CISO Series Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Time to Choose a Security Vendor: Dart Board or Spin the Wheel? Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

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 them is Pavi Ramamurthy, global CISO and CIO, Blackhawk Network.

In this episode:

We can't promise safe, but we can promise ready
Are we accidentally building security nightmares?
Being held accountable for things you had no say in
The safe space problem in vendor evaluation

Huge thanks to our sponsor, Adaptive Security

Sponsored by Adaptive Security — the first cybersecurity company backed by OpenAI. Adaptive helps security leaders defend against AI-powered social engineering threats like deepfakes, vishing, and GenAI phishing with advanced phishing simulations and next-generation security awareness training. Adaptive's new AI Content Creator enables teams to instantly convert threat intelligence and compliance updates into interactive, multilingual training — no instructional design required. Trusted by Fortune 500s and backed by Andreessen Horowitz and the OpenAI. Learn more at http://www.adaptivesecurity.com

Now That You Mention It I HAVE Heard Some Hype Around These AI Tools Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

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 them is Erwin Lopez, CISO, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

In this episode:

The AI experimentation phase isn't optional
When selling security becomes the hardest part of the job
Threat actors aren't hacking in anymore
We build, we bond, and we can't bear to let go

Huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker

Human error remains one of the top cybersecurity threats. Just one wrong click can open the door to ransomware or data loss. With ThreatLocker, unauthorized apps, scripts, and devices are blocked before they can ever run. See how ThreatLocker can help you gain more control over your environment. Learn more at Threatlocker.com/CISO

Wait, SMS Doesn't Stand for "Super Mega Secure?" Sep 16, 2025

Show notes

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 us is our sponsored guest, Brian Long, CEO, Adaptive Security.

In this episode:

Hiring North Korean operatives on a Tuesday
AI coding and the death of specifications
Deepfake personas beyond video calls
The middleman problem with SMS

Huge thanks to our sponsor, Adaptive Security

AI-powered social engineering threats like deepfake voice calls, GenAI phishing, and vishing attacks are evolving fast. Adaptive helps security leaders get ahead with an AI-native platform that simulates realistic genAI attacks, and delivers expert-vetted security awareness training — all in one unified solution. And now, with Adaptive's new AI Content Creator, security teams can instantly transform breaking threat intel or updated policy docs into interactive, multilingual training — no instructional design needed. That means faster compliance, better engagement, and less risk. Trusted by Fortune 500s and backed by Andreessen Horowitz and the OpenAI Startup Fund, Adaptive is helping security teams prepare for the next generation of cyber threats. Learn more at adaptivesecurity.com.

We All Agree That Prevention Is the Best Advice We're Never Going to Follow Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

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 us is Jason Loomis, CISO, Freshworks.

In this episode:

Making organizations take their security medicine
Building CISO support systems
Holding the door for humans
Underappreciated risks: beyond the headlines

Huge thanks to our sponsor, Safe Security

SAFE is the category leader in Cyber Risk Quantification (CRQ) and the first vendor to deliver fully autonomous Third-Party Risk Management.We help CISOs, GRC, and TPRM leaders continuously and efficiently quantify, prioritize, and mitigate cyber risks across their entire attack surface — enabling digital growth and resilience. Learn more at tprmdemo.safe.security.

We're All for a Responsible AI Rollout as Long as It Goes as Fast as Possible Sep 02, 2025

Show notes

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 them is Jennifer Swann, CISO, Bloomberg Industry Group.

In this episode:

Vulnerability management vs. configuration control
Open source security and supply chain trust
Building security leadership presence
AI governance and enterprise risk

Huge thanks to our sponsor, Vanta

Vanta's Trust Management Platform automates key areas of your GRC program—including compliance, internal and third-party risk, and customer trust—and streamlines the way you gather and manage information. A recent IDC analysis found that compliance teams using Vanta are 129% more productive. Get started today at Vanta.com/CISO.

New Study Finds No Email Has Ever "Found You Well" Aug 26, 2025

Show notes

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 David Cross, CISO, Atlassian.

In this episode:

Breaking the Sales Cycle
Leadership Under Fire
Predicting the Unpredictable
Security Startups' Security Paradox

A huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker

ThreatLocker® is a global leader in Zero Trust endpoint security, offering cybersecurity controls to protect businesses from zero-day attacks and ransomware. ThreatLocker operates with a default deny approach to reduce the attack surface and mitigate potential cyber vulnerabilities. To learn more and start your free trial, visit ThreatLocker.com.

I Just Can't Communicate With the Business. I've Tried Condescension AND Derision. Aug 19, 2025

Show notes

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 (@csoandy), principal of Duha. Joining us is Gary Chan, CISO, SSM Health. Be sure to check out Gary's security mentalism website: https://www.gschan2000.com.

In this episode:

Decision-making with incomplete information
Translation beats technical expertise
Influence trumps authority for CISOs
Technical prowess creates adversaries

Huge thanks to our sponsor, Vanta

Automate, centralize, & scale your GRC program with Vanta. Vanta's Trust Management Platform automates key areas of your GRC program—including compliance, internal and third-party risk, and customer trust—and streamlines the way you gather and manage information. And the impact is real: A recent IDC analysis found that compliance teams using Vanta are 129% more productive. Get started at Vanta.com/ciso.

Impressive! Our AI is Approaching "One 9" of Accuracy. Aug 12, 2025

Show notes

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 (@csoandy), principal of Duha. Joining us is our sponsored guest, Kevin Tian, co-founder and CEO, Doppel.

In this episode:

AI fraud gets on the juice
Agentic AI demands a new security mindset
The new frontier for social engineering
We still need human verification

Huge thanks to our sponsor, Doppel

Doppel is the first social engineering defense platform built to dismantle deception at the source. It uses AI and infrastructure correlation to detect, link, and disrupt impersonation campaigns before they spread - protecting brands, executives, and employees while turning every threat into action that strengthens defenses across a shared intelligence network.

They Can't Hack All Our Tools If We Keep Buying New Ones Aug 05, 2025

Show notes

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 them is their sponsored guest, Rajan Kapoor, CEO of Material Security.

In this episode:

AI creates security's catch-22
Delegation without abandonment
Google's security gaps demand better tools
Trust beats sophistication every time

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Material Security

What if you could get a view of security across Google Workspace–email, documents, and accounts–all in one place? Material Security unifies your Google Workspace security operations, simplifying and strengthening security with continuous monitoring and automatic issue resolution. See how Material Security simplifies your security for GMail, GDrive and Google accounts. Learn more at https://material.security.

Cosmo Quiz! 23 Ways to Make Your Vendors Obsessed With Your Security Standards Jul 29, 2025

Show notes

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, Rob Allen, chief product officer, ThreatLocker.

In this episode: