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Col. (Ret.) Nicole Malachowski '96 shares her insights on leadership, resilience, resurgence, perseverance, advocacy, and how she continues to serve her country, even after her military career. ----more---- A SHOW NOTE:  There are two ways to learn from Col. Malachowski's leadership journey. If you're short on time, the audio version delivers the highlights of her stories in 40 minutes. Her leadership bites, takeaways, keys to leadership and transcript are below. The video version is 1:46:00 and is well worth the investment of your time. This version includes stories and details about the Colonel's journey she hasn't shared before. Click the "Play" button in the video above and settle in for a most enlightening conversation.    SUMMARY Col. (Ret.) Nicole Malachowski '96 is a trailblazer who has broken barriers in both military aviation and advocacy. She was one of the first women to fly combat fighter aircraft, accruing more than 2,300 flight hours in six different aircraft and serving in multiple high-stakes missions, including Operations Deliberate Forge and Iraqi Freedom. But her story doesn't end there. As the first woman to fly with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, a White House Fellow, and a key advisor on military and veterans' issues, Nicole's career has been defined by leadership at the highest levels. After being medically retired due to a Tick-Borne Illness, she turned her focus to advocacy, leading efforts to improve care for the wounded, ill, and injured service members through the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program. Now a passionate advocate for Tick-Borne Disease research, Nicole serves on several national committees and advisory boards, including the Department of Defense's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program.   NICOLE'S LEADERHIP BITES "Leadership is a journey." "The runway behind you is always unusable." "Don't think you have to be perfect to be a leader." "Believe those who believe in you." "Nobody wants to lead a scripted life." "Courage, compassion, and curiosity drive me today." "It's okay to admit when you make mistakes."   SHARE THIS EPISODE LINKEDIN  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK   TAKEAWAYS Leadership is personal - It's about understanding what motivates and drives each individual on your team, and tailoring your approach accordingly. Believe in those who believe in you - Mentors like Mick Jaggers who supported and encouraged Nicole were pivotal in her development as a leader. Don't write yourself or others out of the script - As General Matthews told Nicole, "Nobody wants to lead a scripted life." Embrace opportunities to dream big and take risks. Radical acceptance is key - When Nicole's military career ended unexpectedly, learning to accept the situation allowed her to move forward and find new purpose. Personal values guide your path - Nicole's core values of courage, compassion and curiosity have been instrumental in navigating life's challenges and reinventing herself.   CHAPTERS 00:00  The Journey of Leadership 02:01  Colonel Malachowski's Early Life and Aspirations 06:01  Navigating the Air Force Academy 09:46  Leadership Lessons from Soaring 14:07  Overcoming Challenges in Pilot Training 17:50  Key Leadership Experiences in the Air Force 21:59  Becoming a Thunderbird Pilot 25:47  Transitioning to Civilian Life 30:02  Advocacy and New Beginnings 34:09  Personal Values and Resilience 37:54  Final Thoughts on Leadership   NICOLE'S KEYS TO LEADERSHIP SUCCESS Leadership is a journey that requires growth and learning. It's okay to admit mistakes and seek help. Resilience is key to overcoming challenges. Personal values guide decision-making and actions. Mentorship plays a crucial role in personal and professional development. Failure is often the price of entry for success. Authentic leadership is about understanding and connecting with people. The importance of representation in leadership roles. Transitioning to civilian life can be a new beginning. Embrace opportunities and seize the moment.   ABOUT NICOLE BIO Colonel Nicole Malachowski (USAF, Ret.) is a pioneering leader whose distinguished career spans combat aviation, military advocacy, and public service. As one of the first women to fly fighter jets, Nicole's journey included over 188 combat hours and multiple leadership roles, including F-15E Flight Commander, Instructor Pilot, and Flight Lead. She also made history as the first woman to fly with the USAF Thunderbirds. Throughout her career, Nicole demonstrated exceptional leadership, serving in high-level roles such as a White House Fellow and Executive Director of the ‘Joining Forces' program, where she advised the First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden on veterans' issues. After being medically retired due to a neurological Tick-Borne Illness, Nicole transitioned to a new mission: advocating for service members, veterans, and others impacted by chronic illnesses. She's a leader in the national Tick-Borne Disease community, serving on key advisory boards and government committees, and actively mentoring wounded veterans through the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program. Nicole is also a sought-after speaker, author, and consultant, sharing her experiences of overcoming adversity and breaking barriers to inspire the next generation of leaders. Her accomplishments include two master's degrees, induction into the Women in Aviation Pioneer Hall of Fame, and founding her own speaking and consulting firm. Today, Nicole continues to serve and lead, using her story to drive change and impact communities across the country.  - Adapted from Col. Malachowski's bio at nicholemalachowski.com   READ NICOLE'S FULL STORY HERE     CONNECT WITH NICOLE LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK  |  INSTAGRAM  |  NICOLE'S LINKTREE     ABOUT LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP Long Blue Leadership drops every two weeks on Tuesdays and is available on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn + Alexa, Spotify and all your favorite podcast platforms. Search @AirForceGrads on your favorite social channels for Long Blue Leadership news and updates!          ABRIDGED AUDIO TRANSCRIPT DOWNLOAD THE UNABRIDGED VIDEO TRANSCRIPT HERE  SPEAKERS GUEST:  Col. (Ret.) Nicole Malachowski '96  |  HOST:  Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99   SPEAKERS Naviere Walkewicz, Nicole Malachowski   Nicole Malachowski  00:11 You know, leadership is a journey. We're always put into positions that we're supposed to grow into. Don't think you have to be perfect to be a leader. It's okay to admit when you make mistakes, it's okay to ask for help, and it's okay to have failures, as long as you overcome them. And I like to remind folks at all levels of leadership, you know that the runway behind you is always unusable. All you ever have is the runway that's in front of you.   Naviere Walkewicz  00:34 My guest today is Colonel Retired Nicole Malachowski, USAFA class of '96. Her career has been nothing short of extraordinary. Colonel Malachowski is perhaps best known as the first woman to fly as a pilot with the Thunderbirds, a singular distinction that set her path to reaching even greater heights. However, what you might not know is that her journey took an unexpected turn when she faced a sudden life altering loss of her place in the Air Force. The challenges that followed were extreme and personal, but through them, Colonel malikowski demonstrated a resilience and strength that not only transformed her own life, but also empowered her to help others with their own struggles. In today's conversation, we'll dive deep into the personal and professional journey that led her to transition to civilian life, the lessons she learned from the hardships she faced along the way, and how she now advocates for others, sharing the wisdom she's gained from the tough battles she's fought and won. We'll also take a look back at her time at the academy, her experiences as a pilot and the leadership principles that have guided Colonel malikowski, she has become a powerful voice for resilience, perseverance and leadership, and I'm excited to hear her insights on all of these topics. Colonel Malachowski, may I call you Nicole?   Nicole Malachowski  02:34 Yes, please.   Naviere Walkewicz  02:34 Welcome to Long Blue Leadership, and thank you for being here.   Nicole Malachowski  02:37 Thank you for having me.   Naviere Walkewicz  02:38 It's a pleasure. It truly is. I think one of the things that's so exciting for our listeners is really getting to know you. And you know, I think there's no question about who you are in the media, I mean, all the things you've accomplished, but some things that are most special is when we just sit down and kind of get to know you behind the scenes.   Nicole Malachowski  02:53 Indeed, let's do it.   Naviere Walkewicz  02:54 So let's go back to even before the Academy. Where did you grow up? Where are you from? And what were you like as a little girl?   Nicole Malachowski  03:00 Sure, yeah. So I was actually born in central California, in a town called Santa Maria, and I was born, I consider very lucky, because I was born a woman in America, so there was a lot of opportunities, you know, afforded to me. Also very lucky to be born into a solid, you know, middle class family, you know, I was a kid who always had a roof over my head and food on the table, which makes it a lot easier, right, for you to seize opportunities and to be your best. And think it's important that we acknowledge that not everybody is born into that position. And so I was very, very lucky, I will tell you, I was definitely the loner, definitely an introvert. Always have been. A lot of people would be surprised by that, but I am a solid INFJ on the Myers Briggs, but as a young kid, just very quiet, kept to myself. I was very much a dreamer, very curious about things, so I loved to dive into books. I loved school. I was the kid that would take my lunch box, you know, out into the middle of the football field by myself and just stare up at the sky and the clouds moving by, and dream about things. I remember being in the Girl Scouts during junior high we moved down towards Southern California, where I learned about Civil Air Patrol, and then from there, in high school, we actually made a big move to Las Vegas, Nevada. I continued my time in Civil Air Patrol as a cadet, but also joined the Air Force Junior ROTC at my high school.   Naviere Walkewicz  04:16 I'm just drawn to this visual of you with your lunch box in the middle of the football field looking up at this guy. So were you dreaming about flying?   Nicole Malachowski  04:24 I was, you know, I went to an air show when I was five years old, and I remember seeing an f4 phantom fly by, and it flew by so low, and it was so loud, I had to cover my ears. And I remember, like, my chest rumbling, you know, the smell of jet fuel. And I remember thinking, man, like there's a person in there, like, I want to be, you know, that person. And I had come from a family that, you know, honored and respected military service. So both of my grandfathers were career military my father had been drafted into the army during Vietnam. So I knew that, like, you know, military service was honorable and noble and good. And when I discovered that that was a military plane. I remember as a kid putting one plus one is two. I'm like, wait, you can fly jets and serve in the military. That's what I'm going to be. And wow, that was around 1979 and that's right, there are no boundaries on things. So looking up at the sky, watching planes, and of course, in high school in particular, moving to Las Vegas, Nevada, because Nellis Air Force bases there. So, I mean, I would watch the red flag launches and watch how those jets fly. And of course, I would see the six ship of Thunderbirds flying by as a kid, thinking that was pretty cool. So to be honest, I set my sights on the Air Force Academy in elementary school.   Naviere Walkewicz  05:34 Oh, my goodness.   Nicole Malachowski  05:35 Yeah. So when I was five and decided to be a fighter pilot, you had decided, I mean, I was maniacally, maniacally focused. I did not have a backup plan. I am so lucky that things worked out because I have no idea what else I would have done, you know, with my career, but I remember in sixth grade, I wrote a letter to the Air Force Academy. They responded. The admissions office responded with a personalized letter letting me know I'm kind of young to apply now, but here's the application process. They sent me a whole bunch of Air Force Academy swag, and that was it sixth grade. I was going to the Air Force Academy, goodness, when you were actually old enough to apply. Now to the academy.   Naviere Walkewicz  06:13 Let's talk about that process. What was it like for you? Well, I mean, I think it was more exciting than anything else. I told you. I had stayed maniacally focused. I was very particular and organized about prioritizing how my application would look. So of course, I strove to have the good grades, and obviously stayed involved with the activities like Civil Air Patrol or participating in sports like running cross country and track, as well as doing, you know, community service type activities. So I was indeed focused on making sure that application looked good. I remember the thing I was probably the most nervous about were those interviews with your, you know, senators and your representatives, and wondering if I was going to be able to interview well. So I was, you know, putting my best foot forward. And I remember my senior year, it was approximately October, maybe coming up on November about this time, right? And I went to the mailbox to get the mail, and I had the application had already been in, right? Because everything was done before the fall, and I saw this giant envelope from the Air Force Academy. And I thought, No way, because it's only like October or November. And I started shaking, and I opened it right there at the mailbox. I had to go up the street. I opened it, and I feel bad because I think I littered like the envelope all over the street, but I remember opening it up, and the first line was, congratulations. You know, you've been accepted to the class of 1996 and I instantaneously just started crying and running as fast as I could back to my house.   Naviere Walkewicz  07:38 Had you been to the Academy prior to the acceptance?   Nicole Malachowski  07:41 No, never stood a foot on at all. And I remember when my parents came to drop me off for for Jacks Valley and everything basic training, when we came up over that hill, over Monument Hill, and you can see the chapel and the kind of imposing, you know, white buildings on a hill, I was like, Oh, wow, that's extraordinary. And I was really just excited. People ask, were you nervous that day? I was not, because I was just so happy that this, to me, was like the first step of the rest of my life. It was that first real step towards this goal of serving my country, you know, like people my family had, and getting to fly jets while I do it, how cool is that? I don't remember any highs or lows. I do remember I got my enjoyment becoming a cadet, you know, soaring instructor pilot.   Naviere Walkewicz  08:28 So let's talk about that. That is a, kind of a key leadership role as well.   Nicole Malachowski  08:32 Yes, that was my leadership role. So my senior year, I was the cadet soaring squadron commander. Oh, let's talk about Yes, yes. So obviously, between freshman, sophomore year, I signed up as soon as I could, you know, to take soaring, and when I discovered that you could actually apply to be a soaring instructor, and I remember that was a really like growth experience, because it's one thing to be able to fly a glider, it's another thing to be able to try to teach somebody how to do that. And I really, I I give a lot of credit to this, you know, sorry, instructor upgrade program teaching me the skills of, how do you communicate something technical? How do you communicate something hard, this idea that you need to be able to communicate it not just in one way, but two or three different ways, because each of your students is going to come at it with a different skill set or a different perspective or a different personality that responds to different type of teaching. So learning how to tailor your instruction and your care and your leadership to each individual was something I learned here, you know, as a sophomore, this idea that I would carry that on into my career as a leader and, you know, ultimately into being, you know, a fighter squadron commander. This tailored leadership actually started here, but soaring is what was my respite. Soaring is where I refilled that tank. It's one thing to be successful yourself. It's a whole different level to teach somebody else to be successful.   Naviere Walkewicz  09:55 So you knew you enjoyed Well, obviously you enjoyed the flying? And soaring, the leadership aspect, I think, was something that was new to you then. Or had you done that in Civil Air Patrol? Did you also have leadership there?   Nicole Malachowski  10:06 Yeah, I had leadership experience in Civil Air Patrol, but I think this was a different level. You know, my senior year becoming the cadet soaring squadron commander, it was really cool, because not only were you trying to take inputs from your peers and your colleagues on things we could improve or do differently, you know, valuing the other cadets opinions. But how do I translate that to leadership? How do I go now and talk to the real officers, the active duty officers in charge, and go, these are maybe resources we need, or things culturally, you know, that we need to change, and that was hard for me, you know, because I had never done that before. How do you advocate for your peers in a way that's understood, you know, by the active duty leadership. So that was really something that, again, would become important in my military career, because when you're put in a leadership role, you know, it's about, I think, advocating for the people who you are, you know, accountable for and responsible to, yes, and so how can you do that and do it in a way that it's received? Well, yes, you know, by the leadership above you,   Naviere Walkewicz  11:07 After you graduated from the Academy, you went on to pilot training.   Nicole Malachowski  11:11 I was slated to go early right after graduation, and I was a casual status Lieutenant flying gliders. Of course, went out for a jog and broke my ankle. So this would be my first kind of little, little detour. And I ended up, they offered me to go, to go to shepherd a lot later, or as soon as my ankle was healed, I could go to Columbus Air Force Base Mississippi right away. And I said, I gotta go, like, I cannot sit around and wait. I want to go to Columbus Air Force Base Mississippi. And everyone's like, what you're going to turn down, like, the chance of going to fighters to like, have to fight for it at Columbus. I like, I can't be stagnant. I need to go. So showed up at Columbus Air Force Base Mississippi, and again, really grateful for all of the flying experience that I had. I think that just those foundational procedures, you know, foundational knowledge, was vital to being a little more comfortable than other people that didn't have that experience. It was easy to be slightly ahead of the curve early on, but as I like to tell people, I fell flat on my face across the starting line my second check ride in pilot training, I failed. Now, pilot training at that time was about a year long. There were about 10 check rides, and at that time, failing one check ride, statistically, traditionally, would take you out of the running for graduating high enough to be a fighter pilot. This was devastating to me, and I remember even having fleeting moments that night of like, maybe I should just quit. Now this is, of course, the youth in me, right? I'm a 21 year old kid, and I'm just getting a little bit emotional about it, but if I can't be a fighter pilot and I just knock myself out of the running, I should quit. And I didn't call my parents because I didn't want to tell them I was too, like, embarrassed maybe, to say, like, hey, my dream that you all have supported is about to come to an end, because I messed up, and I made a really junior varsity mistake. And so I called my mentor, Sue Ross, and then she just let me talk, and she's like, are you done? And I'm done. And she goes, Well, are you going to do that again tomorrow? And I said, Sue, how am I supposed to get back in the jet tomorrow? How do I face my peers? I've been telling them I'm going to fly strike Eagles this whole time. Like this is so embarrassing. What if I fail again? What if I fail again tomorrow? And I remember, she talked me off the ledge, man, you know, and I came away. I came away with that conversation, realizing that indeed, I think I rarely believe failure is the price of entry for achieving something great, because if you have the right mindset, you come away with failures, I think a lot more committed, a lot more dedicated, a lot more focused, and I think a lot more humble, and all of those characteristics and traits are good things. You know, it worked out for me, and I did finish fourth in my class, and I had an extraordinary class. It was a time of great cultural change in the Air Force, because we were the first group of women to come through pilot training with the option of flying fighter aircraft.   Naviere Walkewicz  14:04 So talk about your time while you're in uniform. You had some key leadership positions. You were squadron commander. Can you share some of your stories with that and maybe even some high points and some lessons learned, where you as a leader felt that maybe, maybe it was a low point or a failure, but you grew from it?   Nicole Malachowski 14:20 Sure, sure. Yes. I mean, I had so many, you know, different fun assignments. You know, obviously when you're in your first fighter squadron, I got out at RAF Lake and Heath out there in England. I mean, what a rage right to be a lieutenant flying strike Eagles at 500 feet, 500 miles an hour, up Loch Ness, to live in the dream, you know, becoming in my second squadron, which was at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, becoming a, you know, flight lead and upgrading to instructor pilot. Very nervous to go into the instructor pilot upgrade. I went in very young. In fact, when I got to that squadron, the weapons officer said, hey, I want to put you in the instructor upgrade. And I was like, no. Away like I am not ready for that. I am not good enough for that. And I was new to the squadron. There were people technically older and more experienced than me. They were in the queue, and he wanted me to jump the queue, a guy by the name of Michael Jaggers, call sign, Mick, I'm still friends with him to this day, and I remember I avoided him. I avoided him like the plague because I did not want to upgrade to instructor. And I remember saying, Mick, I just am not sure I can do this. And he looked at me, and he said, it's not your job to get through it. It's not your job to get through it alone. It's my job. It's my job to ensure you have what it takes and what you need. It's my job to teach you to be a good instructor. So your success is going to be my success. I will not let you fail. What a glorious man, what a wonderful instructor. And the lesson learned here to people is this, believe those who believe in you. Believe those who believe in you.   Naviere Walkewicz  15:52 It's true, though it really is. And those people, I think sometimes your trajectory can change or just like, accelerate, because someone gave you a little bit of courage that you just needed that little piece.   Nicole Malachowski 16:03 And to learn as I gained experience and credibility how to replicate that and how to be that person for other people, right? Because it's about turning around. It really is about lifting up other people. Your success isn't your own. It's how can you help other people achieve the best of themselves? And that's what you know Mikey and Mick did for me. And of course, the rest, you know, being history, because then I had the credentials I needed to apply to be a Thunderbird. And then from the Thunderbirds, I could become a commander, yada yada, you know, but being an instructor pilot, again, in the F 15 e how extraordinary to teach a brand new pilot or WSO, not only to fly the aircraft, to how to employ it as a weapon system and then to turn around and go to war with them. There's no bigger honor. There's nothing, I think, more humbling than that.   Naviere Walkewicz  16:49 Can you share something that maybe you learned from the perspective of how to lead better?   Nicole Malachowski 16:55 So let's be honest, when you go into a fighter squadron, things are a little bit one note, right? I mean, we all are cut from a similar cloth. We all kind of have similar personality traits. You know, you don't want your fighter pilots any other way, putting the effort into understanding what drives and motivates individuals. So learning at that age how to put your arms around everybody that you're responsible for, not just the ones that maybe are easiest to lead, or maybe the ones you're the most comfortable, you know, interacting with as a leader is, how do I figure it out? You know, there were some guys that, if I were to call them on up to the front of the room, in front of the whole squadron, to compliment them on something they did, maybe a check right they had. Or this goes for my fighter squadron command as well. You know, they would love it, right? Because it it was how they were extrinsically motivated, and that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that. If that's what they need, and that's what you need to do to get the best of their strengths and best of their commitment go for it. And then were others that low? If I were to bring them in front of their peers to compliment them, they would shut down and never talk to me for the rest of the you know, their assignment. And so that's where I would take the time to write a handwritten note, maybe put it on the seat of their Humvee, or put it in their helmet, you know, in the fighter squadron. And then when they'd see me walking down the hallway, we give the knowing nod that they were acknowledged for their awesome, whatever it was, and we would move on.   Naviere Walkewicz  18:13 Yes. And so what I'm hearing, in a really, kind of summarizing way, is leadership is personal.   Nicole Malachowski 18:19 Very. it's all about people and it's about authenticity and connections.   Naviere Walkewicz  18:25 So speaking about personal and authenticity, I'd be remiss if we didn't talk about your journey to the Thunderbirds.   Nicole Malachowski  18:31 I knew this was gonna come.   Naviere Walkewicz  18:32 It's here, and so you know it is. It's a different time. There was no woman Thunderbird pilot before you.   Nicole Malachowski 18:40 I grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, so the Thunderbirds were part of the backdrop. I knew that the Thunderbirds, you know, as a kid, were special and were considered, you know, elite. And kind of going back to my personality, I love being told that, you know, you can't do things. And the truth is, people laugh at this, but the truth is, when I applied to be a Thunderbird, I did it because the way my career was going, I wasn't ready to, I wasn't on timeline to go to ide yet or to go to ACSC, but I had, like, a weird year kind of gap, and I didn't they didn't really know what to do with me. I didn't know what to do with them, and my husband was going to be PCs in the Nellis. This is, like, a true story. Wow. I know people want me to say, well, I had this big, long dream when I was Thunderbird. Also thought about it was always in the background. Is something that, you know, wasn't, was an option. And I, you know, because of a lot of people who put a lot of effort into me, I was indeed qualified, you know, to get in there and to give it a try. But it wasn't something that was like an ultimate goal. I did not know they had not had a woman Thunderbird pilot when I applied, did not even occur to me. Remember, I had never known an Air Force without women fighter pilots in it. That's right, that's and we had all achieved the age where we had acquired the hours needed, and it just lined up with the timing. And I'm like, Well, that would be kind of fun and different to do. And. So I always tell people, you know, when you get those butterflies in your stomach that says, This could be something cool, something different, that is your cue to go do it. Don't worry about what anybody else is saying. And so, you know, I was able to put that application in. And in fact, I was I put that application in, and when I went and told everyone I was going to apply, generally speaking, people were really tickled and happy and happy and supportive. But as the days went by, people started to think about it. I heard, you know, it's too hard to be a Thunderbird, you probably won't get picked. I mean, statistically, no one gets picked to do that. They've never had a woman before. Are you sure you want to do that and this and that? And I remember the day I turned my application in. This was back when you still had hard copies, and you still had to mail them, okay, 2005 took it over to the group commander's Chief of Staff, slid it across the desk. I was super nervous, because the voice in my head was like, Nicole, other people become Thunderbird pilots, not you. That was the other people become Thunderbird pilots, not you. What are you doing? Why are you risking this? But I kept thinking, what's the worst that's going to happen? I don't get picked, like most people don't get picked, and I go back to flying strike Eagles with my community, which I love, like life is good, right? Either way, it's a win, win. So as I slid that application across the desk, said, I'm applying to be a Thunderbird. Here's my application. I remember the staff looked up to me and said, you know Nicole, It's hard to be a Thunderbird. You know Nicole, you probably won't get picked. And the exact words were, you know Nicole, they've never had a woman before, and the colonel can only stratify one person in that moment. Let's, I think there's leadership lessons here, because this person was not trying to be mean, right? What was coming out was, I think the unconscious bias all of us have to check ourselves on every day at all ages. I think what was coming out were the cultural paradigms of the Air Force at that time. And I think what was coming out, you know, were other people's expectations about what I should or shouldn't be doing. And in that moment, the truth is, I grabbed my application and I took it back, I went across to the officers club and grabbed a beer like any good fighter pilot would, and I remember thinking, thank God I didn't put myself out there. Thank God Nicole, you know, now I'm a 30 year old captain, so I'm still a young person, you know. Thank God you didn't risk failure. Who are you to think you could be a Thunderbird, silly girl, right? And in that moment, the weirdest thing happened. And I tell this story on stage, sometimes the door opened to the officers club, and in walk the Wing Commander, Brigadier General Mark Matthews, for whatever reason, comes over and starts talking to me. Now, this is weird, right? I'm a captain. He's a brigadier general. I don't know why he was talking to me, you know, like walking amongst the people that day, or, you know, just making small talk. And so I'm trying to hold my own talking to him a little bit nervous. It's a little you're probably still feeling a little bit down from totally down. And in that moment, over walks my squadron commander, a wonderful man by the name of Dan Debree. His call sign was, trash. Get it? Trash, debris. Trash. Walks over, super excited, very supportive of my application. And he's like, Hey, General, did you know Nicole's applying to be a Thunderbird now? Man, I mean, you could have slowed down time. I was like, ixnay on the underbird Fae like, this is terrible. Neither of these guys knew that I had removed my application. And Dan's standing there all proud. He's my squadron commander supporting me. A great man again. And Mark Matthews looks down at me, general Matthews, and he goes, that's great. How's your application going? And I'm like, I looked at him, and here's what happened. I said, you know, sir, it's hard to be thunder, but I probably won't get picked. They haven't had a woman, so I don't want to waste anybody's time.   Naviere Walkewicz  23:11 Oh, you said, I said it.   Nicole Malachowski  23:13 I said all of it. And this is kind of an embarrassing story to tell, but I'm just this is the truth, right? This is the vulnerable truth of how this happened. And and he looked down at me, and I will never forget this. And I hope folks listening who have big dreams and gnarly goals remember this. He looked down at me and he said, Nicole, actually. He said, Fifi. My call sign, Fifi. Nobody wants to lead a scripted life. And he walked away and left me in extraordinarily uncomfortable silence. And those words nobody wants to lead a scripted life have become my life's mantra. Every time I get the knot in my stomach that says that dreams too big or that idea is too innovative, don't rock the boat, I remember what he said, because those words, like they lifted the weight of the world off my shoulders, told me it was okay to dream big. It was okay to buck the status quo. It was okay to be different. He was telling me, it's okay to risk failure in pursuit of personal professional growth, and it's not so much. I think he's telling you and me to write ourselves into the script. What he was saying was, don't ever write yourself out of the script. And as leaders and teammates, don't you ever write anybody else or their wild ideas out of the script, either. And so nobody wants to lead a scripted life. And I, I hope what you're hearing in these stories, and maybe what I'm realizing just chatting with you, is these little turning points, these pivot moments where these really important people, the mark Matthews, you know, the Mikey whiteheads, the Mick Jaggers, the Sue Rosses, the Kim Jamesons, they all come at that right moment. You got to be open to that you know, and and how important your actions and your words are to making or breaking somebody else's journals.   Naviere Walkewicz  24:48 Yes, yeah, so you took that application back.   Nicole Malachowski 24:52 Sure did. Sure did. I did not get the number one stratification from the colonel, but I did from the general. And. So that worked out for me. When I really started thinking about, I think I was putting myself back in the kid in high school with her brown bag lunch out on the football field watching the Thunderbirds fly over that can tend to see that those six jets smoked behind in red, white and blue, screaming over your high school. You know, you wanted to be a fighter pilot. Since you're a kid, I'm staring up at them, thinking, there's people up there. You know, I want to be one of those people. This idea that there would be a little kid watching me as a Thunderbird pilot, and maybe someday go, maybe I could fulfill whatever my dream is. Maybe I could join the Air Force too, a little girl going, maybe I could be a fighter pilot someday. And I think the gravity and the weight of the mission of the Thunderbirds started to really impact me, because it had indeed impacted me as a kid, and the idea that I could be a part of that. And I think the other thing was, and maybe this sounds cheesy or trite, but it's not, you know, sitting at Al UD, drinking my one beer at three in the morning after I land from my night combat mission, sitting with all these great Americans from all over the country, from every different background, and thinking, I could go tell their story, and that's what Thunderbirds get to do. You get to represent the world's greatest Air Force and tell the stories of these airmen who are out there getting the job done, those tech piece those crew chiefs, you know, the folks that are working at the tower, the folks in the food hall, our medical professionals, the cyber the whole thing, right? And all of a sudden it got really exciting to me, like I could go out there with this team, with this mission, and we could represent our friends with the honor and the dignity and the respect that they deserve. And I think those two things kind of collided together, and I started getting really excited about excited about this Thunderbird thing. Ended up back at Lake and Heath painfully excruciating waiting for the vinyls. And when we got back from Iraq, they give you the kind of three weeks of downtime. My husband was a gracious man and took me on a Cruise of the Baltic Sea. We're sitting in our cabin in Oslo Norway, and the phone in the cabin rings. The phone in your cabin, phone in my cabin rings. It's about 10 o'clock at night, but full sun outside, because it's summertime in Norway. And immediately we looked at each other, and both of our heart we've talked about this, both our hearts sank, because why does a phone call come to military people on vacation? It's not never it's never good. Yeah, and I was a flight commander at the time. So was he we immediately thought something disastrous had happened, an aircraft accident, a death, you know, a car accident. And we let it ring another time, and he's like, You need to pick it up. And I picked it up. And I said, Hello. And they go, is this Captain malikowski? I said, Yes. And they go standby for the commander of Air Combat Command. Oh my gosh. And I looked at my husband, and I was like, What is going on? Well, I knew this was the consolation call. There was, I think, I think there was five or six of us who had made it to finals. Three people were getting good position. The other were not. And it is tradition that the commander of Air Combat Command calls all six, coach is very gracious and professionally courteous. And so I thought this was my consolation call. So I'm waiting, and it feels like an eternity, and all of a sudden I hear Stevie there, and I said, Yes. He goes, Ron keys which was General. Ron Keyes, Commander, Air Combat Command. I'm a young captain. I'm like, you've got to be kidding me. And I go, sir, how are you? He goes. We have a pretty amazing Air Force that we can find you in the middle of the Oslo Norway fjord, don't we? I said, Yes, sir, we do. He goes. Well, I know you're on vacation, so I want to keep it simple. I want to offer you a job. And I said, Yes, sir. He goes. How would you like to be Thunderbird number three? And I said, I stayed as professional as I could in my voice, but I was looking at my husband gesticulating, jumping up and down like you're not gonna believe I said, Sir, I would absolutely love that. He goes, Okay, great. You're the next Thunderbird number three. Look forward to watching you fly and get back to your vacation. And he hung up the phone. You know, the Thunderbirds are, at that time, 125 people from 25 different career fields who came together to make that mission happen. Wow, never been in a squadron with that many high performing, highly motivated people in my life. I am still dear friends with my crew chief, still friends with people on the team. It is such a crucible experience. It's a one off, you know. Well, fast forward. Finish up the Thunderbirds. I get a phone call. He goes, it's Viking blurling. I'm like, How the heck did this guy that I met once get my phone he goes, Hey, when I was an Air Force officer, a young fighter pilot, I did acse as a White House fellow, and I think you should be a White House fellow. I said, Well, what's the White House Fellowship? So he explains it to me, and I'm like, there is no way I will get picked as one of 12 to 15 people across the United States, across all career fields, including civilians, to be a White House fellow. Colin Powell was a White House fellow. I am not a White House fellow. This is ridiculous. So I entertained his conversation. He says, I want you to think about I'm gonna call you back tomorrow, same time. Boom. Phone rings. Viking borling, you're applying to be a White House fellow, no, sir. I'm not. Third day ping. Phone calls. You're applying to be a White House fellow. Anyways, I applied to be a White House fellow. Went through that whole process, semi finals, regional panel interviews, and then the finals, and was selected to be a White House fellow. I got assigned outside of the White House to the US, General Services, Administration, yes, like, it was exciting. And I was like, this is where the nuts and bolts happen? Well, the GSA also runs what's called the office of the president elect. Between election and inauguration, the incoming president and their team needs to have a place to get ready, like our current incoming administration is doing. It's a physical office building where they make decisions about cabinet secretaries, or they get their intelligence briefings and all of that. Guess who got put on the presidential transition support team to be up close and personal for the peaceful transition of power between George Bush and Barack Obama? Wow. The extraordinary part about the White House Fellowship was most of the fellows were civilian, and I had been nothing but military since I was 17 years old and showed up at the Air Force Academy. So to be able to look at leadership and teamwork and professionalism from a completely different lens, to see how people from the education field or from healthcare would solve a problem was fascinating. You know, we in the military can look to solve problems a very specific way, and a lot of us are a little bit very specific in how we do it. And so to learn how to look at problems and solve things in different ways was extraordinary.   Naviere Walkewicz  31:23 So your career trajectory is just really incredible. Because you've kind of talked about how you've been put in these places based off of circumstance, but then when you get there, it's all about, how do you make the most of it, seize the opportunity and see what's available.   Nicole Malachowski  31:38 A lot of times, you know, as human beings, we go, Well, I don't have this, or I can't do this right now, or not resource this way, man, find a way. Yeah, ask yourself the right question. What is it I can do right now with what I have?   Naviere Walkewicz  31:49 Well, that makes me feel like that's a really good lead into kind of what circumstantially happened to you, unexpectedly. Yes, so you're medically retired from the Air Force. Do you want to talk about how that happened?   Nicole Malachowski  32:00 And sure, sure, you know, the the greatest honor of my career was serving as the commander of the 3/33 fighter squadron. I enjoyed that, and I remember also during that time being physically fit, mentally fit, spiritually fit. And I remember feeling ill in the summer of 2012 like I had the flu, but within three months, I started having severe neurological problems, so things like word finding, slurring my words, inability to read write, inability to type, dropping things with my right hand, dragging my right leg, getting lost, driving home, and I remember going into a grocery store and having a complete panic attack because I didn't know what a grocery store was or why I was in there so very Alzheimer's dementia like symptoms. So in fact, what was happening was my brain was becoming inflamed with an infection. So over the next four years, my symptoms would wax and wane. They would come and go, they would change in severity. Obviously, I could no longer fly. I was grounded, but they said, Hey, you can stay in the Air Force. You just can't fly. And I said, that's great, because honestly, I just want to lead airmen. Lead airmen and be a part of a team. So, you know, there's a lot of details, you know, to this story, but my symptom list was like 63 symptoms long, covering every system in my body. And so they cast the net wide, and that's where tick borne illness came into it. And at that time, I was in a wheelchair. I couldn't talk. My husband was wheeling me around, and I remember when the doctor said, we come on in. We have the diagnosis. We know what's wrong with her. The doctor says she'll never fly again. And my husband said, Well, how long until she's better? And she goes, Well, treatment is going to take at least two years. And it was in that moment, it wasn't that I wasn't going to fly again, that hurt. But when they said two years, I knew that the military was going to medically retire me, I knew it was over, and I couldn't speak or say anything, and I was just devastated. I remember my goal was to be the commandant of the Air Force Academy. That was my dream. And all that just came crashing, you know, crashing down. And in that moment, so for nine months I couldn't walk, talk, read or write. I spent another year and a half in rehab, and during that time, obviously went through my medical evaluation board, but I was medically retired, I fought to stay in and then I realized my body wasn't gonna let me and once I accepted that it was over, you know, I was able to move forward so radical acceptance was a hard thing to come by. But the day of my retirement, December 29 2017 came, I was home alone because I was bedridden and house bound for two years. Um, was very hurtful. Remains hurtful. How my Air Force career ended. I love the Air Force based on all the stories that I told, but this moment is very painful for me. It still is. And, you know, I thought, well, what are you going to do about it? You know, you can't. Change that you were bit by tick, can't change that you have a brain injury. What are you going to do? Girl, you know, the fighter pilot in you is not going to quit. And that's when I decided, well, I'm going to, you know, I got to do something. And the phone rang, and the phone rang, and it was during this time, a gal by the name of Buff Bucha, retired colonel, had been in a helicopter accident broke her neck in Afghanistan. She said, Hey, how you doing? I said, I'm not good. She goes talk to me, and I remember for two hours just vomiting everything out to this person I didn't really know very well. Well, she was calling from the Air Force Wounded Warrior program, wow, and the Wounded Warrior program swooped in to save me, and I ended up becoming a trained ambassador and a trained mentor, which I still am to this day. I'm able to help other airmen who are being discharged, but I just want to give a shout out to the Air Force wind Warrior Program, psychologically and mental health wise, I don't know that I would have recovered, and that I would have recovered to the place that I am today without them. And so I want for the active duty, listening for people in the reserve and the guard. It is for you, yeah, it is for everyone, and it is literally a life saving program.   Naviere Walkewicz  32:45 Maybe talk about what you've been doing then since.   Nicole Malachowski  36:16 Yeah, I do leadership consulting and professional speaking, but predominantly, that helps pay the bills, and I enjoy it. Predominantly, I do patient advocacy work at the national level, so I'm on several government boards. I'm on several nonprofit panels. We've tripled them, and IH funding through the state and like TicK Act and things like that. I'm currently on a National Academies of Science Committee. Can't talk about that because our report will come out in the spring. I hope everyone will read it. But Lyme disease, I went from being a fighter pilot to being an expert on ticks and Lyme disease. Who knew the path to success is always going to be non linear.   Naviere Walkewicz  36:49 Yes, you also mentioned you have children. You have twins. Do so how is it talk about, like family life in this new kind of in the way that you're working now, right? You're not in uniform anymore. You're still pushing amazing things forward. You're consulting what's it like being a mom?   Naviere Walkewicz  37:06 Man, it's harder, it is harder to raise 14 year old twins than it is to get shot at  in combat, I will tell you that. So you know, the person that's been missing in this whole time we've been talking is the most important person in my life, which is my husband, Paul. So we will be married. We just, yeah, just had our anniversary. 23 years. I met him in my first fighter squadron in the late 90s. He's an F-15E WSO. So we met flying together. And my biggest cheerleader, my biggest supporter, the greatest human being on Earth, is my husband, Paul.   Naviere Walkewicz  37:38 I want to talk about this resurgence, because I feel like that is really important for some of our listeners. When they're, you know, they're thinking about you said you got to know who you are and what's important to you. And how did you get to that clarity?   Nicole Malachowski 37:52 You really need to be able to answer the question, what is it I value and why? And I'm talking about your personal values, the ones that you're going to wake up with every day and go, these are my values. And so I'll tell you what mine are. Mine are courage and compassion and curiosity, and I developed those as I went through this deep thinking and deep reinvention, when I lost my career and compassion, courage and curiosity are what drive me today.   Naviere Walkewicz  38:18 We'll ask for Nicole's thoughts on reinvention, resilience and leadership. But before we do that, I'd like to take a moment and thank all of you for listening to long blue leadership. The podcast publishes on Tuesdays in both video and audio, and is available on all your favorite podcast platforms. Watch or listen to all episodes of Long blue leadership and subscribe at longblue leadership.org so we have had an incredible journey together, and really where we'd like to go. One final thought on leadership, if you might, leave your listeners with something about leadership, and I can say just from being in this short amount of time with you, your your 3 Cs are coming out in spades, your compassion, your curiosity and your courage. So thank you.   Nicole Malachowski  39:01 Thank you. You know leadership is a journey. We're always put into positions that we're supposed to grow into. Don't think you have to be perfect to be a leader. It's okay to admit when you make mistakes, it's okay to ask for help, and it's okay to have failures, as long as you overcome them. And I like to remind folks at all levels of leadership, you know that the runway behind you is always unusable. All you ever have is the runway that's in front of you.   Naviere Walkewicz  39:25 Well said, well said, Thank you so much for being on long blue leadership.   Nicole Malachowski  39:29 Thank you for having me. And here's a shout out to the current cadets that are working hard up on the hill, yeah, wishing them best and hoping they take it one day at a time.   Naviere Walkewicz  39:36 Absolutely. And for our listeners, I mean, I think that it's, it's it's certainly one thing to say, you know, you get to meet these incredible leaders, but my ask of you is to share this with your networks, because it's great if you felt something and you've had an impact in your life, but imagine the magnitude you can have by sharing some of the stories of our leaders like Nicole today with your networks and the change we can make together. So until next time, thanks for being on. Long blue leadership, thank you for joining us for this edition of long blue leadership. The podcast drops every two weeks on Tuesdays and is available on all your favorite podcast apps. Send your comments and guest ideas to us at social media@usafa.org, and listen to past episodes at longblueleadership.org.   KEYWORDS leadership, resilience, resurgence, Air Force Academy, mentorship, aviation, women in military, pilot training, overcoming adversity, personal growth, fighter pilot, mentorship, leadership, Thunderbirds, women in military, self-doubt, White House Fellowship, WASP, Air Force, personal growth, diversity, WASP, Air Force, medical retirement, resilience, leadership, Lyme Disease, tick-borne illness, self-discovery, personal values, reinvention, advocacy         The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation    

Joe Hasting General Agronomist ACSC #s

Learn about ACSC's '25 Redistricting Process and access FAQ, timelines, committee meeting recaps, and much more. Discover the backstory of the redistricting project — ACSC's history of  growth — on our strategic expansion webpage.

Salt Typhoon infiltrates US ISPs. Researchers hack the connected features in Kia vehicles.WiFi portals in UK train stations suffer Islamophobic graffiti. International partners release a joint guide for protecting Active Directory. A key house committee approves an AI vulnerability reporting bill. India's largest health insurer sues Telegram over leaked data. HPE Aruba Networking patches three critical vulnerabilities in its Aruba Access Points. OpenAI plans to restructure into a for-profit business. CISA raises the red flag on Hurricane Helene scams. Our guest is Ashley Rose, Founder & CEO at Living Security, on the creation of Forrester's newest cybersecurity category, Human Risk Management. The FTC says “Objection!” to the world's first self-proclaimed robot lawyer. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest Our guest is Ashley Rose, Living Security's Founder & CEO, talking about the creation of Forrester's newest cybersecurity category, Human Risk Management. Read Ashley's blog. Learn more on The Forrester Wave™: Human Risk Management Solutions, Q3 2024.   Selected Reading China-Backed Salt Typhoon Targets U.S. Internet Providers: Report (Security Boulevard) Millions of Vehicles Could Be Hacked and Tracked Thanks to a Simple Website Bug (WIRED) Public Wi-Fi operator investigating cyberattack at UK's busiest train stations (The Rgister) ASD's ACSC, CISA, and US and International Partners Release Guidance on Detecting and Mitigating Active Directory Compromises (CISA) House panel moves bill that adds AI systems to National Vulnerability Database (CyberScoop) India's Star Health sues Telegram after hacker uses app's chatbots to leak data (Reuters) HPE Aruba Networking fixes critical flaws impacting Access Points (Bleeping Computer) Exclusive: OpenAI to remove non-profit control and give Sam Altman equity (Reuters) OpenAI's technology chief Mira Murati, two other research executives to leave (Reuters) CISA Warns of Hurricane-Related Scams (CISA) DoNotPay must pay $193,000 to settle false claim charges from FTC. (The Verge) Share your feedback. We want to ensure that you are getting the most out of the podcast. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey as we continually work to improve the show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at cyberwire@n2k.com to request more info. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

STEPHEN CARVER B.Sc M.Sc C.Eng EurIng FIRM FAPM - is rated as one of the top 3 lecturers at one of Europe's top MBA Business Schools. He has a reputation of taking complex management concepts such as Project, Programme and Crisis Management and being able to distil them down, into highly informative and fun lectures - often using “storytelling” techniques. His attitude is “if you haven't done it – you shouldn't be teaching it!”He has lectured to the British armed forces pro bono for the last 20 years – and is rated as top lecturer on ACSC and ICSC. He has lectured at almost every UK military base including Shrivenham, Hereford, Conningsby, Devonport, Cosford, Uxbridge, Faslane, Falklands, Germany, Erbil and Valley. He recently shared a lively stage debate with Charles Haddon Cave at Shrivenham discussing ethical leadership.Unusually, for an academic, he has actually spent most of his working life in real business. He started as an engineer in the offshore oil business and then worked his way up the corporate ladder at Virgin and then Halliburton reporting directly into the CEO. He still runs his own, highly successful, Project Management company working with organisations from Banks and Law firms to manufacturing and pharma.Stephen is an unusual blend of Academic, Businessman and Teller of Tales. He has taught in almost every country in the World, and has appeared on National Radio and TV.you can reach Stephen HERE or via email at stephen.carver@cranfield.ac.uk We only feature the latest 200 episodes of the podcast on public platforms so to access our podcast LIBRARY, every Debrief & document CLICK HEREPODCAST GIFT - Get your FREE subscription to essential Firefighting publications HEREA big thanks to our partners for supporting this episode.GORE-TEX Professional ClothingMSA The Safety CompanyPATROL STORE UKIDEXHAIX FootwearGRENADERIP INTO Podcast ApparelLyfe Linez -  Get Functional Hydration FUEL for FIREFIGHTERS, Clean no sugar  for daily hydration. 80% of people live dehydrated and  for firefighters this costHibern8 - a plant based sleep aid specially designed to promote a restful night's sleep and awaken you feeling refreshed and energisedPlease support the podcast and its future by clicking HERE and joining our Patreon Crew

In this week's Security Sprint, Dave and Andy covered the following topics: Warm Start:   CISA: Shaping the legacy of partnership between government and private sector globally: JCDC   Main Topics:   International Security Incidents: Solingen: Main suspect behind deadly attack in custody Three dead after stabbing attack at festival in western Germany German police arrest boy accused of knowing about knife attack in advance French police arrest synagogue blast suspect Explosions Outside a France Synagogue Were a Terrorist Attack, Prosecutors Say Suspect Caught On CCTV In French Synagogue Attack Held Palestinian Flag: Source Close To Probe US ‘kinetic strike' takes out senior leader of terrorist group aligned with al Qaeda in Syria Iran says 14 Daesh suspects arrested planning attacks Four Islamic State Terrorists ‘Liquidated' By Russian Snipers After Taking Prison Guards Hostage: REPORT NATO airbase in Germany raises security level due to 'potential threat.' Hamas said to decide to target Israelis abroad in bid to avenge Haniyeh killing   Forgotten radios and missed warnings: New details emerge about communication failures before Trump rally shooting. The day before the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, a tactical team of local police officers set aside radios for their Secret Service partners so the two agencies could communicate during the former president's July 13 campaign rally. But those radios were never picked up.   Invest in Resilience! Cyber Resilience Overestimation Leads to Business Continuity Issues, Ransom Payments Corvus: Q2 Cyber Threat Report: Ransomware Season Arrives Early Kroll: Q2 2024 Threat Landscape Report: Threat Actors Do Their Homework, Ransomware and Cloud Risks Accelerate Rapid7: Selling Ransomware Breaches: 4 Trends Spotted on the RAMP Forum Malwarebytes / ThreatDown: Why you need to know about ransomware NCC Group Monthly Threat Pulse – Review of July 2024 WithSecure: Ransomware Landscape H1/2024   Quick Hits: From cybercrime to terrorism, FBI director says America faces many elevated threats 'all at once' ASD's ACSC, CISA, FBI, and NSA, with the support of International Partners Release Best Practices for Event Logging and Threat Detection Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Detonating an Explosive Device Outside of the Alabama Attorney General's Office VFC: Bomb Threats at Jewish Institutions Bomb threats reported at more than 100 Canadian Jewish institutions Oregon Man Charged in Swatting and Bomb Threats Scheme That Targeted Jewish Hospitals in New York City and Long Island Arizona man in custody amid investigation into alleged threats to kill former President Donald Trump Iran Tries To 'Storm' U.S. Election With Russian-Style Disinformation Campaign Meta: Taking Action Against Malicious Accounts in Iran How Russian Trolls Are Trying to Go Viral on X Trump attorney was targeted by hackers, sources say ‘Several opportunities' to prevent Maine mass shooting were missed, commission finds International report confirms record-high global temperatures, greenhouse gases in 2023

A Wordpress plugin vulnerability puts 5 million sites at risk. Google releases an emergency Chrome update addressing an actively exploited vulnerability. Cisco patches multiple vulnerabilities. Researchers say Slack AI is vulnerable to prompt injection. Widely used RFID smart cards could be easily backdoored. The FAA proposes new cybersecurity rules for airplanes, engines, and propellers. A member of the Russian Karakurt ransomware group faces charges in the U.S. The Five Eyes release a guide on Best Practices for Event Logging and Threat Detection. The Kremlin claims widespread online outages are due to DDoS, but experts think otherwise. In our Threat Vector segment, guest host Michael Sikorski speaks with Jason Healey, Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. A deadbeat dad dodges debt through death.  Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. Threat Vector Segment In this Threat Vector segment, guest host Michael Sikorski, CTO of Unit 42, engages in a thought-provoking conversation about the historical challenges and advances in cyber conflict with Jason Healey, Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. To listen to their full conversation, check out the episode here. You can catch new episodes of Threat Vector every Thursday on the N2K CyberWire network.  Selected Reading Critical Privilege Escalation in LiteSpeed Cache Plugin (Patchstack) Google fixes ninth Chrome zero-day exploited in attacks this year (The Register) Cisco Patches High-Severity Vulnerability Reported by NSA (SecurityWeek) Slack AI can leak private data via prompt injection (The Register) Major Backdoor in Millions of RFID Cards Allows Instant Cloning (SecurityWeek) FAA proposes new cybersecurity rules for airplanes (The Record) U.S. charges Karakurt extortion gang's “cold case” negotiator (Bleeping Computer) ASD's ACSC, CISA, FBI, and NSA, with the support of International Partners Release Best Practices for Event Logging and Threat Detection (CISA) Kremlin blames widespread website disruptions on DDoS attack; digital experts disagree (The Record) Deadbeat dad faked his own death by hacking government sites (The Register) Share your feedback. We want to ensure that you are getting the most out of the podcast. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey as we continually work to improve the show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at cyberwire@n2k.com to request more info. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is part two of our ‘cross examination' of Ms Abigail Bradshaw, head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre. In this episode, Abi notes that “a cyber criminal will attack the networks you have, not the network you think you have”. Such an important perspective! We also look at the role of the ACSC, the benefit of threat intelligence sharing and the way in which the ACSC can assist an entity (both with advice, technical assistance or disruptive actions). Abi also calls out her top 6 non-negotiables for building cyber resilience. Fantastic content.

In this episode, we talk to Ms Abigail Bradshaw, the Head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC). Throughout her career, Abi has held a number of critical security related positions, including within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and various senior roles in the Department of Home Affairs. Ms Bradshaw began her career in the Royal Australian Navy, was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in 2005 and holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Asian Studies. A fascinating start to a remarkable career in the public service. In this episode (part 1 of 2), Abi talks about her career and the increasing relevance of the ACSC. She provides a unique perspective to the cyber challenge, one that is based on resilience uplift across the economy. As always, it was great to speak with Abi and I know you'll enjoy the discourse. Cross examining Ms Abi Bradshaw (Part 1). Here we go…

Send us a Text Message.Coming from a strong military family, Tom entered the Air Force just after the Vietnam War ended.  Now, the US military could concentrate all it's attention on it's biggest threat, the Soviet Union.  Tom's first assignment was in northern Maine, one of the last lines of defense during the Cold War.  He then was sent to various other bases throughout the US, where he tested air launch nuclear missiles and spent time as an instructor.  After 20 years in the USAF, he retired but continued to work as a contractor, training new crew members in B-52 operations.  He has been associated with the B-52 for nearly half a century.If you have any questions, comments or ideas for future episodes, please contact me at: RememerMyNamePodcast@gmail.com

Send us a Text Message.In this episode, Stuart and Mena tackle the crucial topic of protecting your business from cybersecurity threats. With 59% of losses reported to the ACCC's Scamwatch in 2022 affecting small and micro businesses, they delve into common cybersecurity threats like ransomware, malicious software, phishing, and business email compromise. They highlight essential cybersecurity practices, such as regularly updating software, using strong passwords with multi-factor authentication, and backing up critical data.Stuart and Mena offer practical steps for implementation, including setting up automatic updates, using password managers, maintaining a regular backup schedule, and developing basic cybersecurity training for employees. They also discuss additional protection measures, such as getting an IT professional to review your risks and considering cyber liability insurance.The episode emphasises the importance of creating a cybersecurity policy and an incident response plan, outlining key elements and the necessity of being prepared for cyber incidents. They recommend resources and support, such as the Australian Cyber Security Hotline, the Digital Solutions - Australian Small Business Advisory Services program, and signing up for ACSC alerts and the Partnership Program.Tune in to learn how to safeguard your business against ever-evolving cyber threats and ensure your cybersecurity measures are robust and up-to-date.If this episode resonated with you, please leave a rating on your favourite podcast platform. It helps us reach more incredible listeners like you. Thank you for being a part of the journey! Click here to subscribe to our weekly email. SPECIAL OFFER: Buy a one of Stuart's books for ONLY $20 including delivery. Use the discount code blog here. Work with Mena & Stuart's team: At ProSolution Private Clients we encourage clients to adopt a holistic and evidence-based approach when making financial decisions. Visit our website. Follow us: Stuart: Twitter/X and LinkedIn. Mena: LinkedInIMPORTANT: This podcast provides general information about finance, taxes, and credit. This means that the content does not consider your specific objectives, financial situation, or needs. It is crucial for you to assess whether the information is suitable for your circumstances before taking any actions based on it. If you find yourself uncertain about the relevance or your specific needs, it is advisable to seek advice from a licensed and trustworthy professional.

In this week's Security Sprint, Dave and Andy talked about the following topics: Main Topics ⁠A Russian Influence Campaign Is Exploiting College Campus Protests⁠ ⁠FBI PSA: Foreign Terrorist Organizations and their Supporters Likely Heighten Threat Environment during 2024 Pride Month⁠, May 10, 2024 ⁠GW: Majority Of University Protesters Arrested Weren't Even Students, Police Say⁠ ⁠The network behind campus antisemitism⁠ ⁠Secret Hamas Files Show How It Spied on Everyday Palestinians⁠ ⁠Guidance for organisations considering payment in ransomware incidents⁠ ⁠U.S. Charges Russian National with Developing and Operating Lockbit Ransomware⁠ ⁠Increase of Lockbit ransomware attacks⁠ ⁠Ascension: Network Interruption Update⁠ ⁠Fitsec: Welcome to Fitsec's Akira Help⁠   First Responders Toolbox: ⁠Violent Extremists' Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence⁠. = o   ⁠Statement from NSC Spokesperson Adrienne Watson on the U.S.-PRC Talks on AI Risk and Safety⁠ o   ⁠US, China meet in Geneva to discuss AI risks⁠   ⁠Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 13 May 2024⁠ o   ⁠Abbeville: Parishioners stop teen armed with rifle from entering church during Mass⁠ o   ⁠Bomb Squad at Clearlake Baptist Church-Packaged Marked “Bomb” with Swastikas Brought Inside⁠   Quick Hits   Mass Gatherings Tool (CISA). https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/mass-gathering-security-planning-tool CISA updates: ⁠CISA and Partners Release Guidance for Civil Society Organizations on Mitigating Cyber Threats with Limited Resources⁠ ⁠Fact Sheet: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Releases Version 2 of the National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan⁠ ⁠Thompson, Swalwell Release Statement on the Biden Administration Releasing the First Cybersecurity Posture of the United States Report⁠ ⁠CISA wants ‘high-quality feedback' for another month on CIRCIA rule⁠   Secure by Design: CISA Unveils New Public Service Announcement – We Can Secure Our World. Today, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is pleased to launch ⁠We Can Secure Our World⁠. ⁠CISA Announces Secure by Design Commitments from Leading Technology Providers⁠ ⁠ASD's ACSC, CISA, and Partners Release Secure by Design Guidance on Choosing Secure and Verifiable Technologies⁠ ⁠CERT-NZ: Joint Guidance: Choosing Secure and Verifiable Technologies⁠ ⁠CISA Unveils New Public Service Announcement – We Can Secure Our World⁠ ⁠CISA boss: Secure code is the 'only way to make ransomware a shocking anomaly'⁠   Elections: o   ⁠Open Hearing: An Update on Foreign Threats to the 2024 Elections⁠ o   ⁠Exclusive: Homeland Security ramping up 'with intensity' to respond to election threats⁠ o   ⁠In Arizona, election workers trained with deepfakes to prepare for 2024⁠ o   ⁠Top FBI Official Urges Agents to Use Warrantless Wiretaps on US Soil⁠ o   ⁠MI: AG Nessel Charges Attorney Stefanie Lambert and Former Adams Township Clerk Scott for 2020 Election Voter Data Breach⁠.  o   ⁠The Answer to Election Deniers Is in an Idaho County Website⁠   RSAC 2024: ⁠Technology and the Transformation of U.S. Foreign Policy⁠ ⁠RSAC 2024: US Secretary of State Blinken advocates solidarity, not sovereignty, for cyber⁠ ⁠Volt Typhoon operation came up 'directly' in US-China talks, ambassador says⁠ ⁠Warner: Lawmakers 'in process' of finding Section 702 fix⁠ ⁠Cyber world heads to San Francisco⁠ ⁠RSAC 2024: AI adds new dimension to virus detection⁠ ⁠RSAC 2024: How to use AI without getting in trouble⁠ ⁠Readout of Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco's Trip to California and Participation in the 2024 RSA Cybersecurity Conference⁠ ⁠DHS, CISA Announce Membership Changes to the Cyber Safety Review Board⁠ ⁠Canadian Centre for Cyber Security⁠ ⁠Common employee IT security challenges (ITSAP.00.005)⁠ ⁠Zscaler takes "test environment" offline after rumors of a breach⁠ ·       ⁠Brown Pushes Biden Administration to Ban All Connected Vehicles From China And Vehicles Using Chinese Smart Technology⁠ ·       ⁠UK NPSA: Hostile Activity Mitigations⁠. Updated 10 May.  

This week's host, John Arndt, is joined by Emily Zugnoni to chat going from sailing passenger to sailing instructor. Emily is the Program Director at Alameda Community Sailing Center (ACSC), winner of the 2023 Outstanding Community Sailing Program award from US Sailing. Hear the differences in teaching kids and adults how to sail, what makes sailing so fun, the perks of having a sailing mentor, the most fun races she's competed in, and the time she had to cut her hair sailing. Learn more at SailAlameda.org and on Instagram and Facebook @SailAlameda

Bro Chat 16.0 - From the Boeing debacle, flying fighters, emergencies, and more.

Gary is originally from Texas and was an upper classman in CS-29, the Black Panthers (at that time). Upon graduation was assigned to Vance for UPT and kept there as a IP till he got an assignment to Eglin and F-15's. Luke, Osan, Langley, and Tyndall followed his flying career. once the desks loomed he transitioned to United Airlines. While at ACSC he hosted Hub Zemke at a Gathering of Eagles weekend. Gunter Rall, Gabby Gabrreski, and Jerry Johnson also were there. Look them up!

From Roman Britain to the streets of Paris, from there to Stalingrad in WWII, the Vietnam War's Tet Offensive, the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s, and then to Gaza. In this episode, I ask the following questions from my guest, Dr. Mary Elizabeth Walters: When did this term, urban warfare, enter our lexicon? Does urban warfare give one side a boost, an advantage that they might not have otherwise had in open terrain warfare? Are there special urban warfare military tactics? Does the U.S. military have special units specially trained for urban warfare? You've conquered a city - what next? How do you get out? What are some salient examples of modern warfare? Are there rules of engagement when it comes to urban warfare? How do hostages complicate urban warfare? In history, do we have examples of urban warfare in which the dominant party refrained from bombarding cities? What lessons can we glean from the history of urban warfare for the potential urban war in Gaza? If you wanted our audience to remember just one point about “urban warfare”, what would it be? Dr. Walters is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of International Security at the Air Command and Staff College. She received both her MA and PhD in military history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Walters is currently working on an oral history project exploring Operation Allies Welcome, the U.S. military support for the evacuation and resettlement of Afghans spanning 2021-2022. Her second book project, Hospitality is the Law of the Mountains: The 1999 Kosovo War, examines how Albanians – motivated by the Albanian concept of hospitality – took strangers into their homes and communities and changed the course of the refugee crisis. Before joining ACSC, Walters was an assistant professor in the History Department at Kansas State University. You can follow Dr. Walters here: https://twitter.com/mewalters101 Click here for videos & images of this podcast. Attrition Warfare: Earlier this year, when Russia's invasion of Ukraine turned into its 2nd year, I questioned whether or not that war was essentially becoming a war of attrition. And if so, then what's the history of attrition warfare? And which party may benefit from it? The weaker defending party? Or the stronger invading party? Dr. Sebastian Lukasik was my guest for that episode. He is a Professor in the Department of Leadership and Research Development at Air Command and Staff College. Listen here: https://bit.ly/HbN-S3E8s Adel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠History Behind News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcast & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SUPPORT⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here⁠ and join⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ our other supporters in the news peeler community. Thank you.

If you're thinking the title of this week's episode sounds distinctly like it's describing modern day espionage and intelligence agencies you would be right! We are super excited to share this exclusive conversation with Cyber Security leader, Abigail Bradshaw. Abi is Head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) which is part of the national Foreign Intelligence agency known as the Australian Signals Directorate. Abi describes her job as “revealing other peoples' secrets whilst protecting our own”. The agency she heads, the ACSC, is tasked with protecting Australia's communications and technology networks, and all Australians, from malicious cyber activity. That includes threats from both sovereign nations and cyber criminals.Suffice to say, Abi is a very busy person! Abi has had a fascinating career and is passionate about serving her country. She's also really passionate about seeing more women in leadership roles and is proud of the number of women who are working with her at the agency. In this episode you'll hear: How Abi's career journey took her from being a lawyer in the Navy to a key role in an intelligence agencyWhy Abi realised she had to change her leadership style significantly when she started her current role, The pros and cons of having to lock your mobile away all day; andHer seriously informed tips of how we can all protect ourselves from cyber crime. This really is a special episode so synchronise watches, put your phones on silent, and enjoy this conversation with the dynamic and patriotic Abigail Bradshaw.Useful LinksAustralian Signals Directorate website Australian Cyber Security Centre websiteFree cyber advice Link to TAFE Cyber Essential 8 course Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Security Detail, Kirsty and Audra take a look at the cyber threat landscape for the public sector from an Australian perspective. The episode features an interview with Dan Tripovich, who is currently the Assistant Director-General Standards, Technical Advice and Research (STAR) within the Australian Signals Directorate's Australian Cyber Security Centre Group. STAR Branch delivers ACSC's flagship publications, including the Australian Government Information Security Manual, the Essential Eight and Protective Cyber Security guidance to the Australian public. Dan is also responsible for the delivery of the ACSC's Research, International Standards and Technical Advice capabilities to support the secure operation of Critical, Emerging and Operational Technologies.   Resources: - Australian Cyber Security Centre - An Introduction to Securing Smart Places - Essential Eight - REDSPICE investment    

Michael A. Figueroa is the Senior Director of Strategy, Information Security Services at Toptal, where he leads Cybersecurity & Technology Strategies and Business Leadership, and research, for Toptal - a global remote company that provides a freelancing platform, connecting businesses with software engineers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers. The company has no headquarters.Michael Figueroa BiographyMichael Figueroa holds a B.S. in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from MIT and a M.F.S. in High Tech Crime Investigations from George Washington University. Michael was Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) in 2004.Previously Michael was Principal Investigator (PI), Mobile/Cloud Security Research Lead at BAE Systems and SVP, Application and Security Architect at InfusionPoints. Michael served as the Cyber Innovations and Services Lead at Draper Labs in Cambridge, MA between 2015 and 2016. Between 2016 and 2019 Michael was President & Executive Director of Advanced Cyber Security Center (ACSC), where he effectively focused on improving how executives make decisions and engage the local counterparts in defending against advanced cyber threats in the ACSC's Collaborative Defense program.Michael is a Senior Advisor to MassCyberCenter at the Mass Tech Collaborative in Boston. Where he advises government officials on improving policy and procedures for defending against modern cyber threats and incident response planning as part of the Cyber Resilient MA Working Group (CRMWG). As a researcher and writer, he published papers such as “Reduced Realistic Attack Plan Surface for Identification of Prioritised Attack Goals” and “A SOUND Approach to Security in Mobile and Cloud-­Oriented Environments.” Michael has been a lecturer at George Washington University and an Adjunct Professor at University of Virginia.Michael is a certified youth soccer coach, world traveller, and philosopher. With 20 years of experience as a small business/nonprofit leader and trusted advisor to state and federal officials, Michael has developed a multidisciplinary and community collaboration approach to improve how organisations use technology to drive their mission and business objectives.Michael's leadership philosophy centres on forging lasting partnerships and nurturing strong collaborative relationships across diverse, multidisciplinary stakeholder groups.Read Michael Figueroa's Full Biography on https://openbusinesscouncil.org/wiki/michael-figueroaLearn More about TopTal on https://openbusinesscouncil.org/wiki/toptalAbout Dinis Guarda profile and Channelshttps://www.openbusinesscouncil.orghttps://www.intelligenthq.comhttps://www.hedgethink.com/https://www.citiesabc.com/https://openbusinesscouncil.org/wiki/dinis-guardaMore interviews and research videos on Dinis Guarda YouTube

When companies use the services of a Managed Service Provider (MSP) for their IT needs, they're handing over a good part of responsibility for their cybersecurity too.But the importance of protection online means that it's still incumbent on the owner of any data (including intellectual property) to ensure they're as safe as they can be. Today's guest on the Tech Means Business podcast argues the case for a high degree of cybersecurity awareness, regardless of whether there's an MSP in the picture."It's all about your appetite for risk," says Leon Friend of ConnectWise, whose company helps MSPs deliver the best possible cybersecurity for their clients, educating and informing about the best ways to protect multiple targets.In the context of the ACSC's Essential Eight, we talk about cyber insurance, the chancers of the hacking world, script kiddies and the rise in sophisticated hacking methods now available to anyone with half an interest in an illicit income.Whether you run an MSP or just want to learn about the best approaches to protecting an organisation, this episode of TMB is essential listening.ConnectWise on the web:https://www.connectwise.com/The events run by ConnectWise in APAC:August 17 – Cybersecurity Masterclass, Sydneyhttps://www.connectwise.com/theitnation/evolve/agenda?tab=apacRead about the ACSC's Essential Eight:https://www.cyber.gov.au/resources-business-and-government/essential-cyber-security/essential-eightLeon Friend, friend of the show is on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonfriend/Joe Green and his safe room are here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephedwardgreen/

About our guest, Dr. Bill DeMarco. His life's work: “To be highly knowledgeable, capable and hungry in leading and supporting the people I live and work with and to lead others in powerful and effective uses of vision casting, strategy, and history….And to do it all with an understanding heart.” Passionate about all things leadership and developing the ultimate in high performance leaders–J. William “Bill” DeMarco serves as the Director Air University Innovation Accelerator (AUiX) and as a Professor of Leadership Studies Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) Maxwell AFB, Alabama. His Leadership and Command experiences include command at the squadron, group, and region level, as well as serving as ACSC's 44th Commandant. Bill is an adjunct professor with Auburn University in Leadership. He served as a National Security Affairs Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and is a fellow at The Judge Business School, Cambridge University, England, as well as a senior associate with GiANT Worldwide leadership consulting. He is a TEDx speaker and also contributes as a leadership consultant for the National WWII Museum's Corporate Leadership Academy in New Orleans, LA, and is the founder and CEO of the Mastermind Century Group, LLC.  Bill volunteers and serves on the 100th Bomb Group Foundation'sBoard of Directors and as an Advisor for Gen-Pol a think-tank consultancy and social enterprise. Bill is married to Sundie and together they have three sons and one grandson. To connect with Bill visit  AUix: https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/AUiX/  The Mastermind Century Group https://m100group.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/overwhelmedpod/support

FBI, CISA, and the Australian Cyber Security Centre are releasing this joint Cybersecurity Advisory to disseminate known BianLian ransomware and data extortion group IOCs and TTPs identified through FBI and ACSC investigations as of March 2023. AA23-136A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations AA23-136A.STIX_.xml Stopransomware.gov, a whole-of-government approach with one central location for U.S. ransomware resources and alerts. cyber.gov.au for the Australian Government's central location to report cyber incidents, including ransomware, and to see advice and alerts. The site also provides ransomware advisories for businesses and organizations to help mitigate cyber threats. CISA-Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) Joint Ransomware Guide for guidance on mitigating and responding to a ransomware attack No-cost cyber hygiene services: Cyber Hygiene Services and Ransomware Readiness Assessment. See CISA Insights Mitigations and Hardening Guidance for MSPs and Small- and Mid-sized Businesses for guidance on hardening MSP and customer infrastructure. U.S. DIB sector organizations may consider signing up for the NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center's DIB Cybersecurity Service Offerings, including Protective Domain Name System services, vulnerability scanning, and threat intelligence collaboration for eligible organizations. For more information on how to enroll in these services, email dib_defense@cyber.nsa.gov  To report incidents and anomalous activity or to request incident response resources or technical assistance related to these threats, contact CISA at report@cisa.gov, or call (888) 282-0870, or report incidents to your local FBI field office.

FBI, CISA, and the Australian Cyber Security Centre are releasing this joint Cybersecurity Advisory to disseminate known BianLian ransomware and data extortion group IOCs and TTPs identified through FBI and ACSC investigations as of March 2023. AA23-136A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations AA23-136A.STIX_.xml Stopransomware.gov, a whole-of-government approach with one central location for U.S. ransomware resources and alerts. cyber.gov.au for the Australian Government's central location to report cyber incidents, including ransomware, and to see advice and alerts. The site also provides ransomware advisories for businesses and organizations to help mitigate cyber threats. CISA-Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) Joint Ransomware Guide for guidance on mitigating and responding to a ransomware attack No-cost cyber hygiene services: Cyber Hygiene Services and Ransomware Readiness Assessment. See CISA Insights Mitigations and Hardening Guidance for MSPs and Small- and Mid-sized Businesses for guidance on hardening MSP and customer infrastructure. U.S. DIB sector organizations may consider signing up for the NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center's DIB Cybersecurity Service Offerings, including Protective Domain Name System services, vulnerability scanning, and threat intelligence collaboration for eligible organizations. For more information on how to enroll in these services, email dib_defense@cyber.nsa.gov  To report incidents and anomalous activity or to request incident response resources or technical assistance related to these threats, contact CISA at report@cisa.gov, or call (888) 282-0870, or report incidents to your local FBI field office.

About our guest, Dr. Bill DeMarco. His life's work: “To be highly knowledgeable, capable and hungry in leading and supporting the people I live and work with and to lead others in powerful and effective uses of vision casting, strategy, and history….And to do it all with an understanding heart.” Passionate about all things leadership and developing the ultimate in high performance leaders–J. William “Bill” DeMarco serves as the Director Air University Innovation Accelerator (AUiX) and as a Professor of Leadership Studies Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) Maxwell AFB, Alabama. His Leadership and Command experiences include command at the squadron, group, and region level, as well as serving as ACSC's 44th Commandant. Bill is an adjunct professor with Auburn University in Leadership. He served as a National Security Affairs Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and is a fellow at The Judge Business School, Cambridge University, England, as well as a senior associate with GiANT Worldwide leadership consulting. He is a TEDx speaker and also contributes as a leadership consultant for the National WWII Museum's Corporate Leadership Academy in New Orleans, LA, and is the founder and CEO of the Mastermind Century Group, LLC.  Bill volunteers and serves on the 100th Bomb Group Foundation'sBoard of Directors and as an Advisor for Gen-Pol a think-tank consultancy and social enterprise. Bill is married to Sundie and together they have three sons and one grandson. To connect with Bill visit  AUix: https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/AUiX/  The Mastermind Century Group https://m100group.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/overwhelmedpod/support

Mike Guillot, Colonel, USAF, (Retired) is the former editor of Strategic Studies Quarterly, a position he held for over 11 years (2009-20). As SSQ editor, he produced the first ever special editions covering Cyber, Space, Asia-Pacific, CMR, Austere Defense, Deterrence, and Emerging Technology. During his thirty-year Air Force career, he flew five major weapons systems including the B-52H, KC-10A, VC-137B/C, KC-135R, and EC135N/Y.Mike spent two years on the ACSC faculty (91-93) and over four years on the Air War College faculty (00-04). He is a former operations officer, squadron commander, US Army joint planner, and former US Air Attaché to France.In 2007 Mike became the first Educational Support Squadron commander, the Director of International Officer School, and Director of AU International Affairs. He earned a Master's degree in national security strategy from the National War College (98) and holds an MBA degree from the University of South Dakota (83).EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCast Email comments and guest nominations to NucleCast@anwadeter.orgSubscribe to NucleCast podcast Rate the show

In episode 141 of our SAP on Azure video podcast we talk about  Enabling SAP CAP with Azure services without OData APIs using SAP Private Link, SAP on Azure DNS Integration whitepaper, UIcon & re>≡CAP, Microsoft and SAP quarterly numbers and focus on AI / OpenAI, Sapphire and finally the new Microsoft AI SDK for SAP. Then we look at single point of failures. Running an SAP system still means you have to care of SPOF like ACSC or fileshares. Ralitza Deltcheva joins us to talk about the lastest for high availability with SAP on Azure, like file share options, pacemaker cluster configurations and more. https://www.saponazurepodcast.de/episode141 Reach out to us for any feedback / questions: * Robert Boban: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rboban/ * Goran Condric: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gorancondric/ * Holger Bruchelt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holger-bruchelt/  #Microsoft #SAP #Azure #SAPonAzure #HighAvailability

Episode Summary: In episode 117 of the Aerospace Advantage, Effective Airpower: It Takes Informed Perspectives, John “Slick” Baum talks to Col Mathew Berry, commandant of the Air Force's Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), and Col Sarah Bakhtiari, Dean of Education at ACSC about how they are working to train the next generation of airmen. For the past two decades, the United States national security community was predominantly focused on counter insurgency combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. With the sunset of those missions and the rise of peer adversaries like China and Russia, paired with the continued threat posed by mid-tier actors like Iran and North Korea, it is critical to ensure airmen understand these new threat paradigms and how best to apply airpower in support of national security objectives. Much of this education takes place at Air University (AU)—the service's preeminent professional military education institution. This episode will explore how leaders at ACSC, a key component of AU, are facilitating this transition to help cultivate air-minded airmen equipped to meet the challenges that increasingly define the national security environment in which they must operate. Credits: Host: Lt Col (Ret.) John “Slick” Baum, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Producer: Shane Thin Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: Col Mathew Berry, Commandant, Air Command and Staff College Guest: Col Sarah Bakhtiari, Dean of Education, Air Command and Staff College Links: Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/3GbA5Of Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MitchellStudies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mitchell.Institute.Aerospace LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nzBisb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellstudies/ #MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #acsc #airmen Thank you for your continued support!

In light of the latest reports from the NCSC and ACSC (National [New Zealand] and Australian Cyber Security Centre) on best practice, companies and organisations in the region are looking to amend their everyday work processes. But many smaller outfits (think fewer than 100 people) have no dedicated IT team. In many cases, these will turn to their MSP (Managed Service Provider) for advice and, ultimately, protection from hackers and malware.In this episode of the Tech Means Business podcast, we talk to Leon Friend of ConnectWise, about the software and systems that his company provides to MSPs: dedicated security systems designed from the ground up for MSPs. With each of an MSP's clients having specific requirements, configuring and managing mixed security provisions would be a nightmare with "normal" cybersecurity tools. Not so with the ConnectWise platform.We cover some of the ACSC and NCSC's recommendations and talk about going further: back up, sure, but what to back up? Multifactor authentication, great, but is SMS really secure?Learn more about improving your organisation's security posture in this episode of Tech Means Business.You can see the ConnectWise portfolio of solutions here:https://www.connectwise.com/en-au  The ACSC and NCSC are here:https://www.cyber.gov.au/  https://www.ncsc.govt.nz/  Leon Friend is on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonfriend/  And your host, Joe Green, can be seen here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephedwardgreen/ 

CyberFront Z's failed influence operation. Iranian operators target Albanian government networks. CISA issues two ICS security advisories. Andy Robbins of SpecterOps to discuss Attack Paths in Azure. Denis O'Shea of Mobile Mentor talking on the intersection of endpoint security and employee experience. CISA and ACSC issue a joint advisory on top malware strains. or links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/150 Selected reading. Quarterly Adversarial Threat Report (Meta) Meta took down Russian troll farm that supported country's invasion of Ukraine (The Hill) Russia's Infamous Troll Farm Is Back -- and Sh*tting the Bed (Rolling Stone)  Meta's threat report highlights clumsy attempt to manipulate Ukraine discourse (TechCrunch)  Likely Iranian Threat Actor Conducts Politically Motivated Disruptive Activity Against Albanian Government Organizations (Mandiant)  CISA Alert AA22-216A – 2021 top malware strains. (The CyberWire) 2021 Top Malware Strains (CISA) Digi ConnectPort X2D (CISA) Cisco Releases Security Updates for RV Series Routers (CISA)

This joint Cybersecurity Advisory was coauthored by CISA and the Australian Cyber Security Centre, or ACSC. This advisory provides details on the top malware strains observed in 2021. AA22-216A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations For alerts on malicious and criminal cyber activity, see the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center webpage. For more information and resources on protecting against and responding to ransomware, refer to StopRansomware.gov, a centralized, U.S. Government webpage providing ransomware resources and alerts. The ACSC recommends organizations implement eight essential mitigation strategies from the ACSC's Strategies to Mitigate Cyber Security Incidents as a cybersecurity baseline. These strategies, known as the “Essential Eight,” make it much harder for adversaries to compromise systems. Refer to the ACSC's practical guides on how to protect yourself against ransomware attacks and what to do if you are held at ransom at cyber.gov.au. All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA's 24/7 Operations Center at central@cisa.dhs.gov or (888) 282-0870 and to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI's 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.

This joint Cybersecurity Advisory was coauthored by CISA and the Australian Cyber Security Centre, or ACSC. This advisory provides details on the top malware strains observed in 2021. AA22-216A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations For alerts on malicious and criminal cyber activity, see the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center webpage. For more information and resources on protecting against and responding to ransomware, refer to StopRansomware.gov, a centralized, U.S. Government webpage providing ransomware resources and alerts. The ACSC recommends organizations implement eight essential mitigation strategies from the ACSC's Strategies to Mitigate Cyber Security Incidents as a cybersecurity baseline. These strategies, known as the “Essential Eight,” make it much harder for adversaries to compromise systems. Refer to the ACSC's practical guides on how to protect yourself against ransomware attacks and what to do if you are held at ransom at cyber.gov.au. All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA's 24/7 Operations Center at central@cisa.dhs.gov or (888) 282-0870 and to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI's 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.

Alex & Mike Join the Pod to Discuss the New Era of Rhode Island High School Football, Breakthrough 7v7 League, Confidence in Football, Their Ambition & the Satisfaction to Help the New Era and Of Course Their Love Life! Great Episode, cannot wait for the part 2. Follow Alex & Mike on IG: @AlexCortellessa @RecoverRhodeIsland @TeamDolla3 Reach Us At: Email: EandGpod@gmail.com Instagram: @EGPodOfThunder Efi's Instagram: @ExplorewithEf Stream Episode 33, Listen on All Podcast Streaming Services and YouTube. Link is in the Bio! Follow, Like, Subscribe and tell a friend to tell a co worker to tell a friend about us. Appreciate the Love! 0:00 - Intro 1:38 - Breakthrough 10:52 Biggest Issue W/ RI Football 17:49 - New Era of Central Football 23:00 - Stay At Central 26:41 - Alex Journey 32:50 - Mike's Offer to Alex 38:30 - Helping New Era & Satisfaction 43:20 - Breakthrough Providing Much Needed Help 50:40 - Dating Life

My guest today is Dr. Mary Elizabeth Walters, and she is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College. Walters received both her MA and PhD in military history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She teaches Airpower I, Airpower II, War Theory, and electives on strategy and Star Wars, the Balkans, and peacekeeping. Her book project, Hospitality is the Law of the Mountains: The 1999 Kosovo War, argues that Albanians – motivated by the Albanian concept of hospitality – took strangers into their homes and communities and changed the course of the refugee crisis. Their actions bought time for the U.S. military to mobilize, rebuild Albania's shattered infrastructure, and bring in massive amounts of aid. Additionally, she recently began research on a second project on Operation Allies Rescue/Operation Allies Welcome, which is the U.S. military support for the evacuation and resettlement of Afghans spanning 2021-2022. Before joining ACSC, Walters was an assistant professor in the History Department at Kansas State University where she taught graduate and undergraduate courses on American military history, the history of strategy, and the Vietnam War(s). *The views and opinions presented by Dr. Walters are solely her own and do not necessarily reflect the policies or positions of Air University, the U.S. Air Force, or the U.S. Government.

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, we bring you the third instalment of the Women in National Security mini-series, produced in collaboration with Accenture.In this episode of the National Security Podcast, hosts Gai Brodtmann, National Security College Futures Council member, and Meg Tapia, Principal Director for Defence and National Security at Accenture, are joined by Head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) and Deputy Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) Abigail Bradshaw CSC. Abigail explains the steps the ACSC has taken to achieve gender balance in their workforce and how they support working families. They also discuss her love of leadership and approach to helping others become amazing leaders themselves.Abigail Bradshaw CSC is the Head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) and Deputy Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD). She worked in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, most recently as the Deputy Coordinator of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency and prior to that as the head of the National Security Division.Gai Brodtmann is a member of ANU National Security College (NSC)'s Futures Council, having previously served as a diplomat, defence consultant, Member of Parliament, Shadow Assistant Minister for Cyber Security and Defence and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence.Meg Tapia has 16 years of experience in national security and foreign policy. She served as a diplomat in Papua New Guinea, Afghanistan, and Vanuatu. Currently, Meg is Principal Director for Defence and National Security at Accenture.Find out more about the National Intelligence Community and National Security College Scholarships for Women, and careers at the Australian Signals Directorate and Australian Cyber Security Centre.All episodes of the Women in National Security mini-series are available here. We'd love to hear from you! Send in your questions, comments, and suggestions to NatSecPod@anu.edu.au. You can tweet us @NSC_ANU and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on future episodes. The National Security Podcast is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On a special episode of the ifa Show, host Phil Tarrant is joined by MAJGEN (Ret'd) Marcus Thompson, former head of the Department of Defence's Information Warfare Division. Following Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Australian Cyber Security Centre's (ACSC) warning to Australian organisations that malicious activity may have local ramifications on the back of Russian-linked cyber attacks on Ukraine, Phil and MAJGEN (Ret'd) Thompson discuss Russia's history of cyber war and how this vector will continue to shape peace and conflict in the future. This episode also looks at the impact of cyber warfare on Australian businesses, including Australian financial advisers who hold valuable client data in their books. The ifa Show is brought to you by Sharesight

Quotes: "We are on the same team. This is a partnership and it is in the pursuit of collaboration. ... If we can recognize that on behalf of our young people -- our students, the next generation -- we all have a vested interest in their education, then we can start as teammates.""It's been healthy, I think, to realize that I can have complete philosophical disagreements with somebody [with whom  I serve at the Statehouse] and we can still be genuine friends. And where we have disagreements we can sit down like mature adults and talk it out.""At the end of the day, what are we about? We are in the business of educating the next generation to be positive, contributing members of our society. And so the work that's being done at Avon ... and all of our school districts is so critically important. Whether these young people fully realize it right now or not, they are the future. So it behooves us to make sure that we are giving our very best investment in our very best resource."Links:Senator Crane's BioIndiana Association of School PrincipalsIndiana Graduation PathwaysIndiana General Assembly

In this week's news update our team of cyber experts unpack and discuss this year's newly published Australian Cyber Threat Report. The ACSC received over 67,500 cybercrime reports last year - that equates to one in every eight minutes! The team also explore the potential legislation that will force banks and insurers to pay out victims of data breaches, how a local council (City of Stonnington) are bringing their systems back online two weeks after an attempted cyber attack, and also the zero day patch released by Apple last week to patch a security flaw across all its devices. For the latest cyber news and insights head to www.getcyberresilient.com

In this episode of The Gate 15 Interview, Andy Jabbour talks with Mark Arena, CEO, Intel 471. In the discussion we address: Mark's background Intel 471 Cyber threats Future threats And more! “It all goes down to password reuse… enforce two-factor authentication on everything…” – Mark Arena Mark on Twitter: @markarenaau.  Mark on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-arena-36a86516/ Intel471 on Twitter: @Intel471Inc.  Intel471 on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/intel-471/ A few references mentioned in or relevant to our discussion include:  Intel 471: https://intel471.com  Intel 471's Cyber Underground General Intelligence Requirements Handbook. https://intel471.com/resources/cu-girh-download-request Upcoming Intel 471 video podcast! Intel 471 CTI experts will examine recent developments in the cyber underground through the lens of the media & telecommunications sector. Check it out: 28 Sep 2021, 11am (see registration link for time zone options). Register here: https://hubs.la/H0WW0Gn0.  Top FBI official says there is 'no indication' Russia has taken action against hackers, The Hill, 14 Sep 2021. (https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/572184-top-fbi-official-says-there-is-no-indication-russia-has-taken-action) “Based on what we've seen, I would say there is no indication that the Russian government has taken action to crack down on ransomware actors that are operating in the permissive environment that they have created there… We've asked for help and cooperation with those who we know are in Russia who we have indictments against, and we've seen no action, so I would say that nothing's changed in that regard,” - FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate, via The Hill  Russia is fully capable of shutting down cybercrime, CSO Online, 14 Sep 2021. (https://www.csoonline.com/article/3632943/russia-is-fully-capable-of-shutting-down-cybercrime.html) Australian Cyber Security Centre Essential Eight. (https://www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/view-all-content/essential-eight) “While no set of mitigation strategies are guaranteed to protect against all cyber threats, organisations are recommended to implement eight essential mitigation strategies from the ACSC's Strategies to Mitigate Cyber Security Incidents as a baseline. This baseline, known as the Essential Eight, makes it much harder for adversaries to compromise systems.”  Thoma Bravo Makes Strategic Investment in Intel 471 Announcement, 08 Sep 2021. (https://intel471.com/company/press-releases/thoma-bravo-makes-strategic-investment-in-intel-471)

This week in cyber security news, the team explore the major outages on high-profile websites caused by content delivery networks, the strange missed calls being received by people across Australia and how to avoid the Flubot, how cybercrime gangs are attempting to recruit malicious insiders, and the latest ‘High Alert' message sent by the ACSC regarding the vulnerability affecting BlackBerry's QNX RTOS. For the latest cyber news and insights head to www.getcyberresilient.com

Dr. Wyndham sits down for a conversation about professional development initiatives and the impact of these initiatives on student achievement with ACSC's Directors of Teaching and Learning, Dr. Dustin LeMay and Carrie Alday. Carrie focuses on prek-grade 6, and grades 7-12 are Dustin's domain. Learn about Avon's Professional Learning Communities, the work that is being done across the 12 schools in our corporation to keep educators sharp, unified, and focused.

In July, ACSC will open the White Oak Early Learning Center. For the first time in many years, all of our preschool classes and services will be under one roof. By combining and expanding our community and developmental preschool options in Avon, we're growing our continuum of services and providing access for students with special needs to typically developing peers. These additional placement options will improve outcomes for all students. Through play, age- and stage-appropriate academics, and social-emotional learning opportunities, we will help young learners to be confident and prepared when they enter kindergarten.

Dr. Wyndham and ACSC Resource Officer and Diversity Trainer Terance Smith have a discussion about cultural competence. Learn more about the work ACSC is doing to engage educators and students in these important conversations. Don't miss Officer Smith's story about a Law Enforcement Officer who influenced him when he was young.

Oriole Advocates exists to engage the Avon-Washington Township community and local and state-level leaders to help ACSC remain one of the premier school corporations in Indiana and to be appreciated as a key asset to the citizens of the state.Connect with Oriole Advocates on Facebook or Twitter and visit their website to learn more.   

Mrs. Kayla Kuepper, ACSC and Maple Teacher of the Year, sits down with Dr. Wyndham to discuss several topics including how Avon students are excelling despite the challenges of this school year, the hard work of ACSC staff making sure students are successful, Maple construction, and why Kayla chooses Avon.

Gar O'Hara is back again with Dan McDermott and Bradley Sing for the September 2020 monthly roundup episode. Gar and Dan take a look back over the month that has been and the insights that our September guests brought to the show. Brad and Dan discuss the latest in cyber security news including the shutdown of the New Zealand Stock Exchange, the incredible 2,266 cyber security incidents countered by the ACSC last year, the hackers that claimed to have breached the Department of Education, the 54,000 NSW drivers licences that were potentially exposed and the world's first recorded fatality attributed to a cyber attack. After the news, Dan and Gar take some time to dive into detail on the governments code of practice for the Wild West of the internet, the IoT.

Chief Chase Lyday from the ACSC Police Department joins Dr. Wyndham to discuss the formation of the district's police department.

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