Security Voices

Latest Episodes:

Machine Learning & Connected Cars with Security Journeyman Josh Lemos Jan 04, 2020

Show notes

Our 1st episode of 2020 is a story in three parts, beginning with hard fought wisdom of a veteran security practitioner, then diving deep into machine learning (ML) before wrapping up with how both security and AI apply to connected vehicles.
The first part of our 74 minute conversation with Josh Lemos is the backstory of how he started his career in cybersecurity as a consultant... and left services to join ServiceNow as a practitioner. His time at ServiceNow lays out a solid formula for fixing application security inside a growth company who can little afford to slow down-- or suffer the pain of the inevitable breach if the situation doesn’t improve.

Jack & Dave’s conversation with Josh on ML lays down many of the basics and is intended to be a rough primer for future episodes where we will further explore the topic. We discuss how ML projects often take much more preparation than originally planned and topics that range from class imbalances, the differences between supervised/unsupervised ML, a starter’s toolkit and what to expect along with some rookie mistakes to avoid.
As part of Cylance/Blackberry, Josh has recently been involved with connected vehicle projects where standard security techniques for detecting executable malware on laptops and servers can start to look like child’s play in comparison to effort required to properly diagnose events across the diverse hardware and software found in a modern car. Before wrapping with our speed round, we look ahead at areas where ML may be able to make leaps forward in both vehicles and across cyber security.

Election Security with Camille Stewart: Looking ahead to 2020...are we ready? Dec 21, 2019

Show notes

While visions of sugar plums might be dancing in children’s heads as we close out 2019, the 2020 elections are occupying the head space of many adults in the U.S. In 2016, the importance of election security was made crystal clear. What’s happened since then? Are we ready for 2020? How do experts believe our defenses will hold up when tested by foreign and even domestic attacks?
We spent an hour exploring election security (and more) with Camille Stewart, a cyber security attorney with experience working inside tech companies as well as considerable time spent on Capitol Hill in both the Department of Homeland Security and as a consultant. Camille breaks down the major aspects of election security and we discuss why it’s seemingly so fractured across municipalities-- and why that may not be such a bad thing after all. Jack, Dave and Camille debate how election defenses might be improved, from the role of open source and private services to “defending forward” by taking out troll farms. While Camille declined to grade our readiness for the attacks in 2020 (which have already begun), Camille does make predictions about what will happen during the ‘20 elections, including the likelihood of domestic influence campaigns.
Our ~75 minute conversation with Camille showcases the breadth of her experience in both the Silicon Valley and Washington D.C. She explains lessons learned from her time protecting brands at Cyveillance, breaking down the optimal way to get a social media company’s attention when you’d like to have something changed or removed. Camille also explains how State security might be modeled after progressive smaller countries who excel in cyber, leaning on her time working in foreign relations during the Obama Administration. We wrap up with her recent investigation and resulting paper on how foreign nations, especially China, have been leveraging U.S. bankruptcy proceedings to acquire large amounts of American intellectual property on the cheap.

Cyber Security Entrepreneur Nand Mulchandani takes Silicon Valley to the Pentagon Dec 07, 2019

Show notes

It all changed one day while Nand was sitting in traffic on the 101 freeway. Why am I doing this? Nand had experienced no less than 4 successful exits of cyber security companies where he was founder or CEO. He was one of the most accomplished cyber security entrepreneurs in the Silicon Valley. At that moment, Nand decided to leave corporate life and set course to start a new phase of his career in the government.
His first step was to uproot his family and move them into graduate housing at Stanford where he would finally do that MBA degree he had considered long ago. Throughout Nand’s hour long interview with Jack and Dave, Nand explains how his family embraces the abrupt change from predictable Valley life and comforts to community living inside a small apartment on campus. While Nand is determining how to best complete projects with 19 year-olds, his wife Sarbani and children flourish, starting a non-profit as a result of their experience.
Nand’s next step towards Washington D.C. is a one year stint across the country to the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government where he aimed to learn “the art of politics”. His time spent amongst princes and fledgling politicians taught Nand important lessons in complexity, the power of good Queen ballad during karaoke and the occasional necessity of a Scorpion Bowl to wash it all down.
After considering a run for Congress, Nand completes his plan to restart his career in government when by a series of unusual events (and a bit of start-up hustle) he becomes the CTO of the Department of Defense’s efforts in Artificial Intelligence. From his new vantage point, he shares what tech companies look like from the Washington D.C. perspective and answers heady questions such as “Who’s more trustworthy? A politician or a venture capitalist?” and we find out whether it’s easier to be in a government or a Valley boardroom.

Niloo Razi Howe: A Life of Adventure, Purpose & Epic Badassery (Part 2 of 2, Niloo's time in Washington D.C.) Nov 24, 2019

Show notes

The 2nd half of our conversation with Niloo focuses on her recent work in Washington DC where she holds several positions and recently (October 22nd, 2019) testified to Congress on the United State’s cyber security readiness. We begin with the topic of retaliation: What’s the proper response to a cyber attack if you want to discourage future aggression? Is cyber retaliation necessary to defend a country?
With the 2020 elections on the horizon, Niloo explains her perspective on influence campaigns such as the highly publicized activities by Russia in the ’16 presidential elections. While often seen as election interference, she explains the broader goal of Russia’s strategy as an attack on the fabric of trust throughout a country— and how your phone and social networks can be complicit in this scheme.
We end on a hopeful note: there are plenty of reasons to believe things will be better in the future in cyber security, starting with government restructuring from long outdated WW2 norms to a more modern organization design. And we learn why Niloo may not be your best choice as a new BFF on GoodReads.

Niloo Razi Howe: A Life of Adventure, Purpose & Epic Badassery (Part 1 of 2) Nov 11, 2019

Show notes

There are stories, and then there are “epics”: tales of a journey so full of unexpected twists and excitement that you’re left wondering how all that could happen to a single person. Niloo Razi Howe’s life is such an epic. Whereas most epics feature men with swords, this one focuses on a woman with heels and a hockey stick.
While Niloo’s story as an Iranian exile is well-documented, our primary focus is on her career which began as an author and quickly moved to becoming a McKinsey consultant and then attorney… until she founded one of the few modestly successful online pet supply businesses in the 90s.
Moved by 9-11, Niloo found the cyber security market and made it her sole focus as an investor at Paladin Capital Group. We discuss her early learnings from investing in security which focus on her time working with a portfolio company selling the millimeter wave scanning systems that are now commonplace at airports everywhere.
Niloo took subsequent roles transforming a startup and then tried her hand at transforming industry titan RSA as their Chief Strategy Officer. Niloo then left it all to focus on her terminally ill mother. This experience affected her profoundly and we wrap up this first part of our conversation with Niloo by exploring how she now structures her career on 3 pillars of different activities versus 1 job.

Valley Legend Reversed: Staying in School & Building a Business with Soul (Marcin Kleczynski) Oct 14, 2019

Show notes

The Silicon Valley legend is the college dropout who made billions… but what if instead they stayed in the dorm room? This is the intriguing story of Marcin Kleczynski and MalwareBytes, told in a candid ~1-hour interview where he explains how his company was built in vivid detail. Marcin takes us through his formative moments as a Polish immigrant in Illinois helping his family’s cleaning business to his choice to remain in school at his mother’s insistence while MalwareBytes was making millions. Dave and Marcin discuss key product questions such as how much is too much product functionality to give away, how to work with the channel, whether or not you can effectively serve both consumer and enterprise markets and the future of endpoint protection. He also explains why it still makes sense to build a great office when the world feels like it’s shifting quickly to a remote workforce. We also find out why you should never send deep dish pizza to people in California...

Cigars, Women's Soccer & Everything in Between with Splunk CISO, Joel Fulton PhD Sep 27, 2019

Show notes

Joel Fulton’s journey began in Alaska as a free range kid with dreams of becoming a fireman to ultimately find him in one of the most prestigious CISO roles in cyber security at Splunk. Our conversation twists through his time as a computer auditor, MMA fighter, an author, a salesman, a PhD student and a few other positions in between. Our dialogue with Joel showcases the breadth of his interests as well as his gift for taking seemingly unrelated concepts and connecting them to illustrate a point, from choke holds to The Philosopher’s Toolkit all the way to systematic dismemberment. Joel’s interview offers plenty of practical examples for aspiring and longtime CISOs, breaking down how he thinks about discovery, orchestration and security training. Even at 80 minutes, this episode feels far too short.

Investor Series Wrap-up | Bootstrapping Bonus Episode w/ Tozny Sep 13, 2019

Show notes

Since this Spring, Security Voices have been “following the money trail” to explore all angles of how security companies are funded and run. In our final 2 episodes of the series, we’re shining a light on lesser known companies and individuals whom have avoided traditional funding and taken a more unique approach to starting their businesses. This episode showcases Tozny, an encryption company with its longstanding roots in government contracts. Isaac, the founder and CEO, explains how he’s built a stable, steady growth business in Portland by harnessing one large customer after another… using entirely publicly available information and an open submission process. His conservative “staying alive” approach stands in stark contrast to the glitzy, go-for-broke mainstream security market.

Zack Schuler's Solo Mission to Reinvent Security Awareness, Hollywood-Style Aug 30, 2019

Show notes

Seemingly everyday a security company announces that it has raised a new, big round of funding. As we close out our investor series, Jack and I wanted to highlight the bootstrappers— those brave people who kickstart their businesses using solely their own resources. Our interview with Zack Schuler of Ninjio illustrates the experience of a company with a big mission to reinvent security awareness that began with no funding but a loan from his bank account. While Zack had the benefit of a previous exit (he bootstrapped his 1st company at the age of 21), his mentality and practices are that of someone who hustles for every deal, obsesses over each hire and makes painstaking decisions about how he uses his time and money. Zack explains his special formula of hustle, Hollywood and a little bit of luck to build a winning company with no investors looking over his shoulder.

Sunshine Episode: Reasons to feel good about the future of cyber security Aug 16, 2019

Show notes

Dark clouds seem to hang over the security industry, especially after Black Hat and DEF CON. Playing constant defense can be disheartening, especially after hearing about every new type of possible attack in Las Vegas. We felt everyone could use a little post conference pick-me up so we pulled together this short (~15 min) episode which focuses on all the positive things that are happening in the industry from past interviews. We’ve often reflected on how interesting and encouraging it is that every guest we’ve interviewed has always had something they thought was much improved from the past— and how everyone of these industry luminaries called out something different than the others.

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