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InSecurity Podcast: Fred Cohen and Chris Blask on Trust, Verification and Attribution


“Nothing you are about to hear is true, but it all happened…” ~ Fred Cohen


It all started with a simple Tweet from the Department of Homeland Security…

On today’s episode of the InSecurity Podcast, Matt Stephenson welcomes Chris Blask and Fred Cohen back to the show.

As expected, we covered a wide range of subjects, but stayed relatively close to the notion of the impact of attribution and validation of trust and security.

Should we trust a source if we don’t like what they say? What happens when a trusted source denies saying what we know they said?

Trust… verify… attribute… Do these things matter? Let’s find out…

 


About Fred Cohen, Ph.D.


Dr. Fred Cohen (@fc0) is widely considered to be one of the leading security/risk experts in the world. He is best known as the person that defined the term “computer virus” and as the inventor of the most widely used antivirus defense techniques.

Dr. Cohen was the principal investigator whose team defined information assurance as it relates to critical infrastructure. He did seminal research in the use of deception for information protection, and is considered to be a leader in the science of digital forensic examination and a leading information protection consultant and analyst.

He has authored over 200 published research articles, penned several books and established Master’s and Ph.D. security programs that are now part of Webster University. In 2002, Dr. Cohen revived the “Techno-Security Industry Professional of the Year” award and in 2009 he was named the “most famous hacker of all time” by ABC news.

About Chris Blask

Chris Blask’s (@chrisblask) career spans the breadth of the cybersecurity industry for more than 25 years.

He invented one of the first firewall products, built a multi-billion dollar firewall business at Cisco System, co-founded an early SIEM vendor, authored the first book on SIEM, founded an information sharing center for critical infrastructures, and has advised public and private organizations in every sector around the world.

In his role within the Office of Innovation at Unisys, Chris created and leads the Operational Technology and IoT practices, invented the Digital Bill of Materials (DBoM) structure, and established the Unisys Marine Living Research Center. Today he chairs a range of non-profit cybersecurity organizations and contributes to a wide range of global security efforts.

About Matt Stephenson


Insecurity host Matt Stephenson (@packmatt73) leads the broadcast media team at BlackBerry, which puts him in front of crowds, cameras, and microphones all over the world. He is the regular host of the InSecurity Podcast and video series at events around the globe.

Twenty years of work with the world’s largest security, storage, and recovery companies has introduced Stephenson to some of the most fascinating people in the industry. He wants to get those stories told so that others can learn from what has come before.
 

The InSecurity Podcast

About The InSecurity Podcast

Every week on the InSecurity Podcast, host Matt Stephenson interviews leading authorities in the security industry to gain an expert perspective on topics including risk management, security control friction, compliance issues, and building a culture of security. Each episode provides relevant insights for security practitioners and business leaders working to improve their organization’s security posture and bottom line.

Can’t get enough of Insecurity? You can find us at ThreatVector InSecurity PodcastsApple Podcasts and GooglePlay, as well as SpotifyStitcherSoundCloudI Heart Radio, and wherever you get your podcasts.

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