Adventures of Alice & Bob Podcast | BeyondTrust

Your Hosts: Karl Lankford, James Maude, and Marc Maiffret

Welcome to the Adventures of Alice & Bob Podcast, where we talk shop with pen testers, hackers, and the unsung heroes of the cybersecurity world about the human element of being on the front lines of cyber attacks.

AllCybersecurityPenetration TestingRansomwareWeHackPurpleCommunityWomen in SecurityAlice & BobSocial EngineeringHackerRed HatPasswordsAfter HoursGo BeyondLog4jData BreachTalktalkStalkerwareDEF CONCapture the FlagCERTHalloweenVirusMalicious InsidersInsider AttacksDEFCONCryptoEthereum

Mar 10, 2023

00:56:00

Ep. 23 - The Cold Waters of Cybersecurity // Jason Youzwak

Today’s episode is hosted by James. He is joined by Jason Youzwak, Security Researcher at Peraton Labs. Join us as Jason discusses how an overly-successful pen test earned him the affectionate nickname “tick mark”. Jason also tells us about one of his favorite hobbies: plunging into the frigid waters of Coney Island. Don’t get cold feet now, let’s dive in!

Feb 24, 2023

01:06:26

Ep. 22 - We Don’t Scan the Pie Factory // Ryan Kovar

Today’s episode is hosted by James. He is joined by Ryan Kovar, Distinguished Security Strategist at Splunk. Join us as Ryan discusses how he accidentally disabled internet for an entire fleet during his time in the military and how a simple pen test burned over $600,000 of pies. Crust us, you knead to hear this episode.

Feb 10, 2023

01:00:04

Ep. 21 - Ethereum Mission: Improbable, Not Impossible // Ted Harrington

Today’s episode is hosted by Karl. He is joined by Ted Harrington, Executive Partner at ISE (Independent Security Evaluators). Your mission, should you choose to accept: Listen as Ted discusses how to think like a hacker and how his team of ethical hackers overcame statistical improbability to predict the keys to over 700 Ethereum wallets.

Jan 27, 2023

00:42:16

Ep. 20 - Girls Just Wanna Have Functioning Elections // Bianca Lewis

Today’s episode is hosted by James. He is joined by Bianca Lewis, the 16-year-old Founder and CEO of Girls Who Hack. Bianca shares her first experience speaking at a cybersecurity convention, how she hacked a voting machine at DEFCON 26, and how it led her to start Girls Who Hack, an organization focused on teaching girls the skills of hacking. Move over Barbie, we’re not kidding around.

Jan 13, 2023

00:51:24

Ep. 19 - Ocean’s Eleven in Real Life // Bill Graydon

Today’s episode is hosted by Karl. He is joined by Bill Graydon, Principal Researcher at GGR Security. Bill unlocks his secrets on physical pen testing, how he sizes up a building’s security prior to a break-in, and shares his story about getting caught red-handed and using social engineering to defeat security guards! Does the house always win? Find out on this episode of Adventures of Alice & Bob.

Dec 30, 2022

00:53:20

Ep. 18 - There Was a Traitor Among Us // Paula Januszkiewicz

Today’s episode is hosted by James. He is joined by Paula Januszkiewicz, CEO and Founder of CQURE. Today, Paula talks about why she started CQURE, why sharing information between cybersecurity professionals is so important, and how her team helped bring down an administrator who was sabotaging their own company from the inside.

Dec 16, 2022

00:54:21

Ep. 17 - When Malicious Insiders Have All the Access // Fabio Viggiani

Today’s episode is hosted by Karl. He is joined by Fabio Viggiani, CTO at Truesec Group and self-described as 'that hacker guy.' Today Fabio kicks off the episode by sharing how he got his start in technology, strategies he has utilized to identify (and even predict) some very sophisticated cyberattacks and why a security investigation was made harder by a group of malicious insiders.

Nov 28, 2022

01:12:57

Ep. 16 - Like Shooting Vish in a Barrel // Alethe Denis

Today’s episode is hosted by Karl and James. They talk to Alethe Denis, Senior Security Consultant at Bishop Fox, about how children learn how to utilize social engineering at a young age, some common misconceptions about making a career out of social engineering, and why HR departments are a force to be reckoned with.

Nov 18, 2022

00:52:53

Ep. 15 - Using Jedi Mind Tricks on a Call Center // Chris Silvers

Today’s episode is hosted by James. He is joined by Chris Silvers, Owner of CG Silvers Consulting, to talk about how someone with a hacker mindset can turn a prank into a powerful attack vector. Chris and James do some roleplay and reenact a couple of real-life calls from a social engineering attack Chris had executed in the past!

Nov 04, 2022

00:49:04

Ep. 14 - The Creation of Frankenstein's Machine // John Hawes

Today's episode is hosted by Karl Lankford. He is joined by John Hawes, the COO of AMTSO, to talk about building a world-class virus replicator with spare computer parts, the importance of independent testing labs, and how more collaboration can help improve the cybersecurity industry. Follow the human side of cybersecurity with the Adventures of Alice & Bob Podcast.

Oct 28, 2022

00:57:35

Ep. 13 - Halloween Special

Ghostly Greetings! In today's frightfully fantastic episode, all three of our hosts get together to swap their nightmarish cybersecurity tales of bloodsucking phishing schemes, lurking critical vulnerabilities, and festering overprivileged access. If those stories don't chase you away, stay until the end where there's a sweet treat for our listeners. Don't miss this scream-worthy episode on Adventures of Alice & Bob!

Sep 23, 2022

00:54:36

Ep. 12 – Everything is Secure in a Spreadsheet, right? // Javvad Malik

In today’s episode, James talks to Javvad Malik, a Security Awareness Advocate at KnowBe4 and Co-Founder of Security B-Sides London, to talk about his most memorable cybersecurity tales inside some of the largest financial & energy companies, how a single spreadsheet (with a giant security flaw) defiled an entire organization, and the inspiration behind Javvad’s ridiculously hilarious cybersecurity YouTube parody “Accepted the Risk”. All this and more on this week’s episode of Adventures of Alice & Bob!

Sep 09, 2022

00:47:06

Ep. 11 - The Art of Negotiating with Ransomware Attackers // Brian Honan

Today’s episode is hosted by Karl. He is joined by Brian Honan, Founder and CEO of IRISS and BH Consulting. Brian talks about how he created Ireland's first CERT, why Ransomware victims should never give in to their attackers, and why technology will never solve all of our cybersecurity problems.

Aug 26, 2022

00:55:17

Ep. 10 - Breaking Down the Department of the Interior // John Strand

Today’s episode is hosted by Marc. He talks to John Strand, Owner of Black Hills Information Security, about how John's first job in cybersecurity landed him in the middle of one of the largest lawsuits in United States history, how the gates that keep people from getting into cybersecurity have changed over the years, and how malicious hackers will always have a step-up on pen testing.

Aug 12, 2022

00:59:54

Ep. 09 – Social Engineering, Phishing, and Psychic Powers (well, sort of) // Chris Kirsch

Today’s episode is hosted by James and Karl. They talk to Chris Kirsch, Co-Founder and CEO of runZero about the ethics and philosophy behind social engineering (and how he got into teaching pickpocketing to red teamers), the amount of research that actually goes into the DEF CON Capture the Flag Competition (Chris won the coveted Black Badge at DEF CON 2017), how to protect yourself from Open Source Intelligence manipulation, and why he may (or may not) have psychic powers. Follow Chris’ social engineering escapade on today’s episode of Adventures of Alice & Bob!

Jul 29, 2022

00:58:42

Ep. 08 – The Fight to Destroy Stalkerware // Eva Galperin

Today’s episode is hosted by James and Karl. They talk to Eva Galperin, the Director of Cybersecurity at EFF, about her efforts fighting against nation-state cyber attacks, why she switched her focus from APTs to stalkerware, and how she worked with a Maryland senator to pass a bill that will require law enforcement agencies to learn, as part of their standard training, how-to recognize cyberstalking, and understand the criminal laws concerning electronic surveillance and tracking.

Jul 15, 2022

00:53:00

Ep. 07 - The Talktalk Data Breach // Geoff White

Today’s episode is hosted by James. He talks to Geoff White an investigative journalist, author, and host of The Lazarus Heist podcast. They talk about how to get people to care more about their personal data, the challenges Geoff encountered as a reporter when explaining complex tech in short news stories, and the incredible story of how he unfolded the Talktalk data breach (and actually talked directly to the hackers over the phone)!

Jul 04, 2022

00:43:42

Ep. 06 - Surviving the Log4j Exploit // Leah McLean

In today's episode, James and Karl talk to Leah McLean, Vice President - Cybersecurity Specialist at Mastercard, about her experience handling the log4j attack, how-to maneuver cybersecurity attacks when you have very limited resources, and why she claims cybersecurity does not have a talent shortage (hint: stop looking for the unicorn).

Jun 21, 2022

00:29:27

Ep. 05 - After Hours with Alice & Bob // Live Episode!

Today we are introducing After Hours with Alice & Bob, a special live episode recorded at BeyondTrust’s GoBeyond event in Miami Florida. Our hosts James and Marc have a ton of fun talking to guests at the conference about embarrassing cybersecurity mistakes, AI, superheros, organized cyber crime, and more.

Jun 03, 2022

00:56:06

Ep. 04 - She Hacks Purple // Tanya Janca

In today's episode Marc and Karl are joined by Tanya Janca, best-selling author of Alice and Bob Learn Application Security, to talk about what it is like being a woman in cybersecurity, the origin story of We Hack Purple, and how important it is to be integrated and invested in the cybersecurity community.

May 19, 2022

00:57:45

Ep. 03 - Fighting the Vastaamo Ransomware Attack // Sami Laiho

Today our hosts Karl and James are joined by Sami Laiho to talk about how he became one of the leading public speakers in the world of Microsoft topics, how choosing your words wisely can convince people to take security seriously, and how he dealt with the Vastaamo ransomware attack, the largest crime ever committed in Finland. Follow the human side of cybersecurity on today's Adventures of Alice & Bob episode.

May 18, 2022

01:02:26

Ep. 02 - Basic Adorable Destruction // Jayson E Street

Today’s episode is hosted by Marc and Karl as they are joined by Jayson E Street to talk about his unique take on pen testing, how his biggest success story is about him failing, and how everyone is born a hacker. Follow the human side of cybersecurity on today's Adventures of Alice & Bob episode.

May 17, 2022

01:04:47

Ep. 01 - Uncovering the Code Red Worm // Marc Maiffret

Today our hosts Karl and James are joined by our very own Marc Maiffret to talk about the evolution of hacking and cyber security, Marc's experience being raided by the FBI as a teenager, the infamous Code Red worm he co-discovered, and how cybersecurity will be different in the near future. Follow the human side of cybersecurity on today's Adventures of Alice & Bob episode.

Mar 01, 2022

00:02:24

Ep. 00 - The Adventures of Alice & Bob Trailer // Welcome to the Podcast!

Welcome to the Adventures of Alice & Bob Podcast, where we talk shop with pen testers, hackers, and the unsung heroes of the cybersecurity world about the human element of being on the front lines of cyber attacks.