CISO Series Podcast

Epizode

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  We Strongly Value Your Willingness to Accept Less 15.09.2026 43min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining us is Gina Ciavarro, former managing director of infrastructure and CISO at Accordion. In this episode: Patching won't evict a squatter Boards accept risk by saying nothing Fast enough to hide the damage Job posting for a unicorn A huge thanks to our sponsor, Arctic Wolf Security leaders need to reduce complexity, strengthen resilience, and prove value. Arctic Wolf's Security Operations ROI Calculator helps estimate operational value, potential risk exposure reduction, and projected payback based on your environment. See what a modern, AI-powered security operations model could mean for your business at arcticwolf.com/CISO today, right now.  
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  Backlogs? Where We're Going We Don't Need Backlogs. 08.09.2026 41min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Steve Zalewski. Joining us is Varsha Agrawal, head of information security, Prosper Marketplace. In this episode: Lock-in was never about the tech The board wants a green light, not a lesson Time was never the constraint What founders keep getting wrong about security A huge thanks to our sponsor, Vanta No, it's not your imagination. Risk and regulations ARE ramping up—and customers now expect proof of security just to do business. That's why Vanta is a game-changer. Vanta automates your compliance process and brings compliance, risk, and customer trust together on one AI-powered platform. So whether you're prepping for a SOC 2 or running an enterprise GRC program, Vanta keeps you secure—and keeps your deals moving. Companies like Ramp and Writer spend 82% less time on audits with Vanta. That's not just faster compliance—it's more time for growth. Get started at Vanta.com/CISO.
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  When Frameworks Stop Being Polite and Start Getting Real 01.09.2026 37min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Will Gregorian, CISO, Galileo Medical. Joining us is Ryan Brown, director and head of cybersecurity operations, Children's National Hospital. In this episode: Policy is easy. The exam room isn't. Robotics, Asimov, and the gap before regulation The token bill nobody can explain The 3 AM call is a warning sign A huge thanks to our sponsor, Guardsquare Guardsquare delivers mobile app security without compromise, providing advanced protections for both Android and iOS apps. From app security testing to code hardening to real-time visibility into the threat landscape, Guardsquare solutions provide enhanced mobile application security from early in the development process through publication. Learn more about how to protect your app at Guardsquare.com/CISO.
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  "Ignorance Is Bliss" Is Our Acceptable Use Policy 25.08.2026 39min

  http://www.Threatlocker.com/cisoAll links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Edward Contreras, senior evp and CISO, Frost Bank. Joining is sponsored guest Rob Allen, chief product officer, ThreatLocker. In this episode: Not my job, still my problem The tools people actually use Mac, Windows, and the debate that won't quit Hiring for imagination, not acronyms A huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker ThreatLocker delivers Zero Trust Network Access and Zero Trust Cloud Access that verifies both user and device before granting access to specific applications. No broad access, nothing exposed, and no reliance on credentials alone. It's a smarter way to control access and reduce risk. Learn more at ThreatLocker.com/CISO.
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  Secure by Design. Ignored by Default. 18.08.2026 37min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining is Julie Davila, president, Security Tinkerers. In this episode: Two paths, one dead end One size fits nobody Own it or orphan it The agent you should worry about A huge thanks to our sponsor, Guardsquare Guardsquare delivers mobile app security without compromise, providing advanced protections for both Android and iOS apps. From app security testing to code hardening to real-time visibility into the threat landscape, Guardsquare solutions provide enhanced mobile application security from early in the development process through publication. Learn more about how to protect your app at Guardsquare.com/CISO.
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  Why Solve Your Problems When We Can Just Scare You? 11.08.2026 41min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Mike Johnson, CISO, Rivian. Joining us is Nada Noaman, SVP and CISO, Estee Lauder Companies. In this episode: Skipping the apprenticeship Privileged users nobody manages like one Findings without the authority to fix them Security was always behavioral A huge thanks to our sponsor, Native The Cloud Security Control Plane. Native helps enterprises turn built-in cloud security controls into active, operational defenses across AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and OCI, so teams can enforce secure-by-design architecture at the source, preview impact before rollout, and keep guardrails aligned as cloud environments change. Learn more at native.security.  
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  See, Our Compliance Framework Includes a Checkbox for Resilience 04.08.2026 43min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Mike Johnson, CISO, Rivian. Joining us is our sponsored guest, Khush Kashyap, senior director of GRC at Vanta. In this episode: Running up the token meter Some risks resist a price tag Resilience isn't a vacation policy Compliance is the wrong finish line A huge thanks to our sponsor, Vanta Still stuck on the quarterly audit treadmill? Meet Calm-pliance. Vanta combines compliance, risk, and proof on one Agentic Trust Platform—and continuously monitors your controls, keeping you audit-ready all year round. Find your Calm-pliance here.
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  Why Don't You Tell Me Which Metrics Sound Most Impressive? 28.07.2026 48min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining is Pavi Ramamurthy, Global CISO and CIO, Blackhawk Network. In this episode: Numbers that make the board feel good and nothing else The audit is not the same thing as the truth Receipts aren't a strategy Stop blaming the human, fix the system they're standing in A huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker ThreatLocker delivers Zero Trust Network Access and Zero Trust Cloud Access that verifies both user and device before granting access to specific applications. No broad access, nothing exposed, and no reliance on credentials alone. It's a smarter way to control access and reduce risk. Learn more at ThreatLocker.com/CISO.  
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  With AI, I Can Now Be Pulled in 5x More Directions at Once! 21.07.2026 47min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series, and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining is our sponsored guest, Brian Long, CEO, Adaptive Security. In this episode: Nobody clocks out anymore The rules nobody wrote down are the ones that count AI doesn't drain your empathy, it just shows your hand Loyalty runs both directions, even out the door A huge thanks to our sponsor, Adaptive Security Adaptive Security helps organizations stay ahead of AI-powered social engineering, including deepfake phishing, vishing, and multi-channel attacks. With simulations and personalized training, teams learn to recognize and respond to modern threats before they cause harm. Turn human risk into resilience with security awareness built for the AI era. Learn more at adaptivesecurity.com.
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  The Only Thing Worse Than Technical Debt is Newly Discovered Technical Debt 14.07.2026 43min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series, and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining them is Tim Callahan, CIO/CISO, AFLAC. In this episode: Week one is the wrong time to overreach Nobody has the AI playbook Vulnerability management wasn't built for this clock Stop blaming the human, fix the system A huge thanks to our sponsor, Vanta No, it's not your imagination. Risk and regulations ARE ramping up—and customers now expect proof of security just to do business. That's why Vanta is a game-changer. Vanta automates your compliance process and brings compliance, risk, and customer trust together on one AI-powered platform. So whether you're prepping for a SOC 2 or running an enterprise GRC program, Vanta keeps you secure—and keeps your deals moving. Companies like Ramp and Writer spend 82% less time on audits with Vanta. That's not just faster compliance—it's more time for growth. Get started at Vanta.com/CISO.  
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  What Part of Zero Trust Does Your Exception Not Understand? 07.07.2026 37min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series, and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining is Patti Degnan, operating partner, Andreessen Horowitz. In this episode: Identity built for one person at a time Patching can't outrun the exploit timeline The exception hiding inside zero trust A revenue question nobody's answered yet A huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker ThreatLocker delivers Zero Trust Network Access and Zero Trust Cloud Access that verifies both user and device before granting access to specific applications. No broad access, nothing exposed, and no reliance on credentials alone. It's a smarter way to control access and reduce risk. Learn more at ThreatLocker.com/CISO.
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  These Aren't Speed Bumps, They're Opportunity Ramps! (LIVE in NYC) 30.06.2026 42min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Nick Vigier, CISO, Oscar Health. Joining is our sponsored guest, Mitchem Boles, field CTO, Intezer. This episode was recorded live at Intezer's AI SOC event held at the NASDAQ in NYC. In this episode: Who owns the risk Before it gets better The SOC of zero The decision bottleneck A huge thanks to our sponsor, Intezer Intezer Forensic AI SOC is designed for enterprises managing high alert volumes across SIEM, EDR Network, identity, phishing, and cloud systems. These organizations often rely on MDRs to fill coverage gaps but face frustration with limited visibility, too many escalations, and missed incidents hiding in low-severity alerts. Learn more at Intezer.com.
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  It's Not That We Don't Value Your Experience, We Just Don't Want to Pay for It 23.06.2026 40min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining is Megan Samford, vp product and supply chain security, Schneider Electric. In this episode: Two modes of CISO The vendor has the keys The economic argument for secure code Burning through the talent A huge thanks to our sponsor, Native Security Native makes secure-by-design inherent to how the cloud operates. It's the control plane for built-in cloud security, unifying and governing native controls, so security intent is defined once and applied consistently across providers. Learn more at native.security.
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  Boards Love to Hear Jargon," Says Soon-to-Be-Fired CISO (LIVE in Boston) 16.06.2026 48min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by me, David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining us is Dmitriy Sokolovskiy, senior vice president, information security, Semrush. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the offices of Aqueduct Technologies in Canton, MA. See photos from the event. In this episode: A clock on everything The oversight loop Not a better tool, a different one It's not the alerts A huge thanks to our sponsor, Strike48 It's no secret that AI is only as good as the data available to it. Strike48 unifies agentic AI with unmatched log visibility while avoiding the typical hefty price tag. Build and deploy agents for phishing detection, alert triage, threat correlation and more. Queries existing logs where they currently live, so you can keep the technology you already have. Learn more at Strike48.com.   A huge thanks to our sponsor, Dropzone AI Dropzone AI delivers a team of AI agents that investigate alerts, hunt threats, and respond to attacks across your full security stack. No playbooks required. No hidden humans in the critical path. Your analysts stay in control, directing strategy while AI agents handle the investigation workload at machine speed. Learn more at dropzone.ai.
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  There's Nothing an LLM Can Screw Up That the Cloud Didn't Do First 09.06.2026 44min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining is our sponsored guest, Danny Jenkins, CEO, ThreatLocker. In this episode: Permission creep at machine speed The pattern we keep calling a mistake Stop authenticating the human Vibe coded out of existence A huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker ThreatLocker delivers Zero Trust Network Access and Zero Trust Cloud Access that verifies both user and device before granting access to specific applications. No broad access, nothing exposed, and no reliance on credentials alone. It's a smarter way to control access and reduce risk. Learn more at ThreatLocker.com/CISO.
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  Our Data Security Policy Is Transparent in That It Doesn't Exist 02.06.2026 37min

  Our Data Security Policy Is Transparent in That It Doesn't Exist All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series, and Mike Johnson, CISO, Rivian. Joining is Mike Melo, CISO, TMX Group. In this episode: The weight of old controls Data you can actually see 68 vendors and counting Authority you never had to claim A huge thanks to our sponsor, Vanta Still stuck on the quarterly audit treadmill? Meet Calm-pliance. Vanta combines compliance, risk, and proof on one Agentic Trust Platform—and continuously monitors your controls, keeping you audit-ready all year round. Find your Calm-pliance here.
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  If You Love Cloud Misconfigurations So Much, Why Don't You Marry Them! 26.05.2026 40min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series, and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining them is their sponsored guest Amit Megiddo, CEO and founder, Native. In this episode: The CISO you don't need Misconfigurations aren't a cloud problem Secure by design means enforcing it Finding bugs faster isn't the bottleneck A huge thanks to our sponsor, Native Native makes secure-by-design inherent to how the cloud operates. It's the control plane for built-in cloud security, unifying and governing native controls, so security intent is defined once and applied consistently across providers. Learn more at native.security.  
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  Why Be Responsible When We Can Just Blame AI? 19.05.2026 41min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's CISO Series Podcast features David Spark, producer of CISO Series, and Andy Ellis, principal of Duha. Joining us is our sponsored guest, Jadee Hanson, CISO, Vanta. In this episode: The compliance receipt nobody reads Who signs off on the AI that wrote the code The agent that wouldn't stop The questionnaire that should not exist A huge thanks to our sponsor, Vanta Risk and regulation ramping up—and customers expect proof of security just to do business. Vanta's automation brings compliance, risk, and customer trust together on one AI-powered platform. So whether you're prepping for a SOC 2 or running an enterprise GRC program, Vanta keeps you secure—and keeps your deals moving. Learn more at vanta.com/ciso.
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  Can You Please Train the AI on Your Way Out the Door? 12.05.2026 36min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Mike Johnson, CISO, Rivian. Joining is Jean-Paul Calabio, vp and CISO, Grainger. In this episode: Scanning the map isn't securing the territory CFOs don't fund faith What your AI inherits Nobody owns the gap Thanks to Jonathan Waldrop, CISO, Acoustic for providing our "What's Worse" scenario. A huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker ThreatLocker makes Zero Trust practical. With Default Deny, Ringfencing, and Elevation Control, CISOs get real control that's easy to manage and built to scale. Stop threats before they execute and reduce operational noise without adding complexity. See how simple prevention can be at ThreatLocker.com/CISO.
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  AI Confidence: It's a Trap! (LIVE in San Francisco) 05.05.2026 43min

  All links and images can be found on CISO Series This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Mike Johnson, CISO, Rivian. Joining is Sara Madden, CISO, Convera. This episode was recorded live at BSidesSF 2026. In this episode: Playing vendor roulette Confident and wrong Making conferences count The stakes problem in tabletops A huge thanks to our sponsor, QuilrAI Can you tell if an action in your environment was performed by a human — or an AI agent? QuilrAI's Decision Engine evaluates content, context, and intent before actions complete — across browsers, endpoints, SaaS, LLMs, and agents. Not more alerts. Better decisions, in real time. Visit quilr.ai. A huge thanks to our sponsor, Nudge Security Get a full inventory of AI assets on Day One of your free trial, even those introduced before you started using Nudge. Get started. A huge thanks to our sponsor, Zenity Help shape the future of AI agent security. On May 27th, the AI Agent Security Summit returns to San Francisco. Hear from leading researchers and security pioneers, and usher in the new age of secure AI deployment across the enterprise. Register at zenity.io/ai-security-summit.