What happens after you discover ransomware? You have to talk to the attackers. And that conversation can make or break your entire response. In this episode, Wade Gettle, a professional ransomware negotiator, pulls back the curtain on the high-stakes world of threat actor negotiations. Wade is the person who gets the call at 2 AM when organizations are facing their worst moment, and he's handled negotiations across every scenario imaginable. You'll learn: What actually happens in the first 72 ho...
Feb 09, 2026•49 min•Season 5Ep. 10
This episode is a big one! We kick off 2026 with a critical lessons learned on how to detect and prevent the threat of fake IT workers infiltrating your organization through the story of a REAL compromise. In this episode, repeat guest Zak Stufflebeam shares a detailed case study involving a major investigation of multiple counterfeit IT employees within a company. The episode provides valuable insights and actionable detection tactics, covering everything from unusual VPN activity and AI-genera...
Jan 05, 2026•1 hr 37 min•Season 5Ep. 9
In this episode, we sit down with Zak Stufflebeam, Director of Cybersecurity at a publicly traded insurance company. Zak shares his unique journey from the military to leading security operations, emphasizing essential leadership principles learned along the way. From his early days in basic training to leading complex cybersecurity teams, Zak’s story is one of perseverance, adaptability, and unwavering commitment. He delves into vital leadership lessons, the importance of confidence, and strate...
Aug 19, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 5Ep. 8
This podcast episode is from the SANS Cyber Leaders Podcast . The episode features Blueprint host John Hubbard, where he talks with hosts James Lyne and Ciaran Martin on the ever-changing threat landscape and how SOC teams can stay ahead. John shares his expertise on spotting threats early, how to test your defences before the real attackers show up, and why he’s on a mission to simplify cybersecurity operations for the next generation of defenders. Contact, Courses, and More: For feedback, revi...
Jun 27, 2025•52 min
In this episode of Blueprint, host John Hubbard sits down with James Spiteri from Elastic to explore the transformative power of AI on the SOC. They delve into how advanced AI technologies, such as agentic AI models, MCP protocol, and automation, are reshaping the SOC landscape. Discover how AI enhances SOC efficiency, reduces mundane tasks, and integrates context-aware capabilities. Learn about the real-world applications, from automation in cybersecurity operations to the challenges and promis...
Jun 12, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 5Ep. 7
In this episode, we sit down with Rich Greene, a former United States Army Special Forces Green Beret and current SANS instructor for SEC275 and SEC301. Rich shares his incredible journey spanning 20 years in the Army, including his transition from military communication roles into the realm of cybersecurity. He talks about the importance of fundamentals in cybersecurity, the power of effective communication and persuasion, and dispels common misconceptions about entering the cyber field. Rich a...
Apr 09, 2025•47 min•Season 5Ep. 6
In this episode, we sit down with Ryan Thompson , a seasoned expert in building dashboards that actually detect real threats —not just look pretty. With experience at Elastic, Alert Logic, and top EDR vendors, Ryan shares deep insights into the science behind effective dashboards and how security teams can cut through the noise to find the threats on your network . We cover: Why most SOC dashboards fail to deliver real insights —and how to fix them. The right way to structure dashboards for SIEM...
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Surprise!! It's a mini solo episode to kick off the new year and it's on one of the most important topics there is - how to achieve your goals in 2025 and beyond! In this episode I talk about a topic I've never covered anywhere before - my personal system for productivity and how it helps me, and can likely you help you stay on track for those 2025 goals and stay aligned with what is most important in your life. Check this episode out for some useful productivity tips, inspiration, recommendatio...
Jan 01, 2025•30 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Mark Morowczynski returns for his 4th(!) time with his Microsoft coworker and identity and authentication expert Tarek Dawoud in this incredibly insightful conversation on the what, why, and how of phishing resistant credentials that YOU can implement right now! This conversation covers: What makes MFA phishable? What phishing resistant credentials are and how they work The history and modern methods for phishing resistant credentials What attacks will be used once we move to phishing resistant ...
Dec 02, 2024•54 min•Season 5Ep. 3
In this mega-discussion with Seth Misenar on GenAI and LLM usage for security operations we cover some very interesting questions such as: - The importance of natural language processing in Sec Ops - How AI is helping us detect phishing email - Where and how AI is lowering the bar for entry-level security SOC roles - Should we worry about AI hallucinations or AI taking our jobs? - What is a reasoning model and how is it different than what we've seen so far? - The future of AI - Multimodal inter...
Oct 09, 2024•1 hr 35 min•Season 5Ep. 2
In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of a complex gift card fraud investigation. Join host John Hubbard and guest Mark Jeanmougin as they explore the intricate details of uncovering and combating a clever case of cyber fraud. In this episode Mark discusses how the incident was identified, investigated, contained, and what lessons were learned along the way. Episode Links: - Mark's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markjx/ - Mark's Teaching Schedule: https://www.sans.org/pro...
Oct 09, 2024•36 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Have you ever wondered what it takes to write and publish an information security book? In this special bonus episode following season 4, John discusses with Kathryn, Ingrid, and Carson the challenges and rewards of self-publishing, and the kind of effort that goes into producing a book like "11 Strategies of a World-Class Cybersecurity Operations Center". This special season of the Blueprint Podcast is taking a deep dive into MITRE’s 11 Strategies of a World-Class Cyber Security Operations Cent...
Aug 03, 2023•1 hr 31 min•Season 4Ep. 12
"This final chapter of the book is no simple closer! "Turn Up the Volume by Expanding SOC Functionality" covers testing that your SOC is functioning as intended through activities such as Threat Hunting, Red and Purple Teaming, Adversary Emulation, Breach and Attack Simulation, tabletop exercises and more. There's even a discussion of cyber deception types and tactics, and how it can be used to further frustrate attackers. Join John, Kathryn, Ingrid, and Carson in this final chapter episode for ...
Jul 18, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Season 4Ep. 11
"Metrics, is there any more confusing and contentious topic in cybersecurity? In this episode the authors cover their advice and approach to measuring your team so that issues can be quickly identified and performance can continuously improve! This special season of the Blueprint Podcast is taking a deep dive into MITRE’s 11 Strategies of a World-Class Cyber Security Operations Center. Each episode John will break down a chapter of the book with the book’s authors Kathryn Knerler, Ingrid Parker,...
Jul 10, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 10
"Research has shown that communication is one of the most important factors for success in security incident response teams. In this chapter, the authors discuss the critical types of information that must be shared within the SOC, with the constituency, and with the greater cybersecurity community. SANS Cyber Defense Discord Invite - sansurl.com/cyber-defense-discord This special season of the Blueprint Podcast is taking a deep dive into MITRE’s 11 Strategies of a World-Class Cyber Security Ope...
Jul 05, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Tool choice can be a make-or-break decision for security analysts, driving whether getting work done is a struggle, or an efficient, stress-free experience. How can we select the right tools for the job? Which tools are most important? Answers to these questions and more are in this week's episode of Blueprint! This special season of the Blueprint Podcast is taking a deep dive into MITRE’s 11 Strategies of a World-Class Cyber Security Operations Center. Each episode John will break down a chapte...
Jun 26, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Season 4Ep. 8
In this special live recording from the SANS Blue Team Summit 2023, Kathryn Knerler, Ingrid Parker, and Carson Zimmerman joined John Hubbard they share their insights and expertise with attendees by answering their pressing questions. From discussing the most effective strategies for building a successful SOC to sharing tips on how to stay ahead of emerging cyber threats, our guests provide invaluable advice for those who work in a security operations center (SOC). If you're looking to take your...
Jun 22, 2023•1 hr 5 min
There's no denying that the average security team is completely overwhelmed with options for data to collect. With a deluge of endpoint, network, and cloud data sources to collect, how to do we identify and collect the most useful data sources? That's the topic of this episode. Join Kathryn, Ingrid, Carson, and John in this episode for a discussion on tactical data collection that will ensure your team doesn't miss the signs of an impending incident! This special season of the Blueprint Podcast ...
Jun 19, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Every security team has limited budget and time, how do you know where to focus? Cyber Threat Intelligence provides those answers! In this episode, Ingrid, Carson and Kathryn describe how we can use CTI to focus our defensive efforts to understand our most likely attacks and attackers and move towards prioritizing what truly matters. This special season of the Blueprint Podcast is taking a deep dive into MITRE’s 11 Strategies of a World-Class Cyber Security Operations Center. Each episode John w...
Jun 12, 2023•58 min•Season 4Ep. 6
No security team is perfect, so in this episode, authors Carson, Ingrid, and Kathryn discuss what it takes to prepare for fast, effective incident response capability. Covering preparation, planning and execution, Strategy 5 will teach your team how to jump into action at the earliest sign of problems. This special season of the Blueprint Podcast is taking a deep dive into MITRE’s 11 Strategies of a World-Class Cyber Security Operations Center. Each episode John will break down a chapter of the ...
Jun 05, 2023•1 hr 25 min•Season 4Ep. 5
In this episode we dive deep on the "People" factor of the SOC. Who should you hire, what skills should you hire for, what backgrounds are most likely to lead to success for your team? We also get into what happens after the hire - training, growth, and supporting your team in their skill and career development. This one is a must-listen for all the managers out there. We're all trying to build the highest skilled, most supportive team with low turnover, and the tips our authors bring to this ep...
May 29, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 4Ep. 4
In this episode we discuss how to decide on the right org structure and capabilities of your SOC. This includes questions like tiered vs. tierless models, which capabilities the SOC should focus on, centralized vs. distributed SOCs, outsourcing of duties and staff augmentation considerations, and also where the SOC might sit in the larger chart of your organization. Every SOC needs to be tailored to best meet the mission, and chapter 3 - "Build a SOC Structure to Match Your Organizational Needs"...
May 22, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Though a SOC is responsible for protecting your organization's assets, it is not the owner of those systems. If the SOC is not established with a clear charter and authority to act, it may quickly become difficult to be effective. Who should the SOC report to, what should be in a SOC charter, and how can we make these tough decisions? Those are the questions covered in this episode of our special "11 Strategies" season. This episode covers chapter 2 of the book - "Give the SOC the Authority to D...
May 15, 2023•37 min•Season 4Ep. 2
As the saying goes, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there!" - an approach that is disastrous to a SOC. In order to succeed, the SOC must have a clear understanding of where they are going, how they're going to get there, and why. In this episode of our "11 Strategies" season we discuss chapter 1 of the book - "Know What You're Protecting and Why". Understanding your organization and the environment the SOC must perform in forms the foundation of all security team ac...
May 08, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Welcome to a brand new season of Blueprint! In this intro episode we discuss "Fundamentals" chapter of the "11 Strategies of a World Class Cybersecurity Operations Center" with the authors. We get into the motivation behind updating the book and why its lessons are more important than ever in 2023. This chapter includes discussion of the functions of a SOC, basics of workflow, CTI and contextual data sources, and why ops tempo and speed is a critical factor in SOC success. This special season of...
May 08, 2023•55 min0
Hello Blueprint listeners! We’re excited to announce that the release of season 4 of Blueprint is just around the corner, and we’ve got something very special cooked up for you. We’ve teamed up with the authors of MITRE’s “11 Strategies of a World-Class Cybersecurity Operations Center” and over the next few months, we’ll be releasing episodes walking through each chapter with all 3 authors! We’ll be deep diving into what makes a SOC successful, get a first-hand account of why each strategy was c...
May 01, 2023•3 min
Ever wonder how a cloud and application security expert views risks of cloud workloads? Well, wonder no more because on this episode we have Brandon Evans - SANS Certified Instructor and lead author of SEC510: Public Cloud Security. We cover the why and how of moving their applications to the cloud, the key considerations for a successful cloud security posture, and how building your infrastructure with a cloud-native mindset can and should lead to an improved security posture. BONUS: Be sure to...
Sep 13, 2022•50 min•Season 3Ep. 37
In this episode we speak with Joe Lykowski - Cyber Defense Lead at a major manufacturing company on what it takes to build a mature, transparent, and effective SOC. Joe brings years of experience to the table in running a large organization’s security team and in this interview he draws out some of his favorite tips, strategies and more on metrics, building the right team, and what to prioritize as you build up a SOC for an org of any size. Our Guest - Joe Lykowski A graduate of Western Michigan...
Sep 06, 2022•55 min•Season 3Ep. 36
Many of us are either looking to start a cyber security career, improve our knowledge and skills to further our career, or hire a team that has the most skilled and promising candidates. In this special episode with Rob Lee, Chief Curriculum Director of the SANS Institute, we discuss strategies for building, improving, and testing your cyber security group’s skill levels, and working to keep our knowledge as current as possible - a critical skill for anyone in the fast moving world of cyber secu...
Aug 30, 2022•51 min•Season 3Ep. 35
In this episode of the Blueprint Podcast, we cover monitoring and securing macOS in an enterprise environment at scale with Jaron Bradley, Threat Detection lead at Jamf. We discuss the ups and downs of Apple's approach to macOS data collection over the years, the data sources and types that are accessible to defenders, what 3rd party agents bring to the table for security monitoring, and much more. Plus, Jaron gives us some great bonus tips for finding persistence mechanisms and malicious proces...
Aug 23, 2022•59 min•Season 3Ep. 34
