Be Fearless Podcast by SquareX
SquareX is excited to launch The Be Fearless Podcast Series, where we bring together industry experts and professionals from the cybersecurity community.
Hosted by SquareX Founder - and cybersecurity veteran - Vivek Ramachandran, look forward to insights about our guests’ journeys in security, the evolution of the field, the changing threatscape and how enterprises across industries are addressing them today.
Episodes
137 episodes
Why Most Companies Misunderstand Cyber Resilience | Francesco Chiarini, CEO, High Value Target
In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Francesco Chiarini, Chairman of the ISSA Cyber Resilience Task Force and CEO & Chief Researcher at High Value Target, sits down with Aleksandra Melnikova to discuss what cyber resilience really me...
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44:49
Why Hackers Know Your Systems Better Than You | Dan Lohrmann, Field CISO for Public Sector, Presidio
In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Dan Lohrmann, Field CISO for Public Sector, Presidio, sits down with SquareX Founder's Office's Aleksandra Melnikova to discuss how AI agents, browser-based threats, deepfakes, and shadow AI tools are...
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53:51
The Human-Centric Approach to Cybersecurity | Vivien Bilquez, Global Head Cyber, Zurich Insurance
In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Vivien Bilquez of Zurich Insurance sits down with SquareX Founder Office’s Aleksandra Melnikova to discuss whether AI can replace cybersecurity leaders, how CISOs should communicate risk to boards, an...
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51:46
From 12th Grade Dropout to Cyber Entrepreneur | Ajay Unni, Founder and CEO, StickmanCyber
In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, StickmanCyber’s Founder Ajay Unni sits down with SquareX Field CISO John Carse to discuss the personal side of building a global cybersecurity brand. Ajay reveals how a failure in his 12th-grade exams...
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54:07
Cybersecurity Needs Hackers, Not Test Takers | Gautam Sharma, Executive Director, AccessCyber
In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Gautam "Gotham" Sharma, Executive Director, Cybersecurity Education and Training at AccessCyber, sits down with SquareX Field CISO John Carse to discuss why cybersecurity education and hiring are brok...
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1:00:30
Cybersecurity Is About People, Not Tools | Larry Whiteside Jr., Co-Founder & President, Confide
In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Larry Whiteside Jr, Co-Founder and President of Confide, sits down with SquareX Field CISO John Carse to discuss the real risks facing today’s CISOs. Drawing from three decades of experience across th...
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1:00:30
Why Cyber Needs Better Storytelling | Jeremy Ladner, Founder and CEO, The CISO Signal Podcast
Field CISO John Carse of SquareX sits down with Jeremy Ladner of The CISO Signal to discuss the critical art of storytelling in cybersecurity leadership. In this episode of Be Fearless podcasts, Jeremy reveals why facts alone fail in the boardr...
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1:02:29
Decoding Your Digital Footprint | James W., Valens Global Analyst
Host John Carse, Field CISO of SquareX sits down with James W., Valens Global Analyst and creator of the Smoke Signal Newsletter and Burn Signal Podcast. In this episode of The Be Fearless podcast, they discuss the concept of "digital exhaust" ...
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55:24
Why You Need to Fail to Succeed in Cyber | Andrew Crotty, Cybersecurity Content Creator
Host John Carse, Field CISO at SquareX, sits down with Andrew Crotty aka GingerHacker. In this episode of the Be Fearless podcast, Andrew provides insights into his role advising Army commanders, the evolving security landscape regarding AI age...
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57:51
You Won’t Make $100k Starting Out in Cybersecurity | Patrick Gorman, Founder, InfosecPat
Host John Carse, Field CISO at SquareX, sits down with Patrick Gorman, Founder of InfosecPat. In this episode of The Be Fearless podcast, they discuss Patrick's incredible journey from a rough upbringing in Queens and working in construction to...
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1:27:31
Browser Security Is Now Essential | Swetha Krishnamoorthi, Industry Principal, Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan’s Swetha Krishnamoorthi joins Audrey Adeline from SquareX Founder's Office to unpack emerging browser-based threats, including AI-driven phishing, encrypted last-mile exploits, malicious digital assets, and the rise of auto...
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1:01:07
Building Cyber Resilience That Lasts | Jim Rutt, CIO/CISO, Dana Foundation
In this episode of Be Fearless, Aleksandra Melnikova from the SquareX founder’s office speaks with Jim Rutt, CIO and CISO of the Dana Foundation. Jim traces his 25-year journey from marketing to data analytics to leading technology strategy in ...
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40:33
Securing Billions in Aircraft Assets | John Rojas, Vice President, IT, Air Lease
Host Aleksandra Melnikova of Founder's Office at SquareX sits down with John Rojas, Vice President, IT, of Air Lease. In this episode of The Fearless Podcast, they discuss John's fascinating transition from Marine Corps communications to managi...
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43:59
Leveling Up in Cybersecurity Today | Girard Kavelines, Technical Writer, TechHouse570
In this episode of the Be Fearless podcast, SquareX Field CISO John Carse sits down with Girard Kavelines and discusses how starting out on the help desk gave him fresh perspectives and practical insights that later shaped his work as a Network...
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36:54
Securing Health Data Through Governance, Not Firefighting | Michael Ruppe, Group CISO, Adcubum AG
In this episode of Be Fearless podcast, Adcubum AG Group CISO Michael Ruppe sits down with Aleksandra Melnikova from SquareX Founder's Office and shares how he moved from law and business into cybersecurity and became a CISO in his twenties. He...
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49:45
Being Prepared for the Unthinkable | Tiffiny Bryant, Co-Host, Stats on Stats
Knowing your incidence response playbook is one thing, but is it ingrained deeply enough in your team for execution when disaster strikes?Tiffiny Bryant, Co-Host of the Stats on Stats Podcast and Information Security Analyst at Shipt, s...
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57:23
Are Enterprises Ready for AI Browsers and Automated SOCs? | Vriti Magee, Founder, Mawa:ga Consulting
Vriti Magee, Founder and Principal of Mawa:ga Consulting, sits down with John Carse to explore the collision between AI innovation and enterprise security. In this episode, Vriti and John discuss the journey toward autonomous SOCs, the real ris...
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43:05
The Ability to Decompose Problems Separates Great Leaders | Tim Anderson, Deputy CISO, ID.me
Tim Anderson shares two decades of cybersecurity expertise — starting with business continuity work to his current role protecting millions of digital identities as Deputy CISO of ID.me. In this episode, he breaks down why identity has become t...
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37:10
Security and Tech Leaders Should Be Peers | Mohana Balakrishnan, CTO, Schools Insurance Authority
Mohana Balakrishnan, Chief Technology Officer at Schools Insurance Authority, shares his remarkable journey as a geophysicist discovering chromite deposits in Canada to leading technology and security for California schools. In this conversatio...
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46:00
Why Ransomware Still Keeps Winning | Adrian Sanabria, Principal Researcher, The Defenders Initiative
Adrian Sanabria, Principal Researcher at The Defenders Initiative joins Field CISO John Carse to dissect why security keeps failing despite massive investments in tools and compliance frameworks. In this episode, John turns the tables and puts ...
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48:09
Small-Medium Businesses Are Hackers' Path of Least Resistance | Royce Markose, CISO, Vistrada
Royce Markose, CISO at Vistrada, shares his journey from breaking apart computers as a kid to leading cybersecurity for billion-dollar organizations. He dives into why hackers are shifting from endpoints to SaaS and browser attacks, how AI is t...
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36:21
Deepfakes, Disinformation & AI Agent Security | Alfredo Ramirez IV, Senior Director Analyst, Gartner
Alfredo Ramirez IV, Senior Director Analyst, Emerging Technologies & Trends at Gartner, sits with Audrey Adeline from the SquareX Founder’s Office to discuss the latest market trends from his vantage point: “agent washing” where vendors reb...
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43:18
Growth, Risk Management, Culture: Why CISOs Operate Like CEOs | Bithal Bhardwaj, CEO, Gramax
Bithal Bhardwaj, CEO at Gramax, spent over two decades as a cybersecurity leader across GE and GMR Group before making the leap to CEO. In this conversation, he reveals why the transition was surprisingly seamless, shares war stories from manag...
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39:59
“Procurement is the Gateway into Your Enterprise” | Marian Newsome, Founder, Ethical Tech Matters
Marian Newsome, Founder of Ethical Tech Matters and an IEEE CertifAIEd Lead Assessor (Top 100 Globally), sits down with SquareX Field CISO John Carse to unpack why most organizations are dangerously unprepared for AI governance. They dive into ...
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50:20
Social Engineering LLMs Like Humans | J Wolfgang Goerlich, CISO, Oakland County, Michigan Government
J Wolfgang Goerlich, CISO for Oakland County Michigan Government, shares his unconventional path from wanting to be a hacker after watching the movie "Hackers" to leading government cybersecurity. In this conversation, Wolfgang breaks down why ...
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43:54