Cyber Ranch

Becoming a CISO means changing a lot of perspectives.  Individual contributors need to learn this, and the CISO is the best one to teach them.  "They're never going to get it!" is a mantra used by bot...

This episode is a story about an entire vendor encounter gone horribly wrong.  Allan is joined by Paul Moreno, VP of InfoSec at Catawii, formerly SVP of Cybersecurity at Adyen, investor and advisor.  ...

Join Allan and Dr. Mike Brass (whose degree is in archaeology!) as they jointly explore the technical side of the house vs. the GRC side of the house, noting that GRC can be a great path to CISO. Hear...

We have this idea that we can be perfect.  And we know that idea is unsound.  So we settle for imperfection.  But are we doing that purposefully?  Do we have a conscious plan for embracing imperfectio...

In this episode, Allan is joined by Omkhar Arasaratnam, a force in the industry and an expert in the intersection of software and security (you may remember Omkhar from an earlier show about supply ch...

Join Allan, Shaun Marion (CISO of McDonald's) and ChatGPT itself for a lively conversation about the implications of this new tool, AI in general, and nuances about ChatGPT's usage. Even after control...

How important are communications after your company has been breached?  They can make or break customer perception, and the perception of the world.  Bad communications are perceived as bad intent. Jo...

Do you want to be a CISO one day?  Are you a CISO today who wants to strengthen your ties into the rest of the business?  The Business Information Security Officer (BISO) role is one you should explor...

Joining Allan today are two folks who are passionate about leadership – not just practicing good leadership, but instilling good leadership in future generations.  Joey Rachid is CISO in the ecommerce...

This week Allan is joined by Nipun Gupta, and industry veteran who has been a consultant, practitioner, vendor, advisor and investor. The topic is "What are we really protecting in cyber?" and the nua...

This week, Allan is joined by Peter Schawacker, CEO @ Nearshore Cyber, former CISO, advisor to MSPs, etc.  Another one of Allan's illustrious guests with 25 years in cyber.  (https://www.linkedin.com/...

This episode is jam-packed with wisdom that is delivered at a rapid pace.  Some folks will find themselves rewinding and taking notes.  Luis Valenzuela, Director of Data Loss Prevention and Data Gover...

To celebrate the 100th episode, Allan decided to let the audience participate in the show.  21 people called in and answered a wide variety of questions about cybersecurity.  It is a fantastic show an...

This is another "'E' for explicit" show as this one is another LIVE! show from the CISO XC conference in Dallas-Fort Worth. Why the 'E'?  Because halfway through Allan Alford's conversation with Andy ...

In this episode, Allan Alford plays Devil's advocate - challenging the practitioner community to refute the idea that we should quit trying to make the organization care and simply make suggestions an...

Scott Schindler, veteran CISO, vCISO, and adjunct professor joins Allan at the ranch to talk about how to build, strengthen, participate in, contribute to and benefit from a cybersecurity community. A...

Dan Holden, a 20+ year industry veteran, former vendor, and current CISO at Big Commerce joins Allan Alford at the ranch to talk about the BIG picture.  Join them on this wild trail ride that goes as ...

This week Allan Alford is joined by Duane Gran, Director of Information Security at Converge Technology Solutions to discuss three different aspects of the CISO craft -- and to offer practical, concre...

In this week's show, Allan and his guest Andy Bennett (a very clever CISO with a heck of a pedigree) decide to tackle some thought exercises with a series of questions that all start with "Should the ...

Once again, Allan, Rich, and Michael dissect topics in our community that are, well, tired. Topics are brought up to spur online debate, but for which a conclusion is never reached. Topics that bifurc...

We have all seen the conversations on LinkedIn where someone starts with a hotly debated topic, and the debate goes on and on, nothing is concluded, and then the next week, someone else posts the same...

CISOs and other security executives have relied on spreadsheets to perform a great deal of the management functions of their programs. What if there was a better way?  Derly Gutierrez is back on the r...

Josiah Dykstra, Cybersecurity Technical Fellow at the NSA and Author, kicks up the dust off some previous topics discussed on the Ranch and deepens the conversation on cybersecurity myths and behavior...

Christian Espinosa, Author, Speaker, and CEO, comes down to the Ranch to talk about the journey of starting, growing, selling, and moving on from the business he created, Alpine Security. From correct...

Chuck Herrin, CTO at Wib, came down to the Ranch to explain the risks and threats currently facing APIs, or application programming interfaces. Simply put, APIs facilitate people and applications in c...

Matthew Lang, former CISO at SECU, former CISO of 3D Systems, and former Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy, comes on down to the Ranch to talk about what it really means to be a CISO. Many folks wear...

Leon Ravenna, CISO & CIO at KAR Global, former VP of Security & Compliance at Interactive Intelligence joins Allan this week to talk about the increases in cybersecurity threats and risks - increases ...

Yaron Levi, current CISO at Dolby and former CISO at Blue Cross Blue Shield in Kansas City, comes down to the Ranch to talk about the March 2022 proposal from Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)....

Allan Alford, CISO/CTO and host of the Cyber Ranch podcast, resumes his session of AMA, or “ask me anything,” to cover the remaining questions left by curious cybersecurity practitioners on his Linked...

Allan Alford, CISO/CTO and host of the Cyber Ranch podcast, changes things up this week with a session of AMA, or “ask me anything”. Instead of hosting a guest, Allan takes center stage. On LinkedIn, ...

Cybersecurity practitioners give back to the community by recording Youtube videos, interviewing in magazines, or creating podcasts— just like this one. However, books remain a fantastic method of del...

Drew Simonis, CISO at Juniper Networks, discusses the debate of doing more by doing less. So often in cybersecurity, practitioners think they have to do it all and view themselves as the smartest peop...

Sonja Hammond, Vice President & CISO at National Veterinary Associates, brings her love of animals and more importantly her love for security basics down to the Ranch this week. The buzz around new cy...

Adrian Sanabria, Director of Product Management at Tenchi Security, arrives at the Ranch this week to debunk cyber myths and expose industry lies. Using his background running Security Weekly Labs at ...

Adam Stone, Chief Privacy Officer at TrustMAPP, brings his decades of security and privacy knowledge to the Ranch this week to talk about the disciplines of security and privacy.  Where do they inters...

Jerry Perullo, former CISO of the NYSE, former chairman of the board off the FS-ISAC, founder, professor, and host of the Life After CISO podcast, comes down to the Cyber Ranch to discuss the many rol...

Tim Silverline, VP of Security at Gluware, joins host Allan Alford on the Ranch this week for a discussion about user awareness training and the latest and greatest (as well as not the greatest) metho...

Allan invites a founder and an angel investor to the ranch this week to talk about how founders and angel investors really connect. Meet Sameer Sait, former CISO at Amazon Whole Foods and now founder ...

“When people come to Security and tell you everything they are doing, that’s a real win.” - James Allan-McLean    Allan is joined by James Allan-McLean, Group CISO at Soletanche Freyssinet and former ...

Allan is joined by Chris Hughes, CISO & Co-founder at Aquia and adjunct professor at UMGC, to talk about all things DevSecOps (Development, Security and Operations). They explore the DevSecOps phrase ...

Andy Ellis, CISO at Orca Security, is back for part 2 of this series on Board Reporting Metrics. In Episode 1, Andy and host Allan Alford addressed some of the most common questions posed by the board...

In this episode, Allan is joined by the CISO at Orca Security, Andy Ellis, to share his thoughts on board reporting metrics. What does the board need to know from a cybersecurity perspective? One of t...

“Having a seat at the table doesn’t mean getting your way all the time. It means having a seat and I think that is very important to understand.” - Brent Deterding  In this episode, Allan is joined by...

“Knowing what’s in your software, in your organization, can help you quickly determine if you are impacted by a new vulnerability.” - Chris Castaldo  In this episode, Allan is joined by author and CIS...

What would you do if you could build your security program from scratch?  In this episode, Allan is joined by the Head of Security at Fleet, Guillaume Ross, to talk about his time building out an inno...

What are the security implications of cryptocurrency and NFTs and what do we need to know in order to transact safely? In this episode, Allan is joined by the Chief Security Officer at Kraken, Nick Pe...

Allan is joined by the Vice President of Security at Code42, Tommy Todd, to talk about how the tech stack can “play well with others”. In this episode, Tommy takes a deep dive into exploring how APIs ...

Allan is joined by the founder and CEO of Living Security, Ashley Rose, to speak about her experiences as a female entrepreneur and leader in a male dominated industry. She details the story behind he...

This episode of the Cyber Ranch Podcast was recorded LIVE on stage at the CISO 360 Conference in New York City, hosted by Pulse Conferences. Nick Vigier, a seasoned CISO and former CIO, joins Allan in...

This topic couldn’t be more relevant given recent events in the security community. Allan Alford is joined by Steve Mancini, CISO at Eclypsium, to have a refreshing conversation about the negative mes...

There are numerous personality tests available to help identify personality traits, but many of them have very little scientific validity or reliability.  Such tests often aspire to explain what you a...

In the episode, Allan is joined by the Principal at Teknion Data Solutions, Paola Saibene, to bring clarity to an often misunderstood topic: data governance. Paola helps to distinguish the difference ...

With a looming skills/people gap in cybersecurity and retention at an all time low, it begs the question: Where is everyone? In this episode, Allan Alford and guest Jessie Bolton sit down to discuss t...

In this episode, Allan is joined by the President at National Security Corporation, Navy veteran, and host of the CISO Tradecraft podcast, G. Mark Hardy. This show takes a fascinating dive into the or...

In this episode of The Cyber Ranch Podcast, Allan is joined by the CISO at Real Time Resolutions, Randy Potts. The two sit down to have a refreshing and raw conversation about the caretaking, responsi...

In this episode, Allan is joined by David Belanger, CISO at Maxor National Pharmacy, to talk about the challenges of breaking into cybersecurity. David discusses the importance of establishing mentor/...

In this episode, Allan invites Mark Butler, an Advisory CISO at TRACE3, to talk about tech stack rationalization and how to get the most out of your technology investment. Mark shares advice on everyt...

In this episode, Allan is joined LIVE on stage at FutureCon Dallas 2022 by U.S Bank Senior Cloud Penetration Tester, co-author of The Pen Tester Blueprint, podcast host, and college instructor, Philli...

Allan is joined by Yaron Levi, CISO at Dolby, to talk about the SOC and why we are going about it all wrong. Allan and Yaron identify and examine the three main areas of concern: the data, the analyst...

Allan is joined by Rafal Los, industry innovator, strategist, and personality. His career spans 20+ years while working inside companies from the Fortune 10 to a firm of less than 10. Additionally, Ra...

Join Allan as he discusses investing in cybersecurity startups with the perfect guest for the subject: Kathy Wang, CISO at Very Good Security, investor at Silicon Valley CISO Investments, investor at ...

In this special episode, Allan invites a few familiar voices back to the show, conducts a countdown of his Top 5 most popular shows, and reviews some of the most common guest responses. Lastly, Allan ...

Allan hosts a live podcast at the August, 2021 CISO XC event in the Dallas-Forth Worth area. He is joined by Chris Roberts, chief geek at Hillbilly Hit Squad, and Cecil Pineda, then head of the vICSO ...

In this episode, Allan is joined by Marnie Wilking, CISO at Wayfair. Marnie has directed Information Security and multi-discipline Risk Management Programs for more than 15 years --  providing a uniqu...

Welcome to another live show of the Cyber Ranch! Allan is joined by Dan Doggendorf, a creative cybersecurity leader with a passion for simplicity, efficiency, accountability, common sense, and honesty...

This week, Allan is joined by Frederick Lee aka “Flee”, Chief Security Officer and Head of IT at Gusto, Jeff Man, host of Security & Compliance Weekly, and notorious infosec curmudgeon, and by Kat Val...

CISOs complain on social media about bad marketing – when they are targeted inappropriately, or with messages that don’t resonate, or with messages that outright lie. This week Allan Alford decides to...

Brian Castagna (CISO at Seven Bridges - a genomics company) is a CISO with a proven track record of successfully building information security programs at cloud technology companies. He is on a missio...

This week, Allan is joined by some serious heavy hitters in cyber. Richard Struse (Director for the Center for Threat-Informed Defense at MITRE Engenuity), Jonathan Baker (Director of Research & Devel...

Mustapha Kebbeh, CISO at Brinks and heavy-hitter in the Dallas/Fort Worth Cyber community, joins Allan again this week as they cover a topic Mustapha noted was absent so far in the series…  Namely, “W...

Omar Khawaja is an experienced CISO with a strong technical background, who managed to find some very creative ways to manage his security program that go against his engineering instincts. Join Allan...

Allan is joined this week by Emilio Escobar, CISO at Data Dog and former VP of Information Security at Hulu. He is also a long-term developer of Ettercap, a comprehensive suite for man-in-the-middle a...

Allan is joined by Sounil Yu, one of cybersecurity's most well-known contributors. Sounil has a long history in cybersecurity, and is also the inventor of The Cyber Defense Matrix and the DIE Triad. S...

Allan's guest this week is Erik Bloch. Erik Bloch is a cyber security leader, influencer, and pioneer. He currently sits as Senior Director of Detection and Response at Sprinklr, but has held many rol...

Allan's guest is Samara Williams, Manager of Threat Operations at Cardinal Health, speaker, advocate and passionate member of the threat intelligence community. Samara broke into cyber via a rotati...

This week, Allan is joined by Bryan Hurd. Bryan is a multi-talented cyber security professional who has founded and operated programs dating back to the early nineties. Currently Chief of Office for S...

In this episode Allan interviews his friend Sameer Sait, former CISO at Amazon, Forcepoint and Arrow Electronics, who joins Allan for a discussion about WHY we measure risk. It is about more than j...

Host Allan Alford interviews his friend Helen Patton, advisory CISO at Cisco, and former CISO at Ohio State University. Helen and Allan discuss the career path of the CISO – specifically what comes af...

Allan is joined by George Finney, CSO at Southern Methodist University and author of the book Well Aware: Master the Nine Cybersecurity Habits to Protect Your Future. George’s mission is clear: unit...

Host Allan Alford interviews Benjamin Corll, VP of Cybersecurity and Privacy at Coats, about security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR). Bejamin and Allan critique SOAR's promises and ...

Host Allan Alford interviews guest James Azar, host of the CyberHub CISO Talk Podcast, and CISO in the financial services space. James and Allan discuss the techniques and approaches of the modern CIS...

In this, the very first LIVE episode, Allan Alford interviews guests Derly Gutierrez, Head of Information Security at 1010Data, Patrick Benoit, BISO at CBRE, and Mustapha Kebbeh, CISO at Brinks, as th...

On this episode, Allan invites Marilise de Villiers, Founder and CEO at ROAR! Coaching & Consulting, to come on down to the ranch and discuss how to deal with toxic situations, how to overcome obstacl...

In this episode, Allan interviews Greg Rogers, CISO at Legal & General America, about migrating legacy, monolithic, internally facing, manually tested, waterfall applications to Cloud, CI/CD with auto...

In this episode, Allan's friend Dr. Sam Small, CISO of Zero Fox, joins us to chat about credential stuffing, its implications and the defenses against it. Several statistics are given from a few in...

On today’s episode with Allan, we talk “Ugly Exits” with Naomi Buckwalter, Director of Information Security. Of course, to start the episode, Naomi answers Allan’s question of how she got started in ...

On today’s episode with Allan, we have Tim Rohrbaugh, CISO at JetBlue, here to talk about Agile methodology and how it can be applied to an entire security program. Tim got into cyber through the m...

With us today is Christina Richmond program Vice President at IDC. She's an industry analyst, and she's here to talk to us all about the analyst lifestyle. Allan starts the episode asking Christina...

With us today is Derly Gutierrez, Head of Security at 1010 Data, and veteran. Derly is here with us today to talk about the journey to passwordless authentication and the flaws and strenghts of today...

With us today is Taylor Lehmann, former ciso several times over in the healthcare sector, and currently Americas leader for security, networking, identity, and compliance solution architecture at AWS....

With us today is Ian Thornton-Trump, Chief Information Security Officer at Cyjax and an ITIL-certified IT professional with 25 years of experience in IT security and information technology. Ian sha...

With us today is Drew Brown, IT Security Manager at the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Drew is here to talk about FAIR and his real-world usage of it and testing it in the trenches. Drew shares a li...

With us today is Andy Ellis, operating partner at YL Ventures, former Akamai CSO and newly inducted member of the CSO Hall of Fame. We're here to talk about nonstandard hiring practices and how Andy h...

Today we talk with Richard Seiersen, co-author of “How to Measure Anything in Cybersecurity Risk”. Richard shared that at his first CISO position, he was challenged with addressing prioritization o...

With us today, is a very special guest, Accidental CISO, of Twitter fame. His anonymity on Twitter, allows him to be a little more “truthy” about the CISO game than a lot of us can afford to be on so...

Today we talk with Marlys Rodgers, who has been in cyber for over 20 years. She currently is CISO for CSAA Insurance Group and is running security for the company as well as running governance risk a...

With us today is John Petrie, Counselor to the NTT Global CISO. He is responsible for managing the growing internal security challenges for the NTT operating companies across the globe. Retired in...

With us today are Lynn Dohm, Executive Director of Women in Cybersecurty (WiCyS) and Martha Laughman, Veterans Iniative Lead at WiCyS and Director of Workforce Development at Smoothstack. Lynn and Ma...

Howdy, y’all, and welcome to The Cyber Ranch Podcast! With us today is Patrick Benoit, Global Head of Cyber GRC, and BISO at CBRE. Patrick is here to talk about Data Risk Governance, a slightly new ...

Welcome to The Cyber Ranch Podcast, recorded under the big blue skies of Texas, where one CISO explores the cybersecurity landscape with the help of friends and experts! Today, host and CISO Allan Alf...

Welcome to The Cyber Ranch Podcast, recorded under the big blue skies of Texas, where one CISO explores the cybersecurity landscape with the help of friends and experts! Today, host and CISO Allan Alf...

In this episode, host and CISO Allan Alford interviews his friend Dutch Schwartz, Principal Security Specialist at Amazon Web Services. Dutch is a vendor, but do not press 'stop' just yet! Dutch is an...

In this episode, host and CISO Allan Alford interviews his friend Chris Foulon, Sr. Manager of Cybersecurity at a leading fintech compnay, and co-host of the "Breaking into Cybersecurity" podcast. ...

Today, host and CISO Allan Alford interviews friend and fellow CISO Gary Hayslip. Besides being a brilliant business leader, Gary is an author, mentor, and one of the best all-around humans Allan kno...

In this show, host Allan Alford interviews Dr. Rebecca Wynn about information security decisions made during COVID and what the 2021 "reckoning" might look like. Dr. Wynn is a well-recognized CISO an...

In this show, host Allan Alford interviews his friend Chris Castaldo about how to align information security with the business. Chris is the CISO at Crossbeam, and is also the author of the book "Star...

Today, host and CISO Allan Alford interviews Omkhar Arasaratnam, a veteran of the cybersecurity industry, on the topic of supply chain security. With a career in security going all the way back to 20...

In this show, host Allan Alford interviews his friend Will Lin about startups and venture capital. Will Lin is a venture capitalist with ForgePoint Capital, focusing exclusively on the information sec...

On this episode of The Cyber Ranch Podcast, host Allan Alford is joined by Ron Eddings and Chris Cochran from Hacker Valley Studio. The episode begins with Ron and Chris sharing how they came to cyber...

Allan Alford interviews Anne Marie Zettlemoyer about the topic of vulnerability management. Anne Marie is a visiting fellow with the National Security Institute at George Mason University, and one of...

Behavioral Economics has altered our perceptions of what actually motivates human beings. How do these theories about our more primitive behaviors as well as our intellectual biases apply to informat...

A one minute introduction to the show and its format...