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
Thursday Aug 18, 2022
Thursday Aug 18, 2022
We’re joined by sponsor and guest Dan DeCloss, CEO and Founder of PlexTrac, on the podcast today to talk about communication and collaboration between the red and blue side of cybersecurity and why security success depends on those two sides working together. On their mission to build stronger, more productive, and well-rounded security teams, PlexTrac provides incredible and insightful metric and messaging tools that change the game for the cybersecurity industry.
Timecoded Guide:
[05:36] Understanding PlexTrac’s history and mission for cybersecurity teams
[09:58] Lack of empathy and understanding in red team and blue team communication
[18:48] Breaking through the resentment and confusion within a team
[24:45] Envisioning the future of PlexTrac’s community impact
[27:52] Caring about your cybersecurity mission beyond yourself
Sponsors:
Thank you to our sponsors Axonius and PlexTrac for bringing this season of HVR to life!
Life is complex. But it’s not about avoiding challenges or fearing failure. Just ask Simone Biles — the greatest gymnast of all time. Want to learn more about how Simone controls complexity? Watch her video at axonius.com/simone
What is the function of PlexTrac that would help you the most as a pen tester?
With prior hands-on experience on the red side, Dan found his journey to creating PlexTrac to be full of moments where he wanted to fix the same problems he encountered over and over with reporting and communicating. One of these problems was solved easily with the addition of a video feature, a simple function that has existed since PlexTrac first began but is instrumental and is a huge time-saver for visual learners.
“As a pen tester, I hated finding that I had 20-odd screenshots if it's a pretty complex exploit. I think the adage for us is like, if a picture's worth 1,000 words, then a video is worth 1,000 pictures, right?”
What do you think are some of the gaps in skills that organizations face when hiring these professionals to perform offensive operations?
Communication is key— not just in life, but in this episode. While we’ve discussed skills gaps previously in cybersecurity, Dan is quick to point out that a consistent gap he sees in all areas of cybersecurity is effective communication. PlexTrac keeps this struggle to communicate in mind and creates easy, simple pathways and functions that encourage communication and facilitate collaborative problem solving.
“If there's one area that I really emphasize with anybody that I'm mentoring or have hired in the past is, as a security person, whether you're red or blue, you really do need to be a good communicator and be able to communicate risk effectively within the right context.”
What would you want to say to those folks that don't see eye-to-eye from the red or the blue side?
We’re fighting the same fight, no matter if we’re on the red side or the blue side of cybersecurity. Dan’s message for our warring red and blue teams throughout the industry is to understand the importance of your mission and to not let relationships between red and blue feel clouded with misunderstanding or resentment. No one’s job is harder than anyone else’s, and each role on offensive and defensive plays a part in our collective victory.
“I'm gonna just be point blank about it…Are you trying to just prove a point about your knowledge and your skills? Or, are you actually trying to make the world a safer place?”
What would you want to say to all those folks out there [in cybersecurity]?
As PlexTrac aims to make a huge impact on our community, Dan and his team acknowledge a need for a unified, focused, and collaborative cybersecurity industry, with hard workers on both the red and blue sides. With PlexTrac’s assistance in making reports, measurable results, and communication that much easier, our team at Hacker Valley is thankful to be a part of PlexTrac’s amazing network and can’t wait to share more tools like this with all of you.
“I think keep fighting the good fight, for both sides, and recognizing that your mission is vital to the safety and security of your organization and the world at large, right? We are all in this battle together.”
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Links:
Spend some time with our guest, Dan DeCloss, on LinkedIn, and the PlexTrac website
Keep up with Hacker Valley on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
Follow Ron Eddings on Twitter and LinkedIn
Catch up with Chris Cochran on Twitter and LinkedIn
Tuesday Aug 16, 2022
Tuesday Aug 16, 2022
Anne Ricketts, Founder & Principal of Lighthouse Communications, brings her techniques for public speaking and presenting to the show to help Chris and Ron unpack unhelpful mindsets around storytelling and unhealthy speaking habits. Covering the basics from filler words to hand gestures, eye contact to working the camera, Anne explains the role storytelling plays in the way people communicate at the office, out in public in their free time, virtually on Zoom, and even onstage at events like TEDx.
Timecoded Guide:
[00:00] Why Anne became a communication coach
[05:16] How COVID impacted public speaking and presentations
[12:57] Why you shouldn’t stop hand gesturing
[18:38] How to stop saying “um”, “like,” “so,” and other filler words
[22:45] What makes storytelling an essential career communication tool
Sponsor Links:
Thank you to our sponsors Axonius and AttackIQ for bringing this episode to life!
Complexity is increasing and manual asset inventory approaches no longer cut it. That's where Axonius comes in. Take control of security complexities by uncovering gaps in your organization. Sign up for a free walk through of the platform at axonius.com/get-a-tour
AttackIQ - better insights, better decisions, and real security outcomes. That's why we partnered with them to create free cybersecurity trainings! Check it out at academy.attackiq.com
Why was communication coaching your chosen profession?
Anne wasn’t always a communication coach, but she’s always been passionate about helping others speak. In fact, prior to 2013, Anne taught English as a second language to a variety of people, first in Italy, then in San Francisco. When Anne founded Lighthouse Communications, her goal was to help everyone, English speaking or not, communicate efficiently and confidently. Speaking skills and storytelling talent can open up a world of opportunities for anyone, and Anne is excited that she can help others unlock their potential everyday.
“I really like helping people because there's so many small things you can do to look more confident, like the way you stand or projecting your voice. If you look more confident, you start to feel more confident.”
In the past two years, because of the pandemic, what have been the ways that you've seen communication coaching change?
With so few events and courses happening in-person, Anne had to shift her mindset around coaching and her advice she gives to clients. Virtual presentation unlocked a new world of communication, but comes with new rules and a learning curve. Thankfully, Anne has learned to love the world of virtual and believes that when professionals give their all to connecting with their audience, amazing communication can still occur, even from long distances away.
“Normally, when teaching a class, you can see if someone's struggling or confused, you can walk over and connect with them. Everything was happening so fast in the Zoom room, I personally felt like I started from scratch.”
How could someone who isn't the biggest fan of small talk reset and reframe small talk in a way that's valuable for them?
Networking and communicating can feel like a chore, especially when small talk is involved. Anne believes that small talk, as awkward and boring as it may be, allows professionals an amazing opportunity to practice connecting with others on a small scale and hone their listening and storytelling skills. Ask curious questions to connect with others during small talk moments, and don’t fear the occasional awkwardness that comes with meeting someone new.
“If you want to be good at small talk, it's just being curious. Asking questions like, ‘Hey, what's that in your background?,’ or in person, ‘Tell me more about yourself. Oh, interesting. Where did you go to school?’ Asking specific follow up questions and just being curious.”
What advice would you have for anyone that has impactful details to share, but doesn't really know how to make it into a story?
Storytelling is one of the most valuable skills a professional can learn, according to Anne. Stories allow us an opportunity to connect with others emotionally and mentally, and can even inspire someone to action with the power of simple words. Anne’s biggest advice around the art of storytelling is to practice. Listen to the stories others tell, build your experiences around a framework that feels personally right to you, and practice, practice, practice.
“What makes for a good story is tension, emotion. We want to know what was going through your head during that security hack, what was the reaction, what was at stake, and that's not necessarily, on an everyday basis, how we're trained to speak at work.”
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Links:
Keep up with Anne Ricketts on LinkedIn
Check out Lighthouse Communications on LinkedIn and their website
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDI32BRr2pY
Connect with Ron Eddings on LinkedIn and Twitter
Connect with Chris Cochran on LinkedIn and Twitter
Purchase a HVS t-shirt at our shop
Continue the conversation by joining our Discord
Check out Hacker Valley Media and Hacker Valley Studio
Thursday Aug 11, 2022
Thursday Aug 11, 2022
We’re breaking down the concept of difference makers this week, and we couldn’t help but call upon Mari Galloway, CEO of Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu, to be our guest during this conversation. As a black woman in cybersecurity who has dedicated a large portion of her career to helping women and girls become a part of the cyber community on both the technical and non-technical sides, Mari is a stunning example of making a difference and creating a path to expand cybersecurity beyond stereotypes.
Timecoded Guide:
[01:29] Defining the difference makers and explaining the OODA loop
[13:52] Introducing Mari and the Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu
[20:14] Finding her purpose in helping others find their purpose
[25:06] Explaining the roles and paths available outside of strictly technical
[30:31] Understanding imposter syndrome and forging a freedom-based career journey
Sponsor Links:
Thank you to our sponsors Axonius and PlexTrac for bringing this season of HVR to life!
Life is complex. But it’s not about avoiding challenges or fearing failure. Just ask Simone Biles — the greatest gymnast of all time. Want to learn more about how Simone controls complexity? Watch her video at axonius.com/simone
PlexTrac is pleased to offer an exclusive Red Team Content Bundle for Hacker Valley listeners. This bundle contains both our "Writing a Killer Penetration Test Report" and "Effective Purple Teaming" white papers in ONE awesome package. Head to PlexTrac.com/HackerValley to learn more about the platform and get your copy today!
What is that like to see people go from taking that original red pill all the way through starting their career in cybersecurity?
When we talk about making a difference, many of us don’t get to see our impact as clearly as the Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu sometimes gets to see. Mari tells us numerous stories of women throughout this episode, including herself, who became a part of this industry because of the instrumental work they do in outreach and education. For Mari, seeing women change their minds and majors to become a part of the tech industry shows how vital this work is.
“These are the moments we're waiting for, whether it's one person or 50 million people. We want you to feel confident enough to get the skills you need, get in the industry, continue to refine those skills, and be super successful.”
What would you equate your purpose to, and how does everything you do fit into it?
Like many of us, Mari isn’t entirely sure what her purpose is, but she knows that she enjoys helping the next generation and making a difference in the landscape of cybersecurity. Working with a nonprofit is not an easy job, even if it is rewarding, and Mari still prioritizes her freedom alongside meeting her purpose. No matter what Mari’s future holds, she knows that this work and this purpose to help others will always find her.
“I think as I get older, as I start to take steps back to just kind of look at what's happened and the impact that I'm having and others around me are having on the next generation of folks coming up, I think my purpose is to help people. It's to help other people see their potential.”
How do you feel like creating that safe environment has affected others?
Helping others find their footing in the cybersecurity industry can be extremely rewarding, especially when Mari found herself in a situation of uncertainty when she first joined the Cyberjutsu Tribe. The community of cybersecurity and the stereotypes around hackers can feel incredibly uninviting from the outside. Offering people, especially women and young girls, an opportunity to step into a safe space where they can ask anything has been huge for Mari.
“We call it our Cyberjutsu Tribe, and we want to make sure that anybody that comes to us feels like they can reach out and touch us and ask us questions and get answers and just have a conversation with us.”
How do we invite more people in and let them know that there are opportunities in cyber outside of technical roles?
Whether you’re hacking, selling, managing, or marketing, there is a space for you in the cybersecurity world. You don’t have to code or to be extremely technical to fit in this industry anymore, and you don’t have to have a certain look. The Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu prioritizes educating people on every role involved in the industry and showing them that they don’t have to be a tech wizard or a computer guru to find a satisfying and profitable position.
“You don't have to look like this to be a hacker. You can look like me…That stereotype, I think, is dying, as we see the number of women coming in and men coming into the space that don't look like that anymore.”
Links:
Spend some time with our guest, Mari Galloway, on LinkedIn, Twitter, her website , and the Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu website.
Keep up with Hacker Valley on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
Follow Ron Eddings on Twitter.
Catch up with Chris Cochan on Twitter.
Tuesday Aug 09, 2022
Tuesday Aug 09, 2022
Christian Hyatt, CEO & Co-Founder of risk3sixty, knows the secret to building a strong cybersecurity team, and he calls it: Security Team Operating Systems. Walking through his entrepreneurial journey from inspiration as a young child to discovering his interest in the new phenomenon of cyber to co-founding risk3sixty, Christian covers every aspect of intelligent leading and team building. Ready to take your team to the next level? Christian knows 5 key elements you won’t want to miss.
Timecoded Guide:
[00:00] Tackling cybersecurity as a business owner in an emerging industry
[07:04] Building better teams with an emphasis on core values
[14:16] Noticing the potential of decentralized technology and data
[18:51] Stepping away from hands-on technician work to be the boss
[22:37] Leading healthy teams through missions, KPIs, and meeting cadences
Sponsor Links:
Thank you to our sponsors Axonius and AttackIQ for bringing this episode to life!
Want to learn more about how Mindbody enhanced their asset visibility and increased their cybersecurity maturity rating with Axonius? Check out axonius.com/mindbody
AttackIQ - better insights, better decisions, and real security outcomes. That's why we partnered with them to create free cybersecurity trainings! Check it out at academy.attackiq.com
Where did the journey of wanting to be a cybersecurity and privacy business owner begin for you?
While many guests on Hacker Valley take the journey from technician to eventual business founder, Christian felt the urge to become an entrepreneur from a young age. Watching his father and grandfather run their own businesses, Christian understood the responsibilities of taking this journey and wanted to make an impact in an industry that was blossoming with potential. Cybersecurity came into Christian’s life later, when he was employed at a consulting industry, but he saw the potential for growth immediately and wanted to be a part of it.
“Along the way, what I learned about myself is I really love building teams. When we built risk3sixty, we were really culture-oriented, even from the early days. We were thinking about scaling the business, career plans, coaching plans, culture kind of stuff.”
What are some of the lessons you’ve learned in the process of building your team at risk3sixty?
Christian cites the books Traction by Gino Wickman and Scaling Up by Verne Harnish as two of his biggest inspirations and influences for team building early on in his entrepreneurial journey. Both of these authors heavily focus on the people element of professional teams, and Christian has implemented that same approach when forming cybersecurity and privacy teams at risk3sixty. The right people in the right positions will make or break a company, which is why risk3sixty has training and apprenticeship programs in place to build a strong foundation of skills with people who are passionate about learning and growing with the company.
“It turns out, if you get the right people in the door, you invest in them, you coach with them, you develop relationships, they're going to serve your clients like no one else is going to do it. They're gonna be part of that mission, they're gonna want to serve, and you do great work.”
Now that you aren’t as hands-on with security assessments as a CEO, what have you learned from the bigger picture, macro-perspective role you have now?
Many cybersecurity technicians feel understandably cautious about taking over C-level positions because of the lack of hands-on technical assessment work. However, for Christian, he’s enjoyed gaining a different perspective on the industry and learning the “why” behind the “what” as CEO of risk3sixty. As CEO, Christian is able to better understand overarching trends and changes in the security assessments his company performs and has the opportunity to talk directly with security executives about opportunities for growth and investment.
“You can walk into an organization and if they don't have a strong leader at the helm, they don't have a security team operating system, they're a little bit dysfunctional, I know already that I'm going to see some problems in there.”
What are the most important characteristics that you're finding for folks that are leading really healthy cybersecurity teams?
Security team operating systems are made up of the non-technical skills and characteristics that make a team effective. When Christian’s team at risk3sixty needed to hone in on these specific elements, they narrowed it down to 5. Teams need to have a (1) defined purpose and mission to go after and a (2) core set of values to not only guide them through their work, but also understand their (3) set of expected behaviors and standards. There also have to be (4) consistent meeting cadences in place and (5) a solid, standard process of goal setting, KPIs, and score carding.
“A great team defines their purpose and mission. Usually, that’s aligned with a business objective. It might be about protecting data, it might be about customer trust, whatever it is that makes sense for that business, they've set a mission that that team can rally around.”
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Links:
Keep up with Christian Hyatt on LinkedIn
Check out risk3sixty on LinkedIn and the risk3sixty website.
Connect with Ron Eddings on LinkedIn and Twitter
Connect with Chris Cochran on LinkedIn and Twitter
Purchase a HVS t-shirt at our shop
Continue the conversation by joining our Discord
Check out Hacker Valley Media and Hacker Valley Studio
Thursday Aug 04, 2022
Thursday Aug 04, 2022
Those on the red team may not be household names to the everyday person, but they are absolutely legends and icons in the world of cybersecurity and hacking. While we have our personal favorite hackers between the two of us, we also invite our guest, Davin Jackson, to share his favorite cybersecurity legends and the lessons he’s learned from them.
Timecode Guide:
[00:50] The importance of red teaming, especially during this season
[02:17] Ron and Chris’ first experience working in a red team environment
[11:23] Communication and collaboration between blue and red
[16:53] Knowledge gained from Davin Jackson’s humble beginnings in tech
[22:19] Gaining the blue perspective with Hacker Valley Blue
Thank you to our sponsors Axonius and PlexTrac for bringing this season of HVR to life!
Life is complex. But it’s not about avoiding challenges or fearing failure. Just ask Simone Biles — the greatest gymnast of all time. Want to learn more about how Simone controls complexity? Watch her video at axonius.com/simone
PlexTrac is pleased to offer an exclusive Red Team Content Bundle for Hacker Valley listeners. This bundle contains both our "Writing a Killer Penetration Test Report" and "Effective Purple Teaming" white papers in ONE awesome package. Head to PlexTrac.com/HackerValley to learn more about the platform and get your copy today!
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Legends, Icons, Teachers, and Friends
From Marcus Carey to Johnny Long, we’re excited to share the legends that had an early influence and lasting impact on our careers in cybersecurity. While our two backgrounds in red teaming are different, we can attribute so much of our success and our ability to share our knowledge with all of you to the experts that were willing to invite us to join and learn the best hacking techniques alongside them.
“I think that's the most important thing in red teaming, it’s passing that knowledge on to someone else.” - Chris Cochran
Communication, collaboration, and community instead of red vs blue
It is not two teams with two separate fights when we’re talking about red teams and blue teams. Often, when cybersecurity is too focused on this split between offensive and defensive, we forget to collaborate and fall short of improving on issues we discovered. Communication between red and blue can be a costly struggle, which is why we’re happy to see our sponsor PlexTrac stepping in to develop communication technology for these teams.
“There's this push and pull of collaboration. On one hand, you want the red team to work autonomously…but on the other hand, they do need insight if you’re going to go deeper and deeper.” - Ron Eddings
Legends met, lessons learned, tech loneliness understood
In the latter half of our episode, we’re joined by Hacker Valley Blue host Davin Jackson, also known as DJax Alpha. Davin started his cybersecurity journey with no computer of his own. Working his way up from basic tech jobs at corporations like Circuit City, lessons Davin learned from the legends he looked up to include finding a mentor, focusing on networking (even when it
feels like a dead end), and being always willing to share what you’ve learned.
“It’s about consistency, and you have to have self control and discipline…It’s one thing to get it, but it’s another to maintain that success.” - Davin
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Spend some time with our guest, Davin Jackson (DJax Alpha/Alpha Cyber Security) on his website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and weekly on the Hacker Valley Blue podcast.