Security Matters

Latest Episodes:

EP 16 - Sensing the signals: The hidden risks in digital supply chains Sep 25, 2025

Show notes

Modern digital supply chains are increasingly complex and vulnerable. In this episode of Security Matters, host David Puner is joined by Retsef Levi, professor of operations management at the MIT Sloan School of Management, to explore how organizations can “sense the signals” of hidden risks lurking within their software supply chains, from open source dependencies to third-party integrations and AI-driven automation.

Professor Levi, a leading expert in cyber resilience and complex systems, explains why traditional prevention isn’t enough and how attackers exploit unseen pathways to infiltrate even the most secure enterprises. The conversation covers the critical need for transparency, continuous monitoring, and rapid detection and recovery in an era where software is built from countless unknown components.

Key topics include:

How to sense early warning signs of supply chain attacks
The role of AI and automation in both risk and defense
Best practices for mapping and securing your digital ecosystem
Why resilience—not just prevention—must be at the core of your security strategy

Whether you’re a CISO, IT leader or security practitioner, this episode will help you rethink your approach to digital supply chain risk and prepare your organization for what’s next.

Subscribe to Security Matters for expert insights on identity security, cyber resilience and the evolving threat landscape.

EP 15 - Why banks need to treat machine identities like VIPs Sep 10, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Security Matters, host David Puner speaks with Andy Parsons, CyberArk’s Director of EMEA Financial Services and Insurance, whose career spans from the British Army to CISO and CTO roles in global financial institutions. Andy shares hard-earned lessons on leadership, risk management, and the evolving cybersecurity landscape in banking—from insider threats to machine identity governance and the rise of agentic AI.

Discover why “you can’t secure what you can’t see,” how manual processes fail at scale, and why treating machine identities as “first-class citizens” is no longer optional. Andy also explores the privileged access paradox, dynamic access management, and how AI is reshaping compliance, trading, and operational resilience.

Whether you're a security leader, technologist, or financial executive, this episode offers strategic insights and practical steps to future-proof your organization in an era of accelerating digital risk.

EP 14 - Beyond secrets: Securing the future of machine identity Aug 27, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Security Matters, host David Puner sits down with Matt Barker, CyberArk’s VP and Global Head of Workload Identity Architecture, for a deep dive into the exploding world of machine identities and the urgent need to rethink how to secure them. From his journey co-founding Jetstack and creating Cert Manager to leading CyberArk’s efforts in workload identity, Matt shares insights on why secrets-based security is no longer sustainable—and how open standards like SPIFFE are reshaping the future of cloud-native and AI-driven environments.

Discover how machine identities now outnumber humans 80 to 1, why leaked secrets are a "hacker’s buffet," and how workload identity is becoming a cornerstone of Zero Trust architecture. Whether you're a CISO, platform engineer, or just curious about the next frontier in cybersecurity, this episode offers actionable advice and a compelling vision for securing the age of AI agents.

EP 13 - Pizza parties and profit margins: The business of cybercrime Aug 12, 2025

Show notes

Cybercriminals today operate more like startups than stereotypes—complete with org charts, sprint cycles, and pizza parties to celebrate successful breaches. In this episode of Security Matters, host David Puner talks with former CISO and U.S. Air Force veteran Ian Schneller about the evolving sophistication of threat actors and what it takes to stay ahead.

From zero-day vulnerabilities and machine identity risks to AI-powered attacks and insider threats, Ian shares practical strategies drawn from his experience in military intelligence, offensive cyber operations, and corporate security leadership. Learn how to build resilience, translate cyber risk into business outcomes, and lead with mission-driven clarity in a threat landscape that never slows down.

EP 12 - From assumptions to accountability: A CISO’s take on cloud risk Jul 29, 2025

Show notes

What does "secure by default" really mean—and is it enough? In this episode of CyberArk’s Security Matters, host David Puner sits down with Scott Barronton, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Diebold Nixdorf, to explore the often-overlooked risks of cloud default settings and how assumptions can lead to vulnerabilities.

Drawing on over 25 years in cybersecurity, Scott shares how he balances product and corporate security, leads a global team, and chairs his company’s AI steering committee. He discusses the importance of machine identity management, certificate automation, and building security programs that support both innovation and accountability.

Plus, Scott reflects on how his passion for travel—including a group trip to Antarctica—informs his leadership style and security mindset.

EP 11 - The calm CISO: Strength under pressure Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

What does it take to stay calm in the face of constant cyber pressure—and why does that mindset matter more than ever? In this episode of Security Matters, host David Puner speaks with Den Jones, founder and CEO of 909Cyber, about his transition from enterprise chief security officer (CSO) to cybersecurity consultant. They explore what it means to lead with clarity and composure in a high-stakes environment, the realities of launching a firm in a crowded market, and how pragmatic security strategies—especially around identity, AI, and Zero Trust—can help organizations navigate AI-driven threats, talent shortages, and operational complexity. It’s a candid conversation about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to modern security leadership.

EP 10 - A new identity crisis: governance in the AI age Jun 26, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Security Matters, host David Puner sits down with Deepak Taneja, co-founder of Zilla Security and General Manager of Identity Governance at CyberArk, to explore why 2025 marks a pivotal moment for identity security. From the explosion of machine identities—now outnumbering human identities 80 to 1—to the convergence of IGA, PAM, and AI-driven automation, Deepak shares insights from his decades-long career at the forefront of identity innovation.

Listeners will learn:

Why legacy identity governance models are breaking under cloud scale
How AI agents are reshaping entitlement management and threat detection
What organizations must do to secure non-human identities and interlinked dependencies
Why time-to-value and outcome-driven metrics are essential for modern IGA success

Whether you're a CISO, identity architect, or security strategist, this episode delivers actionable guidance for navigating the evolving identity security landscape.

EP 9 - J&J’s former CISO on trust, identity, and the future of cybersecurity Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Security Matters, host David Puner sits down with Marene Allison, former Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of Johnson & Johnson, for a candid and wide-ranging conversation on trust, identity, and leadership in cybersecurity. From securing global vaccine supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic to navigating the rise of AI and machine identities, Marene shares hard-earned insights from her decades-long career in national security and the private sector.

They explore what it means to be a mission-driven CISO, how to build trust from the boardroom to the front lines, and why identity has always been the true perimeter. Marene also reflects on her post-CISO chapter and the evolving role of cybersecurity leaders in a rapidly evolving threat landscape.

EP 8 - Zero Trust, Zero Chill: Securing Machine Identity May 28, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Security Matters, host David Puner welcomes Kevin Bocek, CyberArk SVP of Innovation, for an insightful discussion on the critical role of machine identity in modern cybersecurity. As digital environments become increasingly complex, securing machine identities has never been more crucial.

According to the CyberArk 2025 Identity Security Landscape, machine identities now outnumber human identities by more than 80 to 1. As organizations scale cloud workloads and automation, these identities are becoming a critical part of the cybersecurity frontline. From TLS certificate outages to API key exposures, failures in machine identity management can lead to outages, breaches, and cascading system failures. In this episode of Security Matters, Kevin Bocek explains why this moment is pivotal for getting machine identity right—and how Zero Trust principles, automation, and visibility are essential to building cyber resilience.

We also explore the future of identity security—from AI kill switches and agentic AI to quantum threats—and how identity can serve as both a safeguard and a kill switch in the age of autonomous systems.

Whether you're a cybersecurity professional or simply interested in the latest security trends, this episode offers valuable insights into the importance of machine identity in safeguarding our digital world. Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and follow Security Matters for more expert discussions on the latest in cybersecurity.

EP 7- Resilience in Identity Management: Avoiding Single Points of Failure May 15, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Security Matters, host David Puner sits down with Eric Olden, co-founder and CEO of Strata Identity, and a pioneer in modern identity management. Eric shares his career journey, from founding Simplified to leading Oracle's global identity division, and discusses the critical importance of resilience in identity systems.

Discover how organizations can eliminate single points of failure, test their backup plans and ensure their digital operations remain robust even in the face of unexpected outages. Eric also delves into the concept of identity orchestration, explaining how it can unify multiple identity systems and enhance security.

Tune in to learn about the latest trends in identity management, including the intersection of AI and identity, and gain insights into how businesses can proactively assess and mitigate risks associated with identity outages.

Don't miss this engaging conversation filled with practical advice and forward-thinking strategies to help safeguard your organization's identity infrastructure.

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