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Talos Takes

Cisco Talos
Cybersecurity
Ransomware
Multi-Factor Authentication
Cisco Talos
Artificial Intelligence
Social Engineering
Malware
Phishing
Windows
Talos
Threat Intelligence
BYOVD (bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver)
Coralraider
Endpoint Detection and Response
Volt Typhoon
Open Source Software
Maze Group
Endpoint Protection
Talos Incident Response Quarterly Trends Report
Black Hat

Every two weeks, host Amy Ciminnisi brings on a new guest from Talos or the broader Cisco Security world to break down a complicated security topic. We cover everything from breaking news to attacker trends and emerging threats.

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes231Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Technology

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Artwork for Talos Takes

Latest Episodes

In this episode of Talos Takes, Amy Ciminnisi sits down with researcher Diana Brown to discuss the rise of "platform-as-a-proxy" (PAP) attacks. We explore how threat actors are weaponizing legitimate SaaS platforms like GitHub and Jira to deliver phi... more

In this episode, we unpack state-sponsored and phishing trends from the 2025 Talos Year in Review. Amy and Martin Lee explore the alarming rise of internal phishing campaigns that bypass traditional perimeter defenses, including the widespread weapon... more

In this episode, Amy and Pierre Cadieux unpack the ransomware and vulnerability trends that defined 2025. From the persistent ransomware threats targeting the manufacturing sector to the rise of stealthy "living off the land" tactics, we break down w... more

In this episode of Talos Takes, Amy is joined by William Largent (Cisco Talos) and Lou Stella (Splunk) for a "double-header" discussion. With the recent release of the Cisco Talos 2025 Year in Review and the Splunk Top 50 Cybersecurity Threats report... more

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Recent Guests

Diana Brown
Author of the Talos blog on email security and SaaS abuse
Talos, Cisco
Episode: The trust paradox: How attackers weaponize legitimate SaaS platforms
William Largent
From Cisco Talos
Cisco Talos
Episode: Cybersecurity’s double-header: 2025 insights from Talos and Splunk
Lou Stella
From Splunk
Splunk
Episode: Cybersecurity’s double-header: 2025 insights from Talos and Splunk
David Bianco
Recognized leader in threat hunting and AI cybersecurity researcher
Cisco Foundation AI
Episode: Modernizing your threat hunt
Martin Lee
Leads Talos efforts in Europe, the Middle East and Africa; has worked with service providers across the globe
Talos/Cisco
Episode: Holding the line: Service provider security
Joe Marshall
Cybersecurity expert with multiple certifications and mentoring experience
Cisco Talos
Episode: Cybersecurity certifications and you
Jessica Oppenheimer
Director of Security Operations at Cisco
Cisco
Episode: Inside the Black Hat NOC: Lessons in Securing One of the Wildest Networks
Pierre Cadieux
Lead researcher at Talos
Cisco Talos
Episode: Why Attackers Love Your Remote Access Tools
Ryan Fetterman
Threat researcher at Surge, Splunk's threat research team
Surge, Splunk
Episode: Teaching LLMs to spot malicious PowerShell scripts

Hosts

Amy Ciminnisi
Host of Talos Takes
Hazel Burton
Host of Talos Takes

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 33 ratings
  • Gave up a few months ago due to them constantly bending over backwards to insult listeners for being annoyed of their glazing for ai when ai's only consistently effective use is for attackers to fool end users.

    Podcast Addict
    1
    igitt
    4 months ago
  • Love it

    Really nice quick take format podcast. I listen to this between meetings or when I have a short break. I like beers with Talos the most but this is great for that ‘in between’ time.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    craiwill
    United States5 years ago
  • Quick, Fun, and Topical podcast

    Quality bite-sized podcast that gives you a fun topic to discuss with your friends in the IT/Security industry. Great stuff!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    dmargay23
    United States5 years ago
  • Great tidbits of info

    I always look forward to listening to the next episode.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Marwood_Wolf
    United States6 years ago
  • Great quick takes

    A short and easily digestible podcast on current topics, great to start the day

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    14erDave
    United States6 years ago

Listeners Say

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

Consistent value with practical takeaways for defenders.
High-quality insights from Cisco Talos researchers and engineers.
Quick bite-sized format makes it easy to fit into a busy schedule.
Guests are consistently knowledgeable and stay topical.
Short, digestible episodes are great for starting discussions with peers.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#238
Ukraine/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The trust paradox: How attackers weaponize legitimate SaaS platforms
Q: Can you walk us through the GitHub campaign and what the emails typically look like?
Diana explains that attackers weaponize a platform's commit notification to push legitimate-seeming emails that bypass SPF/DKIM/DMARC and appear as trusted GitHub alerts, using the subject and body fields to lure recipients into acting on fraudulent invoices or support requests.
The trust paradox: How attackers weaponize legitimate SaaS platforms
Q: Diana, how are you doing?
Diana replies that she's doing well and thanks Amy for having her, signaling a collaborative and informative discussion to come.
2025's ransomware trends and zombie vulnerabilities
Q: How should defenders triage rapid exploits like Toolshell, and what examples illustrate effective prioritization?
Defenders should map vulnerabilities to business-critical assets, determine internet exposure, assess existing controls, and test patches and detections in a structured cadence; in practice, focusing on vulnerabilities tied to broadly exposed systems like SharePoint and VPNs and accelerating patch/deployment when new exploits emerge is crucial.
2025's ransomware trends and zombie vulnerabilities
Q: What do we know about the tactics or infrastructure that have allowed these groups to sustain momentum?
Groups such as Chilin have scaled by refining affiliate networks, shifting to living-off-the-land tools, and adopting data exfiltration methods like CyberDuck to move data to cloud storage, while maintaining a core playbook that centers on initial access, lateral movement, and monetization.
Cybersecurity’s double-header: 2025 insights from Talos and Splunk
Q: What are the top defense priorities for 2026 based on these reports?
Prioritize identity security and robust onboarding/offboarding processes, ensure strong baseline logging, maintain up-to-date patching, and implement proactive threat hunting with a clear incident response plan and tabletop exercises.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Talos Takes

What is Talos Takes about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A concise, fast-paced security-focused show featuring on-site guests from Talos and the broader Cisco Security ecosystem. Episodes cover a mix of breaking news, attacker trends, threat intelligence, and practical defense tactics, often balancing high-level strategic insights with tactical takeaways such as threat hunting, incident response, and security hygiene. Unique strengths include bringing in senior researchers and leaders from Talos and Cisco to translate complex threats into actionable guidance, plus a format that suits busy security professionals who want quick, topical briefings and real-world context for defense planning.

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Which podcasts are similar to Talos Takes?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Talos Takes:

1. SANS Internet Stormcenter Daily Cyber Security Podcast (Stormcast)
2. Cybersecurity Headlines
3. Defense in Depth
4. Security Now (Audio)
5. CISO Series Podcast

How many episodes of Talos Takes are there?

Talos Takes launched 6 years ago and published 231 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Talos Takes?

Recent guests on Talos Takes include:

1. Diana Brown
2. William Largent
3. Lou Stella
4. David Bianco
5. Martin Lee
6. Joe Marshall
7. Jessica Oppenheimer
8. Pierre Cadieux

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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