Why Everyone’s A Target
Easy Prey
Some scams are so convincing, they’re almost impossible to spot. With phishing emails that look like they’re from your bank, deep fake videos that mimic real people, and AI-generated messages that feel personal, it’s getting harder to know what’s real and what’s a trap. In this episode, I sit down with Gabrielle Hempel, a security operations specialist at Exabeam and a current law student at Purdue University. Gabrielle brings a sharp perspective shaped by years in cybersecurity, a master’s in cybersecurity and global affairs from NYU, and hands-on experience navigating everything...
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Child Exploitation Cyber Investigations
Easy Prey
Technology is a double-edged sword. It can empower us, connect us, and solve problems, but it can also be used to exploit, manipulate, and harm. When it comes to protecting children online, that line gets especially thin. Digital forensics, AI-powered image classification, and global law enforcement collaboration are now essential tools for keeping families safe in a world that moves faster than most of us can keep up. Debbie Garner knows this world intimately. She’s a retired Special Agent in charge with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and former commander of the state’s Internet...
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Reclaiming the Internet
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We may not always understand the evolution of the internet and how tech monopolies exist, but having digital freedom fighters is vital to making conscious change. Today's guest is Cory Doctorow. Cory is a science fiction author, activist, and journalist. He is the author of many books and most recently, Picks and Shovels, The Bezel, and The Lost Cause, a solar punk science fiction novel of hope amidst the climate change emergency. His most recent nonfiction book is the internet con How to Seize the Means of Corruption, a big tech disassembly manual. Other recent books include Red Team...
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Security Gaps Hackers Exploit
Easy Prey
Scammers aren’t just phishing your inbox anymore—they’re impersonating your voice, your face, and even your coworkers. Deep fakes and social engineering have moved beyond clever tricks and become powerful tools that bad actors are using to infiltrate businesses, breach accounts, and dismantle trust at scale. What used to take a hacker hours and expensive tools can now be done in minutes by anyone with a Wi-Fi connection and a little malicious intent. Our guest today is Aaron Painter, CEO of Nametag, a company leading the charge in next-generation identity verification. Aaron’s...
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Cyber Warfare
Easy Prey
Cyber warfare is no longer something that happens behind closed doors or in some far-off digital corner. It's happening now—and reshaping the rules of conflict in real time. Drone strikes controlled by apps, ransomware attacks on hospitals—today's battleground is just as likely to be online as on the ground. That science fiction scenario is now a critical, constant threat-the kind that affects us all globally. I'm really excited to introduce you to Dr. Chase Cunningham. He's a retired Navy chief cryptologist with a wealth of experience in cyber operations for the NSA, CIA, FBI—and more....
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DDoS Attacks
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Scammers are getting smarter, understanding the psychology behind social engineering and the challenges companies face every day can help keep networks secure. This episode will show how to anticipate these threats and secure networks against ever-changing vulnerabilities. We’ll focus on practical, real-world solutions to protect data and trust. Dr. Jared Smith joins us to share his insights from his role leading research and development at SecurityScorecard. He also co-founded UnCat, a B2B accounting technology company serving thousands of customers and teaches as an adjunct professor at...
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Safe AI Implementation
Easy Prey
Red models associated with AI technologies highlight real-world vulnerabilities and the importance of proactive security measures. It is vital to educate users about how to explore the challenges and keep AI systems secure. Today’s guest is Dr. Aditya Sood. Dr. Sood is the VP of Security Engineering and AI Strategy at Aryaka and is a security practitioner, researcher, and consultant with more than 16 years of experience. He obtained his PhD in computer science from Michigan State University and has authored several papers for various magazines and journals. In this conversation, he will shed...
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The Art of Espionage
Easy Prey
What makes someone betray their country? It’s rarely just about money. In this episode, you’ll hear from a retired CIA officer who spent 25 years recruiting foreign spies by tapping into something deeper than greed. Jim Lawler shares real stories from his career in human intelligence, where persuasion was built on empathy, trust, and understanding what truly drives people. From failed pitches to high-stakes successes, he explains the psychology behind espionage, how personal stress becomes a powerful leverage point, and why most people who commit treason believe they’ve been betrayed...
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Understanding Ransomware and Defense Strategies
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When it comes to cybersecurity, most people think about firewalls, passwords, and antivirus software. But what about the attackers themselves? Understanding how they operate is just as important as having the right defenses in place. That’s where Paul Reid comes in. As the Vice President of Adversary Research at AttackIQ, Paul and his team work to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals by thinking like them and identifying vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. In this episode, we dive into the world of cyber threats, ransomware, and the business of hacking. Paul shares insights...
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Privacy and Surveillance
Easy Prey
Ever had that creepy feeling someone's watching you online? Now imagine if that feeling was actually your reality, not just your browsing history being tracked, but cameras following your every move on the street, your conversations being monitored, your payments scrutinized. For our guest Josh Summers, this wasn't some dystopian nightmare, it was his daily life. Josh isn't your typical privacy advocate. As the creator behind All Things Secured (both a website and YouTube channel), his passion for digital privacy was forged through nearly 20 years living abroad, much of it in China. There, he...
info_outlineIn cybersecurity, we need to understand the mindset of hacking, which is not ethics. We also need to realize that even if we have cybersecurity experts get hacked, there is no reason to feel embarrassed or ashamed when it happens to us. In today’s show we’re going deep into the world of cybersecurity with one of the industry’s most seasoned experts, Sam Curry. With over 30 years of experience in information security, Sam has been defending against cyber threats, shaping security strategies and mentoring the next generation of cyber professionals.
Currently the Global VP and CISO-in-Residence at Zscaler, Sam has also held leadership roles at companies like RSA, McAfee and Arbor Networks where he helped pioneer innovations in VPN technology and personal firewalls. But cybersecurity isn’t just about firewalls and encryption—it’s about mindset. Sam joins us to talk about the hacker mentality, zero-trust security and why even the best security professionals get hacked.
From his early days in cryptography to mitigating major cyber breaches Sam shares his insights on how businesses and individuals can defend themselves in a digital world. If you’ve ever wondered how cybercriminals think, how AI is changing the security landscape or what you can do to stay one step ahead then this episode is for you.
Show Notes:
- [00:55] Sam is Global VP and CISO-in-Residence at Zscaler. For the last 32 years, he's been involved in every part of security at some point.
- [01:23] He teaches cyber and used to run RSA Labs at MIT. He currently teaches at Wentworth Institute of Technology, and he also sits on a few boards.
- [02:41] We learn how Sam ended up working in cyber security. He has patents in VPN technology, and was one of the co-inventors of the personal fire law which was sold to McAfee.
- [04:14] There were security principles before 1996.
- [07:38] Sam feels a need and a mission to protect people. It's very personal to him.
- [08:40] He was there for the breach that RSA had. He's also been spearfished.
- [12:47] The shepherd tone is an audio illusion that makes sound that can make people sick because it sounds like it's always increasing.
- [16:31] Scams are way under reported because people are too embarrassed to report them.
- [19:31] Challenges of keeping security up. In peacetime we have to remember to build resilience and be antifragile.
- [22:10] Zero trust is a strategy and architecture for minimizing functionality.
- [28:14] There are immediate benefits from a security perspective to start creating zero trust.
- [30:17] Problems need to be defined correctly.
- [33:03] Even people who've done incredible research on hacking techniques have gotten hacked. There's no shame in it.
- [34:02] We need the hacker mindset. It's an important part of the human community.
- [36:44] The importance of making things easier to understand.
- [38:18] Advice for people wanting to get into cybersecurity is being just this side of ready and tackling things that are a little too big and a little too scary. Also find allies and a network.
Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.