8th Layer Insights

Latest Episodes:

Security is Alive Feb 22, 2022

Show notes

Every now and then you need to try something new. That's what this episode is. If you listened to Season 2, Episode 3 (Technology and the Law of Unintended Consequences), you may remember the mock interview with Janet, the virtual assistant. This episode expands that idea and features a set of four mock interviews -- all with security-related object. This is an interesting experiment to help flesh-out some ideas behind these objects, the reasons they exist, their motivations, and the situations in which they find themselves.

On this episode, we have four guests: Samantha, a piece of facial recognition software with a really interesting idea, Dave the password who has a pretty bad sharing problem, Devon, a secure email gateway who is struggling with the weight of the world and Barb, the phishing email who will say just about anything possible to get you to click that link.

Guests:

Samantha – Facial Recognition Software
Dave – Password
Devon – Secure Email Gateway
Barb – Phishing Email

Books and Resources:

Production Credits:

Additional voice talent provided by Luna Freyava, Rich Daigle (a.k.a. Mouth Almighty), Punyaha Mukherjee, and Tabitha Garland

Music and Sound Effects by Blue Dot Sessions, Envato Elements, & SmartSound

Artwork by Chris Machowski @ https://www.RansomWear.net/ and Mia Rune @ https://www.MiaRune.com.

8th Layer Insights theme music composed and performed by Marcos Moscat @ https://www.GameMusicTown.com/

Want to get in touch with Perry? Here's how:

LinkedIn
Twitter
Instagram
Email: hello [at] 8thLayerInsights [dot] com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Fool The White House -- A conversation with James Linton (aka The Email Prankster) Feb 08, 2022

Show notes

On this episode, Perry sits down with James Linton (formerly known as The Email Prankster). In 2017, James went on a virtual joyride exploiting the ways that people interact with emails. One of the most interesting things about James' story is that his exploits didn't rely on any type of highly technical method(s); they were simple display name deceptions. But that didn't stop him from fooling CEOs from some of the worlds largest banks, celebrities, and high ranking staff members in the White House.

James' success using these simple methods serves as a warning for us all. We don't fall for scams because they are technically sophisticated or because we are stupid. We fall for scams because we are human.

Guest: James Linton (LinkedIn) (Website)

Books and Resources:

Production Credits:

Music and Sound Effects by Blue Dot Sessions, Envato Elements, & Storyblocks.

Artwork by Chris Machowski @ https://www.RansomWear.net/ and Mia Rune @ https://www.MiaRune.com.

8th Layer Insights theme music composed and performed by Marcos Moscat @ https://www.GameMusicTown.com/

Want to get in touch with Perry? Here's how:

LinkedIn
Twitter
Instagram
Email: hello [at] 8thLayerInsights [dot] com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bridging the Cyber Skills Gap Jan 25, 2022

Show notes

If you've been following the cybersecurity industry for the past few years, you've likely heard about the "cyber skills gap." In this episode, Perry sits down with Heath Adams (TCM Security), Professor Karla Carter (Bellevue University), Sam Curry (Cybereason), and Lola Obamehinti (eBay) to explore what the skills gap is and how to begin to close the gap. We touch on subjects such as where traditional degrees, online training, certifications, mentorship, and networking fit in, as well as the value of diversity. And we offer thoughts for employers, current industry professionals, and job seekers.

Guests:

Heath Adams (LinkedIn)
Karla Carter (LinkedIn)
Sam Curry (LinkedIn)
Lola Obamehinti (LinkedIn)

Books and Resources:

Confident Cyber Security: How to Get Started in Cyber Security and Futureproof Your Career, by Dr. Jessica Barker
Cybersecurity Domain Map ver 3.0 by Henry Jiang
Cybersecurity Employment in 2022: Solving the Skills Gap, by Jenn Fulmer
Cybersecurity: The Starting Line, by 4n6Lady
The 8 CISSP domains explained, by Luke Irwin
Examination of Personality Characteristics Among Cybersecurity and Information Technology Professionals, by Sarah E. Freed (utc.edu)
GenCyber Camps: Inspiring the Next Generation of Cyber Stars
NSA National Centers for Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity
Navigating the Cybersecurity Career Path by Hellen E. Patton
Over 200,000 Girl Scouts Have Earned Cybersecurity Badges by Ashley Savageau
Tribe of Hackers: Cybersecurity Advice from the Best Hackers in the World, by Marcus J. Carey & Jennifer Jin
The Value of Certifications, by Javvad Malik
Transformational Security Awareness: What Neuroscientists, Storytellers, and Marketers Can Teach Us About Driving Secure Behaviors, by Perry Carpenter
Word Notes Podcast definition of Cybersecurity Skills Gap

Production Credits:

Additional voice talent provided by Rich Daigle.

Additional research by Nyla Gennaoui.

Music and Sound Effects by Blue Dot Sessions, Envato Elements, & Storyblocks.

Artwork by Chris Machowski @ https://www.RansomWear.net/ and Mia Rune @ https://www.MiaRune.com.

8th Layer Insights theme music composed and performed by Marcos Moscat @ https://www.GameMusicTown.com/

*** Use of The Twilight Zone theme music in this episode is considered 'Fair Use' under copyright law due to its 'transformative' nature as a parody.

Want to get in touch with Perry? Here's how:

LinkedIn
Twitter
Instagram
Email: hello [at] 8thLayerInsights [dot] com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Technology & the Law of Unintended Consequences Jan 11, 2022

Show notes

Let's face it. Most of us have a love/hate relationship with technology and technological advances. We dream about the new thing... but when it arrives, we are usually a little disappointed. Many of us also lament the constant erosion of privacy, the changes in social norms, and more. And, little-by-little, we allow those aspects of new technology to make us numb. We accept the cognitive dissonance of not totally being happy with the trade-offs; yet we still make the trade.

In this episode, we explore a few of the positives and some of the unintended consequences associated with recent technological advancements. We'll hear from Dr. Lydia, Kostopoulos, Dr. Charles Chaffin, Andra Zaharia, and Aaron Barr.

Guests:

Dr. Lydia Kostopoulos (LinkedIn) (Website)
Dr. Charles Chaffin (LinkedIn) (Website)
Andra Zaharia (LinkedIn) (Website)
Aaron Barr (LinkedIn) (Website)

Books and Resources:

Everything is Alive by PRX and Radiotopia
IEEE Article: Decoupling Human Characteristics from Algorithmic Capabilities by Dr. Lydia Kostopoulos
Numb: How the Information Age Dulls Our Senses and How We Can Get them Back by Dr. Charles Chaffin
The Numb Podcast by Dr. Charles Chaffin
The Cyber Empathy Podcast by Andra Zaharia
Reminder: Your 'smart AI' often involves a low-paid contractor surveilling you
How creepy is your smart speaker?
Newton's Laws of Motion
Unintended Consequences
Elon Musk's warning regarding AI
Transformational Security Awareness: What Neuroscientists, Storytellers, and Marketers Can Teach Us About Driving Secure Behaviors

Production Credits:

Additional voice talent provided by Kristina Leigh.

Additional research by Nyla Gennaoui.

Music and Sound Effects by Blue Dot Sessions, Envato Elements, & Storyblocks.

Artwork by Chris Machowski @ https://www.RansomWear.net/ and Mia Rune @ https://www.MiaRune.com.

8th Layer Insights theme music composed and performed by Marcos Moscat @ https://www.GameMusicTown.com/

Want to get in touch with Perry? Here's how:

LinkedIn
Twitter
Instagram
Email: hello [at] 8thLayerInsights [dot] com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're Listening to "The Dark Stream" Dec 28, 2021

Show notes

And now for something completely different. This episode is a show within a show.

Get ready to step into The Dark Stream: it's a parody of one of those old late night paranormal, conspiracy, or confession call-in radio shows from the 1980's and 90's. And, yes, it's over-the-top and cheesy.

In this episode, you'll hear some re-edited and never before aired sections from Perry's previous interviews with Rachel Tobac, Maxie Reynolds, and Chris Hadnagy.

Guests:

Rachael Tobac: (LinkedIn), CEO of SocialProof Security
Maxie Reynolds (LinkedIn), Founder of Subsea Cloud
Chris Hadnagy: (LinkedIn); CEO of Social Engineer, LLC; Founder of Innocent Lives Foundation; Founder of Social-Engineer.org

Recommended Books and Resources:

Production Credits:

Additional voice talent provided by Rich Daigle (a.k.a. Mouth Almighty) and Sarah McQuiggan

Music and Sound Effects by Blue Dot Sessions, Envato Elements, & Storyblocks.

Artwork by Chris Machowski @ https://www.RansomWear.net/ and Mia Rune @ https://www.MiaRune.com.

8th Layer Insights theme music composed and performed by Marcos Moscat @ https://www.GameMusicTown.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Igniting and Sustaining Creativity Dec 14, 2021

Show notes

This episode is all about creativity: what it is, what it looks like, and what to do when you get stuck. Perry speaks with four experts who have made creating new and interesting things their life's work. Featuring Jack Rhysider (Creator/host of Darknet Diaries), Faith McQuinn (creator of Boom, Margaritas & Doughnuts, and Apollyon), Tom Buck (YouTuber and content creator), and Sam Qurashi (Exploring the Psychology of Everything).

Guests:

Resources & Books:

Additional research by Nyla Gennaoui.

Music and Sound Effects by Blue Dot Sessions, Envato Elements, & Storyblocks.

Artwork by Chris Machowski @ https://www.RansomWear.net/ and Mia Rune @ https://www.MiaRune.com.

8th Layer Insights theme music composed and performed by Marcos Moscat @ https://www.GameMusicTown.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Security ABCs Part 2: 8th Layer Insights and the Quest for Security Culture Sep 28, 2021

Show notes

This is the second of a two part series covering Cybersecurity’s ABCs: Security Awareness, Behavior, and Culture. This episode discusses the difficulty that security leaders have in defining what a security culture actually is. Luckily, we can draw on learnings from organizational culture management and culture transformation experts.

Guests for this episode include, David Sturt, Executive Vice President of the O.C. Tanner Institute, author of Great Work: How to Make a Difference People Love and Appreciate: Celebrating People, Inspiring Greatness., Dr. Jessica Barker (co-CEO and Co-Founder, Socio-Technical Lead at Cygenta; author of Confident Cyber Security and co-author of Cybersecurity ABCs), Kai Roer, Chief Research Officer at KnowBe4, creator of the Security Culture Framework, author of Build a Security Culture, and Michael Leckie, founding partner at Silverback Partners, LLC and author of The Heart of Transformation: Build the Human Capabilities that Change Organizations for Good.

Guests:

References, Resources & Books:

4 Ways to Build a Thoughtful Security Culture, by Perry Carpenter
7 Tips for Building a Strong Security Culture, by Perry Carpenter
Appreciate: Celebrating People, Inspiring Greatness, by David Sturt
Build a Security Culture, by Kai Roer
Confident Cyber Security: How to Get Started in Cyber Security and Futureproof Your Career, by Jessica Barker
Culture Rules! The 10 Core Principles of Corporate Culture, by John R. Childress
Cybersecurity ABCs: Delivering awareness, behaviours and culture change, by Jessica Barker, Adrian Davis, and Bruce Hallas
Great Work: How to Make a Difference People Love, by David Sturt
The Heart of Transformation: Build the Human Capabilities that Change Organizations for Good,, by Michael Leckie
The Importance Of A Strong Security Culture And How To Build One, by Perry Carpenter
Perry Carpenter's (ISC)2 Info Security Professional Journal 4 episode series on Security Awareness (Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4)
Security Culture and Credential Sharing, KnowBe4 Research
Security Culture Report 2021: A Global Security Culture Perspective During a Pandemic, KnowBe4 Research
Seven Dimensions of Security Culture, KnowBe4 Research
Transformational Security Awareness: What Neuroscientists, Storytellers, and Marketers Can Teach Us About Driving Secure Behaviors, by Perry Carpenter

Music and Sound Effects by Blue Dot Sessions, Envato Elements, & Storyblocks.

Artwork by Chris Machowski.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Security ABCs Part 1: Make Awareness Transformational Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

This is the first of a two part series covering Cybersecurity’s ABCs: Security Awareness, Behavior, and Culture. We touched on facets of Awareness in Episode 1 and Behavior in Episode 3. These two episodes cover the cybersecurity ABCs in a very pragmatic way, with this episode covering Awareness and Behavior and Episode 10 providing a deep dive into Culture.

Guests for this episode include, Dr. Jessica Barker (co-CEO and Co-Founder, Socio-Technical Lead at Cygenta; author of Confident Cyber Security and co-author of Cybersecurity ABCs), Chrysa Freeman (Senior Program Manager for Security Awareness at Code42), Ian Murphy (Founder, CyberOff), and Lauren Zink (Senior Security Awareness Specialist at Boeing; author of LinkedIn Learning courses: Creating a Security Awareness Program and Building a Security Awareness Program: Phishing Simulations).

Guests:

References, Resources & Books:

5 Things You May Not Know About Security Awareness Training, by Perry Carpenter
Confident Cyber Security: How to Get Started in Cyber Security and Futureproof Your Career, by Jessica Barker
Cybersecurity ABCs: Delivering awareness, behaviours and culture change, by Jessica Barker, Adrian Davis, and Bruce Hallas
The Dilemma: Should you phish test during the COVID-19 pandemic?, by Perry Carpenter
Down the Rabbit Hole: Why People Question the Value of Security Awareness, by Perry Carpenter
Do You Care More about What Your People Know, or What they Do? Coming to grips with the knowledge-intention-behavior gap, by Perry Carpenter
The Fundamental Importance of Choice and Variety in Security Awareness Program Content, by Perry Carpenter
G.I. Joe Public Service Announcements compilation
Perry Carpenter's (ISC)2 Info Security Professional Journal 4 episode series on Security Awareness (Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4)
People-Centric Security: Transforming Your Enterprise Security Culture, by Lance Hayden
Transformational Security Awareness: What Neuroscientists, Storytellers, and Marketers Can Teach Us About Driving Secure Behaviors, by Perry Carpenter
Video: Simulated Phishing Campaign Notification for Your Users
Video: Coronavirus Phishing Post-Click User Education
Well Aware: Master the Nine Cybersecurity Habits to Protect Your Future, by George Finney
What Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups can Teach Us about the Technology vs. Training Debate, by Perry Carpenter

Music and Sound Effects by Blue Dot Sessions, Envato Elements, & Storyblocks.

Artwork by Chris Machowski.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Risk Episode: Black Swans, Grey Rhinos, Angels & Demons Aug 31, 2021

Show notes

Risk is a funny thing – our minds are constantly looking for risk, scanning our environments and our available choices. And sometimes we do a great job at anticipating and avoiding risky situations. But that doesn’t mean that we are universally good at dealing with risk. In fact, we can be downright appalling at considering and avoiding risk.

In this episode, we explore the concept of risk, why we're so bad at understanding it, and the steps we can take to improve. Perry speaks with four risk experts who will help us understand the ups and downs of how we evaluate risk. We’ll touch on everything from Black Swans to Grey Rhinos to risk frameworks, risk equations, inbuilt risk in the design of computing interfaces, and more. Featuring Michele Wucker (author of The Grey Rhino and You Are What You Risk), Christian Hunt (Founder of Human Risk), Dr. Arun Vishwanath (Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Avant Research Group), and Matt Stamper (Chief Information Security Officer and Executive Advisor at EVOTEK and co-author of the CISO Desk Reference Guides vol1 & vol2).

Guests:

Resources & Books:

Black Swan Theory
Grey Rhino Events
Various Risk Equations
Risk Perception Equation, Freakonomics
20 Cognitive Biases That Affect Risk Decision Making, SafetyRisk.net
Factor Analysis of Information Risk (FAIR) Framework
The Gray Rhino: How to Recognize and Act on the Obvious Dangers We Ignore, by Michele Wucker
You Are What You Risk: The New Art and Science of Navigating an Uncertain World, by Michele Wucker
Why are Humans Bad at Calculating Risk?, Cogency
Why You're Probably Not So Great at Risk Assessment, NY Times
Why the Human Brain is a Poor Judge of Risk, Wired
Humans are Terrible at Assessing Risk, by Kimberly Forsythe
Why We're Awful at Assessing Risk, USA Today
CISO Desk Reference Guides vol1 & vol2, by Bill Bonney, Gary Hayslip, Matt Stamper

Music and Sound Effects by Blue Dot Sessions, Envato Elements, & Storyblocks.

Artwork by Chris Machowski.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Going Mental: A Conversation with Banachek Aug 17, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Perry Carpenter sits down with renowned mentalist and skeptic, Banachek. Banachek (Steve Shaw) grew up with a fascination in magic and a frustration with psychic frauds. As a teenager, he contacted magician and skeptic, James “The Amazing” Randi and ended up working with Randi on a special initiative known as Project Alpha, which set out to expose a general lack of objectivity in parapsychology research. Banachek served as the director for the James Randi Educational Foundation’s “One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge” for 15 years and is now the President of the James Randi Educational Foundation.

Perry and Banachek discuss Project Alpha, the ways of fake psychics and fraudulent faith healers, and issues associated with confirmation bias and framing effects. They also discuss Banachek’s new live mentalism show in Las Vegas, which incorporates theatrical mindreading and other mentalism effects along with a storyline that explores Banachek’s life, antics, and passion for critical thinking.

Guest:

Banachek (Website) (twitter): Mentalist (Performing in Las Vegas add 'social' for 30% off tickets), Skeptic, President of the James Randi Educational Foundation
This episode also featured a quick comment from: George Finney: (LinkedIn); Chief Security Officer at Southern Methodist University; Founder of Well Aware Security

Books and References: