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
103 episodes
"Your Foundation Needs to be Strong" | Yaamini Mohan, Security Engineer, Dell EMC
Drawing from her experience at Dell and Infosys, Security Engineer Yaamini Mohan breaks down why getting your security basics right — boring stuff like passwords, patching, and MFA— will move the needle much more than any expensive AI-powered s...
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37:14
Navigating Security in the Nordics | Morgan Svensson & Stefan Tapper, Grant Thornton Sweden
Morgan Svensson and Stefan Tapper, CIO and CISO of Grant Thornton Sweden respectively, reveal how they navigate the constant tension between business innovation and security requirements. From their shared history at a Scandinavian airline to t...
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44:22
How Diverse Leadership Shapes AI's Future in Security | Felicita Sandoval, CEO & Founder, SENP-X
Felicita Sandoval, CEO/Founder of Sentient Perspectives (SENP-X) and security professional at LiveRamp, breaks down how to navigate the rapidly changing world of AI and cybersecurity. In this episode, Felicita shares practical insights on build...
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52:38
Every Employee is a Function of Security | Martin Hinton, Editor, Cyber Insurance News & Information
Martin Hinton, award-winning journalist and Executive Editor of Cyber Insurance News & Information, (https://www.youtube.com/@CyberInsuranceNews) breaks down why companies are dangerously unprepared for today’s modern threatscape.Dr...
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57:15
Security Through Observability: From Manufacturing to AI | Chidi Alams, CIO, Just Born
Join Chidi Alams, CIO at Just Born (makers of PEEPS®, HOT TAMALES®, and MIKE AND IKE®), as he breaks down how a 100-year-old candy company navigates digital transformation in the 21st century. In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Chidi s...
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44:42
Why Security Can't Lag Behind Anymore | Stan Lee, CISO of EarnIn
Stan Lee didn't start in cybersecurity - he has a biochemistry degree from UCLA and worked his way up from IT helpdesk to becoming CISO at major companies like PayPal, Palo Alto Networks, and now EarnIn. His unique journey across industries giv...
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51:37
Why Punishing Employees on Phishing Tests Doesn't Work | Craig Taylor, CEO and Co-Founder, CyberHoot
Craig Taylor, Founder and CEO of CyberHoot, joins us to explain why traditional phishing tests that punish employees are fundamentally broken. Drawing from his decades-long cybersecurity career, Craig shares the story of a $24,000 gift card sca...
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43:34
From Dark Web Ops to Enterprise Security | Clint Kehr, Senior Instructor/Training Architect, Cybrary
Clint Kehr brings a unique perspective to cybersecurity, having gone from training personnel in dark web investigations as a former federal agent to transforming penetration testing in one of America's biggest banks. Now a Senior Instructor and...
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47:58
The Simplest Answer Is Usually Right in Cybersecurity | Travis Farral, VP & CISO, Archaea Energy
Travis Farral, Vice President and CISO at Archaea Energy, joins us to share hard-earned wisdom from securing everything from oil giants to renewable energy startups. In this episode, Travis shares how even non-nation-state actors are getting st...
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39:30
Never Stop Learning, Ask the Right Questions | Tom Hollingsworth, Practice Lead, Tech Field Day
Tom Hollingsworth, the "Networking Nerd" and Tech Field Day's Event Lead, sits down with SquareX Field CISO John Carse to share his 20+ year journey in enterprise networking and how he helped build one of tech's most influential community event...
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41:24
AI Literacy Is the New Survival Skill | Olivia Heslinga, Founder of AI for Good Denmark
Olivia Heslinga, founder of AI for Good Denmark and AI literacy consultant, joins SquareX Field CISO John Carse to discuss the (security) implications of AI's rapid evolution. They dive into how browser AI agents can compromise your entire digi...
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52:23
90% of Breaches Come Down to Just Two Simple Mistakes | Patrick Benoit, vCISO, Cyber Risk Insights
Patrick Benoit, President and Virtual CISO of Cyber Risk Insights, breaks down three decades of cybersecurity evolution and reveals why most organizations keep making the same fundamental mistakes. From protecting global enterprises like Brink'...
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40:19
AI Will Replace Tier 1 Security Analysts | Clea Ostendorf, CEO/Co-Founder, Wolfpack Security
Clea Ostendorf, co-founder of Wolfpack Security, breaks down why security programs fail to get developer buy-in and shares her journey from sales to building a security consultancy. She reveals the real problems behind vulnerability management ...
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43:42
Netflix Phishing & Security for... Pizza? | Stephen Bennett, Global CISO, Domino's Pizza Enterprises
Stephen Bennett, Global CISO at Domino's Pizza, shares his unconventional journey from getting electrocuted while tinkering with TVs as a kid to protecting one of the world's largest pizza brands across 12 markets and millions of digital transa...
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41:52
The CISO Championing Women in Cybersecurity | Eric Gray, BeLux CISO, Kyndryl
Eric Gray, BeLux CISO at Kyndryl, shares his unique journey from Royal Bank of Canada to becoming one of only two Canadians living in Luxembourg. In this episode, he also discusses the cybersecurity landscape across highly regulated Europ...
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37:42
Why The Nigerian Scam Still Works After 30 Years | John Dunne, Head of Security, Grant Thornton UK
John Dunne, Head of Security at Grant Thornton UK, shares his remarkable 30-year journey from training as a chef to becoming one of the UK's most experienced cybersecurity leaders. John reveals why recruiting people from hospitality backgrounds...
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40:40
From Curiosity to Command: Managing Security Risks in the Age of AI | Grace Yu, Director, HPE
Grace Yu, Director of Cyber Risk and Policy, GRC at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, shares her unconventional journey from handling a live TV crisis in Singapore to becoming a cybersecurity leader in Silicon Valley. Among the topics discussed are h...
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53:29
Why Business-Aligned Security Wins | Coleen Coolidge, ex-CISO Segment and Twilio, Startup Advisor
Coleen Coolidge, ex-CISO of Segment and Twilio and startup advisor, didn't start in cybersecurity - she was a new project manager who got thrown into the deep end, but that discomfort launched an 18-year career that would see her build security...
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48:58
Ransomware Negotiations Exposed: When Attackers Call | Guy Segal, SVP, Head of Corp Dev, Sygnia
Guy Segal, Head of Corporate Development at Sygnia, takes us through his journey from military intelligence to building cybersecurity teams across Asia. Guy reveals why ransomware thrives despite decades of security knowledge, shares war storie...
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52:21
"You Can't Block Innovation" | Tal Arad, Former CTO and CISO of Carlsberg Group
Tal Arad, former CTO at Carlsberg Group, accidentally fell into cybersecurity after telling his military commander he knew computers from working at a shop. In this episode, Tal shares hard lessons about building trust with existing teams, why ...
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45:14
Leading Through AI Disruption: A CTO's Journey Across Fortune 500s | Rathi Murthy, CTO, Varo Bank
Rathi Murthy, CTO at Varo Bank and former CTO of Expedia, Gap, & Verizon, shares her journey from software engineer to C-level executive across Fortune 500 companies. She reveals how curiosity drives career growth, why browser security is n...
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49:48
WeChat, Passwords & Cyber Risk: Securing Asia's Legal Industry | Konrads Klints, CISO, Rajah & Tann
Konrads Klints, CISO at Rajah and Tann Asia, shares his journey from hacker to leading cybersecurity for one of Asia's most prestigious law firms. In this episode of the Be Fearless Podcast, Konrads reveals why law firms top ransomware target l...
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50:39
Coffee, Code, and Critical Infrastructure Protection | Alfredzo Nash, CEO of Cyber Coffee Hour
Alfredzo Nash, Co-Founder/CEO of the Cyber Coffee Hour podcast and Principal Information Security Analyst at the American Red Cross, explains how his "Say Hello, Coffee Makers" podcast bridges professionals and enthusiasts with expert-level cyb...
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1:00:59
Password Rules Are Wrong & Other Myths Debunked | Jack Poller, Founder, Paradigm Technica
Jack Poller, founder and principal analyst of Paradigm Technica, breaks down why traditional cybersecurity marketing is failing. With 30 years of experience from Carnegie Mellon to cyber strategy, Jack reveals how cloud and SaaS have fundamenta...
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1:00:24
Why IT Leaders Must Be Technical: Death by 1000 Cuts | Tom Sweet, CIO Industrial Refrigeration Pros
Tom Sweet, CIO of Industrial Refrigeration Pros and cybersecurity veteran with over 20 years of experience, shares his journey from civil engineering to leading IT security at a private equity-backed company. Tom discusses the unique challenges...
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44:35