Best Synack Podcasts (2025)

1
Cynthia Kaiser is Building Partnerships to Stop Ransomware Threats 32:39

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10d ago32:39

32:39

Blake and Cynthia take an in-depth look at the evolving ransomware threat landscape, the interplay between government and private sector in cybersecurity, and the challenges and opportunities presented by new technologies like AI. Timestamps: 00:19 - Halcyon’s Ransomware Research Center 07:24 - Actors behind ransomware campaigns 11:22 - Will AI hel…

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The Offense Catch-Up Game 32:08

23d ago32:08

32:08

Rob and Blake discuss vulnerability and exploit discover in the age of AI and increasingly intelligent cyber threats. Rob Lee is the Chief of Research and Head of Faculty at SANS Institute and runs his own consulting business specializing in information security, incident response, threat hunting, and digital forensics. With more than 20 years of e…

1
Agentic AI in Cybersecurity 30:10

1M ago30:10

30:10

In this bonus episode, Blake, Sharon Mandell and Mark Kuhr have a discussion about the impact of agentic AI in cybersecurity, focusing on both threats and opportunities. They touch on the rise of AI-enabled cyberattacks and how adversarial and generative AI are being leveraged by attackers, as well as the dual-use nature of AI. How can it can be bo…

1
Cybersecurity as a Bipartisan Cause 25:01

2M ago25:01

25:01

Jim Langevin, former chair of the Congressional Cyber Caucus and Democratic Congressman from Rhode Island, reflects on his belief that cybersecurity remains a bipartisan issue. He emphasizes the importance of collaboration between government and the private sector, and the potential of artificial intelligence in enhancing cybersecurity. Timestamps:…

1
Paul Mote on being right 100% of the time 26:31

2M ago26:31

26:31

Paul Mote, Vice President, Solutions Architects at Synack, discusses if we're ready to embrace AI in a world of ever-evolving threats. Who will AI help more, attackers or defenders? TIMESTAMPS: 00:35 - What is a solutions architect? 02:56 - Advancing threats 13:32 - Are we ready to embrace AI? 20:58 - What’s real, what’s not? 25:03 - Find Paul Mote…

1
Bringing Humanity to Cybersecurity with Lea Kissner, CISO of LinkedIn 18:43

2M ago18:43

18:43

Lea Kissner, CISO of LinkedIn, describes the dangers of perverse metrics, the importance of phishing-resistant technologies, and the ongoing challenge of recruiting and retaining top talent in the field. Lea also explains how they deal with complex privacy issues at scale every day. Lea and Blake also touch on LinkedIn's efforts to balance security…

1
Mike Witt on NASA’s cybersecurity mission in space 27:49

10M ago27:49

27:49

Mike Witt, NASA's Senior Agency Information Security Officer and Chief Information Security Officer for Cybersecurity and Privacy, has a long history of public service. In addition to serving 10 years in the U.S. Army, Mike was the director of the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) at the Department of Homeland Security and a…

1
Lt. Gen. Lori Reynolds on the evolution of cyber warfare 33:38

10M ago33:38

33:38

Lieutenant General Lori Reynolds' (Ret., USMC) career journey from a Naval Academy graduate to a key figure in cybersecurity and information warfare illustrates the progression of military communications and cyber operations. Initially commissioned as a Marine Corps communications officer in 1986, Lori’s career took her from managing traditional ra…

1
Melissa Vice on the value of vulnerability disclosure programs 35:17

11M ago35:17

35:17

The Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3) operates a Vulnerability Disclosure Program (VDP) that handles critical cybersecurity issues reported by the public, including using an actual red phone for urgent matters. In the latest episode of WE’RE IN!, Melissa Vice, director of DC3’s VDP, describes how they respond to cyberthreats and collab…

1
The AI Episode: Experts Share Security Insights on LLMs and GenAI 15:25

11M ago15:25

15:25

Hear from this season’s guests for their thoughts and predictions on AI and cybersecurity. We took sound bites from a range of WE’RE IN! interviewees, whose opinions on AI vary from thinking it’s overblown to being cautiously curious. Tune into this episode to better understand AI’s seismic effects on the infosec industry. Hosted by Simplecast, an …

1
Bill Dunnion on the push for transparency in security breaches 29:39

12M ago29:39

29:39

Bill Dunnion, chief information security officer at global telecommunications company Mitel, is well-versed in the critical nature of telecom infrastructure and the devices that support it. He’s also keenly aware of how his role as CISO is under increasing scrutiny from regulators around the world and in Canada, where Mitel is based. In this episod…

1
Jennifer Villarreal on how she upped her hacking game 30:45

1y ago30:45

30:45

Jen, a former military professional turned hacker, shares her journey into cybersecurity and her experiences with the Synack Red Team in the latest episode of WE’RE IN! She transitioned from fixing security issues to actively seeking vulnerabilities, inspired by her brother and motivated by her experiences at the storied hacker conference, DEF CON.…

1
Sara Mosley on best practices for Zero Trust 29:47

1y ago29:47

29:47

Sara Mosley, technical director for the Bureau of Diplomatic Security's Cybersecurity and Technology Services, works with the U.S. State Department to help identify threats and potential compromises. In her role, she advocates for a Zero Trust approach that focuses on protecting critical data rather than trying to secure everything equally. She rec…

1
Michael Daniel on untangling cybersecurity’s complexity problem 35:13

1y ago35:13

35:13

Cybersecurity has a complexity problem. A tangled web of technical, psychological, economic and geopolitical factors enable and motivate malicious actors. Michael Daniel, CEO and president of the Cyber Threat Alliance, is helping public and private organizations decode these complex motivations with information sharing, including the Ransomware Tas…

1
Anand Prakash on cloud security startups and next-gen hacking 28:38

1y ago28:38

28:38

Anand Prakash on cloud security startups and next-gen hacking Anand Prakash, founder of startup PingSafe, shares his insights on building a successful cybersecurity business and his experience as a top bug bounty hunter. He emphasizes the importance of fast execution, accountability and learning from mistakes when growing the company acquired by Se…

1
Ads Dawson on developing the OWASP Top 10 for Large Language Models 36:09

1+ y ago36:09

36:09

Ads Dawson, release lead and founding member for the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Top 10 for Large Language Model Applications project, has no shortage of opinions on securing generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and LLMs. With rapid adoption across the tech industry, GenAI and LLMs are dominating the conversation in the info…

1
Kevin Tambascio on balancing security with availability of services in healthcare 32:09

1+ y ago32:09

32:09

Integrating security into the product development lifecycle is a tall order for any industry. It’s particularly challenging for healthcare, with its wide range of critical needs from HVAC systems to medical devices. Kevin Tambascio, director of cybersecurity data and application protection at Cleveland Clinic, juggles the need for constant vigilanc…

1
Tennisha Martin on bridging the cyber talent gap through diversity 31:01

1+ y ago31:01

31:01

Cybersecurity organizations tend to have unrealistic hiring expectations, according to Tennisha Martin, founder and executive director of the training-focused nonprofit BlackGirlsHack. That can make it hard for would-be candidates to stand out and contribute to solving urgent cybersecurity challenges. In the latest episode of WE’RE IN!, Tennisha un…

1
Mara Winn on protecting America’s critical infrastructure from cyberthreats 35:58

1+ y ago35:58

35:58

A first-of-its-kind 2016 cyberattack on Ukraine’s power grid was a wake-up call for countries around the world to shore up protection of vulnerable energy resources. Mara Winn, Deputy Director for Preparedness, Policy, and Risk Analysis at the Department of Energy's Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), is in cha…

1
Amy Chang on squaring cyber policy with real-world threats 33:39

1+ y ago33:39

33:39

Amy Chang, a resident senior fellow for Cybersecurity and Emerging Threats at the R Street Institute, has many tough problems to consider, from election security to adversarial AI attacks to the geopolitical implications of cyberwarfare. In a world rife with hot takes, she pursues a balanced approach to answering these weighty issues—nothing is an …

1
Mark Kuhr on AI pentesting and the Synack Red Team 36:18

1+ y ago36:18

36:18

Dr. Mark Kuhr, a former National Security Agency employee, faced a host of challenges when he co-founded Synack with CEO Jay Kaplan in 2013. As CTO for the security testing company, Mark has led Synack through dramatic growth while working to shift the mindset of some cybersecurity practitioners. For instance, the Synack platform, featuring access …

1
Anthony Newman on cyberthreats to higher education 40:06

1+ y ago40:06

40:06

In this episode of WE’RE IN!, Anthony Newman, executive director at Research and Education Networks Information Sharing and Analysis Center (REN-ISAC), highlights the need for protecting research infrastructure in higher education, dealing with credential dumps and monitoring the dark web for potential threats. He also discusses the challenges face…

1
Dennis Fisher on the future of cybersecurity journalism 31:32

1+ y ago31:32

31:32

Dennis Fisher, editor-in-chief at Decipher, reflects on his journalism career covering cybersecurity for more than two decades in the latest episode of the WE’RE IN! cybersecurity podcast. He began in 2000, covering email before transitioning to security. Soon his focus shifted to vulnerability reporting, including blockbuster bugs in Windows and I…

1
Jason Loomis on finding the humanity in cybersecurity 32:22

1+ y ago32:22

32:22

Jason Loomis, Chief Information Security Officer at Freshworks, emphasizes the human side of cybersecurity and the importance of effective leadership. New CISOs should make an effort to understand not just existing security controls, but also the team dynamics at any new organization they’re helping to protect. The human element all too often goes …

1
Sarah Armstrong-Smith on understanding the attacker mindset 45:37

1+ y ago45:37

45:37

Season 3 Episode 3 Sarah Armstrong-Smith on understanding the attacker mindset Sarah Armstrong-Smith, Chief Security Advisor at Microsoft and a cyber security author, discusses her role in improving cyber postures and staying ahead of threats. She explains how Microsoft uses machine learning in their threat intelligence and what's next with the ons…