September 1, 2020

Hacker Valley Blue Episode 4 - Jon DiMaggio

by Hacker Valley Studio

September 1, 2020

Hacker Valley Blue Episode 4 - Jon DiMaggio

by Hacker Valley Studio

Show Notes

This episode of the Hacker Valley Studio podcast features Jon DiMaggio, a Senior Threat Intelligence Analyst at Symantec.  Jon is a researcher and longtime bad guy chaser, and Ron and Chris fill this installment of Hacker Valley Blue with Jon’s thoughts on ransomware, threat research, attribution, and more!

Jon introduces himself to listeners who may not yet know much about him, explaining that he started his career as an engineer and that his work for the government in the early 2000s forced him to focus a lot on defending against nation-state attacks.  He developed into an expert in the field, and transitioned about 13-14 years ago into his current line of work.  He now teaches alongside his work as an analyst, and he moved from a government position to Symantec in 2014.  Jon’s specialty is still nation-state, but he has also ventured into enterprise ransomware.  He shares about these areas of specialization with Ron and Chris, detailing what a nation-state is and how to combat it within the context of threat intelligence, and addressing the economics of ransomware.

As the conversation continues, Ron and Chris raise a variety of other topics for Jon to address.  Jon considers the threat of a future major worm attack, and provides listeners with insight on how to become established in his line of work.  There are a lot of available resources that people can use to develop their own skills and increase their visibility.  However, becoming a government hacker, and so having an offensive rather than a defensive role, is much more challenging.  Moving toward the conclusion of the conversation, Jon offers tips on navigating attribution and bias (such as being sure to have evidence before making public claims!), explains how he mentally organizes and recalls information, and speaks to the nature of strong communication.

 

1:41 - Listeners are introduced to Jon DiMaggio and the episode before Jon explains his background..

5:04 - The first major topic Jon shares about is that of nation-states, specifically speaking to the work of  combating nation-state attackers.

12:57 - The conversation turns to the economics of ransomware.

18:39 - What are Jon’s thoughts on the possibility of another major worm attack?

20:26 - Jon is asked about how people can enter his field or that of hacking.

24:54 - How should listeners approach attribution and bias, and how has Jon navigated bias in his own life?

31:31 - The group considers Jon’s mental organization, his recall of information, and the topic of communication.

 

Links:

Learn more about Hacker Valley Studio

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon

Follow Hacker Valley Studio on Twitter

Follow Ronald Eddings on Twitter

Follow Chris Cochran on Twitter

Access the recent work and research on Symantec’s threat intelligence feed

Learn more about the episode sponsor, RiskIQ

Read more

Listen Now

test
Hacker Valley Blue Episode 4 - Jon DiMaggio

September 1, 2020 Hacker Valley Studio

00:00:00

Recent Episodes

May 30, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

In this cybersecurity podcast episode, Chris Cochran and Ron Eddings discuss the concept of 'dojos' as environments for growth and learning, drawing on experiences from their own career paths in cybersecurity. The 'dojo' metaphor is applied to variou...

May 23, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

Join hosts Ron and Chris as they dive into the world of Attack Surface Management (ASM) in this episode recorded live at RSAC 2023. Special guest Nabil Hannan, a seasoned industry expert and Field CISO at NetSPI, shares his wealth of knowledge and ex...

May 16, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

In this episode, hosts Ron and Chris are joined by Paul Valente, CEO and co-founder of VISO Trust, and Bryan Wong, Sr. Security Analyst at Headspace, as they dive into the world of third-party risk in cybersecurity. With conversations ranging from th...

May 9, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

In this episode, Ron Eddings and Chris Cochran discuss the concept of "paying the piper" and its impact on their careers and personal lives. Paying the piper means facing the consequences of one's actions, whether they are good or bad. Chris shares h...

May 2, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

In this podcast episode, Jack Roehrig, Technology Evangelist at Uptycs, discusses his experience with burnout and health issues due to his job as a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Jack has always known health is wealth and retired to Mexic...

April 25, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

In this episode, we explore the often-overlooked importance of empathy in the cybersecurity field. Our guest, Tracy Maleeff, shares her personal journey from community involvement to the industry and discusses how embracing empathy can lead to more e...

April 18, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

Head into RSA 2023 with a purpose. This episode is all about how to reach a win-win when sealing deals, getting hired, and networking.If you want to catch up with the Hacker Valley Team during RSA be sure to jump into our discord. You can join by goi...

April 11, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

RSA is right around the corner and we’re so excited because it’s one of our big opportunities to meet with you, our dedicated listener. If you want to catch up with the Hacker Valley Team be sure to jump into our discord. You can join by going to hac...

April 4, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

Join our creative mastermind and stand out as a cybersecurity professional: https://www.patreon.com/hackervalleystudio Become a sponsor of the show to amplify your brand: https://hackervalley.com/work-with-us/ Love Hacker Valley Studio? Pick up some...

March 28, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

Special Thanks to our sponsor NetSPI NetSPI has a team of skilled pen-testers that can help you find those critical vulnerabilities and become your partner in creating the right remediation game plan for you. Check them out at http://netspi.com/HVM ...