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Today's show:*Zach Dell of Base Power joins us at the top of today's show to talk about building batteries in Austin, that $1 billion investment, and why an “all of the above” energy strategy is the only way forward.PLUS Jason and Alex's thoughts on that Tesla non-upside down car announcement, growing resentments toward AI datacenters, Chinese robots actually going on sale, Tim Cook's potential Apple exit, xAI's Nvidia agreement and MUCH MORE.Timestamps:(00:02:10) A MAJOR GUEST! Zach Dell of Base Power joins us from the top of the show.(00:03:31) The basics of Base Power's business model: the best electron is the cheapest electron(00:08:38) Zach teases Base's new, time-saving approach to battery installation(00:10:32) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist(00:18:12) How Base's grid can help drive down overall energy prices(00:21:17) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(00:30:12) Sentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWIST(00:36:20) Tesla did not announce an upside fan car… Oh well…(00:44:27) Buy your Chinese robot TODAY on Walmart dot com? Or not!(00:48:12) Is Tim Apple EXITING Apple? Who's next?(00:59:22) ANOTHER mega-deal? Now xAI is circling a Nvidia investment…Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twistSquarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWISTSentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWISTGreat TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
這一集我們討論了定居埃及的文化衝擊、國際援助的真實面貌，及成為世界公民需要的五種素養。 ﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏ 本集影片由 PLAUD AI 贊助播出 ﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋ 都快2026年了，誰做筆記還在土法煉鋼？ PLAUD AI NotePin 智慧錄音膠囊 幫你聰明搞定工作流程 ✨錄音後，一鍵轉換逐字稿、摘要、time code ✨Ask AI 可快速查詢音檔中所有關鍵資訊 ✨支援中英文等112種語言，2000種以上摘要模板 ✨SOC 2 Type II、HIPAA、GDPR、EN18031多項資安認證 訪談、會議、演出，都交給它提升工作效率 把專注力放在更有意義的事情上 PLAUD NotePin：https://bit.ly/brianptseng 實體通路 / 全國電子、昇恆昌、法雅客 電商平台 / MOMO、PChome、yahoo ▹ ▹ 追蹤看更多 訂閱最新消息 » https://str.network/rnbrian Instagram » https://www.instagram.com/brianptseng/ Facebook » https://www.facebook.com/brianstandup YouTube » ｜曾博恩：https://www.youtube.com/@brianptseng ｜博恩站起來：https://www.youtube.com/@StandupBrian ⠀ 本節目由【月城南廣告】業務代理及製作
Join me for episode 447 of the Mobile Tech Podcast with guests Siegfried Chang (MediaTek) and Rob Pegoraro (PCMag) -- brought to you by MediaTek. This episode comes in two parts. First, we dive into MediaTek's powerful (100 Tops!) new Dimensity 9500 flagship SoC. Second (20:10), we discuss Meta Ray-Ban Display and the state of AR smart glasses, Xiaomi's 17/17 Pro/17 Pro Max, the upcoming Sand Stone OnePlus 15, and Realme's leaked GT 8 Pro. Finally, we cover news, leaks, and rumors from Xiaomi, Realme, Moto, Nothing, and CMF. Phew...Episode Links- Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tnkgrl- Donate / buy me a coffee (PayPal): https://tnkgrl.com/tnkgrl/- MediaTek: http://www.poweredbymediatek.com/ (sponsor)- MediaTek Dimensity 9500: https://www.mediatek.com/products/smartphones/mediatek-dimensity-9500- Siegfried Chang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siegfried-chang-549a404a/- Rob Pegoraro: https://bsky.app/profile/robpegoraro.com- Meta Ray-Ban Display: https://www.theverge.com/tech/779566/meta-ray-ban-display-hands-on-smart-glasses-price-battery-specs- Apple is going all in on AR smart glasses (rumor): https://www.gsmarena.com/bloomberg_apple_is_pausing_its_vision_air_and_going_allin_on_smart_glasses__-news-69766.php- Rob: Are AR smart glasses the future: https://robpegoraro.com/2025/09/27/im-not-sure-that-the-mass-market-shares-the-tech-industrys-vision-for-smart-glasses/- Why Meta Ray-Ban Display are taking smart glasses in the wrong direction: https://www.androidpolice.com/meta-ray-ban-display-are-not-the-future-of-wearable-tech/- Xiaomi 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max: https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_17_pro_and_pro_max_pair_snapdragon_8_elite_gen_5_with_extra_screens_improved_cameras-news-69666.php- Xiaomi 17: https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_17_pairs_snapdragon_8_elite_gen_5_with_7000_mah_battery__-news-69667.php- OnePlus 15 Sand Stone teased:
"The next five years are gonna be wild." That's the verdict from Forrester Principal Analyst Allie Mellen on the state of Security Operations. This episode dives into the "massive reset" that is transforming the SOC, driven by the rise of generative AI and a revolution in data management.Allie explains why the traditional L1, L2, L3 SOC model, long considered a "rite of passage" that leads to burnout is being replaced by a more agile and effective Detection Engineering structure. As a self-proclaimed "AI skeptic," she cuts through the marketing hype to reveal what's real and what's not, arguing that while we are "not really at the point of agentic" AI, the real value lies in specialized triage and investigation agents.Guest Socials - Allie's Linkedin Podcast Twitter - @CloudSecPod If you want to watch videos of this LIVE STREAMED episode and past episodes - Check out our other Cloud Security Social Channels:-Cloud Security Podcast- Youtube- Cloud Security Newsletter - Cloud Security BootCampIf you are interested in AI Cybersecurity, you can check out our sister podcast - AI Security PodcastQuestions asked:(00:00) Introduction(02:35) Who is Allie Mellen?(03:15) What is Security Operations in 2025? The SIEM & XDR Shakeup(06:20) The Rise of Security Data Lakes & Data Pipeline Tools(09:20) A "Great Reset" is Coming for the SOC(10:30) Why the L1/L2/L3 Model is a Burnout Machine(13:25) The Future is Detection Engineering: An "Infinite Loop of Improvement"(17:10) Using AI Hallucinations as a Feature for New Detections(18:30) AI in the SOC: Separating Hype from Reality(22:30) What is "Agentic AI" (and Are We There Yet?)(26:20) "No One Knows How to Secure AI": The Detection & Response Challenge(28:10) The Critical Role of Observability Data for AI Security(31:30) Are SOC Teams Actually Using AI Today?(34:30) How to Build a SOC Team in the AI Era: Uplift & Upskill(39:20) The 3 Things to Look for When Buying Security AI Tools(41:40) Final Questions: Reading, Cooking, and SushiResources:You can read Allie's blogs here
What happens when a State Farm agent decides he's not cut out for the captive world and instead builds a tech empire supporting $2B in premium? Jason Cass sits down with Austin Moorhead, Founder of Lava Automation to unpack that journey. Key Topics: Austin's leap from State Farm to automation and his “lightbulb moment” with Keap Growing from a side project into 350+ virtual assistants powering $2B in premium Balancing hard work, family, and redefining success in the agency tech space Why AI hype feels like past industrial shifts and what it really means for agencies How LAVA approaches SOC 2 certification and data security in the AI era Turbo Dial's customizable VoIP and HubSpot's growing role in larger agencies Why lead generation remains the great separator for top-performing agencies Optimizing websites for ChatGPT and AI-driven search, not just Google Fear, valuations, and why relationships still anchor the future of independent agents Reach out to: Austin Moorhead Jason Cass Visit Website: Lava Automation Agency Intelligence Produced by PodSquad.fm
Most security professionals know what a CISO does. But what about a BISO? And why are Fortune 500 companies increasingly creating this executive role?In this episode of The New CISO Podcast, host Steve Moore sits down with Evan Ferree, Staff Vice President and Business Information Security Officer at a Fortune 50 company, to decode one of cybersecurity's most misunderstood leadership positions.What You'll Learn:Understanding the BISO Role:What a Business Information Security Officer actually does (and how it differs from a Deputy CISO)When organizations need a BISO - the size, industry, and complexity indicatorsWhy the BISO serves as a "force multiplier" for the security organizationHow to measure and defend BISO value during organizational changeThe Career Journey:Evan's unconventional path from IT infrastructure to executive security leadershipHow a major cybersecurity breach became his "MBA in cybersecurity" in six monthsWhy volunteering for uncomfortable work during crisis creates career opportunitiesThe progression from vulnerability analyst to SOC leadership to Staff VPThe 90% Influence Principle:Why the BISO role is about influence, not authorityHow to navigate multiple business units with different security needsMastering the "why" behind security initiatives for non-technical audiencesBuilding relationships and organizational awareness over timeExecutive Skills That Matter:The "log lines" storytelling framework from Deloitte CISO AcademyDeveloping executive presence through failure and self-awarenessWhen to end a meeting and start over (and why that's okay)Speaking plain English vs. technical jargon with business leadersPractical Career Advice:Transitioning from tactical security operations to strategic leadership rolesWhy getting uncomfortable is essential for growthBuilding business acumen alongside technical expertiseWhy Evan's best security hires came from outside cybersecurityKey Insight: "You are 90% an influencer in this role. Unlike tactical security work where authority and urgency create credibility, the BISO must master explaining why security matters to the business - in terms the business understands."Whether you're a security professional planning your path to executive leadership, a CISO considering adding a BISO function, or a business leader trying to understand how security enables business outcomes, this episode delivers actionable insights from someone who's lived the journey.Guest: Evan Ferree, Staff Vice President & Business Information Security Officer at a Fortune 50 company, with 11 years of progressive security leadership experience spanning Security Operations, threat management, vulnerability management, and business information security.Hosted by: Steve Moore | Produced in partnership with: Exabeam
StrongestLayer is building AI-native email security architecture designed for threats that defeat pattern-matching systems. The company pivoted from security awareness training after early customers discovered its phishing detection plugin caught advanced threats that legacy gateway solutions missed. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, we sat down with Alan LeFort, CEO of StrongestLayer, to discuss why architectural generation matters more than vendor reputation in email security, and how they're using transparent proof-of-concept methodology to displace 20-year incumbents. Topics Discussed: Why AI-generated attacks with n=1 datasets break signature-based detection architectures The convergence of legitimate marketing automation and phishing techniques (lookalike domains, intent signals, AI-personalized messaging) How 2% of attack types represent 90% of breach value, forecast to reach 17% of volume by 2027 Transparent POC strategy achieving 85% meeting-to-POC and 100% qualified-POC-to-technical-win conversion Stage-based ICP selection: targeting 1,000-10,000 seats for sub-6-month sales cycles with enterprise compliance requirements Harvard Kennedy School research: AI enables 88% employee profiling from public data, 95% cost reduction for targeted campaigns, and 60% click rates versus 12% baseline GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Deploy transparent POCs as category displacement weapons: When attacking entrenched incumbents, StrongestLayer runs one-week POCs behind existing email security gateways with zero commercial pressure—just visibility into what's being missed. At a sub-1,000-seat company running behind a top-three market leader, they surfaced 80 advanced threats in one week. This approach converts 85% of first meetings to POC and 100% of qualified POCs to technical wins. The insight: In technical categories where buyers are sophisticated, removing evaluation friction and letting comparative performance speak eliminates trust barriers faster than enterprise reference selling. Stage-match your ICP to burn rate tolerance, not TAM: Alan deliberately excludes Fortune 500 despite universal email security need: "When their procurement team is bigger than your whole company, not a good scene." Instead, they target 1,000-10,000 seats—enterprises with SOC2/compliance obligations but without Fortune 500 security budgets or staffing. These accounts close in under 6 months. The framework: Define ICP by sales cycle length your runway can sustain, then expand segments as capital position improves. Your ICP should evolve with company stage, not remain static based on ideal long-term positioning. Trade IP opacity for velocity when architectural advantage compounds: Unlike security vendors protecting methodology behind NDAs, StrongestLayer publishes full product demos on YouTube and shares detection logic openly. Alan's thesis: "I'm going all in on velocity. I'm going to transparently share, get it in front of as many customers as we can." This works because their advantage is continuous AI model improvement velocity, not a static algorithm competitors could copy. If your moat is execution speed and iteration cycles rather than a single proprietary technique, transparency accelerates trust-building and shortens enterprise consideration periods. Quantify the shift from volume metrics to value-at-risk metrics: Rather than competing on total threat detection volume, StrongestLayer focuses on the 2% of attack types (BEC, advanced spear phishing) that represent 90% of breach value—and are growing to 17% of attack volume by 2027. They weaponize third-party research (Harvard Kennedy School) showing AI reduces targeted attack costs by 95% while increasing success rates from 12% to 60%. The pattern: Find authoritative external validation that the threat landscape is fundamentally shifting, making incumbent solutions architecturally insufficient regardless of brand strength. Bifurcate messaging by operational reality, not just title: Alan messages CISOs around risk buying-down and ROI, positioning email security as a solved problem that's becoming unsolved. For security operations teams, the pitch centers on eliminating 70% false-positive user submissions that waste skilled analyst time. Both personas use the same tools, but CISOs face board-level breach risk while SOC teams face daily toil from alert fatigue. The takeaway: Map distinct daily operational pains for each buying committee member rather than broadcasting unified value propositions that dilute relevance. // Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. www.GlobalTalent.co // Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM
"Aujourd'hui, c'est vraiment l'année de la souveraineté&hellip grâ ou à cause de Trump." Le D.E.V. de la semaine est Damien Lecan, expert en numérique responsable. Au c&oeligur des échanges, la souveraineté numérique et la dépendance aux poids lourds du cloud. Damien évoque alors les enjeux du RGPD et recommande de réévaluer l'utilisation des outils dominants. Il mentionne également des alternatives européennes telles qu'OVH et Scaleway, tout en soulignant les défis de l'intégration et du service lors de la migration. En conclusion, une réflexion approfondie s'impose pour une transition réussie vers plus de souveraineté numérique.Chapitrages00:00:58 : Introduction à la souveraineté numérique00:03:16 : Changement de perspective sur les outils bureautiques00:05:23 : La pression législative et le marché européen00:07:14 : Enjeux de souveraineté et migrations technologiques00:08:13 : Supériorité technologique des cloud providers00:10:00 : Les défis de la diversité technologique00:11:54 : Risques et enjeux des technologies dominantes00:16:16 : L'impact de l'IA sur la souveraineté00:16:29 : Alternatives européennes aux géants du cloud00:22:12 : Les défis de l'open source aujourd'hui00:25:26 : Hébergement souverain comme avantage compétitif00:28:10 : Complexités de l'internationalisation des services00:30:13 : Modèles technologiques et adaptations locales00:33:07 : La montée en puissance de la technologie chinoise00:38:32 : Stratégies de migration vers des solutions souveraines00:43:19 : Priorités dans la migration des services00:46:24 : Recommandations de contenu et conclusions00:48:12 : Clôture et réflexions finales Liens évoqués pendant l'émission Clef de voûte | Ausha Double Slash **Restez compliant !** Cet épisode est soutenu par Vanta, la plateforme de Trust Management qui aide les entreprises à automatiser leur sécurité et leur conformité. Avec Vanta, se mettre en conformité avec des standards comme SOC 2, ISO 27001 ou HIPAA devient plus rapide, plus simple, et surtout durable. Plus de 10 000 entreprises dans le monde utilisent déjà Vanta pour transformer leurs obligations de sécurité en véritable moteur de croissance.
On today's Heavy Networking: the Security Operations Center, or SOC. When I think of a SOC, I picture a miniature version of NASA's mission control: lots of computers, lots of people, some big boards with lines and arrows and telemetry scrolling across the screens. I also think of SOCs as requiring a lot of gear,... Read more »
On today's Heavy Networking: the Security Operations Center, or SOC. When I think of a SOC, I picture a miniature version of NASA's mission control: lots of computers, lots of people, some big boards with lines and arrows and telemetry scrolling across the screens. I also think of SOCs as requiring a lot of gear,... Read more »
On today's Heavy Networking: the Security Operations Center, or SOC. When I think of a SOC, I picture a miniature version of NASA's mission control: lots of computers, lots of people, some big boards with lines and arrows and telemetry scrolling across the screens. I also think of SOCs as requiring a lot of gear,... Read more »
This week, Javvad Malik and Erich Kron unpack a fresh pile of cyber mayhem containing equal parts fascinating, frustrating, and “you couldn't make this up if you tried”. EU Blames Ransomware for Airport Check-In Chaos: The EU's cyber agency has officially confirmed what everyone suspected: ransomware was behind the massive airport meltdown. Great, now someone please confirm when luggage will show up again. And in other news… Airport Cyber Arrest: Authorities nabbed a man allegedly behind attacks that disrupted airport systems across Europe. Flights were delayed, passengers got cranky, and IT staff was probably crying into their coffee. Turns out, ransomware doesn't just ruin files, it ruins holidays. That was fast though. Deepfakes Go Corporate: Two-thirds of businesses report being hit with deepfake scams. Fake execs, bogus invoices, and AI-generated voices that sound “just enough like the boss” to drain your accounts. Technology: still helping criminals scale their hustle, although that seems like high number. Let's talk about that. Jaguar Land Rover's Production Nightmare: JLR's cyber shutdown drags on as ministers huddle with suppliers to stop the bleeding. Yes folks, like many of the vehicles they sell, they are STILL broken. Nothing like a supply chain crisis to remind us that “smart factories” can be dumb when ransomware shows up. Expect a mix of snark, practical security takeaways, and a few sighs of disbelief as we connect the dots between these incidents and what they mean for CISOs, SOC analysts, and anyone who still thinks cyber risk is “just an IT problem.” Stories from the show: Man arrested in connection with cyber-attack on airports https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62ldxyj431o Deepfake Attacks Hit Two-Thirds of Businesses https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/deepfake-attacks-hit-twothirds-of/ JLR shutdown extended again as ministers meet suppliers https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c15kpxnn2p2o EU's cyber agency blames ransomware as Euro airport check-in chaos continues https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/22/eus_cyber_agency_confirms_ransomware/
On April 4, 2025, I presented live on the topic of the shifting paradigm of billable hour and serving new legal market opportunities. I presented alongside Clio's Lawyer in Resident, Joshua Lenon. Here are the top 5 takeaways:* AI Will Automate a Large Portion of Legal WorkUp to 75% of all hourly billable work in law firms is projected to be automatable by AI in the coming years. This shift is already underway, with rapid adoption of AI tools across firms of all sizes, especially in mid-sized and larger firms.* The Billable Hour Model Is Becoming ObsoleteAs AI drastically reduces the time required for many legal tasks, the traditional billable hour model is increasingly unsustainable. Flat fees, subscriptions, and value-based billing are emerging as more client-friendly and profitable alternatives, especially as clients become more aware of AI's capabilities.* The Latent Legal Market Is a Massive OpportunityThere is a huge unmet demand for legal services—estimated at over $1.3 trillion in the US alone. By leveraging AI and moving away from billable hours, lawyers can serve more clients, offer greater pricing certainty, and tap into this latent market.* Industry-Specific AI Tools and Data Security Are EssentialGeneric AI tools are not reliable sources of truth for legal work. Lawyers should prioritize industry-specific AI solutions that use retrieval augmented generation (RAG) and ensure privacy, security, and compliance (e.g., SOC 2, HIPAA). Using the right tools helps avoid ethical pitfalls and increases accuracy.* Client Expectations and Legal Practice Are EvolvingMost clients either prefer or are indifferent to their lawyers using AI, and younger generations are especially open to it. Lawyers must focus on delivering value, efficiency, and transparency. Adopting AI and new billing models not only meets client expectations but also positions firms for future success.__________________________Here's a link to the slide deck that goes with the presentation.Want to maximize your law firm? Get your ticket to MaxLawCon!Sign up for Paxton, my all-in-one AI legal assistant, helping me with legal research, analysis, drafting, and enhancing existing legal work product.Here's a link to purchase lifetime access to the recordings of My Shingle's AI Teach-In if you couldn't make it live.I've partnered with Pii to make it easy for you to purchase the hardware I use in my law firm: (1) Studio Setup; (2) Midrange Setup; (3) Highrange Setup.Get Connected with SixFifty, a business and employment legal document automation tool.Sign up for Gavel, an automation platform for law firms.Check out my other show, the Law for Kids Podcast.Visit Law Subscribed to subscribe to the weekly newsletter to listen from your web browser.Prefer monthly updates? Sign up for the Law Subscribed Monthly Digest on LinkedIn.Want to use the subscription model for your law firm? Sign up for the Subscription Seminar waitlist at subscriptionseminar.com.Check out Mathew Kerbis' law firm Subscription Attorney LLC. Get full access to Law Subscribed at www.lawsubscribed.com/subscribe
Today's show:What is “workslop”? And is it already slowing you down at the office?On a new This Week in Startups, we've got full co-host quorum with JCal, Alex, AND Lon tackling a meaty docket of news at the cross-section of tech, startups, and pop culture.For starters: A new Harvard/Stanford study suggests that AI isn't massively improving workplace efficiency because SOME workers aren't using it properly. Are low-quality, lazily-assembled AI outputs costing US enterprises millions in lost productivity? It's certainly possible based on these results.PLUS, why YouTube invited back all those banned creators… a deep-dive into CA's new social media law that's dividing tech and civil rights advocacy groups… what we can learn from Stripe's mega-share buyback… a look at what Polymarket's sharps think will happen with the US TikTok deal… and much more.Timestamps:(0:00) Intro. What will South Park have to say about prediction markets?(06:06) Alibaba's new AI model will turn you into any celebrity… can you still believe what you see?(09:49) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist(11:03) Show Continues…(19:42) AWS Activate - AWS Activate helps startups bring their ideas to life. Apply to AWS Activate today to learn more. Visit https://www.aws.amazon.com/startups/credits(21:02) Is CA's new proposed law a boon for civil rights, or a weapon against free speech?(29:47) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!(32:21) Why YouTube invited banned creators back(41:24) What is Workslop? And is it costing companies MILLIONS?(48:42) PolyMarket asks… when will the US TikTok deal go down?(52:27) Would Jason invest in Tether?(01:01:29) Why Stripe is buying back so many shares… and what the future may hold.(01:12:16) Another Reddit Rapid Response: should startups do pilot programs?Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twistAWS Activate - AWS Activate helps startups bring their ideas to life. Apply to AWS Activate today to learn more. Visit https://www.aws.amazon.com/startups/creditsNorthwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
In this episode of Resilient Cyber, I sit down with Binalyze Founder/CEO Emre Tinaztepe.We will discuss how AI and automation are impacting the future of the SOC and the role that forensics-level data can play in incident response and recovery, as well as proactive threat hunting.
Trumps FCC Chairman is looking for other shows to punish. Nokia hopes an Intel executive can turn their fortunes around. NVIDIA invests in Intel, and Intel looks to be cancelling an upcoming GPU. Microsoft raises prices on XBOX again. Samsung will put ads on your really expensive fridge. Vivo shares some fun slow motion footage from the X300. TSMC chip prices are even higher than last year. And we have to chat about MediaTek's new premium SOC, the Dimensity 9500! Let's get our tech week started right! -- Show Notes and Links https://somegadgetguy.com/b/4Qh Video Replay https://youtube.com/live/VYprI5x7Cw8 Support Talking Tech with SomeGadgetGuy by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/talking-tech-with-somegadgetgu Find out more at https://talking-tech-with-somegadgetgu.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-c117ce for 40% off for 4 months, and support Talking Tech with SomeGadgetGuy.
Guest: Jon Oltsik, security researcher, ex-ESG analyst Topics: You invented the concept of SOAPA – Security Operations & Analytics Platform Architecture. As we look towards SOAPA 2025, how do you see the ongoing debate between consolidating security around a single platform versus a more disaggregated, best-of-breed approach playing out? What are the key drivers for either strategy in today's complex environments? How can we have both “decoupling” and platformization going at the same time? With all the buzz around Generative AI and Agentic AI, how do you envision these technologies changing the future of the Security Operations Center (and SOAPA of course)? Where do you see AI really work today in the SOC and what is the proof of that actually happening? What does a realistic "AI SOC" look like in the next few years, and what are the practical implications for security teams? “Integration” is always a hot topic in security - and it has been for decades. Within the context of SOAPA and the adoption of advanced analytics, where do you see the most critical integration challenges today – whether it's vendor-centric ecosystems, strategic partnerships, or the push for open standards? Resources: Jon Oltsik “The Cybersecurity Bridge” podcast (Anton on it) EP236 Accelerated SIEM Journey: A SOC Leader's Playbook for Modernization and AI EP242 The AI SOC: Is This The Automation We've Been Waiting For? EP202 Beyond Tiered SOCs: Detection as Code and the Rise of Response Engineering EP180 SOC Crossroads: Optimization vs Transformation - Two Paths for Security Operations Center EP170 Redefining Security Operations: Practical Applications of GenAI in the SOC EP73 Your SOC Is Dead? Evolve to Output-driven Detect and Respond! Daniel Suarez “Daemon” book and its sequel “Delta V”
Dr. Teekz Yenpasook has overcame lymphoma, founded health clinics and mentored underrepresented students in dermatology and medicine. If you are interested in his story, please check out his previous podcast with DIGA where he dives deeper into his journey into dermatology. Now a dermatology resident at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Teekz shares insights on skin of color dermatology, LGBTQ+ health, and building more inclusive dermatologic education. In this episode, we discuss why representation matters in dermatology and his advice for medical students interested in skin of color research, mentorship, and advocacy. We hope you enjoy! Please explore the links below for amazing SOC resources that Dr. Teekz provided.How to get involved with Skin of Color Dermatology:Mentorship Programs & Diversity InitiativesAAD Diversity Mentorship Program: A funded, one-month mentorship for underrepresented in medicine (URiM) students to gain hands-on experience with a dermatologist mentor. https://www.aad.org/member/career/awards/diversitySkin of Color Society (SOCS) Mentorship Program: Connects students with experts in skin of color dermatology for long-term guidance and offers observership grants. https://skinofcolorsociety.org/resources/student-resourcesNth Dimensions Summer Internship (NDSI): An eight-week clinical and research internship for first-year medical students interested in competitive specialties like dermatology. https://www.nthdimensions.org/programsAAD "Pathways: Inclusivity in Dermatology" Initiative: A major program focused on increasing the number of Black, Latino, and Indigenous dermatologists through scholarships, workshops, and mentorship. https://www.aad.org/member/career/diversity/pathwaysProfessional Societies & Interest GroupsSkin of Color Society (SOCS): The leading professional organization dedicated to advancing health equity in the care of patients with skin of color. https://skinofcolorsociety.org/American Academy of Dermatology (AAD): The largest professional society for dermatologists in the United States. https://www.aad.org/Dermatology Interest Group Association (DIGA): The national organization for medical student dermatology interest groups, offering resources on research, mentorship, and away rotations. https://derminterest.com/Skin of Color Community: An organization focused on building an inclusive community and cultivating self-advocacy in healthcare through events and partnerships. https://www.skinofcolorcommunity.org/Educational Resources & ConferencesAAD Skin of Color Curriculum: A free, comprehensive online curriculum with dozens of modules to train physicians on diagnosing and treating conditions in patients with skin of color. https://learning.aad.org/Listing/Skin-of-Color-Curriculum-5719AAD Basic Dermatology Curriculum: A foundational resource for medical students to review dermatological terms and treatments for common disorders. https://www.aad.org/member/education/residents/bdcAAD Upcoming Events & Meetings: A calendar of national AAD meetings, including the Annual Meeting and Innovation Academy, which are key networking and learning opportunities. https://www.aad.org/member/meetings-education/upcoming-eventsAAD Free Skin Cancer Screening Program (SPOTme®): Information on how to volunteer for or host a free community skin cancer screening. https://www.aad.org/member/career/volunteer/spot---DIGA Instagram: @derminterestToday's Host, Katelyn: @katsteng---For questions, comments, or future episode suggestions, please reach out to us via email at derminterestpod@gmail.com---Music: "District Four" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons:By Attribution 4.0 License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
Dive into the hidden world of Windows Event Logs — where SOC analysts uncover patterns, trace intrusions, and expose how attackers exploit the very logs meant to catch them. Learn how to spot the signals, build timelines, and stay one step ahead of the breach. X: @almorabeaX: @CyberRiddlerWebsite: https://thecyberriddler.com
In this episode, the hosts dissect a fast-growing healthcare call center business with $4M EBITDA—and major risks around customer concentration, compliance, and workforce churn.Business Listing – https://view.generational.deals/?qs=8a49d003d042ac87b1f83ac25a5e010857481ce24a855bec1732a67b0123f8fbca2acbb8b52a738808cc8dbae51ca8ba778b09622a79bce1a3c73329b056f81b73624ce434606bfc3f23118059290a12Welcome to Acquisitions Anonymous – the #1 podcast for small business M&A. Every week, we break down businesses for sale and talk about buying, operating, and growing them.
LimaCharlie CEO, Max Lamothe-Brassard welcome Cliff Janzen, CISO and VP of Security Services at Arctiq, for a special "Security Potpourri" session!What's on the menu?SOC operations and optimizationSecurity automation strategiesPenetration testing insightsAll through Cliff's expert lens and real-world experience. Join us for an insightful discussion on the current security landscape!Cliff is an experienced Vice President of Security with a demonstrated history of working in the computer and network security industry. Skilled in Security Architecture, Governance, Incident Management, Ethical Hacking, and Intrusion Detection. Currently working as CISO and VP of Security Services at Arctiq.
In this episode, the hosts dissect a fast-growing healthcare call center business with $4M EBITDA—and major risks around customer concentration, compliance, and workforce churn.Business Listing – https://view.generational.deals/?qs=8a49d003d042ac87b1f83ac25a5e010857481ce24a855bec1732a67b0123f8fbca2acbb8b52a738808cc8dbae51ca8ba778b09622a79bce1a3c73329b056f81b73624ce434606bfc3f23118059290a12Welcome to Acquisitions Anonymous – the #1 podcast for small business M&A. Every week, we break down businesses for sale and talk about buying, operating, and growing them.
In this episode of Executive IT, host Evan Kiely sits down with Alan Taylor, COO of Maxio, to explore how IT and security shape business reliability, compliance, and growth. Alan shares his perspective as a seasoned operator in private-equity backed SaaS companies, covering:Why IT and security are non-negotiable investments for scaling businessesHow Maxio structures compliance around SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI auditsThe role of IT in go-to-market, customer trust, and competitive differentiationLessons from M&A integrations—where IT diligence can make or break successPractical advice for IT and security leaders on building cross-functional governanceWhether you're a technology leader, operator, or business executive, this conversation offers actionable insights on making IT and security a business driver — not an afterthought.
In this episode of The ROCC Pod, we sit down with Shawn Thornton, founder of Smart Biz IT and former tech leader at Amazon and Ford, to unpack the growing importance of cybersecurity and compliance for small and mid-sized businesses. We open with a real-world horror story—Shawn walks us through how one of his Michigan-based clients was completely taken out by ransomware. Two facilities, thousands of hacked printers, a wiped customer database, destroyed emails, inaccessible websites—no backups, no recovery, over a million dollars in losses. It's a sobering introduction to the stakes of not being prepared.After the wake-up call, we shift to get to know Shawn a bit more personally—his passion for barbecuing, cold smoking cheeses, and his undying loyalty to the Detroit Lions. The conversation is easygoing, but the subject matter stays serious as we transition back to the business of IT and compliance.Shawn breaks compliance down in simple terms—it's about proving that you're protecting your customer and business data. Whether it's strong passwords, verified backups, multi-factor authentication, or employee training, these small habits can be the difference between continuity and catastrophe. He emphasizes that compliance isn't just about avoiding trouble; it can actually become a revenue driver. Companies looking to secure government contracts, enterprise partnerships, or venture funding all need to demonstrate cybersecurity maturity. Compliance is no longer optional—it's a credential.We talk about what Smart Biz IT offers: full-service IT support with a lens focused on compliance. From help desk and cloud backups to risk assessments and documentation, Shawn's firm is helping businesses not only stay safe but grow. He shares another example of a client with a seven-figure deal on the table—except they couldn't move forward without a SOC 2 attestation. Now, with Shawn's help, they're on track to be ready in time.The episode closes with Shawn reflecting on his move into entrepreneurship, the unique value Smart Biz iT brings to the market, and his great experience since joining the Royal Oak Chamber. We also get to learn that his favorite day of the year is NFL's opening Sunday, and fall—complete with smoked meats and fantasy football—is his favorite season.Contact Shawn: https://smartbizit.com/Or call: (248) 206-910000:00 – Ransomware Nightmare: A $1M Recovery00:53 – Introduction to the ROCC Pod01:12 – Meet Shawn Thornton: Tech Pro & BBQ King03:19 – What Is Compliance, Really?04:33 – Why Compliance Matters to Small Businesses06:04 – Common Cybersecurity Mistakes07:49 – Ransomware Case Study: Lessons Learned10:48 – Full-Service IT With a Compliance Focus12:53 – Turning Compliance Into Revenue13:46 – Shawn's Background: From Amazon to Smart Biz iT14:03 – Experience Joining the Chamber15:00 – Favorite Day of the Year: NFL Kickoff Sunday17:10 – Contact Info and Final Thoughts Learn more about the Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce: https://www.royaloakchamber.com/Connect with our hosts:Jon Gay from JAG in Detroit Podcasts - http://www.jagindetroit.com/Lisa Bibbee from Century 21 Northland - http://soldbylisab.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Podcast: PrOTect It All (LS 26 · TOP 10% what is this?)Episode: Bridging Military and Civilian Cybersecurity: Leadership, Skills, and Lifelong Learning with Christopher RossPub date: 2025-09-15Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationIn this episode, host Aaron Crow sits down with cybersecurity leader and National Guard threat hunt team lead Christopher Ross, diving into the real-world experiences that shape careers in the intersecting worlds of IT and OT security. Chris shares his 18-year journey from joining the military with a passion for computers to leading critical infrastructure cybersecurity efforts - both in uniform and in the private sector. Together, Aaron and Chris break down myths about gatekeeping, discuss the unique challenges of military versus civilian roles, and highlight lessons learned along the way. From imposter syndrome to servant leadership, the conversation unpacks how effective communication, continuous training, and the willingness to learn from failure fuel professional growth. Chris also reflects on how military training instills risk mitigation and teamwork, and how those skills can translate - and sometimes clash - with civilian cybersecurity cultures. They talk certifications, hands-on learning, the importance of meaningful tabletop exercises, and the evolving landscape as AI powers both attackers and defenders. Whether you're a veteran, a fresh analyst, or just passionate about cybersecurity, this honest and energetic exchange will leave you motivated to keep learning, keep growing, and keep protecting it all. So grab your energy drink and tune in for a conversation that proves everyone in cyber, no matter their path, has wisdom worth sharing. Key Moments: 05:30 Military Adventures Surpass Civilian Opportunities 07:28 Military vs. Civilian Leadership Dynamics 10:42 Clarifying Civilian vs Military Missions 12:22 Leadership: Addressing Miscommunication & Misalignment 15:45 Toxic Leadership and Military Transition 20:01 Reliance on Tools vs. Core Skills 22:29 "Forgotten Skills Fade Over Time" 25:13 Boosting Confidence in New Roles 29:42 Interactive Training and Environmental Protection 32:37 Purple Teaming Strategy Insights 36:15 Persistence in Skill Development 39:04 Soft Skills Matter for Career Growth 42:44 "Technical & Business Acumen Fusion" 44:41 Military: Career Value and Benefits 48:09 "Cyber Education for K-12" Resources Mentioned : https://www.ransomware.live/ comprehensive resource that tracks and monitors ransomware groups and their activities. https://ransomwhe.re/ tracks ransomware payments by collecting and analyzing cryptocurrency addresses associated with ransomware attacks. https://www.ransom-db.com/ real-time ransomware tracking platform that collects, indexes, and centralizes information on ransomware groups and their victims. About the Guest : Christopher Ross is a veteran and cybersecurity leader with over 15 years of experience in Security Operations, Incident Response, and threat hunting across defense and fintech. A Chief Warrant Officer in the Army National Guard's Cyber Brigade, he has led blue and purple team operations, translating military discipline and teamwork into enterprise cyber defense strategies. In his civilian career, Christopher has built and led SOC teams, integrated MSSPs, and driven automation to strengthen detection and response capabilities at organizations including MACOM, CFGI, Draper, and Abiomed. He holds a Master of Science in Information Security Engineering from the SANS Technology Institute and more than a dozen GIAC certifications. An Order of Thor recipient from the Military Cyber Professional Association. Christopher is passionate about developing playbooks, advancing training pipelines, and mentoring the next generation of defenders. Sharing lessons from his veteran-to-cyber journey, practical insights on certification paths and ROI, and real-world stories from blue-team operations and purple-team collaboration. Visit https://public.milcyber.org/ The Military Cyber Professionals Association is the only U.S. military professional association with cyber at its core. It connects, supports, and elevates those who serve in or support the military cyber domain, while investing in future generations through education and mentorship. Connect Christopher : https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopheraross-ma/ Connect With Aaron Crow: Website: www.corvosec.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronccrow Learn more about PrOTect IT All: Email: info@protectitall.co Website: https://protectitall.co/ X: https://twitter.com/protectitall YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PrOTectITAll FaceBook: https://facebook.com/protectitallpodcast To be a guest or suggest a guest/episode, please email us at info@protectitall.co Please leave us a review on Apple/Spotify Podcasts: Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/protect-it-all/id1727211124 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1Vvi0euj3rE8xObK0yvYi4The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Aaron Crow, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
No Kubicast de hoje nós recebemos o Leonardo Pinheiro, CRO da Clavis, para um papo direto ao ponto sobre como uma IA feita no Brasil resolve problemas do nosso cenário de cibersegurança. Falamos do Otto – a IA da Clavis –, de como ela nasceu de muita telemetria real de clientes e do porquê conhecer boleto, Pix, WhatsApp e a cadeia financeira nacional muda completamente o jogo. De quebra, confrontamos o mito do “100% seguro” e mostramos como risco, contexto e priorização guiam decisões melhores.Entramos a fundo na plataforma da Clavis (produto+serviço) e nos módulos que orbitam o Otto: gestão de vulnerabilidades, avaliação de fornecedores, correlação de eventos/EDR e validações em cloud. Discutimos quando automação brilha e quando ainda precisamos de gente experiente (ex.: pen test), além de como o Otto responde a perguntas de negócio (“qual meu score?”, “o que mitigar primeiro?”) e conecta tudo numa visão integrada.Também falamos de supply chain security, reputação e como decisões ruins de terceirização estouram no colo da sua marca. No final, tem um bloco sobre comunidade e carreira (SampaSec, Conecta 21, networking) e um respiro cultural com indicações.Links Importantes:- Leonardo Pinheiro - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonardo-pinheiro-batista/- João Brito - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juniorjbn/- Assista ao FilmeTEArapia - https://youtu.be/M4QFmW_HZh0?si=HIXBDWZJ8yPbpflM- SampaSEC - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9381855/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAact9-j_AzTmFc136pGmO_GWesqvNdULEk-rMQSkGGSlFcpGCbyZLeElRcFVqg_aem_1W_jlM9Z0G5Q6BHoe76xLw- Kubicast 125 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG7sugocQsg- A vida de Chuck - https://www.imdb.com/pt/title/tt12908150/Hashtags#SegurancaDaInformacao #Ciberseguranca #InteligenciaArtificial #IA #Otto #Clavis #SupplyChainSecurity #PenTest #GestaoDeVulnerabilidades #LGPD #SOC #EDR #ThreatIntelligence #CloudSecurity #Compliance #PlataformaDeSeguranca #Kubernetes #DevOps #DevSecOps #Kubicast #Containers #GetupO Kubicast é uma produção da Getup, empresa especialista em Kubernetes e projetos open source para Kubernetes. Os episódios do podcast estão nas principais plataformas de áudio digital e no YouTube.com/@getupcloud.
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“Noncompliance in certain cases is not an option—and it can put a company out of business,” says Rick Mancinelli, CEO of C3 Complete. At the MSP Summit in Orlando, Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, sat down with Mancinelli and Shash Patel, VP at C3 Complete, to discuss why compliance has become one of the most pressing challenges—and opportunities—for MSPs. C3 Complete is a multifaceted service provider offering cloud, managed services, connectivity, security, and compliance solutions. Their team is seeing heightened demand across industries as regulators tighten rules, from HIPAA and FINRA to SOC 2, PCI, FTC mandates, and FCC enforcement actions like Section 214. “Just this year, more than 1,200 carriers lost their licenses for non-compliance,” Mancinelli noted. For MSPs, compliance represents both risk and reward. Clients—whether healthcare clinics, financial institutions, or telcos—need guidance to navigate ever-changing requirements. MSPs that avoid compliance conversations risk losing trusted relationships, while those that embrace compliance can differentiate and grow. “It's a pain point clients can't ignore,” Patel explained. “If you can't help them, they'll find someone who can—and that puts your entire customer relationship at risk.” C3 approaches compliance as a long-term risk management engagement, blending vCISO services, assessments, penetration testing, and vulnerability management with hands-on guidance to mature client processes over 12 to 36 months. The payoff goes beyond passing audits: compliance maturity strengthens security, opens new recurring revenue streams, and deepens MSP-client trust. “The opportunity right now is huge,” Patel emphasized. “Compliance isn't stagnant—it's evolving every day. That makes this the right time for MSPs to partner and deliver real value.” Learn more at c3-complete.com.
I've spent years talking about endpoint security, yet printers rarely enter the conversation. Today, that blind spot takes center stage. I'm joined by Jim LaRoe, CEO of Symphion, to unpack why printers now represent one of the most exposed corners of the enterprise and what can be done about it. Jim's team protects fleets that range from a few hundred devices to tens of thousands, and the picture he paints is stark. In many organizations, printers make up 20 to 30 percent of endpoints, and almost all of them are left in a factory default state. That means open ports, default passwords, and little to no monitoring. Pair that with the sensitive data printers receive, process, and store, plus the privileged connections they hold to email and file servers, and you start to see why attackers love them. We trace Symphion's path from a configuration management roots story in 1999 to a pivot in 2015 when a major printer manufacturer invited the company behind the curtain. What they found was a parallel universe to mainstream IT. Brand silos, disparate operating systems, and a culture that treated printers as cost items rather than connected computers. Add in the human factor, where technicians reset devices to factory defaults after service as second nature, and you have a recipe for recurring vulnerabilities that never make it into a SOC dashboard. Jim explains how Symphion's Print Fleet Cybersecurity as a Service tackles this mess with cross-brand software, professional operations, and proven processes delivered for a simple per-device price. The model is designed to remove operational burden from IT teams. Automated daily monitoring detects drift, same-day remediation resets hardened controls, and comprehensive reporting supports regulatory needs in sectors like healthcare where compliance is non-negotiable. The goal is steady cyber hygiene for printers that mirrors what enterprises already expect for servers and PCs, without cobbling together multiple vendor tools, licenses, and extra headcount to operate them. We also talk about the hidden costs of DIY printer security. Licensing multiple management platforms for different brands, training staff who already have full plates, and outages caused by misconfigurations all add up. Jim shares real-world perspectives from organizations that tried to patch together a solution before calling in help. The pattern is familiar. Costs creep. Vulnerabilities reappear. Incidents push the topic onto the CISO's agenda. Symphion's pitch is straightforward. Treat print fleets like any other class of critical infrastructure in the enterprise, and measure outcomes in risk reduction, time saved, and fewer surprises. If you are commuting while listening and now hearing alarm bells, you are not alone. Think about the printers scattered across your offices and clinics. Consider the data that passes through them every day. Then picture an attacker who finds default credentials in minutes and uses a printer to move across your network. Tune in for a fast, practical look at a risk hiding in plain sight, and learn how Symphion's Print Fleet Cybersecurity as a Service can help you close a gap that attackers know too well. ********* Visit the Sponsor of Tech Talks Network: Land your first job in tech in 6 months as a Software QA Engineering Bootcamp with Careerist https://crst.co/OGCLA
Take a Network Break! We start with a listener correction on Cisco’s history of wireless certifications, then dig into a couple of red alerts on Microsoft Defender and a backdoor in Outlook. On the news front, Cisco announces new AI agents and SoC packages for Splunk; F5 spends $180 million to buy an AI security... Read more »
Take a Network Break! We start with a listener correction on Cisco’s history of wireless certifications, then dig into a couple of red alerts on Microsoft Defender and a backdoor in Outlook. On the news front, Cisco announces new AI agents and SoC packages for Splunk; F5 spends $180 million to buy an AI security... Read more »
Take a Network Break! We start with a listener correction on Cisco’s history of wireless certifications, then dig into a couple of red alerts on Microsoft Defender and a backdoor in Outlook. On the news front, Cisco announces new AI agents and SoC packages for Splunk; F5 spends $180 million to buy an AI security... Read more »
Skype of Cthulhu presents a Call of Cthulhu scenario. Curse of Nineveh by Mike Mason, Mark Latham, Scott Dorward, Paul Fricker, and Andrew Kenrick Switchboard. July, 1925 London The investigators met the detestable owner of an antiques shop but one member of the team finds he is more than he seems. Dramatis Persone: Sean as the Keeper Edwin as Dame Agatha, Authoress Jonathan as Katherine "Kitty" Hall, Dilettante Steve as Connor Shaw, Archivist Max as Oswald Nickels, Big Game Hunter Gary as Heathcliff Hamilton, Military Officer Randall as Montgomery Helmsworth, Librarian Jim as Roger Schindler, Alienist Rachael as Maude Throckmorton, Adventuress Download Subcription Options Podcast statistics
Matt Bromiley breaks down how AI is transforming (and should be transforming) SOC workflows. Whether you're already using AI tools or wondering where to start, this is the conversation you don't want to miss. Matt is a security engineer at Prophet Security, refining Prophet AI to enhance automated alert triage, investigation, and response. His work ensures that customers can cut through the noise and focus on real threats - without getting bogged down by manual analysis. Learn more at prophetsecurity.aiMatt is a cybersecurity leader and educator with over 14 years of experience leading incident response efforts and advancing detection and response capabilities across enterprise environments. His career has spanned hands-on operations, high-pressure breach response, and the strategic development of scalable cybersecurity programs.Matt also serves as an instructor with the SANS institute, delivering advanced training in incident management and host- and network-based incident response. On Defender Fridays we delve into the dynamic world of information security, exploring its defensive side with seasoned professionals from across the industry. Our aim is simple yet ambitious: to foster a collaborative space where ideas flow freely, experiences are shared, and knowledge expands.Join the live discussions by registering at limacharlie.io/defender-fridays
SonicWall SSL VPN flaws now being actively exploited Acting federal cyber chief outlines his priorities U.S. based investors in spyware firms nearly tripled in 2024 Huge thanks to our sponsor, Vanta Do you know the status of your compliance controls right now? Like...right now? We know that real-time visibility is critical for security, but when it comes to our GRC programs…we rely on point-in-time checks. But more than 9,000 companies have continuous visibility into their controls with Vanta. Vanta brings automation to evidence collection across over 35 frameworks, like SOC 2 and ISO 27001. They also centralize key workflows like policies, access reviews, and reporting, and helps you get security questionnaires done 5 times faster with AI. Now that's…a new way to GRC. Get started at Vanta.com/headlines. Find the stories behind the headlines at CISOseries.com.
Link to episode page This week's Cyber Security Headlines – Week in Review is hosted by Rich Stroffolino with guests Rob Teel, CTO, Oklahoma Department of Commerce and Howard Holton, CEO, GigaOm Thanks to our show sponsor, Vanta Do you know the status of your compliance controls right now? Like…right now? We know that real-time visibility is critical for security, but when it comes to our GRC programs…we rely on point-in-time checks. But more than 9,000 companies have continuous visibility into their controls with Vanta.Vanta brings automation to evidence collection across over 35 frameworks, like SOC 2 and ISO 27001. They also centralize key workflows like policies, access reviews, and reporting, and helps you get security questionnaires done 5 times faster with AI. Now that's…a new way to GRC. Get started at Vanta.com/headlines. All links and the video of this episode can be found on CISO Series.com
The npm incident: nothing to fret about? Cursor Autorun flaw lets repositories execute code without consent Senator Wyden urges FTC to probe Microsoft over Ascension hack Huge thanks to our sponsor, Vanta Do you know the status of your compliance controls right now? Like...right now? We know that real-time visibility is critical for security, but when it comes to our GRC programs…we rely on point-in-time checks. But more than 9,000 companies have continuous visibility into their controls with Vanta. Vanta brings automation to evidence collection across over 35 frameworks, like SOC 2 and ISO 27001. They also centralize key workflows like policies, access reviews, and reporting, and helps you get security questionnaires done 5 times faster with AI. Now that's…a new way to GRC. Get started at Vanta.com/headlines.
In this episode of What The Tech, FIT's VP of Client Partnerships Becky Cross welcomes Tony Petricola, President of AgileBlue and longtime Cleveland tech entrepreneur. From working on Apple's translucent iMac launch to scaling startups and driving global growth, Tony shares the pivotal lessons that shaped his leadership and outlook. Plus, FIT Technologies is proud to announce our partnership with AgileBlue as our preferred AI-based SOC provider, bringing next-level threat detection and risk mitigation to our clients.
With volatility now the norm, security and risk leaders need practical guidance on managing existing spending and new budgetary necessities. Where should they look? Jess Burn, Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, joins Business Security Weekly to discuss Forrester's Budget Planning Guide 2026: Security And Risk. This data-and-insights-driven report provides spending benchmarks and recommendations that will help you budget for an unpredictable near term while enabling the business and mitigating the most critical risks facing your organization. If you're preparing your 2026 budgets, don't miss this interview where you'll learn where to invest, divest, and experiment. From the buzzing floors of BlackHat 2025 in Las Vegas, CyberRisk TV brings you an exclusive sit-down with Danny Jenkins, CEO & Co-Founder of ThreatLocker. In this high-energy interview, host Doug White dives deep into the real-world challenges of FedRAMP compliance, the million-dollar prep lessons, and the critical importance of secure configurations. Danny shares unfiltered insights into Defense Against Misconfigurations — ThreatLocker's new approach that helps organizations lock down endpoints, enforce application control, and spot hidden risks before attackers do. From Russian-made 7Zip to Chinese coupon clippers lurking in browsers, the conversation reveals shocking examples of threats hiding in plain sight. Whether you're a cybersecurity pro, IT leader, or compliance specialist, this interview offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the pain, process, and payoff of operating at the highest security standards in the industry. Segment Resources: https://threatlocker.com/platform/defense-against-configuration?utmsource=cyberriskalliance&utmmedium=sponsor&utmcampaign=blackhat25q325&utmcontent=blackhat25&utm_term=podcast This segment is sponsored by ThreatLocker. Visit https://securityweekly.com/threatlockerbh to learn more about them! Live from the CyberRisk TV studio at Black Hat 2025 in Las Vegas, host Matt Alderman sits down with Matt Muller, Field CISO at Tines, for a deep-dive into how Security Operations Centers must evolve. From blowing up the outdated tier system to empowering junior analysts with AI, this conversation uncovers the real strategies driving next-gen cyber defense. Muller explains why traditional SOC models create burnout, how AI can flatten team structures, and why measuring the right metrics—like Mean Time to Detect—is critical for success. They tackle the balance of human + AI orchestration, the security challenges of non-human identities, and how to rethink access controls for a machine-augmented future. If you care about SOC transformation, AI-driven security workflows, and cyber resilience at scale, this is the conversation you can't afford to miss. Watch until the end for practical insights you can start applying today in your own security operations. This segment is sponsored by Tines. Visit https://securityweekly.com/tinesbh to learn more about them! Visit https://www.securityweekly.com/bsw for all the latest episodes! Show Notes: https://securityweekly.com/bsw-412
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Thousands had data leaked in blood center ransomware attack UK Electoral Commission recovers, 3 years after China hack Npm packages with 2 billion weekly downloads targeted in supply chain attack Huge thanks to our sponsor, Vanta Do you know the status of your compliance controls right now? Like...right now? We know that real-time visibility is critical for security, but when it comes to our GRC programs…we rely on point-in-time checks. But more than 9,000 companies have continuous visibility into their controls with Vanta. Vanta brings automation to evidence collection across over 35 frameworks, like SOC 2 and ISO 27001. They also centralize key workflows like policies, access reviews, and reporting, and helps you get security questionnaires done 5 times faster with AI. Now that's…a new way to GRC. Get started at Vanta.com/headlines.
With volatility now the norm, security and risk leaders need practical guidance on managing existing spending and new budgetary necessities. Where should they look? Jess Burn, Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, joins Business Security Weekly to discuss Forrester's Budget Planning Guide 2026: Security And Risk. This data-and-insights-driven report provides spending benchmarks and recommendations that will help you budget for an unpredictable near term while enabling the business and mitigating the most critical risks facing your organization. If you're preparing your 2026 budgets, don't miss this interview where you'll learn where to invest, divest, and experiment. From the buzzing floors of BlackHat 2025 in Las Vegas, CyberRisk TV brings you an exclusive sit-down with Danny Jenkins, CEO & Co-Founder of ThreatLocker. In this high-energy interview, host Doug White dives deep into the real-world challenges of FedRAMP compliance, the million-dollar prep lessons, and the critical importance of secure configurations. Danny shares unfiltered insights into Defense Against Misconfigurations — ThreatLocker's new approach that helps organizations lock down endpoints, enforce application control, and spot hidden risks before attackers do. From Russian-made 7Zip to Chinese coupon clippers lurking in browsers, the conversation reveals shocking examples of threats hiding in plain sight. Whether you're a cybersecurity pro, IT leader, or compliance specialist, this interview offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the pain, process, and payoff of operating at the highest security standards in the industry. Segment Resources: https://threatlocker.com/platform/defense-against-configuration?utmsource=cyberriskalliance&utmmedium=sponsor&utmcampaign=blackhat25q325&utmcontent=blackhat25&utm_term=podcast This segment is sponsored by ThreatLocker. Visit https://securityweekly.com/threatlockerbh to learn more about them! Live from the CyberRisk TV studio at Black Hat 2025 in Las Vegas, host Matt Alderman sits down with Matt Muller, Field CISO at Tines, for a deep-dive into how Security Operations Centers must evolve. From blowing up the outdated tier system to empowering junior analysts with AI, this conversation uncovers the real strategies driving next-gen cyber defense. Muller explains why traditional SOC models create burnout, how AI can flatten team structures, and why measuring the right metrics—like Mean Time to Detect—is critical for success. They tackle the balance of human + AI orchestration, the security challenges of non-human identities, and how to rethink access controls for a machine-augmented future. If you care about SOC transformation, AI-driven security workflows, and cyber resilience at scale, this is the conversation you can't afford to miss. Watch until the end for practical insights you can start applying today in your own security operations. This segment is sponsored by Tines. Visit https://securityweekly.com/tinesbh to learn more about them! Show Notes: https://securityweekly.com/bsw-412
Up first, the ASW news of the week. At Black Hat 2025, Doug White interviews Ted Shorter, CTO of Keyfactor, about the quantum revolution already knocking on cybersecurity's door. They discuss the terrifying reality of quantum computing's power to break RSA and ECC encryption—the very foundations of modern digital life. With 2030 set as the deadline for transitioning away from legacy crypto, organizations face a race against time. Ted breaks down what "full crypto visibility" really means, why it's crucial to map your cryptographic assets now, and how legacy tech—from robotic sawmills to outdated hospital gear—poses serious risks. The interview explores NIST's new post-quantum algorithms, global readiness efforts, and how Keyfactor's acquisitions of InfoSec Global and Cipher Insights help companies start the quantum transition today—not tomorrow. Don't wait for the breach. Watch this and start your quantum strategy now. If digital trust is the goal, cryptography is the foundation. Segment Resources: http://www.keyfactor.com/digital-trust-digest-quantum-readiness https://www.keyfactor.com/press-releases/keyfactor-acquires-infosec-global-and-cipherinsights/ For more information about Keyfactor's latest Digital Trust Digest, please visit: https://securityweekly.com/keyfactorbh Live from BlackHat 2025 in Las Vegas, cybersecurity host Jackie McGuire sits down with Seemant Sehgal, founder of BreachLock, to unpack one of the most pressing challenges facing SOC teams today: alert fatigue—and its even more dangerous cousin, vulnerability fatigue. In this must-watch conversation, Seemant reveals how his groundbreaking approach, Adversarial Exposure Validation (AEV), flips the script on traditional defense-heavy security strategies. Instead of drowning in 10,000+ “critical” alerts, AEV pinpoints what actually matters—using Generative AI to map realistic attack paths, visualize kill chains, and identify the exact vulnerabilities that put an organization's crown jewels at risk. From his days leading cybersecurity at a major global bank to pioneering near real-time CVE validation, Seemant shares insights on scaling offensive security, improving executive buy-in, and balancing automation with human expertise. Whether you're a CISO, SOC analyst, red teamer, or security enthusiast, this interview delivers actionable strategies to fight fatigue, prioritize risks, and protect high-value assets. Key topics covered: - The truth about alert fatigue & why it's crippling SOC efficiency - How AI-driven offensive security changes the game - Visualizing kill chains to drive faster remediation - Why fixing “what matters” beats fixing “everything” - The future of AI trust, transparency, and control in cybersecurity Watch now to discover how BreachLock is redefining offensive security for the AI era. Segment Resources: https://www.breachlock.com/products/adversarial-exposure-validation/ This segment is sponsored by Breachlock. Visit https://securityweekly.com/breachlockbh to learn more about them! Visit https://www.securityweekly.com/asw for all the latest episodes! Show Notes: https://securityweekly.com/asw-347
Skype of Cthulhu presents a Call of Cthulhu scenario. The Rat King from Children of Fear by Lynne Hardy and Friends. September 21, 1923 Peking, China In an alternate universe, the investigators find the missing missionary to their everlasting regret. Dramatis Persone: Jim as The Keeper of Arcane Lore; Randall as Timur Stepanovich Repin, White Army Refuge Meredith as Chang Mei, Linguist Steve as Charles Lockhart, Diplomat Sean as Michael Li, Missionary Gary as Dr. Eudora Lockhart, Archaeologist Edwin as Sofian Bazaz-Wain, Photojournalist Download Subcription Options Podcast statistics
People matter more than position, and leadership starts with taking care of others. Doing that right means a million acts. SUMMARY Those are lessons Lt. Col. Steven “Meathead” Mount '08 shares with listeners in the Season 4 premier of Long Blue Leadership. For Col. Mount, becoming a pilot was a major milestone, but becoming a husband and father had the biggest impact. Don't wait, listen today and become a better leader tomorrow. SHARE THIS PODCAST FACEBOOK | LINKEDIN COL. MOUNT'S TOP LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS Adoption shaped my understanding of support and love. Leadership is about lifting others to achieve their best. Mentorship plays a crucial role in personal and professional growth. Balancing family and career is a continuous challenge. It's important to have tough conversations as a leader. Resilience is key to overcoming setbacks in life and career. Listening more than talking is essential for effective leadership. Recognizing the importance of support systems can enhance leadership effectiveness. Leadership is defined by consistent, everyday actions. The military community thrives on teamwork and mutual support. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Leadership Lessons 06:43 The Impact of Adoption on Leadership 14:53 Navigating Challenges at the Academy 22:49 Career Path and Opportunities in Aviation 33:31 Balancing Family and Military Career 44:18 Continuous Improvement as a Leader ABOUT COL. MOUNT BIO Lt. Col. Steven “Meathead” Mount is a decorated officer in the United States Air Force with a career marked by leadership, operational excellence, and a deep commitment to mentoring the next generation. A command pilot with thousands of flight hours, he has served in a variety of demanding roles across multiple aircraft and theaters, bringing a wealth of experience in both combat and peacetime operations. Beyond the cockpit, Lt. Col. Mount is widely recognized for his ability to lead diverse teams through complex challenges, foster innovation, and develop leaders at every level. His career reflects not only technical expertise but also a people-first leadership philosophy that emphasizes accountability, resilience, and service. Known by his call sign “Meathead,” he brings both humility and humor to the serious business of leading Airmen. His story is one of dedication to mission and country, but also of shaping culture, inspiring others, and leaving a lasting impact on the Air Force community. CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Send your feedback or nominate a guest: socialmedia@usafa.org Ted Robertson | Producer and Editor: Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org Ryan Hall | Director: Ryan.Hall@USAFA.org Bryan Grossman | Copy Editor: Bryan.Grossman@USAFA.org Wyatt Hornsby | Executive Producer: Wyatt.Hornsby@USAFA.org ALL PAST LBL EPISODES | ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS Guest, Lt. Col. Steven Mount '08 | Host, Lt. Col. Naviere Walkewicz '99 Naviere Walkewicz Welcome to the first episode of Season 4 of Long Blue Leadership, the podcast where we share insights on leadership through the lives and experiences of Air Force Academy graduates. I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99. We're kicking off this season with a story that shows how our earliest experiences can shape the kind of leaders we become. Lt. Col. Steve Mount, Class of 2008, call sign “Meathead,” didn't fully realize that truth until later in life. Adopted as an infant, he came to understand that love and support aren't guaranteed. They're gifts. Over his 17-year career, Col. Mount has flown missions across a wide range of aircraft, from the C-130 to special operations to the U-2. And today, he's in command. But through every stage, one belief has stayed with him: People succeed not only through their own efforts, but because someone believed in them. In this conversation, we'll talk about how those early lessons have shaped criminal mom's approach to leading airmen, mentoring the next generation of pilots, balancing mission and family and building teams that are rooted in trust. His story is a powerful reminder that leadership isn't about the me game, it's about lifting others so they can achieve their best. So what better way to start our new season? Col. Mount, welcome to Long Blue Leadership. Lt. Col. Steven Mount Thank you so much, ma'am for having me. I really do appreciate this opportunity to at least try to share some of my stories, experiences and honestly, if anything touches base with those who listen in and resonates, that's why I'm glad to be here. Naviere Walkewicz Well, let's start right with a way for them to connect with you. You mentioned your call sign is Meathead. Let's start there. Lt. Col. Steven Mount OK, I'll do my best to tell the story as quickly as I can. And the fun thing about being a pilot — but also I think this plays true in any type of storytelling environment — is, you know, only 10% of the story has to be true when it comes to your call signs. So to start… Oh my gosh— I know there's some friends out there who are going to laugh at this, especially of mine. Going through pilot training… The last part of the pilot training, when I was in the T-1s, when you get to that last part, you know, after you've gone through all the ups and downs, you kind of celebrate a little bit more. And that's what I've done. I had gone out with a couple of my rugby brothers that I played with at the Academy, and we'd gone out to just a country, a little country dance hall, and, you know, we're just enjoying and celebrating. And one of my rugby brothers introduced me to one of his friends through his wife, and this individual, who I didn't know much about at the time, had said— I said, “Yeah, I'm starting T-1s here and all that good stuff. And I immediately, immediately — especially in the celebratory mood I was in — thought, “Oh, this is another awesome student that's coming through. Like, hey, let me start giving you the tidbits. Let me start laying out what to expect.” And that's how I treated this individual for the rest of that evening. You know, we're dancing and having fun and just talking it up. And it was a good evening. It was really good evening. Come Monday morning, I get the word I'm flying with this new instructor in the T- 1s. And I had no idea who this individual was. I did not recognize the name at all. And I asked our flight schedule, like, “Who's this?” Is like, “Oh, it's a new person coming in. I think you're one of his first flights back in the T-1s training wise.” And I was like, “Well, OK, I'm ready to go.” And I sit down, and then this instructor sits down right across from me, and it's a major and sure enough, it's this, the person I thought was a student at the Texas dance, the country dance hall that we were at. Naviere Walkewicz Oh boy! Lt. Col. Steven Mount He looks me up and down. Oh, it was one of those moments of shock, of like, “What do I… Where do I go from here?” And he looks me up and down, he goes, and he laughs, and he goes, “Man, you are just such a meathead.” And so that's where it started. And call signs and nicknames— sometimes, some people like, wanna try change it throughout their careers and try to like, “No, that's not who I am. I don't want that to define me.” So as I'm leaving pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base, Del Rio, I'm heading towards my first assignment in Tucson, Arizona for the EC-130 and I'm like, “OK, here we go. I'm gonna start fresh. I'm not that meathead that went through the Academy playing rugby. I'm not that meathead in pilot training to I just like to have fun. Just like to have fun. I do my own thing, and I'm gonna start fresh.” And I get out, and one of the very first meetings I had in the new squadron was with the DO, Lt. Col. Reimer. He sits down with me, and he says, “Come on in, because I'm in blues. He goes, come on in. Sit down. And then he's just quiet. I'm like, this is interesting. He looks me up and down and goes, “Yeah, you definitely look like a meathead.” And I'm like, “Whoa.” So sure enough, the major that I flew with was really good friends and had flown with this squadron, told this DO about me, and the DO got through his spiel, introduced me to my first flight commander before I deployed in Afghanistan, and goes, “Hey, this is Meathead. Take care of him. He's a good one.” I was like, “No, no, everyone, please, let's stop.” And then throughout the years, things kept happening that just reinforced the call sign, Meathead. I got into U-2s, me and a buddy, also pilots. We popped both tires on a T-38 at Long Beach Airport, and we closed down the airport for about five hours. It was on the local news. Not happy about that. And then there were multiple times where I tried to, like, get rid of the Meathead persona, the callsign, but I think it was finally solidified on a CNN interview on one of my U-2 deployments, where the lady interviewing us goes, “OK, we can't use your real name. So what name should we use? And before I could even say anything, one of my buddies just pops up and goes, “ It's Meathead.CNN lady, use Meathead.” And I was like, “OK.” And then international news in that interview, I am Capt. Meathead. And I never got away from the call sign, Meathead. Naviere Walkewicz We are gonna find that clip of Capt. Meathead. Lt. Col. Steven Mount It is out there, just U-2… I think the article under CNN: “U-2 spy plane carries out the mission against terrorist organizations.” You know, not that I didn't remember what it was called. Naviere Walkewicz Well, I would say you heard it here first, but you didn't. You heard it maybe, if you heard it in the U-2 world or what have you. But we're gonna find it again. And so we're gonna resurrect here first, but we're so glad you're here. Yes, yes, this is awesome. And you know, I think one of the things I really enjoyed in our early conversation, and what we're gonna share today is how you kind of look back and you are very grateful and thankful for the upbringing you have. And so let's kind of go back to the fact, you know, not a lot of our guests share kind of their background, and the fact that you share that you were adopted. What did that kind of, what role did that play in your life? And, you know, was it insignificant? Or, you know, what did you glean from that? Lt. Col. Steven Mount Yeah, I really appreciate that question. And honestly, I really appreciate you giving the opportunity to kind of share that. It has played a huge role in my life. Adopted 11 months. And what it did for me is set the foundation of the family. It may not necessarily be one you have, it's the one who who's there for you, who supports you, who loves you. And then, honestly, the other part about being adopted, which I kind of— there were struggles, like, it wasn't perfect, but there were struggles in my mind where I wanted to show that those who adopted me, I wanted to show them that I could be more and thank them, you know, on a daily basis, for everything they had done for me, supporting me. So that drove me, that motivated me to get into the Academy, or even— back up, even like, do well in high school, get into the Academy, become a pilot. All of that was the basis of— I want to show that in a weird way, I want to show that your investment was worth it. You know, you found me, you gave me the love and support. So I'm going to give back to you by showing you what you were able to, you know, give a second chance, small, little child. And then the— but the other side of that, and I don't know how many of those who are adopted, who feel like this sometimes. Can't be the only one, but I can at least convey it here. There's a sense of, you know, “Why? Why was I adopted?” You know, what really happened in the sense that those who biologically brought me into this world, was I not worthy enough? Was I just a bad situation. And so there's that part I keep motivational wise to be like, “Well, I'm going to show them what they're missing out on.” And I know that's more of the negative kind of side of the whole internal conflict of being adopted. But I would be lying if I didn't say that that was part of the drive that kept me going throughout those years. Naviere Walkewicz Something that came to my mind when you were saying that was, you know— when did you find out? And how old were you to kind of start having those, those thoughts and questions, you know, not only why, but how do I show that I am worthy? Lt. Col. Steven Mount Yes, so my mother and father did an amazing job of, I remember, I can't remember the name of this particular book, but there was a book that she had given me that she read to me, and that, throughout the years, as I she utilized, helped me start reading and whatnot. And the basis of the book was, you know, cartoon with a little bit of words, is, “You were not purchased, you know, you were not bought at a store. You know you were, you were brought in and chosen and to be a part of a family.” So she, she wanted to have this idea that I always knew, that was adopted. She never wanted to surprise me, or she never wanted to be like, one day, like, “Hey, just so you know…” She did an awesome job of leading into that, Hey, you were adopted. But don't look at it as this, ‘We went to the store and we picked out the one we liked.' It's more of a, ‘We wanted you in our family.' And that's where it started.” It started, “We wanted a bigger family.” Whether they were, at the time, not able to grow or have themselves, they decided that, “We still want to grow a family. So let's look through adoption as a means.” So she had that book, I remember that book, and then the other book, which I still love to this day, and I got a copy for my kids, I Love You Forever, and how she would read that book to me every single night with the words, “…and I love you forever, like you for always. As long as you're living, my baby, you'll be.” That showed me that it didn't matter where I came from. This was my mom, you know, this was my family. So she did a really good job laying that foundation for me, for who I've become to be. Naviere Walkewicz So would you put your parents in that bucket of inspirational leaders for you that have shaped you? And are there others? Lt. Col. Steven Mount One-hundred percent. Like I said, the foundational piece of being that inspirational leader, to me in the sense of working on it all the time, right? It's not simple but accepting people for who they are. Where they're at in life. Accept them for their faults, accept them for the things that they don't like about themselves, but just accepting them and giving them the support, giving them the love that they need to show them, that they can do anything, I like to think for the most part, I'm an example of that because of what my parents did for me. Naviere Walkewicz So, as a young boy, and you talked a little bit about this, you wanted to prove to them. So Was that something you feel over time, you continue to develop this desire to show your worth? And where have you seen that show up I guess even throughout your going— maybe even at the Academy, how has that kind of formed you as a leader individually? Lt. Col. Steven Mount Yes, yes. So the showing the worth, the showing the value, or paying it back and showing my parents, once again, I use the word “investment” like it was good— I was good investment. Like I was a good return on investment. But it's helped when I've gone through those struggles, when I've gone— because the first time I put in for the Academy and… back up just a little bit. My dad likes to tell a story that I even told my fifth-grade teacher that she was, you know, “What do you want to do?” I was like, “I'm gonna be a pilot.” I said nothing else. Like, I want to be pilot. I want to fly. And then I had had an awesome mentor whose son, at the time, was going through the process of the Academy, sophomore year in high school, and she helped me with that. Good ol' Mrs. Williams, amazing. When I first initially applied for the Academy, I did not get it. I got a “Sorry, you are not competitive at this time.” Here starts some of those moments in your life to where, like, “OK. How can I bounce back? Do I accept the rejection, or do I find another means?” And even when that happened, that first time, my parents, they were like, “It's OK, it's OK. You don't need to…” They were always like, “You don't need to prove anything else. We love you, regardless.” I was like, “No, I need to prove this.” So I found other means, and I was, I will say, blessed in the sense that at that time, my running back coach for the high school reached out to the Academy. This happened early my senior year, and reached out and was like, “Hey, we have, I have someone who I think might do well for your program.” And then, sure enough, I got invited to come out for a football recruiting visit and I sat down with Fisher Deberry, and he just goes, “Would you like to play for this program?” And once again, I was like, “Wait a minute. No, no. I already got rejected. You know, I already gotten the…” But obviously I was going through my head, but all I said was, “Yes, sir, I would love to play for this program. I'd love to go the Academy.” And he made it happen. And I got recruited, and I got the invite to come out, to go the United States Air Force Academy. Wow. And once again, that only happened because my parents, they said, “Hey, we don't care what happens. We love you. Support you. You make the decision and we're here behind you.” And then I had a coach who was like, “I got you. I've seen what you do. I support this.” And went out on a limb for me. And then, in a sense, I guess Fisher DeBerry was also like, “I'm taking this football recruit, I hope he makes it through the Academy. So the love and support is, was there throughout. Naviere Walkewicz What a path, I mean, that is quite unique. And, yeah, that's something to just kind of sit in a little bit, right? You know, the path of to your point, it just comes from support. And obviously you have to do the things to make sure that when the opportunity presents itself, you're ready to take that step, but what an incredible story of those who have supported you. Let's talk about a little bit before we kind of get into I think, what I think is the next real moment in your life — when you talk about becoming a father in your family. But while you're at the Academy, I'm just curious what more you learned about yourself as a leader, because you no longer had to prove to your parents that you were worthy of their investment, right? Like this is investment, right? Like this is a new season of your life. What did that look like for you as a leader? Lt. Col. Steven Mount The challenges and the experiences I had the Academy — and I know I talked about this in one of my interviews previously with the foundation — was that I had to I went through my sophomore year and the rigors of academics, of the military side, of sports. It was taking this toll. I will say this many times. I'll continue to say I'm not the smartest crayon in the shed. Naviere Walkewicz Wait, did you say crayon in the shed? Lt. Col. Steven Mount I did. A little mixture of the sharpest tool in the box, exactly. I love it! I'm glad someone caught it. That's perfect! But yes, hard work was probably the foundation of what the Academy taught me was you persevere by hard work. You do the day in; you do the day out. You get after it. Because I was not getting after it after sophomore year. My GPA was not the best, and I had to approach my sophomore year, which very fortunate, because I had done my best to put in the time with the football program. But obviously I was losing ground in the academic side and that came back to almost biting, in the sense that I could have failed out. So I had had one of those— Once again, my father being an amazing mentor himself, whether he knows it or not. And I talked to him, and I said, “Dad, I think I have to quit football. I don't think I can continue with this, the rigors of all of this with the Academy.” And he goes, “Well, what was your dream?” I was like, “My dream was to fly.” He goes, “Well, did you go there to play football? Or did you go there to fly?” And that was an easy answer. But then I was thinking about all those coaches and mentors and those who helped me get to where I was, and I never really quit at something, and that's what it felt like. It really felt like I was quitting. I was quitting my teammates. I was quitting my coaches. And that weighs heavy on your soul, for all those out there who just are struggling, like, “Should I continue?” But my dad was right. My priorities weren't to become a football player, because I wasn't gonna be. I wasn't going to be. I wasn't going to become, you know, some — who can I name drop? — Chad Hall, you know, going to the NFL, doing amazing things. I wasn't going to be out there starting on, maybe third if they still have fourth string… maybe fourth string. So my dad helped me with those priorities by, once again, just being supportive. He never said one way or the other. He said, “What do you want to do?” And so I had that hard conversation with him, and went down to the Field House, and I said, “I apologize. I have to quit so I can concentrate on what I want to do for my dreams.” And once we had that was hard, that was very difficult. So that was one of the challenges at the Academy presented, and how I bounced back from that was you always go two ways. You always go into the woe is me and you know, just kind of beat yourself up and just hold on to that, that pride and ego being shattered. Or you can find a community, a support group, that will be there with you. And I found that almost immediately with my rugby brothers. They're just like me. They're like, “Hey, we just like to hang out at our own little table at Mitchell Hall. We like to just come out, play the sport, do what you love to do, athletic wise, and you'll have some more free time, obviously, for academics.” Not that I'd utilize that correctly still, but that's what it took to get me through those next couple years, that and my amazing roommates. I think all of us Academy grads and those who are going through right now, a support of a good roommate is huge. I that, uh, I appreciate the question, because now it's just dawning on me how much I just really appreciate my roommates at the Academy for their support as well. Very similar to my parents, it's like, “Hey, I don't care what you do, but I'm here to support you, love you regardless.” So I got a lot of that the Academy, and that's what helped get me through. Naviere Walkewicz That's amazing. I think there's a couple of things I want to dig into a little bit. The first one is, you know, I think deciding to have that tough conversation where, one, you felt like you're already prideful, and you're having to, I'm putting in air quotes, “quit.” Can you talk about how you approached that, other than, I know you went and did it. But I think sometimes one of the most challenging things we can do as leaders is have a tough conversation when it involves us either stepping back or taking a step down from what seems to be the trajectory of what's next. And so I'm just— if you could just share a little bit more about that, I think that would be helpful. Lt. Col. Steven Mount So, and I just want to clarify: As leaders, we have to recognize and we have to have the courage to have the tough conversations, because that wouldn't be the first time that I'd have to make a decision in that regard, or have the tough conversations to where it was gonna affect me personally or those around me. You deal with it understanding, one, give yourself a little bit of grace. Give yourself a little bit of grace in the sense that whatever tough decision you have to make, you're not alone. And I imagine you might not always be the first person who had either to make that decision or was going through something like that. I was not the only one going through something at that time like that. I didn't know that. And so I've had other conversations where others were like, “Yeah, I also, you know how to make that type of call to not play anymore or give up something, because my priority was this...” You know, what was driving me to succeed was something else, and that followed me well throughout my career, because I've had many, many tough conversations. I've had the tough talk as a leader. I've had to tell someone that, “I'm sorry, your dreams to become a pilot…” It's not going to happen because of their performance. I've had conversations on how to get through those tough moments and said how to get on the other side. And I know it's like a broken record, but it just comes through with the support of being there for that individual or being there to guide them to the next step. And I had that. I had that when I made that tough decision. I had someone want to give myself grace. Two, I realized I was not alone. And three, I had the support to get from this side of that tough decision bridge to the other side. And because that support was there, I learned that, and I learned to pass that on from all my leadership opportunities, to be like, “Let me be the one who guides you over this bridge. It's not gonna be fun. There's gonna be parts are gonna hurt. It's gonna be painful. But I will be next to you to get to the other side, to where we can get back to a good place. We get back to what really matters and get back to succeed in maybe another sense.” So the tough convos as leaders, you have to have those tough convos. Do not shy away from them. They're gonna happen, whether you like it or not. Naviere Walkewicz I'm really glad you shared it that way, because I think it created a pathway to how to approach it, to your point. You know, it they're not comfortable, they're not designed to be that way. But if you start it with, you know, being that support in mind, and how to get someone, even if you're giving the worst news, the worst news where, “This was your dream, you're not gonna be able to do it because of this. And here's now where we're at, and how can I help you succeed through that?” I think that's what a wonderful lesson you just shared. And so I want to dive now into your career, because you had a really broad career, one that's not a traditional path, and I want to understand why it looked that way. So C-130, EC-130, Special Ops, you— talk a little bit about how you navigated that and what was the driving reasons behind that navigation? Lt. Col. Steven Mount Yes, ma'am. So something you said earlier, which I really liked, I really love to try to convey to those around me, and actually, I've gone through some of these conversations over the last month and a half with younger instructor pilots. Luck is just the crossroad of opportunity and being prepared, and I'm pretty sure someone super smarter than me said that. I barely remembered. But the opportunities that present themselves to me for what I wanted to do, for my goals in the Air Force. So thankfully, even getting through pilot training, that was, in itself, amazing, transformational. Getting those wings, right? Getting those wings because pilot training, just like my Academy career, I had some ups and downs and some challenges but was able to get through because the sense of me becoming a pilot was first and foremost to fly. I want to be up there in the sky. I want to rush past the clouds. I want to touch the highest point I can. I want to be a pilot's pilot. And then right behind that was I want to accomplish the mission for whatever platform or whatever weapon system I'm given, aircraft wise. So those are my two biggest priorities. And that helped me understand that I had some failures of pilot training when I got to my first assignment, EC-130s. But that was perfect for me. That was— I never knew that. I never knew that in pilot training, that the EC-130 would fulfill me in that sense of my sense of purpose as much as it did. And I'm and getting out there, like said, four or five deployments to Afghanistan, as well as multiple TDYs. I was doing the mission, and I was happy, because I was— that's exactly what I wanted to do. That's exactly what young Meathead Mount was built for. But there were parts of me that still wanted to do more. Like, I felt like I could do more. I could be— I could help out more. I could— it's just itching, or not itching, but just burning in the back. It's like, “Hey, you are built for so much more. You can do more. Let's look for those opportunities.” So, funny enough, the first opportunity I had at that time, or I thought I had, was I reached out to— it's no longer around — but the 6th Special Operations Squadron at Duke Field. It was a combat aviation advisory mission. These individuals got to travel the world. I got to learn languages. Literally, they were sent to school to learn languages, to embed with other nations, to build those relationships, to be on the ground but still flying multiple different aircraft. I was like, “That's awesome. That sounds like me. That sounds like something I can do, and I can bring value to the table, and all the above.” So I put in my application; it was immediately rejected. In their eyes, I did not have the experience yet. I did not have what they were looking for, understandable. So here I am in another situation to where, like, “OK, well, what do I— is there any other means or ways that I can continue to fulfill my purpose as a pilot and get after the mission? Because that's what I really wanted to do, get after mission, whatever that looks like. I thought the sticks was an opportunity. They had said no to me, that's fine. And then I had an amazing friend reach out. He goes, “Hey, I heard you're getting a little long winded out there at EC-130s. You should put an application in for the U-2.” And I was like, “What are you talking about? I have no jet experience, other than the T-1. I don't have that background to be that type of caliber pilot.” He goes, “Nope, nope. They're looking for good guys and girls. They're looking for those who are motivated to do the mission. And if you could fly, you can fly, if you can't, well, you know, they'll figure that out, and they'll send you home.” And I was like, “OK.” And so I submitted for the U-2, put my application in, they call me out, and it's a two-week interview. The first week they have you in service dress, and you meet all the leadership, and you meet all the other pilots, and just have conversations. That's all, they just wanna get to know you. You know, “What's your true motivation for being here?” And I explained it, just like I've explained to you: “I wanna fly. I wanna do the mission. I wanna be a pilot's pilot. I wanna do all the cool stuff.” And they go, “OK.” Well, week two, they put you in U-2, a two-seater. They have two-seater trainers. They put you in a U-2. They give you all the weekend prior to study, and they say, “Cool, let's see what you got.” And they have an instructor, he instructs, he does his best to give you tidbits on how to safely land the U-2. And you have three days. You have two training flights and then a sort of assessment evaluation flight on that third day, and oh my gosh, did I ever humble myself as a pilot when I realized how horrible I truly was. I felt like I could not land the U-2 safely. I felt like I was messing everything up. I felt like— as soon as we got done with that third day of flying, and we got back into the squadron, and I remember the IP just being like, and then, you know, walks away because they have to talk to the squadron commanders. They have to go talk to the other leadership there. And once again, I find myself like, “OK, I 100% failed. I mean, I gave it my best. I gave it everything I had. But, you know, here I am gonna fall short again.” And they do this. And I realized this afterwards, that they do this, they do that like wait game, you know, they keep you in suspense for a reason. And I waited, it felt like hours and hours and hours. I imagine it probably might only be like hour, hour and a half. And a squadron commander called me in. He goes, “Yeah, the IP definitely didn't like some of this, some of these, these type of landings, some of this airmanship you're showing. I didn't really like this. But overall, he says you're a nice enough guy, so do you want the job?” And I was like, “Whoa.” And it blew my mind. And that was awesome. That was awesome because once again, leading up to that moment, it was the support of my friend who reached out. It was the support of my wife being like, “Yeah, I think you can do this.” And I had even called, my parents were like, “I had this opportunity to fly this really unique aircraft. It's going to be challenging. What do y'all think?” They're like, “Hey, we love you. Go get it.” And I was like, no other words of advice, no other like, inspiring — you know, my dad, a Florida farm man, was just like, “No, I think he'll do fine. We love you and just let us know how it goes.” I was like, man, I'm really missing out in motivational speeches. But you know what? The sentiment is there, and that's all I need. So I got that position, did a few years with the U-2. And then towards the end of the U-2 career, I got word from another friend saying the 6th Special Operations Squadron is growing. “We are looking for readily qualified and experienced people.” Naviere Walkewicz And this is the one that rejected you. Lt. Col. Steven Mount Yes, ma'am, I got rejected last time. He goes, “It's OK. Put in another application. You know, you're a little more experienced now, you've got a little bit more under your belt.” And I said, “OK,” and I put in an application, it got rejected again, and here I am, like, “What is going on?” My buddy reached out to me— Naviere Walkewicz Your name is blacklisted in that group across the board. Like, “Oh, there's that Mount guy. Cross it out.” Lt. Col. Steven Mount But I think that ended up being somewhat of a blessing. It was like, “Wow, This guy is motivated to come out here.” Because they had seen the last application years ago. They'd seen this one. And I think the word finally got around that's like, “Hey, he's actually really motivated to come try out, at least for this mission.” And so once again, from good mentors, they're like, “Go ahead, try it out. Put the application in one more time, see what happens.” I did, got picked up for assessment selection. It's another week, week and a half interview. They challenge you mentally, they challenge you physically. They put you in situations to see how you react. I don't wanna give too much away for that process, even though, you know, unfortunately that process is not there anymore. But after that grueling week, they once again, here I am in front of another squadron commander, and here they are opening my life in front of them, and they're saying, “Well, we don't like this. We definitely don't like this. Tell us a little more about this,” you know. And that was about an hour interview, sit down, and it's not just the squadron commander. It was leadership — four or five individuals. It was an Army lieutenant colonel's flight doc behind them, you know, kind of doing that very watching, waiting, assessing, and another one of the situations, I'm like, oh, “Here we go. I don't think it's gonna happen.” But then at the end of that interview, they sit down, squadron commander stands up and goes, “Welcome to the 6th.” And the only things I can think of — and I know a lot of listeners or viewers out there do the same thing, and I tell this to my young when they get their wings, I tell them this as well — think of that first person, or persons, that when something amazing happens to you, you immediately reach out to them and you tell them, “Thank you for the support, thank you for the love, thank you for believing in me when others didn't.” And that's exactly what I did after that one. I called my wife, and I called my parents. I said, “It happened. We got it. I got it,” you know, because it wasn't just me, and I know those experiences going from one mission to the next, and those setbacks have— I get to share these stories all the time with these young instructor pilots that I'm with, as well as students, because I get to utilize it as a leadership tool to be like, “Don't give up on yourself. That's first and foremost. And then even if you believe you might give up on yourself, trust me, there's someone like me or your family members or your squadmates, they won't give up on you. And just remember that.” And that's why I get to share these stories throughout my career, of like, “Hey, I failed at this. Look where I'm at now, because I had the support and because I kept going, Hey, I failed at this. Look how it played out. I'm here.” So a lot of my transition from different platforms and different experiences has helped shape that leadership side of me to say, simply put, “It's OK to fail, all right?” I mean, you're never going to succeed if you have this tried and failed a couple times, right? So, right, Naviere Walkewicz Wow. Well, I want to go into— because you've mentioned this a couple times. We've talked about your parents, but you know, to have a career that's successful and to navigate that, you talked about your wife. So I'm curious if you can share with listeners who have to maybe the word is not choose between. But how do you navigate the importance of your marriage and that relationship with your profession, and trying to succeed in that trajectory, whatever that trajectory is for you. So maybe you can talk a little bit about how that, how that worked throughout all of those transitions. Lt. Col. Steven Mount Oh, OK. I usually do better at this from a better half nearby, which she is, in a sense. She's trying to work out and give me her working space right now, which I love. I'm gonna start with this. It's not easy. It is work. It is reps, the day in, the day out. It's not easy. I don't believe I've ever had a convo with someone when they're trying to balance the work and family life to where it's like, “Oh, that was easy, you know, I just do this and they do this, and we're good to go.” No, it is constant conflict of schedules. It is sharing what's going on. It's the ups and downs. So I'd like to start with that: It's not easy. And if anyone ever tells you it is easy, please ask them how they're doing it, and then spread their wise words of wisdom to all of us. Because that's probably the first thing: It's not easy. Once you recognize that you can get past understanding like, “OK, I'm not alone in this, that this is not easy, and I can start talking and sharing my experiences and seeing from those who seem to have it together. What are they doing to make it work? So I start there. It's not easy. Second, you have to be a team. I think there's a lot of us that think that, and my wife definitely did initially, and that was on me, that she thought that my career was the most important, that what I did and how I executed the mission and where I was going, that that was the No. 1 priority. And I found it that's not the case. I found that's not the case, because, sure, when we didn't have kids yet, and we were in Tucson, it's a little easier, because I would go on my deployments, and she would go to the job, she would go to work, and she had and she supported that, because I was out there, you know, fighting the good fight, accomplishing a mission, doing everything the Air Force needed me to do. And that's what she knew was important for me. So she supported that through and throughout, and she supported it to where I imagined, to the sense of she didn't feel like she could speak to say things that maybe I would like in the sense of me doing my mission, or coming home from Afghanistan with some of my experiences. Ahe felt that maybe sometimes, that she didn't have a word to convey to like, “Hey, this really scared me.” Or, “Hey, when you were gone, I saw the news and I was frightened. And you know, when I saw this happen, I just wanted to reach out to you, and I just want to make sure you're OK.” And she never felt initially like that she could convey those feelings, because it might affect me. It might affect my, you know, mentality while being overseas and down range. So she held that in, she held it in. She kept strong. She put on the “I'm here to support you” and I feel bad, you know, thinking back on that, that I should have given her the space to like, “Tell me what you're feeling. Tell me what you're going through. I don't want you to, I don't want you to struggle in silence. If you know you see something or there's something that scares you, let me know.” And unfortunately, I didn't learn that lesson until way, way later in my career, because she'd always kept that strength in and even when we started having kids, she still did. I kick myself all the time now that— we got to California, in the U-2s, we had an incident down range to where they needed me to bump up my deployment out there, to get out there to take care of the situation. And I'd asked, I was like, “Well, how much sooner do you need me?” Because we had just had our first son. You know, the dynamic's changing. The family dynamic is changing, and especially with your first born. And they said, “We need you to leave in about a week.” Here I was once again. And I know we have kind of kind of mentioned that I was I was in the mean mentality I was in. I was gonna be a pilot's pilot. I was gonna get the mission done. I was going to do everything I could to prove myself, and if my country needs me to be out there in a week to take care of this mission, that my family and my wife will understand. And that was that was not the way I should look at it. It really wasn't. But because I was not seeing her as a teammate, and she held it in — and thank goodness we had her mother-in-law. We had some family come out and support with a new baby. But I could tell that was one of the first times to where looking back on it now that maybe I could have said, “Can you find someone else?” You know, maybe I should have what I'm doing, hopefully you're doing now and teaching others. You have to balance that family with mission and the prioritize what is truly important at that moment. And that's something I failed to do at that time. It would happen again later on, but thankfully— so when I got to the 6th Special Operations Squadron, and at this time, especially after we had our second child in California, the wife had mentioned more. She started coming out of the shell like, “Hey, I do need you a little bit more now. I need you, and I need to be able to express and convey what I do and don't like.” And I was listening, but I was not listening the way she needed me to listen. I was not being that teammate on my side. So I heard, “Hey, I just need more support with the family. So whatever career decision we make next, let's align that.” And I was in my head, I was like, “Yes, you're absolutely right.” That's why the 6th Special Operations Squadron, when I got that interview and I picked up, it was so important, because I had family in that area, and family could get to us easier. So I was thinking, “Awesome. I have the support system for you there. I got the assignment. You're going to be taken care of.” I can tell that's not yet what she was wanting. And I will credit good old Col. Valentino. I was spinning up to go to Lebanon with the team, and we're about to have our third child. And here I was once again, like, “Yep, gotta get back to the mission. Gotta show my value. Gotta get in there, do it.” And the wife understands. We have two kids already. We're gonna have a third. So we've already had two. We kind of know how this goes. We're good to go. But I could tell, once again, looking back, everything's— that she wasn't happy, but she was ready to put up that wall again, to be like, “OK, I have to support him. Have to support what he does, and I have to, because that's what the military is asking me. That's what this new community…” And then Col Valentino, he came down. He goes, “Hey, are you about to have another child?” And I was like, “Yes, sir.” He goes, “When?” And I gave him the date. And he goes, “Your deployment date is like, a month after that.” I was like, “Yes, sir. This is our third child. We'll be good to go. I have the support system for the wife now, and she'll be taken care of. Good to go.” And he goes, “No, you're staying home. I don't need you.” He goes, “Did you want to ask me if there's anyone else wants to go so you can be there for your wife and your family?” And that blew my mind, that just, I don't know. It came out of nowhere for someone in a leadership role to say, “No, I'm not gonna send you on this deployment. I want you to be there with your family.” And that held in tight, and from then on, everything changed, and how I led and how I would push the mission. But I wouldn't do it to the extent of, could I not help someone balance their family life with their mission? And that took too long for me to realize. So what I say to everyone out there, it's not easy, but you come home from a long day and you're mentally exhausted and the mission is not going good, or you're getting ready for deployment, take a moment, sit down and just talk with your teammate at home. You have to look at it as teammates. They are your partner. They will be just like I mentioned before. They will be your support system through thick and thin, because they've probably seen you at your worst, and they want you to be at your best. But you can't do that unless you take care of that home front and treat them as your teammate. Because I am still, to this day, trying my best to become the man that I hope that she sees in me and that she wants me to be one day, but I had to fail in seeing it back then so that could see it now. And I think that's one of these things I want to convey. Not easy, and they have to be your teammates. Naviere Walkewicz Thank you for sharing that. And I think to have a leader that showed you that, which is, now you've imprinted that in your leadership style. You're thinking about the airmen that you come across and how to help them navigate some of those tough choices, but doing it with a, you know, a bigger view of not just the mission, but, like, how do you fit in that with your family? I think that's so powerful, and I'm really glad you shared that, because I know that some of our listeners and our viewers, that's gonna resonate with them as well, because they're gonna remember a time when, “Wow, I didn't even ask if I didn't have to go, or if I didn't have to do this, just because I'm so used to jumping when you say, jump,” right? And I think sometimes it's OK. It's OK. Just a question, like, I'm willing and ready to jump. I just want to make sure is someone else able to do it too because of these reasons, right? So I love that you share that. Lt. Col. Steven Mount And those leaders have to know their people enough in that regard to also know because ultimately, when you get the mission, then yes, that's what we signed up for, yes. But those leaders know their people, and they know what situation they're in. For example, there's a few times in Special Operations to where we're going on another deployment. But we knew our people, and we knew that some did not have the balance at home, and things were not looking the best they could. “Hey, we can help you out. We can give you all the resources you need. We don't need you on this deployment.” But that takes good leaders, recognizing and taking care of their people and understanding that these individuals cannot be effective down range or where they go if their home life is not taken care of. So, I know that is something that's been talked about for all my leadership training for all the years, but actually applying it is going to start with our future leaders coming up to realize, know your people, know where you can take care of them so that they can take care of the mission. Naviere Walkewicz That's right. That's right. So this has been incredible. I think the underlying lesson that you shared with us is, obviously having belief in yourself and doing the work and proving your worth, so to speak. But I think it's also recognizing that support network. So if I may ask, you, I have two questions. The first one is, what are you doing to be a better leader every day? Yourself, like, what is something you are actually doing to be a better leader? Lt. Col. Steven Mount Oh my gosh. Well, I'm recognizing I know I'm not doing it right. Knowing that I'm about taking command already has the underlying nervousness and anxiety, and I realized taking command, why I have these emotions is because I'm afraid to fail, which that makes sense. That makes sense to any logical human being out there. That's like, yeah, I get that. But I have to realize, in that same token, it's OK to fail. It's OK to make mistakes. It's OK that some days you go in there, you're not gonna get it all right. This last year as a director of operations, I've walked out of that building, and there's days been like I didn't accomplish anything. I've messed things up. I didn't do this right. Why am I here? They could have found someone better. And then there were days where, like, yes, I did it, right? I got something accomplished. And on those days, I realized it's because I was taking care of the people and people's needs. And once again, when that happened, they were able to take care of the mission. And that's one of the things that every day I go into work and I ask myself, “Who can I help out? Who needs the motivational kick? Who needs someone to just talk with them? Who needs to share their story?” Because that's what leaders, ultimately, are. We take care of the people. And if I can go in there and just help one person every single day, I would like to think that that's a small success. So that's one thing I'm constantly working on. And it is an effort. It's not easy. It's not easy because you are taking so much and leaders, I don't care what level you're on, all the way from your very first flight command, all the way to your mission command, aircraft commander, all the way to where I am now. You're going to take a lot on your shoulders. You're going to bear, you know, the burden of others, pains, their grief, their successes, their failures. So I guess that's also answer that question. Get ready for that. OK? Because a good leader will do that. They will bear they will help hold the weight. They will support those who need it the most. And we got to do it day in, day out, the reps they have to. So I think I answered the first question, I apologize, was it was. Naviere Walkewicz The second question is coming. So you're good, you're good. OK. What's something that you know now after having your 17-plus years in the in the military, but also just your life experience — but what's something you know now that you would share with a leader to kind of shorten that timeframe of, like learning those painful things to be better, right? So what would be something you'd share? Lt. Col. Steven Mount Something I'd share to close that learning gap? Because once again, my call sign is Meathead— I learned lessons the hard way. Do your best to listen more than you talk. Do your best to just take the experiences of others, talk to others, but just listen. Just hear them. Just hear them. I believe that a lot of the things that I could have prevented may have already been told to me, or may have already been, you know, mentored to me, but I just didn't listen. Maybe they said something and “I was like, well, that doesn't jive with being cool or being a pilot, so I'm not gonna listen to that.” I'm pretty sure all of these lessons that hopefully either conveying or passing on, in a sense, I think I learned them early on. I just, I just didn't listen. So for all the leaders out there, do your best to listen, listen more than you talk. It will be wonders. Naviere Walkewicz Oh my gosh, that's just outstanding. And I what I really appreciate about that is, you know, you talked about how you're doing things to get better every day, but even just in the moment, you recognize like that's such an important piece of that is taking the time to listen and reflect so that you can actually really pick up on those cues, maybe, that someone needs your support. So yes, well, this has been incredible. As we wrap up today's episode, I keep coming back to something you said, which was all someone needs to do is just support you. Yeah. So here's the takeaway, leadership is found in how we show up for our people and how we believe in them, and how we remind them that they are capable for more than what they think they are. The question we can always ask ourselves today is, who needs me to believe in them right now? And you actually said that really well. So Col. Mount, I just want to thank you for joining us for this episode of Long Blue Leadership. Is there anything else you want to leave with our listeners today? Lt. Col. Steven Mount Yes. I don't think I'll ever be that leader that does one great act, and everyone's like, that's a great leader. I don't think I'll ever be that leader that gives like, one great speech, like, that's it. He nailed it. He's a great leader. No, if I'm gonna leave something with all of those you know at the Academy and the leaders in the Air Force now — which, by the way, thanks all of you. Me too, man, thank you for your service. You have no idea how much the world needs us right now, so you get out there and see it. So sorry. That was an aside. But thank you to everyone who's at the Academy now, who have served, whose families have served and will continue to serve. But one thing I'll leave to all those young leaders: Your leadership is defined by the acts, the million acts every day, not just by one act, not just by, like I said, not just by one amazing thing that you do. It's defined on you being there, and a million acts per day over a lifetime of your career, of showing up, showing that you care. That's huge, showing that you're fair and consistent. And they will see that your people will see that that those million acts day in day out, of how you treat them, and how you present yourself as a leader. And they will watch. They will watch, and if they can see that you care, and if they can see that you are doing those million acts day in, day out, and you're in there and you're in the grind and you're in the mud with them, they will give you everything, they will, and it's amazing to see, it really is, but that starts with you as the leader. So yeah, that's it, it's those million acts every day of a lifetime career that shows that you're a leader. Naviere Walkewicz Well, we are so glad that you're out there leading and influencing so many. We're grateful for all of your years and more that you will do. Thank you so much. Lt. Col. Steven Mount Thank you so much for the opportunity. I really, really enjoyed this. Thank you. Naviere Walkewicz Good. 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 socialmedia@usafa.org, and listen to past episodes at longblueleadership.org. KEYWORDS Leadership, Resilience, Mentorship, Adoption / Family Foundation, Support Network, Perseverance, Tough Conversations, Mission & Family Balance, Trust, Listening The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation
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Up first, the ASW news of the week. At Black Hat 2025, Doug White interviews Ted Shorter, CTO of Keyfactor, about the quantum revolution already knocking on cybersecurity's door. They discuss the terrifying reality of quantum computing's power to break RSA and ECC encryption—the very foundations of modern digital life. With 2030 set as the deadline for transitioning away from legacy crypto, organizations face a race against time. Ted breaks down what "full crypto visibility" really means, why it's crucial to map your cryptographic assets now, and how legacy tech—from robotic sawmills to outdated hospital gear—poses serious risks. The interview explores NIST's new post-quantum algorithms, global readiness efforts, and how Keyfactor's acquisitions of InfoSec Global and Cipher Insights help companies start the quantum transition today—not tomorrow. Don't wait for the breach. Watch this and start your quantum strategy now. If digital trust is the goal, cryptography is the foundation. Segment Resources: http://www.keyfactor.com/digital-trust-digest-quantum-readiness https://www.keyfactor.com/press-releases/keyfactor-acquires-infosec-global-and-cipherinsights/ For more information about Keyfactor's latest Digital Trust Digest, please visit: https://securityweekly.com/keyfactorbh Live from BlackHat 2025 in Las Vegas, cybersecurity host Jackie McGuire sits down with Seemant Sehgal, founder of BreachLock, to unpack one of the most pressing challenges facing SOC teams today: alert fatigue—and its even more dangerous cousin, vulnerability fatigue. In this must-watch conversation, Seemant reveals how his groundbreaking approach, Adversarial Exposure Validation (AEV), flips the script on traditional defense-heavy security strategies. Instead of drowning in 10,000+ “critical” alerts, AEV pinpoints what actually matters—using Generative AI to map realistic attack paths, visualize kill chains, and identify the exact vulnerabilities that put an organization's crown jewels at risk. From his days leading cybersecurity at a major global bank to pioneering near real-time CVE validation, Seemant shares insights on scaling offensive security, improving executive buy-in, and balancing automation with human expertise. Whether you're a CISO, SOC analyst, red teamer, or security enthusiast, this interview delivers actionable strategies to fight fatigue, prioritize risks, and protect high-value assets. Key topics covered: - The truth about alert fatigue & why it's crippling SOC efficiency - How AI-driven offensive security changes the game - Visualizing kill chains to drive faster remediation - Why fixing “what matters” beats fixing “everything” - The future of AI trust, transparency, and control in cybersecurity Watch now to discover how BreachLock is redefining offensive security for the AI era. Segment Resources: https://www.breachlock.com/products/adversarial-exposure-validation/ This segment is sponsored by Breachlock. Visit https://securityweekly.com/breachlockbh to learn more about them! Show Notes: https://securityweekly.com/asw-347
Up first, the ASW news of the week. At Black Hat 2025, Doug White interviews Ted Shorter, CTO of Keyfactor, about the quantum revolution already knocking on cybersecurity's door. They discuss the terrifying reality of quantum computing's power to break RSA and ECC encryption—the very foundations of modern digital life. With 2030 set as the deadline for transitioning away from legacy crypto, organizations face a race against time. Ted breaks down what "full crypto visibility" really means, why it's crucial to map your cryptographic assets now, and how legacy tech—from robotic sawmills to outdated hospital gear—poses serious risks. The interview explores NIST's new post-quantum algorithms, global readiness efforts, and how Keyfactor's acquisitions of InfoSec Global and Cipher Insights help companies start the quantum transition today—not tomorrow. Don't wait for the breach. Watch this and start your quantum strategy now. If digital trust is the goal, cryptography is the foundation. Segment Resources: http://www.keyfactor.com/digital-trust-digest-quantum-readiness https://www.keyfactor.com/press-releases/keyfactor-acquires-infosec-global-and-cipherinsights/ For more information about Keyfactor's latest Digital Trust Digest, please visit: https://securityweekly.com/keyfactorbh Live from BlackHat 2025 in Las Vegas, cybersecurity host Jackie McGuire sits down with Seemant Sehgal, founder of BreachLock, to unpack one of the most pressing challenges facing SOC teams today: alert fatigue—and its even more dangerous cousin, vulnerability fatigue. In this must-watch conversation, Seemant reveals how his groundbreaking approach, Adversarial Exposure Validation (AEV), flips the script on traditional defense-heavy security strategies. Instead of drowning in 10,000+ “critical” alerts, AEV pinpoints what actually matters—using Generative AI to map realistic attack paths, visualize kill chains, and identify the exact vulnerabilities that put an organization's crown jewels at risk. From his days leading cybersecurity at a major global bank to pioneering near real-time CVE validation, Seemant shares insights on scaling offensive security, improving executive buy-in, and balancing automation with human expertise. Whether you're a CISO, SOC analyst, red teamer, or security enthusiast, this interview delivers actionable strategies to fight fatigue, prioritize risks, and protect high-value assets. Key topics covered: - The truth about alert fatigue & why it's crippling SOC efficiency - How AI-driven offensive security changes the game - Visualizing kill chains to drive faster remediation - Why fixing “what matters” beats fixing “everything” - The future of AI trust, transparency, and control in cybersecurity Watch now to discover how BreachLock is redefining offensive security for the AI era. Segment Resources: https://www.breachlock.com/products/adversarial-exposure-validation/ This segment is sponsored by Breachlock. Visit https://securityweekly.com/breachlockbh to learn more about them! Visit https://www.securityweekly.com/asw for all the latest episodes! Show Notes: https://securityweekly.com/asw-347
Guest: Augusto Barros, Principal Product Manager, Prophet Security, ex-Gartner analyst Topics: What is your definition of “AI SOC”? What will AI change in a SOC? What will the post-AI SOC look like? What are the primary mechanisms by which AI SOC tools reduce attacker dwell time, and what challenges do they face in maintaining signal fidelity? Why would this wave of SOC automation (namely, AI SOC) work now, if it did not fully succeed before (SOAR)? How do we measure progress towards AI SOC? What gets better at what time? How would we know? What SOC metrics will show improvement? What common misconceptions or challenges have organizations encountered during the initial stages of AI SOC adoption, and how can they be overcome? Do you have a timeline for SOC AI adoption? Sure, everybody wants AI alerts triage? What's next? What's after that? Resources: “State of AI in Security Operations 2025” report LinkedIn SOAR vs AI SOC argument post Are AI SOC Solutions the Real Deal or Just Hype? EP236 Accelerated SIEM Journey: A SOC Leader's Playbook for Modernization and AI EP238 Google Lessons for Using AI Agents for Securing Our Enterprise EP223 AI Addressable, Not AI Solvable: Reflections from RSA 2025 RSA 2025: AI's Promise vs. Security's Past — A Reality Check “Noise: A flaw in human judgement” book “Security Chaos Engineering” book (and Kelly episode) A Brief Guide for Dealing with ‘Humanless SOC' Idiots
On this week's show Patrick Gray and Adam Boileau discuss the week's cybersecurity news, including: The Salesloft breach and why OAuth soup is a problem The Salt Typhoon telco hackers turn out to be Chinese private sector, but state-directed Google says it will stand up a “disruption unit” Microsoft writes up a ransomware gang that's all-in on the cloud future Aussie firm hot-mics its work-from-home employees' laptops Youtube scam baiters help the feds take down a fraud ring This episode is sponsored by Dropzone.AI. Founder and CEO Edward Wu joins the show to talk about how AI driven SOC tools can help smaller organisations claw their way above the “security poverty line”. A dedicated monitoring team, threat hunting and alert triage, in a company that only has a couple of part time infosec people? Yes please! This episode is also available on Youtube. Show notes The Ongoing Fallout from a Breach at AI Chatbot Maker Salesloft – Krebs on Security Salesloft: The Leading AI Revenue Orchestration Platform Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler customers impacted by supply chain attacks | Cybersecurity Dive The impact of the Salesloft Drift breach on Cloudflare and our customers China used three private companies to hack global telecoms, U.S. says CSA_COUNTERING_CHINA_STATE_ACTORS_COMPROMISE_OF_NETWORKS.PDF Google previews cyber ‘disruption unit' as U.S. government, industry weigh going heavier on offense | CyberScoop Ransomware gang takedowns causing explosion of new, smaller groups | The Record from Recorded Future News Hundreds of Swedish municipalities impacted by suspected ransomware attack on IT supplier | The Record from Recorded Future News Storm-0501's evolving techniques lead to cloud-based ransomware | Microsoft Security Blog The Era of AI-Generated Ransomware Has Arrived | WIRED Between Two Nerds: How threat actors are using AI to run wild - YouTube Affiliates Flock to ‘Soulless' Scam Gambling Machine – Krebs on Security UK sought broad access to Apple customers' data, court filing suggests ICE reactivates contract with spyware maker Paragon | TechCrunch WhatsApp fixes 'zero-click' bug used to hack Apple users with spyware | TechCrunch Safetrac turned staff laptops into covert recording devices to monitor WFH Risky Bulletin: YouTubers unmask and help dismantle giant Chinese scam ring - Risky Business Media
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