Best Hacktivism Podcasts (2025)

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18. ASM in the Age of CTEM 56:28

2h ago56:28

56:28

This month's episode of The Dark Dive revisits the topic of Attack Surface Management. In particular, how it relates to a relatively new cybersecurity term, CTEM: Continuous Threat Exposure Management. In a lively discussion, guests Michael Gianarakis and Ben Jones help define CTEM, a security process that has quickly gained traction thanks to bein…

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Episode 140: Threat-Informed Travel Safety Tips 34:28

6d ago34:28

34:28

In episode 140 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by John Cohen, Executive Director of the Program for Countering Hybrid Threats at the Center for Internet Security®(CIS®). Together, they discuss travel safety tips informed by today's evolving multidimensional threat environment. Here are some highlights from our episode: 01:30…

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Episode 139: Community Building for the Cyber-Underserved 34:03

13d ago34:03

34:03

In episode 139 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Tony Sager is joined by Amelia Gifford, Sr. Manager, Administration, at the Center for Internet Security®(CIS®); and George Bailey, Director of Purdue cyberTAP. Together, they discuss how the 2025 grant from the Alan Paller Laureate Program will support Purdue cyberTAP's mission of community building f…

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Episode 138: The Use of GenAI to Refine Your TTX Development 33:54

20d ago33:54

33:54

In episode 138 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by Timothy Davis, Lead Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) Analyst at the Center for Internet Security®(CIS®). Together, they discuss how organizations can use Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to refine how they develop Tabletop Exercises (TTXs). Here are some highlights f…

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Episode 137: National Cybersecurity Through SLTT Resilience 42:00

27d ago42:00

42:00

In episode 137 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson and Tony Sager are joined by Terry Loftus, Assistant Superintendent (Chief Information Officer) of Integrated Technology Services at the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE); and Netta Squires, President of Government Affairs, Cybersecurity, & Resilience at Open District Solutions…

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Episode 136: How WiCyS Advances Women in Cybersecurity 38:35

1M ago38:35

38:35

In episode 136 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson and Tony Sager are joined live by Lynn Dohm, Executive Director of Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS). Together, they discuss how WiCyS works to advance women in cybersecurity. Here are some highlights from our episode: 01:03. A mission of recruiting, retaining, and advancing women in cyberse…

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17. Hacktivism 46:43

1M ago46:43

46:43

This month's episode of The Dark Dive tackles the thorny issue of hacktivism: hackers that are driven by ideological - rather than financial - motivations. Threat intelligence experts Luke Donovan and Vlad join the podcast to discuss how hacktivism has evolved from the "digital utopia" era, to the anti-establishment antics of Anonymous, to the stat…

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Episode 135: Five Lightning Chats at RSAC Conference 2025 23:30

1M ago23:30

23:30

In episode 135 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined live at RSAC Conference 2025 by five attendees, including two Center for Internet Security® (CIS®) employees. He conducts a lightning chat with each attendee to get their thoughts about the conference, how it reflects the changing cybersecurity industry, and the role CIS plays i…

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Episode 134: How GenAI Lowers Bar for Cyber Threat Actors 39:48

2M ago39:48

39:48

In episode 134 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by Randy Rose, VP of Security Operations & Intelligence at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®); and Timothy Davis, Lead Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) Analyst at CIS. Together, they discuss how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) lowers the barrier of entry for cybe…

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Episode 133: DieNet's DDoS Hacktivism and Evolving TTPs 32:33

2M ago32:33

32:33

In episode 133 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by Lauren McFayden, Threat Intelligence Analyst at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®). Together, they discuss the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) hacktivism of DieNet and how the group continues to evolve its Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs). Here are some h…

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Episode 132: Day One, Step One, Dollar One for Cybersecurity 34:35

2M ago34:35

34:35

In episode 132 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by Valecia Stocchetti, Sr. Cybersecurity Engineer of the CIS Critical Security Controls (CIS Controls) at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®). Together, they discuss what the first day, step, and dollar of implementing a controls framework look like for organizations steppi…

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Episode 131: It Takes a Village to 'Reasonably' Secure SoCal 32:52

2M ago32:52

32:52

In episode 131 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Tony Sager is joined by Stan Stahl, PhD, Founder and President of SecureTheVillage. Together, they discuss how SecureTheVillage, a nonprofit and inaugural Alan Paller Laureate Program awardee, is using a collaboration-driven approach to enhance reasonable cybersecurity awareness and practices within So…

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Episode 130: The Story and Future of CIS Thought Leadership 32:38

3M ago32:38

32:38

In episode 130 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson and Tony Sager are joined by John Gilligan, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®). Set against the backdrop of the 2025 CIS Annual Full Staff Meeting, they celebrate 25 years of CIS, including the "serendipity" by which the company became …

1
16. Attack Surface Management 101 48:06

3M ago48:06

48:06

This bumper episode of The Dark Dive features no fewer than four co-founders, as the CEO and CTO of Searchlight Cyber (Ben Jones and Gareth Owenson) are joined by their counterparts from the Attack Surface Management company Assetnote (Michael Gianarakis and Shubham Shah). Together, we discuss the background of Assetnote and origins of its founders…

1
Episode 129: Embedding Cybersecurity in Project Management 32:18

3M ago32:18

32:18

In episode 129 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson discusses best practices for embedding cybersecurity in project management. Here are some highlights from our episode: 01:34. Elements for connecting the dots between cybersecurity risk assessment and project risk assessment 03:06. How our conceptualization of a project changes under a ze…

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Episode 128: How Cryptocurrency Is Used for Financial Fraud 35:17

3M ago35:17

35:17

In episode 128 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by Joshua Palsgraf, Senior Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) Analyst at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®). Together, they examine how cyber threat actors use cryptocurrency for financial fraud and how professionals like Joshua track this illicit activity. Here are some high…

1
Episode 127: Visible Ops as a Cybersecurity Foundation 37:45

3M ago37:45

37:45

In episode 127 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson and Tony Sager are joined by Scott Alldridge, President and CEO of IP Services and the IT Process Institute. Together, they use Scott's book, "Visible Ops Cybersecurity: Enhancing Your Cybersecurity Posture with Practical Guidance," to discuss how visible IT operations (Visible Ops) provi…

1
Episode 126: A Day in the Life of a CTI Analyst 36:28

3M ago36:28

36:28

In episode 126 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by Casey Cannon, Lead Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) Analyst at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®). Together, they review what a regular day looks like for a CTI analyst. Here are some highlights from our episode: 01:46. How a service-oriented mindset factors into a CTI c…

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15. Dark Web Threats Against Individuals 48:41

3M ago48:41

48:41

In this episode of The Dark Dive we look at how specific individuals - Executives, VIPs, and high-net worths - are targeted by cybercriminals and on the dark web. Ahead of the launch of their Digital Footprint Review service, NCC Group's Matt Hull joins us to discuss the threats facing individuals - including social engineering and Business Email C…

1
Episode 125: How Leadership Principles Influence CIS Culture 33:02

4M ago33:02

33:02

In episode 125 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by Waldo Perez, Human Resources Support Specialist at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®); and Penny Davis, Sr. Manager of Leadership Development at CIS. Together, they use the CIS Leadership Principles and other examples from CIS to understand how leadership influences and…

1
Episode 124: The Many Layers of a Malware Takedown Operation 32:43

4M ago32:43

32:43

In episode 124 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by Timothy Davis, Lead Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) Analyst at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®). Together, they explore the many layers of a malware takedown operation. Here are some highlights from our episode: 01:58. A high-level overview of what a malware takedown …

1
Episode 123: An Operational Playbook for Security Impact 43:59

4M ago43:59

43:59

In episode 123 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson and Tony Sager are joined by Gina Chapman, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®). Together, they use examples from CIS to identify elements of an operational playbook for making an impact in the cybersecurity industry. Here are some highlights from our …

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14. The Dark Web in 2025 54:11

4M ago54:11

54:11

In the first episode back of the year we've assembled two of Searchlight Cyber's threat intelligence experts to give their take on what we can expect from the dark web in 2025. Louise Ferrett and Luke Donovan say what they think 2024 will be remembered for, choose one news story that might have gone under the radar, and (are forced into) making a p…

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Episode 122: DeepSeek AI Security and Utility Considerations 37:12

4M ago37:12

37:12

In episode 122 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by Rian Davis, Associate Hybrid Threat Intelligence Analyst at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®); and Timothy Davis, Lead Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) Analyst at CIS. Together, they discuss security and utility considerations surrounding the DeepSeek AI model. Here are…

1
Episode 121: The Economics of Cybersecurity Decision-Making 40:50

5M ago40:50

40:50

In episode 121 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson and Tony Sager are joined by Tyler Moore, Ph.D., Chair of Cyber Studies at the University of Tulsa. Together, they discuss the role of economics in cyber risk quantification and cybersecurity decision-making. Here are some highlights from our episode: 01:55. How incentives, market failure…

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Episode 120: How Contextual Awareness Drives AI Governance 32:22

5M ago32:22

32:22

In episode 120 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson explores how contextual awareness of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) deployment in the business creates a foundation for AI governance strategy. Here are some highlights from our episode: 01:58. Why specificity is important when we use the term "AI" in the governance space 04:1…

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Episode 119: Multidimensional Threat Defense at Large Events 35:04

5M ago35:04

35:04

In episode 119 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by John Cohen, Executive Director of Countering Hybrid Threats at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®). Together, they discuss the importance and provide examples of multidimensional threat defense as a means of securing large events. Here are some highlights from our episod…

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Episode 118: Preparing for Post-Quantum Cryptography 36:46

5M ago36:46

36:46

In episode 118 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by Andy Smith, Security Architect for BP and Instructor at the SANS Institute. Together, they review the state of post-quantum cryptography as well as share recommendations for how organizations and individuals can prepare to move into the post-quantum era. Here are some highlig…

1
Episode 117: 2025 Cybersecurity Predictions from CIS Experts 33:43

6M ago33:43

33:43

In episode 117 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson reflects on the 2025 cybersecurity predictions of 12 experts at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®), as shared on the CIS website. Here are some highlights from our episode: 01:40. Artificial intelligence (AI) as a means for crafting higher quality phishing emails 04:24. Zero trust w…

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Episode 116: AI-Enhanced Ransomware and Defending Against It 33:38

6M ago33:38

33:38

In episode 116 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson discusses the threat of AI-enhanced ransomware along with the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to defend against it. Here are some highlights from our episode: 02:10. How AI in the cybersecurity space has advanced over the past few years 05:12. Why cybercriminals are inco…

1
Episode 115: Continuous Feedback as CIS Employee Culture 32:03

6M ago32:03

32:03

In episode 115 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by Carolyn Comer, Chief Human Resources Officer at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®); Heidi Gonzalez, Sr. Employee Experience Specialist at CIS; and Jennifer Myers, Sr. Director of Learning and Development at CIS. With an in-person holiday open house and office party as t…

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Episode 114: 3 Board Chairs Reflect on 25 Years of Community 48:53

6M ago48:53

48:53

In episode 114 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Tony Sager is joined by three past and current Board Chairs of the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®): Frank Reeder, CIS Director Emeritus and Founding Chair as well as Director of the National Cybersecurity Scholarship Foundation; John Gilligan, President and Chief Executive Officer of CIS; and Bobb…

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13. Infostealers on the Dark Web 55:21

6M ago55:21

55:21

In this episode of The Dark Dive we're looking at a particular type of malware called Information Stealers or "infostealers". This malware is designed to (you guessed it!) steal information from infected devices. Threat Intelligence Engineers Rob Fitzsimons and Joe Honey discuss exactly how infostealers work, why this malware has become so prolific…

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Episode 113: Cyber Risk Prioritization as Ransomware Defense 41:17

7M ago41:17

41:17

In episode 113 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Tony Sager is joined by Phyllis Lee, VP of SBP Content Development at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®); Adam Bobrow, Co-Founder and President of Veribo Analytics; and Sridevi Joshi, Co-Founder and CEO of Veribo Analytics. Together, they discuss how the Business Impact Analysis tool created by C…

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Episode 112: How SANS Fosters Action on Cybersecurity Trends 46:56

7M ago46:56

46:56

In episode 112 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson and Tony Sager are joined by Rob T. Lee, Chief of Research and Head of Faculty at SANS Institute. Together, they discuss how SANS Institute applies an operational or "do" model of leadership to gather expertise, build shared purpose, and foster action on evolving cybersecurity trends. Her…

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12. Encrypted Communication Apps: From Telegram to EncroChat 41:36

7M ago41:36

41:36

This episode of The Dark Dive focuses on encrypted communication apps, including Telegram, Tox, Signal, Session, and Jabber. While not strictly speaking part of the "dark web", these apps are used by the same criminals to perpetrate many of the same crimes. We start with the "mainstream", taking a close look at the popular messaging app Telegram in…

1
Episode 111: Distilling a First Principle of Cybersecurity 47:04

7M ago47:04

47:04

In episode 111 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Tony Sager is joined by Rick Howard, N2K Chief Security Officer and the Chief Analyst and Senior Fellow at The Cyberwire. Together, they discuss a first principle of cybersecurity proposed by Rick in his book, Cybersecurity First Principles: A Reboot of Strategy and Tactics. Here are some highlights fr…

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Episode 110: How Security Culture and Corporate Culture Mesh 41:38

7M ago41:38

41:38

In episode 110 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson and Tony Sager are joined by Lee Noriega, Executive Director of the Cybersecurity Services Organization and Acting General Manager of Sales and Business Services at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®); and Jerry Gitchel, founder of Leverage Unlimited and listener to Cybersecurity Whe…

1
Episode 109: The Scariest Malware of 2024 38:42

7M ago38:42

38:42

In episode 109 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson and Tony Sager are joined by Randy Rose, VP of Security Operations & Intelligence at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®); and Theodore "TJ" Sayers, Director of Intelligence & Incident Response at CIS. Together, they examine the scariest malware of 2024 and share some recommendations …

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Episode 108: Gaming and Competition in Cybersecurity 40:48

8M ago40:48

40:48

In episode 108 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson and Tony Sager are joined by Ed Skoudis, CEO of Counter Hack Challenges and President of SANS Technology Institute. Together, they discuss the evolution of gaming and competition in cybersecurity and how these activities help to make the industry stronger. Here are some highlights from ou…

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Episode 107: Continuous Improvement via Secure by Design 37:36

8M ago37:36

37:36

In episode 107 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson and Tony Sager are joined by Steve Lipner, Executive Director of SAFECode. Together, they discuss how software development organizations can use principles of "secure by design" to get on a track of continuous improvement. Here are some highlights from our episode: 01:38. Steve's backgrou…

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Episode 106: How to Avoid Falling for a Donation Scam 32:05

8M ago32:05

32:05

In episode 106 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by Chris Smith, Social Media Specialist at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®). Together, they use a donation scam about a natural disaster to advise how you can stay safe against this type of cyber threat. Here are some highlights from our episode: 00:49. Why it's importan…

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11. Responding to a Cyberattack 47:04

8M ago47:04

47:04

In this episode of The Dark Dive we're joined by incident response heavyweight Caleb Barlow (former head of IBM X-Force and now CEO of Cyberbit) and Searchlight Cyber's Head of Threat Intelligence Luke Donovan to discuss the best ways to respond to a cyberattack. Caleb and Luke share war stories, talk about what progress has been made in the cybers…

1
Episode 105: Context in Cyber Risk Quantification 33:19

8M ago33:19

33:19

In episode 105 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson discusses the importance of context in maturing how you use cyber risk quantification to build cases for risk treatment strategies. Here are some highlights from our episode: 01:56. The inspiration for an episode on cyber risk quantification 02:38. How to situate risk quantification in yo…

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Episode 104: Inside the First Year of a Cybersecurity Career 32:56

9M ago32:56

32:56

In episode 104 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by Kennidi Ortega, Information Security Analyst at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®). Together, they explore the experience of a first-year analyst and how they might make the most of getting started in a cybersecurity career. Here are some highlights from our episode: 01…

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Episode 103: Education vs. Experience in Cybersecurity 31:16

9M ago31:16

31:16

In episode 103 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson examines education and experience as pathways for new professionals to enter the cybersecurity industry. Here are some highlights from our episode: 01:42. What's motivating Sean to talk about this topic 03:32. The value of cybersecurity degrees 05:17. The pros and cons of degree programs …

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Episode 102: The Sporty Rigor of CIS Controls Accreditation 36:34

9M ago36:34

36:34

In episode 102 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson and Tony Sager are joined by the following guests: Charity Otwell, Director of the CIS Critical Security Controls® (CIS Controls®) at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®) Lawrence Cruciana, President of Corporate Information Technologies (CorpInfoTech) Together, they discuss the "spor…

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10. The Correlation Between Dark Web Exposure and Cybersecurity Risk 48:11

9M ago48:11

48:11

Can you quantify the risk the dark web poses to organizations? In this episode of the podcast, we discuss a landmark study that has tried to do just that. We're joined by Scott Stransky, Managing Director and Head of the Marsh McLennan Cyber Risk Intelligence Center and Ben Jones, CEO of Searchlight Cyber and Scott unravel the findings of the repor…

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Episode 101: Visualizing Attack Paths in Active Directory 34:14

9M ago34:14

34:14

In episode 101 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by Justin Kohler, Vice President of Products at SpecterOps, and Jonathan Parfait, Technical Account Manager at SpecterOps. Together, they discuss how the visualization of attack paths in Active Directory helps organizations to better contextualize risks to their enterprise secur…

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Episode 100: Celebrating 100 Episodes and Looking Ahead 41:59

10M ago41:59

41:59

In episode 100 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson and Tony Sager are joined by David Bisson, Sr. Content Marketing Strategist at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®). Together, they celebrate the first 100 episodes of Cybersecurity Where You Are and discuss where the podcast might go in the future. Here are some highlights from our e…

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