This isn’t the easiest thing to do. Now that I’m writing the podcast post after recording and editing the podcast, I have a sense of relief. For the last month plus, I’ve tried to decide whether or not to shut down the podcast. The fact that it took this long to record a final episode tells me that it was time. I wrote about my reasoning in a blog post on the main page. This may or may not be the end. That largely depends on if someone would like to pick up the podcast and produce it themselves. I’d love to guide and mentor someone on the journey. The podcast has been beneficial to me and the many people who have reached out providing appreciative feedback. I’d love to see it continue. I’m also content that this is the end of the podcast. I will be at BSides Nashville shooting pictures and very likely be at DEFCON manning the Social Engineering door. Come see high or reach out to me on social media (@TimothyDeBlock) or email (timothy[.]deblock[@]gmail[.]com).

Daniel (@notdanielebbutt) and Kyle (@chaoticflaws) are the two guys I go to for clicking on suspicious links. Recently, I’ve been seeing more Emotet. So, I wanted to have the guys on to talk about the malware that is making a comeback. The CFP is open for Converge Conference. The conference is May 16 and 17. They’ll have one day for blue team topics and one day for red team topics. Make sure to submit your malware related talk topics. Also make sure to check out MiSec if you’re in Michigan.

2018 was a good year. I made some format changes that I’m really happy with. I picked up some new audio equipment. I resolved my recording process (I think). I’m not a big statistics guy. I don’t really care if two people or 200 people listen. I’m just happy to have some really great conversations with people and contribute back to the community. I’ve got a new recording setup that will hopefully make producing a podcast much easier. I’ve setup a Twitch channel for gaming and potentially recording EIS episodes on. Follow for notifications on when I go live. I’ll be trying my first EIS episode Monday, January 7, 2019, at 8:30 p.m. CT. I’ve also turned what was my attempt at a GamerSec Discord channel into the Exploring Information Security channel. Here you can interact with us while record (or on Twitch). Join other people interesting in the podcast. Game with other infosec professionals. Thank you for being a listener of the podcast. I am refreshed from my month off and energized for what’s ahead in 2019.

Micah (@WebBreacher), Josh (@baywolf88), and Justin (@jnordine) join me to go over a variety of topics at DerbyCon 2018. The Hyatt was kind enough to provide space near the bar (shout to the amazing Lauren).

Micah (@WebBreacher), Josh (@baywolf88), and Justin (@jnordine) join me to go over a variety of topics at DerbyCon 2018. The Hyatt was kind enough to provide space near the bar (shout to the amazing Lauren).

This past DerbyCon, I had the opportunity to take the Advanced OSINT with Ryan (@joemontmania) and Colleen (@UnmaskedSE). The course was great! It was different from some of the other OSINT courses I’ve taken. They covered very specific techniques and tools. After presenting on those techniques and tools we were given the opportunity to dive in from a free-form standpoint.

This is a solo episode. I had the idea after sitting in a vendor pitch today where one of the sales guy mentioned that passwords WILL die. I disagree. I think passwords have been around for a long time and will continue to be around. They’re easily replaceable and is stored in the most secure location. Unless there are mind readers, then we’re all just screwed anyway. I would love some thoughts and feedback on this one.

Stu (@cybersecstu) is a Co-Founder of The Many Hats Club, which is a massive Discord community and podcast. Earlier this year, Stu started sharing Unusual Journeys. I love this series because it highlights that there is no true path into infosec. He’s had 18 series so far and each story is fascinating. In this episode we discuss: Why failure is good What sticks out from theses stories What are some of the backgrounds people come from

Stu (@cybersecstu) is a Co-Founder of The Many Hats Club, which is a massive Discord community and podcast. Earlier this year, Stu started sharing Unusual Journeys. I love this series because it highlights that there is no true path into infosec. He’s had 18 series so far and each story is fascinating. In this episode we discuss: What started Unusual Journeys How Stu got into infosec What we can learn from these stories

Claire (@ClaireTills) doesn’t have your typical roll in infosec. She sits between the security teams and marketing team. It’s a fascinating roll and something that gives her a lot of insight into multiple parts of the business. What works and what doesn’t work in communicating security to the different areas. Check her blog out. In this episode we discuss: How important is it for the company to take security seriously How would someone get started improving communication? Why we have a communication problem in infosec Where should people start More resources: Networking with Humans to Create a Culture of Security by Tracy Maleeff - BSides NoVa 2017 Courtney K BsidesLV 2018, Implementing the Three Cs of Courtesy, Clarity, and Comprehension to Optimize End User Engagement (video not available yet) BSidesWLG 2017 - Katie Ledoux - Communication: An underrated tool in the infosec revolution Jeff Man, The Art of the Jedi Mind Trick The Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words Chris Roberts, Communication Across Ranges

Claire (@ClaireTills) doesn’t have your typical roll in infosec. She sits between the security teams and marketing team at Tenable. It’s a fascinating roll and something that gives her a lot of insight into multiple parts of the business. What works and what doesn’t work in communicating security to the different areas. Check her blog out. In this episode we discuss: What Claire’s experience is with communication and infosec What’s ahead for communication in infosec Why do people do what they do? What questions to ask More resources: Networking with Humans to Create a Culture of Security by Tracy Maleeff - BSides NoVa 2017 Courtney K BsidesLV 2018, Implementing the Three Cs of Courtesy, Clarity, and Comprehension to Optimize End User Engagement (video not available yet) BSidesWLG 2017 - Katie Ledoux - Communication: An underrated tool in the infosec revolution Jeff Man, The Art of the Jedi Mind Trick The Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words Chris Roberts, Communication Across Ranges

When I have guests hop on the podcast, I usually try to break the ice a little and get them warmed up for the episode. Often times these can turn into some really good conversation about the infosec field. I'd like to start capturing those conversation and release them (with the person's permission), because there are some really great insights. I've released this episode early to the people on my newsletter (check below to get in on the fun). I wanted to get feedback and also give people who sign-up some bonus content, which is something I hope to do more.

Wes (@kai5263499) is not a security person. He is a developer. A developer that understands security and why it's important. He deals a lot with automation and working with container technology.

Wes (@kai5263499) is not a security person. He is a developer. A developer that understands security and why it's important. He deals a lot with automation and working with container technology.

Justin (@jms_dot_py) is the creator of Hunchly. I got to know Hunchly at SANS SEC487 OSINT training earlier this year. It's a fantastic tool that takes screenshot as the web is browsed. This is very useful for investigations involving OSINT. I'm also finding it useful for incident response, particularly for clicking on phishing pages. I sometimes forget to take screenshots as I'm investigating a phishing page. Having Hunchly means, I don't have to worry about taking screenshots. I then use the screenshots for reports and training. It's a really useful tool.

Paul (@paulpaj) wrote a blog post on how to make a successful burp extension and get it published in the Burp Store. A lot of the recommendations in the article are from Paul's experience handling extension submissions for the Burp Store.

Michael (@SiliconShecky) wrote a blog post on his site at the beginning of the year titled, It is CFP season... So what. In the article he hit on rejections and I thought it'd make for a great podcast topic. More recently, he wrote a blog post on the, Anatomy of a Rejected CFP. The article walks through his rejected CFP for DerbyCon.

Chris (@cmaddalena) joins me to discuss crafting a phishing email. This is something I've recently explored at work. Having little to no experience actually crafting a phish, I decided I'd go to someone who does this on a regular basis. Check out Chris' ODIN tool for automating intelligence gathering, asset discovery, and reporting.

Chris (@cmaddalena) joins me to discuss crafting a phishing email. This is something I've recently explored at work. Having little to no experience actually crafting a phish, I decided I'd go to someone who does this on a regular basis. Check out Chris' ODIN tool for automating intelligence gathering, asset discovery, and reporting.

Micah (@WebBreacher), is a SANS Instructor and author of the SEC487 OSINT course. He recently had his second class in Denver, Colorado (more dates here). During that class he found people asking about how to navigate the waters of OSINT resources. His solution was to start the OSINT Resource Classification System (ORCS). It's a call for the OSINT community to standardize on how resources are categorized. YOGA or Your OSINT Graphical Analyzer is meant to be a visual aid for people looking to navigate the streets of OSINT resources.