What It Takes To Be Successful in Cyber Media

All links and images can be found on CISO Series

Check out this post for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week's episode co-hosted by me, David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Dave Bittner, producer and host, The CyberWire. Joining is Graham Cluley, host of Smashing Security podcast and Leo Laporte, founder of TWiT (This Week in Tech) and host of Security Now podcast.

In this episode:

• Format follows function
• The decision gap
• Practitioner fingerprints
• Beyond the news cycle

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Palo Alto Networks

Cortex Cloud unifies code, cloud, and SOC on a single data, risk, and control plane — giving teams the context, workflows, and agentic intelligence to turn risk into resolution. Native AI agents investigate and act within enterprise guardrails, delivering real-time protection from workload to network edge. Cloud security that outpaces machine-speed threats. Learn more at paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud/demo.

All links and images can be found on CISO Series

Check out this post for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week's episode co-hosted by me, David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Howard Holton, CEO, GigaOm. Joining is Tyler King, senior director - threat operations and response, Sinclair.

In this episode:

• Career insurance
• In the trenches together
• Who are you actually selling to?
• Common sense, uncommon in sales

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Material Security

Legacy email security only watches the door. Material protects your entire cloud workspace—email, files, and accounts—as one ecosystem. It's more coverage for less than the cost of a legacy SEG. One price, no surprises: just security that covers the whole surface area. Learn more at material.security.

All links and images can be found on CISO Series

We think of cybersecurity as a discipline. But when do ideas like best practices and NIST frameworks change into a system of belief?

Check out this post for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week's episode co-hosted by David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Davi Ottenheimer, principal, Flying Penguin. Joining is Joshua Copeland, director of security, Crescendo.

In this episode:

• Tools, not religion
• The case for structured discipline
• The management problem underneath
• Fix the damn holes

A huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker

ThreatLocker delivers Zero Trust Network Access and Zero Trust Cloud Access that verifies both user and device before granting access to specific applications. No broad access, nothing exposed, and no reliance on credentials alone. It's a smarter way to control access and reduce risk. Learn more at ThreatLocker.com/CISO.

All links and images can be found on CISO Series

We know human-paced security controls can't be applied to autonomous AI agents. So what needs to change with CNAPP and cloud security?

Check out this post for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week's episode co-hosted by David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Steve Zalewski. Joining us is our sponsored guest, Dan Benjamin, vp product - data, identity, and AI security, Palo Alto Networks.

In this episode:

• The detection ceiling
• A category gap, not a feature gap
• Resilience by design
• An insider threat with no face

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Palo Alto Networks

Cortex Cloud unifies code, cloud, and SOC on a single data, risk, and control plane — giving teams the context, workflows, and agentic intelligence to turn risk into resolution. Native AI agents investigate and act within enterprise guardrails, delivering real-time protection from workload to network edge. Cloud security that outpaces machine-speed threats. Visit Palo Alto Networks and search cortex cloud.

All links and images can be found on CISO Series.

Check out this post for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week's episode co-hosted by David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Steve Zalewski. Joining us is our guest, Paul Guerra.

In this episode:

• Read the contract
• How vendors win before the evaluation ends
• The fallout
• The real cost

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Native Security

Native makes secure-by-design inherent to how the cloud operates. It's the control plane for built-in cloud security, unifying and governing native controls, so security intent is defined once and applied consistently across providers. Learn more at native.security.

All links and images can be found on CISO Series

All security startups will tell you they talk to potential customers. The problem is that you limit your development when you only talk to CISOs who might buy. It's not the same guidance you'll get from a CISO who advises.

Check out this post by Val Tsanev of the Cyber Risk Alliance for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation.

This week's episode is co-hosted by me, David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Edward Contreras, senior evp and CISO, Frost Bank. Joining us is Steve Jensen, CISO, University of Maine System.

In this episode:

• Building for whom?
• The only feedback loop that matters
• Valid, but for whom?
• Rethink the advisor roster

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Material Security

Legacy email security only watches the door. Material protects your entire cloud workspace—email, files, and accounts—as one ecosystem. It's more coverage for less than the cost of a legacy SEG. One price, no surprises: just security that covers the whole surface area. Learn more at material.security.

All links and images can be found on CISO Series.

Check out this post for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week's episode co-hosted by David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Steve Zalewski. Joining us is our sponsored guest, Rob Allen.

In this episode:

• The vulnerable stack
• Changing the structural economics
• Change the terrain
• The cost-benefit equation

A 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.

All links and images can be found on CISO Series

Check out this post for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week's episode co-hosted by David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Steve Zalewski. Joining us is our sponsored guest, Heath Renfrow, co-founder, Fenix24.

In this episode:

• Knowing which systems to save first
• Recovery is a business conversation, not an IT ticket
• Not all systems are created equal
• Recovery knowledge as a governed asset

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Fenix24

Fenix24 is the world's leading breach recovery firm, providing rapid ransomware restoration, full asset visibility, and threat informed hardening. Alongside expert recovery services, Fenix24 delivers ongoing managed protection that secures backups, infrastructure, and critical controls, helping organizations stay resilient, recoverable, and prepared for modern cyber threats. Learn more at fenix24.com.

What Makes a Successful Security Vendor Demo?

All links and images can be found on CISO Series.

Check out this post from Adam Palmer for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week's episode co-hosted by David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Geoff Belknap. Joining is Ken Beasley, BISO, Kaiser Permanente.

In this episode:

• Show me the problem, not the product
• Walking in blind
• Discovery is the demo
• Define the use case, set the clock

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Fenix24

Fenix24 is the world's leading breach recovery firm, providing rapid ransomware restoration, full asset visibility, and threat informed hardening. Alongside expert recovery services, Fenix24 delivers ongoing managed protection that secures backups, infrastructure, and critical controls, helping organizations stay resilient, recoverable, and prepared for modern cyber threats. Learn more at fenix24.com.

Should You Use Native or 3rd Party Cloud Management Tools?

All links and images can be found on CISO Series.

Check out this post from Steve Zalewski for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week's episode co-hosted by David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Edward Contreras, senior evp and CISO, Frost Bank. Joining us is their sponsored guest, Gal Ordo, co-founder and CPO, Native.

In this episode:

• More tools, more problems
• A gap in design
• Catching what slips through
• Competence over complexity

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Native Security

Native makes secure-by-design inherent to how the cloud operates. It's the control plane for built-in cloud security, unifying and governing native controls, so security intent is defined once and applied consistently across providers. Learn more at native.security.

How Should We Measure the Performance of a CISO?

All links and images can be found on CISO Series.

Check out this post from the cybersecurity subreddit for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week's episode co-hosted by me, David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Edward Contreras, senior evp and CISO, Frost Bank. Joining them is Jason Richards, vp, information security, CHG Healthcare.

In this episode:

• Likability as a career strategy
• The storytelling gap
• How the math actually gets done
• The unofficial scorecard

A 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.