MacDevOpsYVR podcast

In this episode, we speak with Alan Siu, a key figure in the Mac admin community, about the evolution of technology and open source software. Alan reflects on how devices like the iPod changed music consumption from ownership to streaming and shares his personal journey from high school English teacher to IT expert with tools like Munki. We discuss the importance of diverse resources for Mac administrators, the impact of Apple's security features on workflows, and the strong community support within the Mac admin space. The episode wraps up with a preview of the Mac DevOps YVR conference, highlighting the significance of in-person networking and idea exchange for the community.

In this episode, we delve into security and development within the Apple ecosystem with cybersecurity expert Csaba Fitzl. He discusses the vulnerabilities of Electron apps, using Discord as an example, and shares his transition from network management to ethical hacking. Csaba evaluates Apple's security entitlements and the measures taken to enhance user protection while addressing developer access challenges. He also highlights the impact of iOS security advancements on device theft and the importance of threat models. Furthermore, Csaba reflects on AI tools that have improved his workflow, advocates for community engagement through conferences, and emphasizes the need for a balance between professional growth and personal well-being. With a wealth of experience in vulnerability research, Csaba shares his journey from network management to ethical hacking. He recounts how a week-long training transformed his perception of security, igniting his passion for discovering system vulnerabilities. This background plays a pivotal role in his approach to security, where understanding infrastructure aids significantly in identifying flaws and weaknesses in applications. The conversation then pivots to a critical topic: Apple's security entitlements. Csaba evaluates the balance Apple strikes between protecting users and providing developers with the access needed to build secure applications. He elaborates on the systemic measures Apple has implemented to mitigate vulnerabilities, which often complicate the developer experience but ultimately result in a more secure ecosystem. We also touch on the personal impact of physical device security. Csaba emphasizes how advancements in iOS security protocols have significantly deterred casual theft, making stolen devices virtually unusable. This leads to a broader discussion about threat models, illustrating how different levels of targeted attacks require varying defensive measures, especially in a world where both sophisticated and untrained actors exist. Csaba draws attention to his recent experiences with AI tools, which he initially approached with skepticism. He explains how these technologies have revolutionized his workflow, particularly in automation and reverse engineering tasks. By leveraging AI, he has been able to improve the quality of his code analysis and enhance his vulnerability discovery process, albeit while recognizing the limitations and risks associated with AI-generated outputs. As the episode progresses, we delve into the importance of community in the security landscape. Csaba passionately advocates for attending conferences like Mac DevOps YVR, highlighting the invaluable networking opportunities and the familial atmosphere within the Mac-centric community. He insists that while recorded talks provide great content, the personal connections and discussions that happen in the hallways are what truly enrich the conference experience. In closing, Csaba shares his enthusiasm for continuing to navigate the evolving field of cybersecurity, expressing a firm belief in the value of collaborative learning and sharing knowledge. His passion for his work and outdoor pursuits in the mountains showcase a well-rounded approach to life that encourages us all to find a balance between professional growth and personal well-being.

Mat X, JD, and special guest Rod Christensen from Emily Carr University invite you to the next exciting chapter of the MacDevOps YVR podcast. In this episode, the conversation spans across the adoption of DevOps practices in managing Macs, ongoing experiences with various software tools, and the shared thrill of transforming workflows into more efficient systems. It's an engaging mix of personal anecdotes, technical insights, and lively banter that showcases how fostering collaboration within the tech community can lead to innovation and success.

MatX, JD, and guest Mike Meyer discuss preparations for Mac DevOps 2025 in Vancouver, focusing on organizing the conference, fostering community collaboration, and Mike's upcoming talk on AI and workflows. A great chance for networking and learning!

Mat, Nick and JD turn it up to eleven for MDOYVR 2025. Join us in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia June 11-13, 2025 for the eleventh annual MDOYVR! Call for Attendees, Speakers and Sponsors. Quicktalks always welcome.

Mat X, Nick Z and JD recount MDOYVR 2024 and encourage your feedback as we begin planning MDOYVR 2025. Quicktalks always welcome.

MatX and JD are joined by Mykola Grymalyuk to discuss how he got into creating Open Core Legacy Patcher, getting into security and trying to unravel Apple Silicon VMs.

MacDevOps:YVR 2024 conference is June 19-21, 2024. MatX and JD are joined by Bart Reardon to chat about his open source project Swift Dialog, using SwiftUI and running an opensource project.

MatX and JD are joined by Stuart Ashenbrenner, macOS Security Researcher at HuntressLabs, to discuss Aftermath, a Swift-based, open-source incident response framework, and being a Millenial Girl Dad.

Planning the 10th annual MDO conference has begun. Special guest Nick Zolotko.

MacDevOps:YVR 2023 is a week away. MatX and JD are joined by Joel Rennich one of our speakers to chat about the upcoming ninth annual MDOYVR Conference, Hack Night, and some of what was seen at WWDC.

Mat X and JD are joined by Stuart, one of our speakers, and Arnold, an attendee, discussing their journey to attending the ninth annual MDOYVR Conference.

MacDevOps:YVR 2023 is weeks away. Join MatX and JD as they discuss some of the highlights to the ninth annual MDOYVR Conference back in person in beautiful downtown Vancouver, B.C.

Mat X and Seth discuss various remote distributed workflows for video editing with recipes for Adobe Premiere Pro, Resolve and Final Cut Pro proxy workflow with help from LucidLink, Postlab, and the cloud.

Sharvil and Zach talk about MDOYVR 2022

Arek Dreyer, Keynote speaker at MacDevOps:YVR 2022, joins MatX and JD for the 100th episode to pour one out for Server.app, speaker advice, helping the community, and putting a long-running con(ference) together.

Armin, speaker at MacDevOps:YVR 2022, joins MatX and JD to chat about Swift, Installomator, and more.

Bart Reardon, speaker at MacDevOps:YVR 2022, joins MatX and JD to chat about SwiftUI, managing open-source software, and Bart's Dialog command-line app.

Joel Rennich, speaker at MacDevOps:YVR 2022, joins MatX and JD to talk auth, hiring, and 90s alt-rock references.

Alex Narvey, speaker at MacDevOps:YVR 2022, joins MatX to recount the many and various quick talks Alex has given over the years at MDOYVR.

Mat X and JD chat to Chris Chapman from MacStadium and talk about the business of Mac hosting and how it has evolved over the years from bespoke servers to CI/CD pipelines.

Mat X and JD discuss MacDevOps:YVR progress, Munki Report PHP via Docker, and the ever-changing world of Apple.

Mat X and JD continue planning the MacDevOps:YVR 2022 conference.

Ed Marczak joins Mat X and JD to explore why Santa is not corporate malware and how IT and Security teams can help by documenting their processes and educating their users.

Mat X and JD catch up with Shania about being on call, new laptop purchasing, dongles, lost devices, and more.

Felipe Baez joins MatX and JD to talk about setting up his own cloud and email server, thoughts on the new Mac Studio, and forecasting what might be in the new Mac Pro.

Join Mat and JD in a planning session for the 2022 MacDevOps YVR Conference, where they discuss perks for speakers, calls for volunteers, and a movie night.

Co-hosts JD and Mat X talk with Tom and Dan from Snowflake about logging all the data. Everything! Osquery, FleetDM, and what do you do with 400TB of logs.

Co-hosts JD and Mat X meet with MacAdmins legend Per Olofsson, aka Mager Valp, to discuss the recent MunkiReport quick fix and how open source is fun.

Mat X and JD discuss the call for sponsors, speakers, ticket sales, and more for the upcoming MacDevOps YVR Conference.

Co-hosts JD and Mat X meet with past MDO speaker Prima Virani to discuss AWS, Kubernetes, Go vs. Python, and surprise: osquery and fleetDM.

Jonathan, Balmas, and Brian join Mat and JD to discuss Chapter 3 for this fourth meeting of the SRE Book Club on troubleshooting a process and not just a problem.

Co-hosts JD and Shania join Mat X to discuss Osquery and Security with guest Mike McNeil, FleetDM's CEO.

How to apply DevOps and SRE concepts to your entire org. How do you troubleshoot a process and not just a problem? Don't forget about User experience. Bonus points if we avoid Single Points of Failure or create more tech debt.

Brandon, Jennifer, Balmas, and Brian join Mat and JD to discuss Chapter 1 in-depth for this second part of the SRE Book Club.

Mat X is joined by co-hosts JD and Shania to discuss MDO 2022 planning, and garbage management as we kick off the new year by cleaning out tech debt.

Mat and JD close out the year with a few conference announcements and discussion of log4j, security vulnerabilities, patching, bounties, projects and predictions.

Mat X is joined by co-hosts JD and Shania to discuss MDO 2022 planning, tickets, call for speakers along with documentation in Notion, the AWS outage, and security issues stemming from tech debt.

Mat X is joined by friends to talk about Chapter 1 in Google's Site Reliability Engineering book. We talk about Error Budgets, Automation vs. Autonomous systems, and BK's Bot Army, our newest MDO fan club.

Mat X, and JD talk about the upcoming SRE Bookclub, too many tabs, scripting slack bots, Teleport project, and the Final Cut Summit conference.

Mat X, Shania, and JD talk about the upcoming SRE Bookclub, MacDevOps call for Sponsors, new laptops and more.

Mat X and JD chat with reformed SRE, Sophie Smithsburg about the differences of DevOps and SRE, finding a life work balance from pager duty, and cooperative software development.

Mat X and JD talk Apple security updates, MDM, and our upcoming SRE (site reliability engineering) book club.

Mat X. Shania, and JD talk security, IT, wearing multiple hats, and doing all the jobs.

Mat X and JD talk gardening with Ashton Rodenhiser of Minds Eye Creative, as we dig for metaphors, and plant ideas around devops.

Mat X, Shania and JD talk new jobs, new roles, new tech, new tools and a little gardening for good measure.

Mat X and JD are joined by Felipe Baez to post mortem production on the MacDevOpsYVR 2021 Conference, along with camera and microphone tips to make your Zoom calls better.

Mat X and JD are joined by Henry and Ashton for a post mortem on the MacDevOpsYVR 2021 virtual conference. Henry presented at MDOYVR and helped with organizing. Ashton is our graphic recording superstar creating amazing graphic recordings of the speakers' presentation.

Mat X and JD are joined by Piero Mamberti and Ben Toms, speakers at MacDevOps:YVR, to chat all things Mac Dev and Ops.

Mat X, JD and Shania are joined by Aspen Lindblom and Ben Greisler, speakers at MacDevOps:YVR, to chat all things backups, security and the cloud.

Mat X, JD and Shania are joined by Lucas Hall and James Smith, speakers at MacDevOps:YVR, to chat all things Apple, MDM and what could be at WWDC and MDOYVR 2021.