The average ransomware cost is $312,493. That number has increased 171% compared 2019. Why does it still work? What we have to do to stop it? How, in 2021, can a criminal organization have a customer service division? Yes, that’s right, customer service. Join Ron and Chris for this ransomware discussion. Note: After additional research we discovered that an investigation determined that the woman that lost her life, did not die due to the ransomware and would have perished regardless of the atta...
Sep 30, 2021•22 min•Season 6Ep. 172
Chris Hughes is the CISO and Co-Founder of Aquia and has nearly 20 years of Cyber/IT experience. He's an Air Force veteran as well as former Government civil service employee with the U.S. Navy and FedRAMP. Chris also teaches in two M.S. Cyber Programs at Capitol Technology University and UMGC. Chris is passionate about Cloud Security and is active with the Cloud Security Alliance and Cloud Native Computing Foundation and he also hosts a podcast called "Resilient Cyber". Key Takeaways: 02:52 Bio...
Sep 28, 2021•30 min•Season 6Ep. 171
Grace is Cofounder and COO of Pulsedive, a US-based threat intelligence startup. At Pulsedive, Grace works closely with defensive security (and in particular, cyber threat intelligence) teams to support the development of integrated intelligence capabilities and programs. Join Chris, Ron and Grace as they discuss transitioning into cyber, finding the right community to support your personality, and the beauty and purpose behind it all – as a creative in cybersecurity. Key Takeaways: 01:46 Bio 02...
Sep 21, 2021•34 min•Season 6Ep. 170
Among other things, Dr. Bahijja Raimi-Abraham is an award-winning researcher, lecturer and trailblazer in the world of nanotechnology. She also hosts a podcast called Monday Science, keeping listeners updated on the latest in tech, science, health and their relationship. She joins hosts Ron and Chris for a jam packed episode, where they cover nanotechnology, biohacking, the vast world of academia and much more. Key Takeaways: 02:30 Bio 04:52 The origin story: combining science and art 09:40 Nano...
Sep 14, 2021•35 min•Season 6Ep. 169
Hacker Valley's Hosts, Ron and Chris are speaking with Ganesh Pai, the CEO and founder of Uptycs. What is it like to be an entrepreneur in the Cybersecurity field? While learning how Ganesh started Uptycs, learn of the techniques that he uses, such as asking the right questions and using different systems to further understand security software. Key Takeaways: 01:42 Introducing Ganesh Pai. 02:30 Learning Ganesh's Background and his journey in entrepreneurship. 06:20 The Query System. 07:00 What ...
Sep 09, 2021•31 min•Season 6Ep. 168
In today's episode Ron and Chris talk to Living Security's CEO and Co-Founder Ashley Rose, speaking on breaking the mold in the workspace and how allowing your team to have fun with what they do will create a stronger, happier and healthier work environment. Tune in to find out why, and also to get a better understanding of why Living Security is a must-have resource. 01:10 Listeners are introduced to the topic of today's episode 02:10 We meet Ashley Rose and discover her role in cybersecurity 0...
Sep 07, 2021•35 min•Season 6Ep. 167
Hosts Ron and Chris interview Andy Ellis, CISO for over two decades that recently started a startup. He is an operating partner at YL Ventures. Andy shares his perspective on whether there is really a skills gap or are we approaching this problem the wrong way? 0:57 – Intro 2:19 – Bio 3:12 – Andy’s personality that puts him in unique situations to win awards 4:29 – What other kind of things Andy experienced hacking in besides macro things 5:57 – The number one hack Andy did that spanned for a de...
Aug 31, 2021•29 min•Season 6Ep. 166
On this episode, Hacker Valley Studio has a very big announcement! Hosts Ron and Chris interview guest Dean Sysman, CEO and co-founder of Axonius. The values, and founder story of Dean are shared as Ron and Chris ask him very interesting questions. Dean started his journey years ago with a passion on how technology could impact the world. He has also brought many values to Axonius, helping people through growth to become a better version of themselves. Dean shares how he figured that the determi...
Aug 26, 2021•33 min•Season 6Ep. 165
Hosts Ron and Chris interview guest Erik Goldman, VP of Product at Panther Labs, a software engineer, expert in product and an entrepreneur. Erik is great at asking questions, that is one of his superpowers. One of his strategies to build a product is to sit down with customers, ask them what they want him to do, deeply understand their persona, and gather data. Erik builds his thesis for success, and knows how to distinguish a good company from a great company by analyzing which one has a philo...
Aug 24, 2021•29 min•Season 6Ep. 164
Hosts Ron and Chris interview guest Keith Wilson, director of cyber security education at Attack IQ Academy. Keith is the perfect example on how to take years of experience in engineering and analysis, and turn it into something that is impactful for all people. Keith has created educational content for people in the industry and different types of learners. His trajectory is filled with success stories, and also invites people who want to get into cyber security. 1:11 - Intro 3:03 – Bio 6:13 – ...
Aug 17, 2021•25 min•Season 6Ep. 163
What do you call cyberspace in space? What is the evolution of cyber security in space? The expert Frank Pound, computer scientist, entrepreneur, founder and president of Astro Sec is the guest to clarify all things related to cyberspace. Space traffic control is discussed. Frank advised the Air Force, Space Force, and their contractors to help build the Hack-A-Sat competition which attracted teams from around the world to demonstrate their prowess in this blended space and cyber competition cha...
Aug 10, 2021•42 min•Season 6Ep. 162
In this episode of Hacker Valley, Chris and Ron tackle a quick question. The question of the day is, “what is social networking?” Together they discuss different aspects of social media and how it facilitates connections and careers. Ron’s perspective is that social networking empowers folks to find like minded people, learn new things, self advocate and learn about others. Chris shares how social networking on LinkedIn put him in a position to build a community in cybersecurity. Timecodes 01:53...
Aug 08, 2021•18 min•Season 6Ep. 161
Ken Underhill is an award-winning cyber security executive, entrepreneur, and teacher. His mission is to help others find their value and share it; ultimately leading to success both professionally and personally. Ken’s courses offer an intuitive approach to help start a career in cyber security. Whether you’re a budding cyber security professional or a seasoned veteran, Ken’s perspective can serve a purpose in your life. Join Ron, Chris and Ken to dive into what it takes to create content, help...
Aug 04, 2021•40 min•Season 6Ep. 160
In this episode of Hacker Valley, Chris and Ron are joined by a familiar friend, Valentina Palacín, who you might have heard on HVS Blue season 1 . Valentina is an author, public speaker, self-taught developer, and Threat Operations lead at Marqeta Incorporated, armed with a background in translation and interpretation. Join Chris, Ron and Valentina for this round-table masterclass in all things Threat Hunting to discuss the questions you may be asking yourself: What is Threat Hunting? How do yo...
Jul 30, 2021•22 min•Season 6Ep. 159
In this episode, Chris, Ron, and their special guest going to be talking about your table. Not the table itself, but what is on it. They are talking about food and following our passions. They've brought in Bri Van Scotter, professional Chef, author, hunter, and host of the TV series Wilderness to Table. Bri is so unbelievably talented in so many areas. Everyone is going to love this episode and learn a little bit about the food we eat. Key Moments 00:56 - Intro to Bri 02:41 - Bri’s Background 0...
Jul 28, 2021•27 min•Season 6Ep. 158
Ron and Chris are the hosts and guests for this episode! This episode answers fundamental questions about Security Architecture. Learning about security architecture is absolutely essential for anyone on the path of becoming a cyber security expert just looking to learn more about a cybersecurity topic. Security Architecture is the foundation, the fabric and the process used to help secure your data, your privacy, and even your money. Now for a second, Imagine that you are an architect and your ...
Jul 22, 2021•20 min•Season 6Ep. 157
In this episode, we speak to a Detection and Response expert! Our guest is Nick Hakmiller, Senior Engineering Manager at Panther Labs. Nick was first exposed to technology in High School where he took an introduction to Visual Basic programming course. When learning about multi-threaded applications Nick became curious and began exploring how to open too many threads to crash a computer. Throughout Nick’s career he’s maintained an interest and focus on attack techniques and building defensive se...
Jul 20, 2021•38 min•Season 6Ep. 156
Today’s guests are our very own hosts! Ron and Chris. Together they tackle everything that surrounds threat intelligence by answering both the hard and easy questions. Between the stories they share about past experiences, and the facts behind threat intelligence, you will learn something new, and that’s a promise! In essence, threat intelligence is taking the information about threats or things that can go wrong and applying it to their network and company. It’s the processing, collection and a...
Jul 15, 2021•27 min•Season 6Ep. 155
Today in the studio, we have Olivia Herriford, whose great and exceptional work is focused on equity in technology. Olivia is the Regional Director and Employer Engagement at Bay Area Community College Consortium. Olivia’s background is in technology, and with the Bay Area Community College Consortium, they support 28 community colleges in the San Francisco Bay region. She often tells people she has what one would call an “ancient” computer science degree which she earned in 1973. Olivia takes u...
Jul 13, 2021•33 min•Season 6Ep. 154
Welcome back to the Hacker Valley Studio podcast. I'm sure you've heard of the term personal brand, and maybe you've asked yourself, what does it mean and how do I promote it. In this episode, we speak to someone that helps others develop their personal brand. We speak to Stephen Hart, entrepreneur, marketer, and brand strategist. We've known Stephen since way back. He's been a huge supporter, and someone that's helped develop our podcast and our branding. And this episode is nothing but pure go...
Jul 06, 2021•40 min•Season 6Ep. 153
It has been way too long in the making. But it's finally here! We have Hacker Valley merchandise available! We have shirts, we have hats, we have sweatshirts that you can purchase. You are in the Hacker Valley Studio with your hosts Ron and Chris. Welcome back to the show. Today in the studio, we've brought in Nikki Ivey. Nikki is a B2B revenue growth and startup culture leader. She's recognized as a 2020 LinkedIn top voice, and she is the co-founder of SDR Defenders community. For those that wa...
Jun 29, 2021•31 min•Season 6Ep. 152
Today in the studio, we have Alexis Robertson, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at a large law firm and a recovering lawyer. Alexis kicks in with a bit about herself, and shares “I am director of diversity inclusion at a large law firm but spent the first 10 years or so of my career dedicated to laws, going to law school and practicing as a lawyer for about seven and a half years before leaving legal practice closing in on six years ago, I grew up in the suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, spent...
Jun 22, 2021•34 min•Season 6Ep. 151
In this episode, we talk to our special guest, Natasha Barnes. Natasha is the Associate Director and the CEO Action for Racial Equity Fellow of Protiviti. She is a certified mindfulness workplace facilitator and mindfulness-based stress reduction. Natasha is part of a movement to answer the question of does corporate America have a role to play in advancing racial equity within our nation, and essentially improving our overall societal well-being. Technology serves as a way to propel the convers...
Jun 15, 2021•31 min•Season 6Ep. 150
In this episode, we've brought in a special guest, Kelsey Hightower. Kelsey is Principal Engineer at Google, and also co-author of Kubernetes: Up and Running: Dive into the Future of Infrastructure. To start the show, Kelsey shares he considers himself a self-taught engineer. He started his life out as a small business owner and then moved to a system administrator. Now, he is at Google. Kelsey’s fascination with cyber started post High School. Rather than go to college, he jumped into, tech sup...
Jun 08, 2021•40 min•Season 6Ep. 149
In this episode, have James Hadley, CEO of Immersive Labs, and we talk about the best ways to learn in cybersecurity. James starts the show with his background and what he is doing today, which is Immersive Labs. But, he spent a lot of time in different organizations prior to that. When it came to education, James found he had quite a poor memory, so he would always learn better through doing things rather than reading about things. Things would go in one ear and out the other. In addition to le...
Jun 02, 2021•29 min•Season 6Ep. 148
In this episode, we brought back fan-favorite, John Strand. He is owner of Black Hills Information Security, a SANS instructor, and a mentor to many in the industry. Johns starts the show sharing a little bit about his background and what he is doing today. Ron and Chris dive a little bit deeper into John’s earlier life asking what his personal superpower, personal or professional, and when did that power really came about in his life? John shares his experiences with failure, which he feels are...
May 25, 2021•32 min•Season 6Ep. 147
This is the finale of Know Thyself. What an incredible journey, we feel like this entire experience flew by so fast, we got to talk to so many incredible people about knowing yourself, knowing your team, knowing your tech stack, knowing your environment, and even knowing your story. Make your organization better make your security posture better, strive for impact, what are the most high leverage things that you can do today to make everybody's lives easier, or more safe, and then yield the feed...
May 18, 2021•28 min•Season 6Ep. 146
In this masterclass of HVB season 2 we brought in a master story teller in Kevin Allison. The biggest thing is to get a person to understand, don't just summarize, don't just walk us through a Wikipedia like where you're just giving us a broad overview. And you're explaining; it’s important to remember sensory details that will help us see almost like movie scenes, what was happening between people. That is what brings the story alive. So that's a good case right there where the bones of the sto...
May 18, 2021•42 min•Season 6Ep. 145
If want to get into computer security, you're going to learn to love it, you're going to have to be successful, because a lot of computer security isn't just about bits and bytes, it's really about effectively communicating what needs to be done to the right people. In this episode wet have the incredible John Strand. Organizations need to become more proactive, and see where those weak spots are to protect themselves from something like ransomware. You need to run a pen test because you can hav...
May 18, 2021•29 min•Season 6Ep. 144
In this episode, we brought in two exceptional guests that are no stranger to chaos. In fact, they've identified ways to engineer for chaos. In the studio, we have Aaron Rinehart, CTO, and founder at Verica. We also have Jamie Dicken, former manager of applied security at Cardinal Health and current director at Resilience. These two are also authors of Security Chaos Engineering. If you haven't read that book it's already out, you should check it out. Chaos engineering is the technique of introd...
May 18, 2021•45 min•Season 6Ep. 143
