Watch Now

Show Notes

On this episode of Hacker Valley Studio, hosts Ron and Chris speak with Rachel Tobac, CEO of SocialProof Security and Chair of the Women in Security and Privacy Board. Their conversation covers everything from neuroscience to spearfishing and human’s place in cyber security.

 

Rachel is a human hacker, also known as a social engineer, and she begins the episode by explaining her background in social engineering and experience in the non profit space. She credits her success in the field to her background in neuroscience and behavioral psychology as well as training in improv. Her husband works in cyber security and encouraged her into the space even though she was nervous at first because she didn’t know how to code.

 

Rachel explains that she still does not know how to code, her most important skills in social engineering are the ability to persuade and improv. When working with companies, Rachel helps client facing employees to help confirm people are who they say they are. She sits down with them to go through processes that help her close the loopholes that allow hackers to mine information. Humans are the first line of defense, so they have to have their guard up. From there, keeping the organization up  to date on the latest trends in cyber security and how hackers find their way in is key to getting the correct tools to prevent hacks.

 

As the episode ends, Rachel shares her next steps are working with hospitals to prevent ransomware and phishing attacks. She’s also turning her attention toward the election and educating people on what the 2020 Presidential election will look like and the time it may take to announce the winner. While she does not currently think elections can be done entirely from home, she considers it a goal for the future.

 

 

1:59 - Rachel Tobac and today’s episode of Hacker Valley Red is introduced.

8:50 - What are the skills needed to become a social engineer?

10:51 - Rachel leads Ron and Chris through an improv exercise.

13:59 - Rachel shares where she thinks technology is headed.

20:20 - Rachel shares the scariest part of social engineering hacks.

25:29 - Rachel’s key takeaways.

34:11 - Rachel is looking toward 2020 election security.

 

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

Follow Rachel Tobac on Twitter

Learn more about the season sponsor, RiskIQ

Recent Episodes

Jul 31, 2025

The Future of Cyber Talent Is African with Confidence Staveley

The world’s youngest continent is also its most untapped resource. Confidence Staveley, Founder of CyberSafe, makes a powerful case for why Africa’s youth are the answer to global cybersecurity ...

Jul 24, 2025

Compliance Isn’t the Enemy with Jeff Man

Is compliance just a checkbox, or the backbone of real security? Returning to the show with decades of hard-earned insight, Jeff Man makes the case that compliance, especially PCI-DSS, isn't ...

Jul 17, 2025

What Makes a Great CISO? A Playbook from Gary Hayslip

What separates a great CISO from a great one? In this powerhouse conversation, Ron invites friend and cybersecurity leader Gary Hayslip, CISO at SoftBank Investment Advisers, back on the mic to ...

Jul 10, 2025

Confidence, Coaching, and the S-Word with Mel Reyes

Want to stand out as a leader? According to our guest Mel Reyes, you need to dress like you mean it and speak like you’ve got nothing to prove. In this episode, Mel shares how he built ...

Jun 26, 2025

Purple Teaming Is the New Job Security with Maril Vernon

Cybersecurity isn’t just red or blue anymore... it’s purple, white, and deeply human. Maril Vernon, award-winning ethical hacker and Senior Solutions Architect at NetSPI, returns to the Hacker ...

Jun 19, 2025

The AI Gold Rush in Cybersecurity with Chris Cochran

The new cybersecurity pioneers aren’t chasing alerts, they’re building with AI. But what happens when tools meant to assist begin making decisions for us? And what skills do we lose when ...

Jun 12, 2025

The AI That Tried to Escape with Ron Eddings

What happens when AI refuses to be replaced? This episode kicks off with a chilling real-world example of an AI threatening blackmail—and only gets more intense from there. Host Ron Eddings ...

Jun 5, 2025

Zero Trust Isn’t a Tool — It’s Everything with George Finney

What if Zero Trust isn’t a framework, but the only viable cybersecurity strategy—more about people than products? In this episode, George Finney, CISO at the University of Texas System and ...

May 29, 2025

Your Two-Year Edge Starts Now with Marco Figueroa

You won’t be replaced by AI—you’ll be replaced by someone using it better. Returning guest Marco Figueroa is back with a frontline report on the AI agent boom. This isn’t a prediction—it’s a ...

May 22, 2025

Badge Cloning, Alarm Triggers & Getting Hired to Hack with Greg ...

Most people think red teaming is digital—until someone bypasses your locks, plants a Raspberry Pi in your server room, and walks out with your data. That’s not sci-fi. That’s White Knight Labs. ...

WORK WITH US

PODCASTS + SPEAKING + EVENTS

Are you the best kept secret in cybersecurity? Let's change that by partnering together for podcast ads, social campaigns, and your next event or keynote. Send us your details to get started.