Libsyn Directory

Next-Gen Account Security with Christiaan Brand

Release Date: 01/22/2025

Easy Prey

Scams come in many forms but receiving a freebie from a scammer doesn’t make sense. If something shows up at your door that you didn’t order, should you be worried? Brushing scams are becoming more common and while they may seem harmless at first they can be a gateway to fraud, identity theft and financial loss. Today we’re diving into how these scams work, why they exist and the real dangers behind them. Our guest is Dr. Venkat Margapuri, an assistant professor of computer science at Villanova University. His research focuses on AI applications in agriculture and healthcare but he’s...

Ransomware, Phishing and Fraud

Easy Prey

Cybersecurity isn't just a concern for large corporations. It's vital for businesses of all sizes. It's essential for companies to know how to protect sensitive data, restore from backups, and regularly test their systems with internal pen tests to keep their teams safe. Today's guest is Bryce Austin. Bryce is the CEO of TCE Strategy, a cybersecurity advisory firm. They provide vulnerability scans, penetration tests, fractional CISO services, and incident response services. He is also a professional speaker on ransomware. Bryce is the fractional CISO to many companies, including one on the...

CISOs: The Ultimate Stress Test With Jill Knesek

Easy Prey

The CISO role is constantly changing. With all the shifts in cybersecurity, it's crucial to find ways to attract new talent to close the growing skills gap. CISOs now juggle complex systems managed at multiple levels and handle burnout amongst many other responsibilities. Today's guest is Jill Knesek. Jill is the Chief Information Security Officer for Blackline, a company that does financial SaaS solutions. It’s based out of the Los Angeles area. She’s been there almost three years now as the CISO, running the information security team. She previously served as Chief Security Officer for...

AI, Automation, and the Future of Cybersecurity With Mike Lyborg

Easy Prey

With the increase in targeted cyber attacks, it's more important than ever for organizations to quickly identify and respond to threats. AI is helping security teams by acting as virtual analysts, handling much of the investigation work. However, human oversight is still essential for the final steps and judgment. Today's guest is Michael Lyborg. Michael is the Chief Information Security Officer at Swimlane. Prior to taking his current role, Michael was Global Vice President of Advisory Services, a highly sought-after expert by the world's largest Fortune 500 companies and global government...

Cybersecurity Training from Boring to Engaging With Howard Goodman

Easy Prey

The landscape of cybersecurity training and collaboration is changing, interactive education sessions and cross team communication is key. Building a security culture and staying ahead of the modern threats has never been more important. Today’s guest is Howard Goodman, Senior Technical Director at Skybox Security. With over 20 years of experience Howard has become a well known figure in the cybersecurity world, he combines strategic planning with hands-on application across many industries. In this episode we talk about; security culture, the evolution of cybersecurity training and how...

Next-Gen Account Security with Christiaan Brand

Easy Prey

With phishing and password breaches on the rise, passkeys could offer a more secure, user-friendly solution that could reshape how we protect our online identities. Today's guest is Christiaan Brand. Christiaan is the co-founder of Entersekt, a financial services security firm and a key player at Google in their security and identity teams. A respected voice in cybersecurity, Christian co-chairs the FIDO2 technical working group focusing on standardizing robust online security protocols in advancing the use of passkeys. He has been at the forefront of the shift toward more secure,...

5 Key Cybersecurity Elements with Kelly Hood

Easy Prey

How do phishing scams, AI-powered attacks, and strategic governance intersect? Together, they're redefining the future of cybersecurity. Organizations are navigating a mix of challenges and implementing innovative solutions to proactively address today's threats. Today's guest is Kelly Hood. She is the EVP and cybersecurity engineer at Optics Cyber Solutions. She is a CISSP who specializes in implementing cybersecurity and privacy best practices to manage risks and to achieve compliance. She supports the NIST cybersecurity framework and serves as a CMMC registered practitioner, helping...

Identity Crimes (Theft, Compromise & Misuse) with Mona Terry

Easy Prey

When you search for customer service numbers online, you might come across a scammer’s number instead. It’s important to be cautious when sharing personal information, and to verify identities before responding to requests for sensitive data. Today’s guest is Mona Terry. As Chief Victims Officer at Identity Theft Resource Center, she navigates the complexities of identity protection and identity crime recovery and management of multi-million dollar federal grants. She analyzes victim experiences to create ITRC’s Identity Report and to provide information about new and ongoing...

Why Resolutions Fail with Dr. Leslie Becker-Phelps

Easy Prey

We often put off changes and schedule them to start on January 1st. Many of these idealistic resolutions fail shortly after beginning, so it is important to be thoughtful when planning so that you can set yourself up for success. Today’s guest is Dr. Leslie Becker-Phelps. Leslie is a noted psychologist who authored a number of books, including Insecure in Love, The Insecure in Love Workbook, and Bouncing Back from Rejection. She writes the Authentically You Blog and the Psychology Today Making Change Blog. Additionally, she is a national speaker and hosts a YouTube channel. Show Notes: ...

Erasing Your Digital Footprint with Jeff Jockisch

Easy Prey

Data is continuously being collected and this information can lead to misleading conclusions about an individual. Without proper context, behavior can be misinterpreted. This underscores the need for data privacy laws and stronger protections against data brokers. Today’s guest is Jeff Jockisch. Jeff is a passionate data privacy researcher dedicated to exploring the evolution of technology, our search behaviors, trust dynamics, and safeguarding of our information. As Managing Partner at ObscureIQ, he specializes in advanced data removal and privacy risk mitigation for enterprises and...

More Episodes

A respected voice in cybersecurity, Christian co-chairs the FIDO2 technical working group focusing on standardizing robust online security protocols in advancing the use of passkeys. He has been at the forefront of the shift toward more secure, password-free systems. We’ll hear his insights on the challenges and opportunities of implementing passkeys to create safer online environments for users and organizations.

Show Notes:

[00:52] - Christiaan is part of the security team for Google accounts. He's been with Google for 9 years. Prior to that he had a startup.
[01:30] - He joined the FIDO Alliance around the same time Google joined in 2013. When he joined Google, he was able to continue with the same type of work.
[02:35] - Each of the big tech companies represents a portion of the market when it comes to how we interact with the web and apps.
[04:06] - He became interested in security when he started thinking about what could go wrong with new technology solutions. He wanted users to be able to access their financial information in a safe and secure way.
[05:06] - 2FA began gaining traction with Google in 2011. It coincided with the launch of Google Authenticator. 2FA was also used by a gaming company.
[07:54] - Usability is important, that's why having an app that displays the codes was one of the first forays into making the technology more accessible.
[08:34] - Passkeys allow us to move beyond passwords, leaving the extra hassle of traditional multi-factor authentication behind.
[11:05] - Key fobs were one of the earlier ways to try and bring usability to security. Now the technology is being moved to smartphones.
[12:33] - Passkeys are a replacement for a password manager.
[13:35] - Passkeys are extremely long and asymmetric in nature. You and the site you're going to both have the passkey.
[14:27] - The service will have the public part of the passkey, and you'll have the private part. Even if the public part leaks out, your passkey will still be secure. Passkeys can never be revealed to phishing sites.
[15:47] - FIDO brings the second authentication step in. The service also has to identify themselves.
[20:04] - Password managers try to balance security and convenience. Logging in or accessing a passkey is a unique challenge for providers.
[22:20] - Phone numbers are a way to get users back into their accounts.
[25:19] - Single device users have extra challenges.
[26:08] - There are pros and cons to external sources of identity.
[29:44] - The FIDO website has many certified solutions.
[33:21] - To get passkeys into daily users' lives, we need to start using them on daily applications where we log in frequently.
[35:49] - Hopefully this passkey solution will stand the test of time.
[37:34] - Attacks are beginning to shift to session hijacking.
[38:24] - DBSC or device-based session credentials is a new standard parallel to FIDO.

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