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CISO Series Podcast

CISO Series Podcast

David Spark, Mike Johnson, and Andy Ellis · David Spark

405 episodesEN

Show overview

CISO Series Podcast has been publishing since 2018, and across the 8 years since has built a catalogue of 405 episodes. That works out to roughly 250 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.

Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 34 min and 40 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Technology show.

The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 3 days ago, with 19 episodes already out so far this year. Published by David Spark.

Episodes
405
Running
2018–2026 · 8y
Median length
37 min
Cadence
Weekly

From the publisher

Discussions, tips, and debates from security practitioners and vendors on how to work better together to improve security for themselves and everyone else.

Latest Episodes

View all 405 episodes

Can You Please Train the AI on Your Way Out the Door?

May 12, 202636 min

AI Confidence: It's a Trap! (LIVE in San Francisco)

May 5, 202643 min

Step 1: Deploy New AI Tool. Step 2: Discover Security Flaws. Step 3: Repeat. (LIVE in Orlando)

Apr 28, 202642 min

Back in My Day, You Could Get a Cybersecurity Job at the Corner Store

Apr 21, 202639 min

Our Theoretical Controls Work Great Against Hypothetical Attacks

Apr 14, 202643 min

Remember, Every Underappreciated Risk Is Just a Crisis Waiting to Be Discovered

Apr 7, 202642 min

Do You Think These Compliance Boxes Check Themselves? (LIVE in Clearwater, FL)

All links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Pam Lindemoen, CSO, vp of strategy, Retail and Hospitality-ISAC. Joining them is Jason Mayor, deputy CISO, Raymond James Financial. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the National Cybersecurity Alliance's Convene conference in Clearwater, Florida. In this episode: Coaching security Planned security theater Making "nothing bad happened" a compelling story Getting security teams to think like the business A huge thanks to our sponsor, Adaptive Security Sponsored by Adaptive Security – the first security awareness platform built to stop AI-powered social engineering. AI impersonation and deepfakes have made trust the new attack surface. Adaptive runs social-engineering simulations and instantly turns threats, policies, and compliance needs into interactive, multilingual training. Trusted by Fortune 500s. Learn more at adaptivesecurity.com. A huge thanks to our sponsor, Zepo Zepo Intelligence transforms employee behavior into measurable security capability. Moving beyond check-box compliance, our human risk management platform uses hyper-personalized simulations to turn your workforce into a proactive defense layer. We don't just improve human behavior; we enable mastery against modern social engineering threats. Learn more at zepo.ai. A huge thanks to our sponsor, KnowBe4 KnowBe4 empowers workforces to make smarter security decisions every day. Trusted by over 70,000 organizations worldwide, we help strengthen security culture and manage human risk. Our comprehensive AI-driven HRM+ platform includes modules for awareness and compliance training, cloud email security, real-time coaching, crowdsourced anti-phishing, AI Defense Agents, and more. As the only global security platform of its kind, KnowBe4 utilizes personalized and relevant cybersecurity content, tools, and techniques to keep the modern workforce—both humans and AI agents—cybersafe from phishing, vishing, deepfakes, and all forms of social engineering. Learn more at knowbe4.com.

Mar 31, 202643 min

Why Highlight Diversity When We Can Just Hope You Don't Notice?

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 is Julie Myerholtz, CISO, Brunswick Corporation. In this episode: Your cloud, your problem Kill your sacred cows AI broke your vendor math Feedback is a gift. Open it. A huge thanks to our sponsor, Vanta Risk and regulation ramping up—and customers expect proof of security just to do business. Vanta's automation brings compliance, risk, and customer trust together on one AI-powered platform. So whether you're prepping for a SOC 2 or running an enterprise GRC program, Vanta keeps you secure—and keeps your deals moving. Learn more at vanta.com/ciso.

Mar 24, 202638 min

They're Less "Best Practices" and More "Sounds Good on LinkedIn"

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, principal of Duha. Joining us is Rebecca Harness, CISO, Deltek. In this episode: Let it fail The CIO seat is empty. Now what? Design for how people actually work "We found 23 issues. That'll be $15,000." Huge thanks to our sponsor, Strike48 Strike48 is the Agentic Log Intelligence Platform that actually puts AI agents to work, combining full log visibility with AI agents that investigate, detect, and respond 24/7. With pre-built agent clusters for security and a no-code agentic workflow builder, it's easy to get started. Learn more at strike48.com/security.

Mar 17, 202641 min

It's Okay to Put All Your Eggs in One Basket as Long as You Really Trust the Basket

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, principal of Duha. Joining us is our sponsored guest, Rob Allen, chief product officer, ThreatLocker. In this episode: Your best employee is your biggest risk Stop guessing the next attack AI is not a feature Stop blaming the user Huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker ThreatLocker makes Zero Trust practical. With Default Deny, Ringfencing, and Elevation Control, CISOs get real control that's easy to manage and built to scale. Stop threats before they execute and reduce operational noise without adding complexity. See how simple prevention can be at ThreatLocker.com/CISO.

Mar 10, 202648 min

Our Security Team's Love Language is Buying New Tools

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, principal of Duha. Joining us is our sponsored guest, Tim Leehealey, vp of corporate strategy and operations, Strike48. In this episode: Defensible, not perfect Tools aren't going to save you Logs are wasted on the SOC The myth of the lone wolf Huge thanks to our sponsor, Strike48 Strike48 is the Agentic Log Intelligence Platform that actually puts AI agents to work, combining full log visibility with AI agents that investigate, detect, and respond 24/7. With pre-built agent clusters for security and a no-code agentic workflow builder, it's easy to get started. Learn more at strike48.com/security.

Mar 3, 202641 min

If We Can't Do Better, at Least Do It Faster

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 them is Vikas Mahajan, vp and CISO, American Red Cross. In this episode: Questionnaires aren't risk management The good old days were worse Buying or building your SOC Start the conversation, not the checklist Huge thanks to our sponsor, Adaptive Security Sponsored by Adaptive Security—the first cybersecurity company backed by OpenAI. AI impersonation and deepfakes have made trust the new attack surface. Adaptive runs realistic social-engineering simulations and instantly turns threats, policies, and compliance needs into interactive, multilingual training. Trusted by Fortune 500s. Learn more at adaptivesecurity.com.

Feb 24, 202641 min

We Gave the CISO Risk and Liability, and Now They Want Authority. The Nerve.

All links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Steve Zalewski. Joining them is Tammy Klotz, CISO, Trinseo. In this episode: Accountability without authority Kill your hacklore Voice is no longer enough Studies that tell us what we already know Huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker Want real Zero Trust training? Zero Trust World 2026 delivers hands-on labs and workshops that show CISOs exactly how to implement and maintain Zero Trust in real environments. Join us March 4–6 in Orlando, plus a live CISO Series episode on March 6. Get $200 off with ZTWCISO26 at ztw.com.

Feb 17, 202642 min

When We See White Smoke, We Know We Have a New CISO

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 them is Russ Ayres, CISO, Principal Financial Group. In this episode: Metrics that matter Tool babysitting problem Automating the brokenness Stay connected intentionally Huge thanks to our sponsor, Strike48 Strike48 is the Agentic Log Intelligence Platform that actually puts AI agents to work, combining full log visibility with AI agents that investigate, detect, and respond 24/7. With pre-built agent clusters for security and a no-code agentic workflow builder, it's easy to get started. Learn more at strike48.com/security.

Feb 10, 202642 min

Take Two-Factor Authentication and Call Me in the Morning

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 them is Janet Heins, CISO, ChenMed. In this episode: Inbound gets ignored Independence under constraint Methodology means nothing Lives over logins Huge thanks to our sponsor, Guardsquare Guardsquare delivers mobile app security without compromise, providing advanced protections for both Android and iOS apps. From app security testing to code hardening to real-time visibility into the threat landscape, Guardsquare solutions provide enhanced mobile application security from early in the development process through publication. Learn more about how to protect your app at Guardsquare.com.

Feb 3, 202638 min

I'll Show You Our Resilience Plan Once Our Cloud Storage Is Back Online

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 Johann Balaguer, Global CISO, Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos. In this episode: Understanding the why Own your digital self Invest beyond tenure Prepare for dependencies Thanks to Louis Zhichao Zhang, AIA Australia for contributing this week's "What's Worse?!" scenario. Huge thanks to our sponsor, Guardsquare Guardsquare delivers mobile app security without compromise, providing advanced protections for both Android and iOS apps. From app security testing to code hardening to real-time visibility into the threat landscape, Guardsquare solutions provide enhanced mobile application security from early in the development process through publication. Learn more about how to protect your app at Guardsquare.com.

Jan 27, 202637 min

AI Is Very Efficient at Making Us Forget the Value of Humans

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 them is Sara Madden, CISO, Convera. In this episode: Hold developers accountable Credibility through candor Be strategic with AI deployment Resources don't guarantee security Huge thanks to our sponsor, ThreatLocker ThreatLocker makes Zero Trust practical. With Default Deny, Ringfencing, and Elevation Control, CISOs get real control that's easy to manage and built to scale. Stop threats before they execute and reduce operational noise without adding complexity. See how simple prevention can be at ThreatLocker.com/CISO.

Jan 20, 202641 min

Managing Risk Has Been a Priority Ever Since You Asked About It (LIVE in NYC)

All links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Matthew Southworth, CSO, Priceline. Joining them is sponsored guest, Saket Modi, CEO, Safe Security. This episode was recorded live at FAIRCON25 in NYC. In this episode: AI won't stay broken Identity before intelligence People decide risk appetite Automate with oversight Huge thanks to our sponsor, Safe Security SAFE is the leader in Cyber Risk Quantification and the first company to deliver 100% autonomous Third-Party Risk Management. Powered by Agentic AI and built on FAIRtm, SAFE empowers CISOs, cybersecurity, and TPRM leaders to continuously quantify, prioritize, and mitigate cyber risks across their entire attack surface – enabling digital growth and organizational resilience. Learn more at testdrive.safe.security/

Jan 13, 202640 min

Imagine Scaling Mistakes 5x Faster. Thank You, Automation! (LIVE in NY)

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 Matt Southworth, CISO, Priceline. Joining us is our sponsored guest, Leslie Nielsen, CISO, Mimecast. In this episode: Automating dysfunction Leading without dominating Unglamorous wins Code without comprehension Huge thanks to our sponsor, Mimecast. Cyber threats are getting smarter every day, and threat actors aren't just targeting your technology, they're targeting your most valuable asset - your people. Mimecast helps you identify and secure risk with a unified, intelligent platform that protects across the spectrum of threats; from email and chat to file sharing. Learn more at www.mimecast.com.

Jan 6, 202643 min

How Much Risk Would a CISO Risk if a CISO Could Risk Risk? (LIVE in Boca Raton)

All links and images can be found on CISO Series. This week's episode is hosted by David Spark, producer of CISO Series and Brett Conlon, CISO, American Century Investments. Joining them are Ryan Barras, CISO, Mount Sinai Medical Center. In this episode: Nobody understands what we do Someone else should fix this Make the audience care Speaking CEO Huge thanks to our sponsor, Dropzone AI Dropzone AI autonomously investigates every security alert—no playbooks needed. This AI SOC analyst queries your CrowdStrike, Splunk, threat intel feeds, and 60+ other tools to build complete investigations in 5 minutes. Unlike black-box automation, it shows every query, finding, and decision. See it work yourself—explore the self-guided demo at dropzone.ai.

Dec 16, 202544 min
2018-2025 CISO Series