Inside Mandiant: Charles Carmakal on the Front Lines of Global Cyber Warfare
In this episode of the Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast, Charles Carmakal, CTO at Mandiant, discusses the current state of cybersecurity, the evolving threat landscape, and the importance of resilience in organizations. He emphasizes the ongoing arms race between cyber attackers and defenders, the rise of ransomware and extortion tactics, and the critical traits needed for aspiring cybersecurity analysts. Charles also shares insights into the day-to-day life at Mandiant and the transformative role of AI in enhancing cybersecurity efforts. He concludes with valuable advice for those looking to enter the field, highlighting the importance of passion, persistence, and continuous learning.Send us fan mail via textSupport the show
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Lessons Learned From the Australian National University Breach with Suthagar Seevaratnam - Part 2
In Part 2, we discuss how a routine firewall rollout at ANU accidentally severed the attackers’ C2, forcing them into noisy, rushed activity that revealed their tradecraft. Suthagar explains the balance between observing for intel and acting to minimize harm, and how transparent, tightly controlled communications—culminating in a readable public breach report—helped rebuild trust. We also unpack why stolen databases without a data dictionary were hard to weaponize, and close with career advice: resilience, empathy, and people-first communication matter as much as tools.ANU Breach ReportSuthagar Seevaratnam’s LinkedIn Send us fan mail via text
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Lessons Learned From the Australian National University Breach with Suthagar Seevaratnam - Part 1
In this episode of the Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast, Suthagar Seevaratnam, a former CISO at the Australian National University, shares his journey into cybersecurity and the challenges faced during a significant data breach. He discusses the importance of addressing organizational trauma, effective leadership during crises, and the human element in cybersecurity. The conversation delves into the details of the breach, including the attack vector, the role of phishing, and the impact of legacy systems. Suthagar emphasizes the need for calmness, compassion, and effective communication in crisis management, highlighting the lessons learned from the incident.ANU Breach ReportSuthagar Seevaratnam’s LinkedIn ACILearning.com/SimplyCyberSend us fan mail via text
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Job Offer, Raise, or Promotion? Here’s How to Negotiate All Three
In this episode of the Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast, we break down how to negotiate with confidence — whether you’re reviewing a job offer, asking for a raise, or chasing that next promotion.Drawing from years of leadership experience, they share real-world stories about what hiring managers actually think during negotiations, how to spot red flags in a job offer, and how to build leverage the right way.You’ll learn:The three things to evaluate before accepting any offer — fit, growth, and lifestyleHow to flip the script and interview the company backWhy keeping receipts of your wins is essential before asking for a raiseWhat to do when you’re given more responsibility without more payHow to use tactical empathy (inspired by Never Split the Difference) to win negotiations without losing relationshipsWhether you’re a cybersecurity analyst or a future CISO, this episode will help you get paid what you’re worth — and do it with professionalism and confidence.Send us fan mail via text
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Turning Sheep Into Wolves: Brian Brushwood’s Plan to Defend Against the Scampocalypse
Magician, podcaster, and World’s Greatest Con creator Brian Brushwood joins us to talk about the coming Scampocalypse, where AI-powered deception meets human vulnerability. We dive into how magic, psychology, and “deceptive role play” can transform security awareness from boring quizzes into hands-on human defense training. Learn why Brian says it’s time to stop training “sheep” and start raising “wolves.”Topics include: • Why traditional phishing tests fail • How AI is powering the next generation of scams • What magicians know about deception that CISOs don’t • The “sheep vs. wolf” model for human training • How to gamify social engineering safelyThe Greatest Con Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0xZYIEwtxkB1YxIENS7c6z?si=a6b654370c424128The Modern Rogue: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRogue/ScamStuff: https://www.scamstuff.com/Brian Brushwood’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-brushwood/Send us fan mail via text
In this podcast we discuss mentoring in cybersecurity, information for those that are looking to get into cybersecurity, and tips for those that are looking to advance their careers.
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