker, CISO, Gong. This episode was recorded live at HOU SEC CON 2025.

    In this episode:

    • The open source sustainability problem
    • AI levels the geopolitical playing field
    • Cutting through AI vendor hype
    • Why the fundamentals still hurt

    Thanks to Erik Bloch from Illumio for providing our "What's Worse" scenario.

    Huge thanks to our sponsor, Vorlon Security

    SaaS data moves fast—Vorlon gives security teams the context to move faster. Vorlon combines posture and secrets management, data flow visibility, and detection and response — so you can see the full picture: what's connected, what's at risk, and what needs immediate action. Learn more at https://vorlon.io/

    28 October 2025, 10:00 am
  • 30 minutes 8 seconds
    Dear Abby: Why Should I Trust a Vendor Selling Me Zero Trust?

    All links and images can be found on CISO Series.

    This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Dan Walsh, CISO, Datavant. Joining them is our sponsored guest, Rob Allen, chief product officer, ThreatLocker.

    In this episode:

    • When EDR gets knocked out
    • Red flags in vendor theater
    • Configuration chaos
    • The sticker problem

    Huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker

    ThreatLocker® Defense Against Configurations continuously scans endpoints to uncover misconfigurations, weak firewall rules, and risky settings that weaken defenses. With compliance mapping, daily updates, and actionable remediation in one dashboard, it streamlines hardening, reduces attack surfaces, and strengthens security. Learn more at threatlocker.com.

    21 October 2025, 10:00 am
  • 37 minutes 31 seconds
    The Difference with AI Red Teaming is We Added the Word AI

    All 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
    14 October 2025, 10:00 am
  • 36 minutes 41 seconds
    Don't Worry, We'll Get to Solving Your Problem on Slide 87

    All 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

    7 October 2025, 10:00 am
  • 44 minutes 17 seconds
    Time to Choose a Security Vendor: Dart Board or Spin the Wheel?

    All 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

    30 September 2025, 10:00 am
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