Welcome back to the show! Hacker Valley Studio podcast features Host Ron Eddings, as he explores the world of cybersecurity through the eyes of professionals in the industry. We cover everything from inspirational real-life stories in tech, to highlighting influential cybersecurity companies, and we do so in a fun and enthusiastic way. We’re making cybersecurity accessible, creating a whole new form of entertainment: cybertainment.
Episodes
2 hours ago
2 hours ago
AI might analyze your logs in seconds, but only the community can put you in the room that changes your career.
In this solo episode, Ron Eddings discusses the powerful balance between human connection and artificial intelligence in shaping the future of cybersecurity and beyond. From the sacrifices that sparked his career to the mentors who opened doors, Ron shares personal stories that show why community will always be your ultimate competitive edge, even as AI advances into the SOC. He also runs live AI experiments on ransomware response and log analysis, revealing what AI can (and can’t) do for practitioners right now.
Impactful Moments:
00:00 - Introduction
02:00 - Why community is your first advantage
03:30 - The sacrifice that launched Ron’s career
04:40 - Meeting mentor Marcus Carey
06:00 - Early opportunities in cybersecurity
07:00 - The power of hacker spaces
09:00 - How mentors open hidden doors
10:00 - RSA and Black Hat as career accelerators
13:00 - The most underrated LinkedIn feature
15:00 - The HVS mastermind community
16:00 - Reality check on GPT-5
18:00 - AI builds an IR playbook
20:00 - Critical do’s and don’ts in incident response
23:00 - Why hallucinations matter in cybersecurity AI
25:00 - AI makes sense of raw logs
28:00 - Can AI replace tier one analysts?
30:00 - Where AI still falls short
31:00 - Final challenge: Strengthen your community
Links:
Connect with our Ron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronaldeddings/
Register for our livestream with Gerry Auger: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7359290642633539586/
Check out the links to the OpenAI ChatGPT threads here:
Incident Analysis Summary: https://chatgpt.com/share/689fa61f-3498-8006-9989-ff8221f97b01
Ransomware Incident Playbook: https://chatgpt.com/share/689fa63f-86ec-8006-8355-642d4d38808e
Check out our upcoming events: https://www.hackervalley.com/livestreams
Join our creative mastermind and stand out as a cybersecurity professional:
https://www.patreon.com/hackervalleystudio
Love Hacker Valley Studio? Pick up some swag: https://store.hackervalley.com
Continue the conversation by joining our Discord: https://hackervalley.com/discord
Become a sponsor of the show to amplify your brand: https://hackervalley.com/work-with-us/
Thursday Aug 14, 2025
Thursday Aug 14, 2025
When AI agents move faster than security teams, the game changes, and the risks multiply.
Ron welcomes back Marco “Mystic Marc” Figueroa, Program Manager at Mozilla’s 0DIN Program, to continue the conversation and update on 2025’s most pressing AI and cybersecurity shifts. From the explosive rise of AI agents and OpenAI’s rumored browser to the hidden dangers of MCP implementations and prompt injection exploits like the Gemini attack, Marco shares insights that security pros can’t afford to miss.
Impactful Moments
00:00 - Introduction
02:00 - Why 2025 is the year of the agent
05:45 - MCP’s rapid adoption and security risks
10:00 - The Gemini prompt injection vulnerability
15:00 - How attackers hide malicious AI prompts
18:00 - High success rates in non-technical teams
22:00 - Rise of voice-based AI scams
25:00 - Using jailbreaks to bend AI to your needs
30:00 - Predictions on OpenAI’s upcoming browser
33:00 - The profit battle between OpenAI and Microsoft
35:00 - Windsurf’s rollercoaster of acquisitions
Links:
Connect with our guest Marco on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marco-figueroa-re/
Check out our upcoming events: https://www.hackervalley.com/livestreams
Join our creative mastermind and stand out as a cybersecurity professional:
https://www.patreon.com/hackervalleystudio
Love Hacker Valley Studio? Pick up some swag: https://store.hackervalley.com
Continue the conversation by joining our Discord: https://hackervalley.com/discord
Become a sponsor of the show to amplify your brand: https://hackervalley.com/work-with-us/
Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Thursday Aug 07, 2025
The riskiest move in cybersecurity? Playing it too safe. In this solo episode, Ron Eddings redefines the way we think about technical debt, risk, and missed opportunities, in security and in life.
Ron reframes the debt vs. risk paradigm through the lens of the SharePoint breach, personal milestones, and co-founding Hacker Valley. With sharp insights, personal stories, and a call to action for every listener, he shows how curiosity and calculated risk are the true drivers of innovation.
Impactful Moments
00:00 - Introduction
01:10 - Why debt vs. risk matters now
02:20 - What the SharePoint breach taught us
04:15 - Risk avoidance creates deeper debt
05:10 - Clear definitions: risk vs. debt
06:30 - Hidden costs of deferring decisions
08:15 - Leaving $200k salary to build Hacker Valley
10:00 - Long-term founder debt explained
11:08 - When comfort becomes dangerous
12:00 - Curiosity as a leadership skill
13:10 - What you’re not seeing yet
14:30 - Final thought: reflect and reassess
Links:
Connect with our Ron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronaldeddings/
Check out our upcoming events: https://www.hackervalley.com/livestreams
Join our creative mastermind and stand out as a cybersecurity professional:
https://www.patreon.com/hackervalleystudio
Love Hacker Valley Studio? Pick up some swag: https://store.hackervalley.com
Continue the conversation by joining our Discord: https://hackervalley.com/discord
Become a sponsor of the show to amplify your brand: https://hackervalley.com/work-with-us/
Thursday Jul 31, 2025
Thursday Jul 31, 2025
The world’s youngest continent is also its most untapped resource. Confidence Staveley, Founder of CyberSafe, makes a powerful case for why Africa’s youth are the answer to global cybersecurity and AI innovation… if we’re bold enough to invest.
In this episode, Ron welcomes back cybersecurity leader and advocate Confidence Staveley for a discussion on purpose-driven innovation, talent development, and AI-powered awareness tools. Confidence shares updates on her nonprofit work, her bold new ventures including AI Cyber Magazine, and how she's helping shape Africa into a tech talent hub. With global budget cuts hitting nonprofits and marginalized communities, Confidence shares how Africa’s innovators, who are often excluded from the table, are building their own tables, making their impact impossible to ignore, and shaping cybersecurity’s future on their terms.
Impactful Moments
00:00 - Introduction
02:00 - Her Difference Makers Award speech
04:00 - Partnering with SANS for bigger impact
06:01 - Global DEI backlash and ripple effects
10:00 - Why Africa is the future of tech
13:01 - Innovation with limited resources
17:10 - AI Cyber Magazine and its mission
19:00 - Building AI-powered awareness tools
21:00 - The African adage on self-renewal
22:10 - How sharing knowledge builds trust
Links
Connect with our guest, Confidence Staveley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/confidencestaveley/
Check out our upcoming events: https://www.hackervalley.com/livestreams
Join our creative mastermind and stand out as a cybersecurity professional:
https://www.patreon.com/hackervalleystudio
Love Hacker Valley Studio? Pick up some swag: https://store.hackervalley.com
Continue the conversation by joining our Discord: https://hackervalley.com/discord
Become a sponsor of the show to amplify your brand: https://hackervalley.com/work-with-us/
Thursday Jul 24, 2025
Thursday Jul 24, 2025
Is compliance just a checkbox, or the backbone of real security?
Returning to the show with decades of hard-earned insight, Jeff Man makes the case that compliance, especially PCI-DSS, isn't just a formality; it's foundational to modern security. As one of the original architects of the NSA Red Team and a 20-year PCI veteran, Jeff explains how this often-misunderstood framework has shaped everything from pen testing to vendor accountability.
Ron and Jeff unpack the six core goals of PCI, how red teams and SaaS builders are directly affected, and why many security teams resist compliance efforts, despite relying on them to get essential buy-in and funding.
Impactful Moments:
00:00 – Introduction
01:00 – Does compliance equal security?
02:09 – Jeff returns with PCI firepower
03:15 – Defining security vs. compliance
05:33 – “Show me what you’re doing”
06:45 – Six goals at PCI’s core
10:45 – Security is watching, not reacting
13:30 – Companies secure because they have to
15:00 – PCI gave red teams their jobs
16:30 – Stripe and Square absorb PCI burden
19:30 – PCI 4.0 causes confusion
21:00 – Vendors aren’t your trusted advisors
22:30 – “Hate me, but I’ll help”
Links:
Connect with our guest, Jeff Man: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyeman/
Check out our upcoming events: https://www.hackervalley.com/livestreams
Join our creative mastermind and stand out as a cybersecurity professional:
https://www.patreon.com/hackervalleystudio
Love Hacker Valley Studio? Pick up some swag: https://store.hackervalley.com
Continue the conversation by joining our Discord: https://hackervalley.com/discord
Become a sponsor of the show to amplify your brand: https://hackervalley.com/work-with-us/