Simply Defensive

• Inside Hack Defender Academy: Gamified Malware Training for Blue Teamers

  Ready to level up your defensive cybersecurity skills? In this episode of Simply Defensive, Josh Mason and Wade Wells sit down with Dan Regalado and Belem — the founders of Hack Defender Academy — to explore how they’re using CTF-style challenges, real malware cases, and gamification to prepare the next generation of defenders.💡 We cover:Why gamified, CTF-style learning works better than traditional trainingHow Hack Defender Academy helps beginners grow into skilled malware analystsThe role of AI in threat research — friend, foe, or both?The importance of staying hungry and keeping your edge as a blue teamer🚨 Special Gift for Our Listeners: Hack Defender Academy is giving away one free certification pass! Details in the episode.🔗 Links from the episodeHack Defender Academy 🌐 Website: academy.hack-defender.com ▶️ YouTube: Hack Defender Official 📱 TikTok: @HackDefOfficial 📸 Instagram: @HackDefOfficial 🐦 X (Twitter): @HackDefOfficial 💼 LinkedIn: Hack Defender 📘 Facebook: Hack DefenderConnect with our guests🔹 Dan Regalado – LinkedIn 🔹 Belem – LinkedInSimply Defensive Podcast🎧 Spotify: Simply Defensive 🎧 Apple: Simply DefensiveSponsor 💼 Thanks to ThreatLocker for supporting this episode.👍 If you enjoyed this conversation, hit Like, Subscribe, and ring the 🔔 so you don’t miss our weekly episodes! Drop a comment with the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a blue teamer — we’d love to hear your story.=========================Sponsored by ThreatLocker - Free 30-day trial of ThreatLockerhttps://www.threatlocker.com/simplydefensive=========================Connect with your hosts:Josh Mason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuacmasonWade Wells: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wadingthrulogs=========================All the ways to connect with Simply Cyberhttps://SimplyCyber.io/Socials=========================This podcast is presented by Simply Cyber Media Group

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• Rob Allen (ThreatLocker) on Zero Trust, Proactive Security, and Ransomware Prevention

  In Season 4, Episode 4 of Simply Defensive, hosts Josh Mason and Wade Wells sit down with Rob Allen, Chief Product Officer at ThreatLocker, to dive deep into the world of Zero Trust security, proactive cybersecurity strategies, and ransomware prevention.Rob shares expert insights on:Proactive vs. Reactive cybersecurity — why a balanced security stack mattersHow Zero Trust infrastructure can stop cyber attacks before they startThreatLocker’s "Deny by Default" approach to endpoint and application controlThe importance of application definitions for effective securityWhy AI is not the silver bullet for cybersecurity defenseCommon security myths and misconceptions that put organizations at riskWhether you’re a SOC analyst, detection engineer, IT manager, or anyone interested in protecting against ransomware, this episode offers practical, real-world strategies for building a stronger cyber defense posture.Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction and Host Greetings 00:23 – Guest Introduction: Rob Allen from ThreatLocker 00:44 – Rob Allen's Role and Responsibilities 02:30 – Proactive vs. Reactive Cybersecurity Approaches 03:54 – Challenges in Cybersecurity Detection 05:24 – ThreatLocker’s Deny by Default Approach 09:48 – The Importance of Application Definitions 16:52 – Security Myths and Misconceptions 18:53 – AI in Cybersecurity: Hype vs. Reality 23:32 – Travel Plans and Closing Remarks🔗 Connect with Rob Allen & ThreatLocker Website: https://www.threatlocker.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/threatlocker/=========================Sponsored by ThreatLocker - Free 30-day trial of ThreatLockerhttps://www.threatlocker.com/simplydefensive=========================Connect with your hosts:Josh Mason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuacmasonWade Wells: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wadingthrulogs=========================All the ways to connect with Simply Cyberhttps://SimplyCyber.io/Socials=========================This podcast is presented by Simply Cyber Media Group

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• Why Your CISO Needs a “Shut Up, Boss” Button

  What if GitHub sucks for security detections—and AI is finally good enough to replace it?Join Josh Mason and Wade Wells as they sit down with Aaron Mog, the outspoken founder of Detections.ai, to unpack why detection engineering is broken—and how his new platform signed up 4,000+ users in just two weeks.Aaron doesn’t hold back. From ranting about GitHub’s failures to sharing how AI is now actually useful for real-world detections, this episode goes deep into:Why most teams still build detections in silos (and waste time doing it)What makes detections fail—and what 80% of orgs get wrongHow Detections.ai uses prompt engineering and log analysis to generate battle-ready alertsWhy vendors will never cover all your detection needs (and that’s okay)Whether you're a threat hunter, detection engineer, or just AI-curious, this episode will challenge your assumptions and give you practical ideas to level up your SOC.Connect with Aaron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronmoghttps://detections.ai/ Code “SimplyCyber”👉 Subscribe for more real talk on cyber defense. 🎧 Listen in and get ahead of the curve.Chapters:00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome00:31 Aaron Mog and Detections.ai Overview01:58 Community-Driven Detection Engineering04:24 AI Integration and Product Evolution06:20 Challenges in Detection Engineering08:11 AI's Role in Detection Engineering15:51 Vendor Limitations and Custom Solutions16:54 Microsoft's Limitations in Cybersecurity17:23 The Evolution of Threat Hunting18:07 Collaborative Approach to Cybersecurity20:07 Crowdsourcing and AI in Detection Engineering20:57 Challenges and Innovations in AI for Security21:37 AI's Role in Detection and Response23:25 Elastic's Blog and Detection Engineering24:29 AI in Summarizing and Enhancing Security Reports28:14 Community and Commercial Aspects of AI in Security32:18 Conclusion and Community Engagement=========================Sponsored by ThreatLocker - Free 30-day trial of ThreatLockerhttps://www.threatlocker.com/simplydefensive=========================Connect with your hosts:Josh Mason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuacmasonWade Wells: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wadingthrulogs=========================All the ways to connect with Simply Cyberhttps://SimplyCyber.io/Socials=========================This podcast is presented by Simply Cyber Media Group

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• Why Jack in the Box Might Have the Best Security Team in Fast Food

  How does a Navy fire control tech who once wrangled a six-barrel death robot become the head of security operations at Jack in the Box? In this episode of Simply Defensive, we sit down with Chris Julio — SOC Manager, veteran, and self-proclaimed lover of both metrics and munchie meals.Chris shares his journey from Windows NT and dot-matrix printers to modern InfoSec leadership, explains what he actually looks for when hiring blue teamers (hint: it's not your certs), and drops tactical insights on building a metrics program that actually matters to the business.We also talk about:The chaos theory of SOC alertsThe power of curiosity in detection workBuilding a team culture that beats burnoutWhy your legal team doesn’t care about phishing — and how to change thatOh, and there's a fast-food burger debate. No spoilers, but lines are drawn.Whether you're just getting started in security or leading your own team, this episode’s got something for you.Connect with Chris on LinkedIn:🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherjulio/Chapters:00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome00:43 Chris Julio's Navy Background04:27 Transition to Cybersecurity06:42 Hiring and Team Building Insights21:36 Balancing Work and Family Life25:53 Engaging with the InfoSec Community27:09 Final Thoughts and Advice for Blue Teamers28:16 Closing Remarks and Sponsor Acknowledgment=========================Sponsored by ThreatLocker - Free 30-day trial of ThreatLocker https://www.threatlocker.com/simplydefensive=========================Connect with your hosts:Josh Mason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuacmasonWade Wells: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wadingthrulogs=========================All the ways to connect with Simply Cyberhttps://SimplyCyber.io/Socials=========================This podcast is presented by Simply Cyber Media Group

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• Coffee Is Your Top Supply Chain Risk: A Conversation with Kyle Kelly

  SOC analysts, detection engineers, and pentesters—you’re not imagining it: software supply chain security is a dumpster fire 🔥. In this episode of Simply Defensive, we sit down with Kyle Kelly, engineering manager at GitHub and author of Crime Hacks, to unpack the chaos.We cover:- Why malicious packages are sneaking past defenders- The truth about SBOMs (and what most orgs are doing wrong)- How to spot typo-squatting and backdoored build scripts- What defenders can do—even if you're not building the code- Why “just NPM install” is more dangerous than you thinkFrom transitive dependencies to the hidden power of private package repositories, this episode is packed with practical insights, hilarious stories, and advice every blue teamer needs.Episode Links:🔗 Kyle’s blog: https://crimehacks.com 👨‍💻 Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-m-kelly 📰 Crime Hacks on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crimehacks=========================Sponsored by ThreatLocker - Free 30-day trial of ThreatLocker https://www.threatlocker.com/simplydefensive=========================Connect with your hosts:Josh Mason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuacmasonWade Wells: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wadingthrulogs=========================All the ways to connect with Simply Cyberhttps://SimplyCyber.io/Socials=========================This podcast is presented by Simply Cyber Media Group

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