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Defense in Depth

CISO Series
Cybersecurity
CISO
Risk Management
Zero Trust
Artificial Intelligence
Vulnerability Management
Data Management
Third-Party Risk Management
Generative AI
Asset Management
Threatlocker
Compliance
Cisos
CISO Series
Social Engineering
Communication
Least Privilege
Hiring Practices
Phishing Tests
Ransomware

Defense in Depth, hosted by David Spark, Steve Zalewski, Geoff Belknap, and Edward Contreras, promises clear talk on cybersecurity's most controversial and confusing debates. Once a week we choose one controversial and popular cybersecurity debate and use the InfoSec community's insights to lead our discussion.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes382Founded8 years ago
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Artwork for Defense in Depth

Latest Episodes

All links and images can be found on CISO Series

Check out this post for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation for this week's episode co-hosted by David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Edward Contreras, senior evp and CISO,... more

YouTube

All links and images can be found on CISO Series

We've all internalized that humans are the weak link in cybersecurity. Why do we not account for that when we're building our cybersecurity programs?

Check out this post for the discussion that i... more

YouTube

All links and images can be found on CISO Series

Check out this post for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation for this week's episode co-hosted by me, David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Steve Zalewski. Joining us is thei... more

YouTube

All links and images can be found on CISO Series

LinkedIn used to have a decent reputation among cybersecurity professionals. But lately, it feels like our feeds are relitigating the same debates every day, just with different faces. Has the situat... more

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Key Facts

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Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Kieran Human
Lead cybersecurity engineer
ThreatLocker
Episode: How Should Security Be Architected for Human Error?
Mark Stockley
Cyber Security Evangelist for ThreatDown
ThreatDown
Episode: Can SMBs Get the Same Security as Everyone Else?
Howard Holton
Founder of the Phronia Counsel
Phronia Counsel
Episode: Why Do We Keep Complaining About the Same Issues in Cybersecurity?
Abby Kearns
CEO of ActiveState
ActiveState
Episode: Securing AI-Generated Open Source Code
Karl Mattson
Founder and managing director for Squared Circle Ventures
Squared Circle Ventures
Episode: BONUS EPISODE: Super Cyber Friday Express - Hacking Vendor Selection
Ryan Barrett
SVP for Security at Intermedia Cloud Communications
Intermedia Cloud Communications
Episode: How AppSec Needs to Change For the Speed of AI
Simon Hughes
VP of Field Security, CoreView
CoreView
Episode: Building Resilience for Microsoft 365
Jill Rhodes
SVP and CISO over at Option Care Health
Option Care Health
Episode: Recommendations to Reboot the Security Vendor Pitch
Jill Borch
CISO over at DoubleVerify
DoubleVerify
Episode: Recommendations to Reboot the Security Vendor Pitch

Hosts

David Spark
Host of Defense in Depth / Producer of the CISO Series; long-time security media professional with broad industry perspective.
Eddie Contreras
Co-host / Senior EVP and CISO at Frost Bank; brings practitioner viewpoint from a financial services context.
Steve Zalewski
Co-host of Defense in Depth; provides enterprise security leadership and advisory perspective.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 154 ratings
  • Great show!

    Recently discovered David Sparks’ podcasts, and I can’t get enough. I end up chaining several in a row.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    JD000000000000000
    United States2 years ago
  • A superb cybersecurity podcast!

    There is very little else to say. Give it a listen.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    -CCDeYapp
    United States2 years ago
  • Best cybersecurity podcast out there!

    I listen or have listened to virtually every cybersecurity podcast out there and this one is my favorite by far! Well done folks!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Shay Ch
    United States4 years ago
  • Love David’s shows

    David always has great topics and guests. I listen to other security podcasts where there’s only one person speaking…man they’re boring! Not David’s! Always engaging!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    John Haden
    United States5 years ago
  • Value Added

    If you aren’t listening to these podcasts what are you even doing with your life. Security professionals add value to your core knowledge with these daily injections of absolutely vital industry knowledge and trends.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    roselinevelee
    United States6 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Production quality and balanced guest perspectives are frequently highlighted.
Guests consistently praised for actionable insights and real-world applicability.
Listeners appreciate deep dives with CISOs and security leaders.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#246
United States/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#203
Australia/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#36
Saudi Arabia/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#37
Ireland/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#55
Denmark/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#66
Belgium/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

How Should Security Be Architected for Human Error?
Q: What would controls look like that were different for somebody who had elevated access, someone who either has admin privileges or someone who's dealing in finance, how are we building greater controls for them, because they're at a higher risk and dealing with more sensitive information?
Kieran suggests requiring elevated users to access cloud accounts only from approved devices and automatically locking down a machine when several suspicious administrative actions occur, followed by alert review.
How Should Security Be Architected for Human Error?
Q: Kieran, your take.
Kieran agrees that organizations cannot simply block everything and then patch exceptions onto the system. He describes learning an environment and building allow lists before blocking unapproved activity, balancing security with usability.
Will AI Replace Detection Roles in Cybersecurity?
Q: What organizational changes are needed to make detection programs effective with AI?
Teams should move toward distributed, accountable structures (e.g., teams of two) that can manage fleets of AI agents, emphasize collaboration, and push improvements upstream. There should be stronger governance, backlog management, and continuous feedback loops to translate automation into real security improvements.
Will AI Replace Detection Roles in Cybersecurity?
Q: Will AI replace detection roles, or will it transform them?
Experts broadly agree that AI will not fully replace detection engineers. Instead, automation will elevate the role, shifting focus from rote rule creation to orchestration, hypothesis generation, incident learning, and higher-level decision making. Human skills in imagination, critical thinking, and communication remain essential.
What Does the Next Generation of Cloud Security Look Like?
Q: Steve, what will the new SOC look like when AI agents are writing code and responding at machine speed?
The new SOC needs to blend AI-assisted visibility with foundational controls, expanding beyond traditional vulnerability management to include AI-driven incident response, detection engineering, and governance, all while maintaining human oversight and clear ownership.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Defense in Depth

What is Defense in Depth about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show covers the big tensions and trade-offs in cybersecurity, from strategy and governance to practical defense. Episodes frequently center on how security decisions intersect with business goals, the role of frameworks, vendor dynamics, and the challenges of adopting AI-enabled security in large organizations. Notable are deep dives with CISOs and security leaders across industries, plus ongoing discussions about cloud security, incident response, and how to design security programs that are effective, usable, and aligned with real-world constraints. The format often includes sponsor segments tied to practical frameworks or tools, and the conversations tend to balance theoretical principles with actionable takeaways for practitioners ... more

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To see how many followers or subscribers Defense in Depth has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Defense in Depth?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Defense in Depth:

1. CISO Series Podcast
2. Cybersecurity Headlines
3. Cybersecurity Today
4. CyberWire Daily
5. SANS Internet Stormcenter Daily Cyber Security Podcast (Stormcast)

How many episodes of Defense in Depth are there?

Defense in Depth launched 8 years ago and published 382 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Defense in Depth?

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What guests have appeared on Defense in Depth?

Recent guests on Defense in Depth include:

1. Kieran Human
2. Mark Stockley
3. Howard Holton
4. Abby Kearns
5. Karl Mattson
6. Ryan Barrett
7. Simon Hughes
8. Jill Rhodes

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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