Secure Talk Podcast

The 2026 Planning Episode: 5 key security imperatives.

While most organizations treat security as a cost center, a select group is using it to win enterprise deals, open new markets, and outpace competitors. The difference? They've stopped asking "how much does security cost?" and started asking "how much value does security create?" This strategic edition synthesizes lessons from security leaders at Walmart, PayPal, Postman, and the defense industrial base to reveal the playbook for 2026: treating security as a business function that enables velocity, builds trust, and creates competitive moats. Five Strategic Imperatives for 2026: 1. Architect for the AI Identity Explosion  When AI agents access your CRM, email, and databases on behalf of humans, who's accountable? Walmart's 10,000+ developers faced this at scale. Learn how to govern probabilistic, non-deterministic systems before deployment breaks. 2. Turn Supply Chain Security Into Competitive Advantage CMMC enforcement is here—Raytheon paid $8.4M, Penn State $1.25M. But smart contractors are leading with certification to win contracts. See how quantitative security standards are reshaping business relationships between primes and subs. 3. Extract Intelligence From Your Own Logs  One organization prevented $3M in fraud using internal threat intelligence. Learn why focused AI models that analyze your specific environment outperform generic vendor feeds. 4. Make Security Your Primary Differentiator  When SOC 2 Type II certification wins you three enterprise customers worth $2M ARR, security spending looks very different to the CFO. Discover how to position security as the reason customers choose you. 5. Build Culture, Not Tool Stacks  The oil & gas industry made safety everyone's responsibility through culture, not technology. Apply the same principles to solve cybersecurity's 65% turnover crisis. Expert Insights From: Rishi Bhargava (Descope) | Tobias Yergin (Walmart) | Bob Kolasky (Exiger) | Chris Wysopal (Veracode) | Bill Anderson (Mattermost) | Satyam Patel (Kandji) | Sam Chehab (Postman) | Brian Wagner | Dimitry Shvartsman (PayPal) The Meta-Pattern: Organizations winning in 2026 measure security in business terms—revenue enabled, customers won, time to market reduced. They're not the "department of no" blocking progress—they're the team enabling fast, safe movement. 🎙️ SecureTalk: Strategic conversations with security leaders, hosted by Justin Beals 🔔 Subscribe for insights on AI security, CMMC, threat intelligence & security ROI

Secure Talk Special Episode: "Building Secure Societies in the Age of Division: The Seven Lessons for Humanity Heading Into 2026"

"In 20 years, we transformed food allergy awareness from nonexistent to universal—no law required. What if we could do the same for data security and AI governance?" This special episode reveals how grassroots cultural shifts create lasting change, and why 2026 might be the year cybersecurity professionals become architects of something bigger than defenses. We've distilled 2025's conversations with experts from Harvard, MIT, NYU, Brown, and the AI development frontlines into seven actionable lessons that reframe security from technical problem to human opportunity. From understanding the 800 billion AI agents already in our systems, to recognizing why your most valuable threat intelligence is already in your logs, to building the communities that make external defenses less necessary. Here's what successful security leaders are realizing: The organizations thriving in 2026 aren't just protecting systems—they're creating conditions where humans and AI can flourish together. THE SEVEN LESSONS:  • Social division is our greatest vulnerability (and connection is our strength)  • Technology won't save us from ourselves (but we can)  • Real change happens through grassroots cultural shifts  • AI demands fundamentally different thinking (here's how)  • Our values can blind us (when to trust them, when not to)  • The weakest links are often invisible (where to look)  • Context matters more than technology (your advantage is closer than you think) FEATURING INSIGHTS FROM: Dr. Claire Robertson (NYU) | Greg Epstein (Harvard/MIT) | Dr. De Kai | Rishi Bhargava (Descope) | Tobias Yergin (Walmart AI) | Prof. Steven Sloman (Brown) | Lars Kruse | Brian Wagner | Dr. Aram Sinnreich | Jesse Gilbert PERFECT FOR: Security leaders building resilient organizations | Professionals navigating AI transformation | Anyone ready to move beyond purely technical solutions 🔗 StrikeGraph: https://strikegraph.com Which lesson will change how you approach security in 2026?  #Cybersecurity #AIGovernance #SecurityLeadership #CyberResilience #AIEthics #CISO #ThreatIntelligence #FutureOfWork

Building a Thriving Future: AI Ethics & Security in Virtual Worlds | Dr. Paola Cecchi - Dimeglio

The mistakes we made building the internet don't have to be repeated in the metaverse—if we act now. Join SecureTalk host Justin Beals for an essential conversation with Dr. Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio about building secure, ethical virtual worlds. Dr. Cecchi-Dimeglio brings 25 years of experience advising governments, Fortune 500 companies, and global institutions on AI ethics and technology governance. Her new book "Building a Thriving Future: Metaverse and Multiverse" (MIT Press, 2025) provides frameworks for building virtual spaces that serve humanity rather than exploit it. CORE THEMES:  • Security by design vs. security bolted on after problems emerge  • How biases get encoded into AI systems—and prevention strategies  • The critical role of "human in the loop" for AI oversight  • Why good regulation creates business stability  • Digital identity systems for global inclusion  • Authentication and verification in virtual spaces  • Cross-border legal frameworks for technology governance REAL-WORLD IMPACT: Over 1 billion people globally lack legal identification—virtual worlds could solve this through blockchain-based digital identity, or create new exclusions if built poorly. The standards we set now for authentication, verification, and identity control will determine whether these spaces become tools for human flourishing or mechanisms for surveillance. WHY THIS MATTERS NOW: * Virtual worlds already exist—gaming platforms host billions of users * AI is accelerating everything, including security vulnerabilities * Deepfake technology is improving faster than detection methods * The decisions made today will shape digital society for decades SURPRISING INSIGHTS:  → Children currently detect deepfakes better than adults (but not for long)  → Major consulting firms have sold governments expensive reports full of AI errors  → Voice recognition systems historically failed on non-Western accents due to training data bias → Email autocorrect defaults "Paola" to "Paolo" because datasets contained more men than women ABOUT THE GUEST: Dr. Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio is a globally recognized expert in AI, big data, and behavioral science. She holds dual appointments at Harvard Law School and Kennedy School of Government, co-chairs the UN ITU Global Initiative on AI and Virtual Worlds, and has authored 70+ peer-reviewed publications. Her work advises the World Bank, European Commission, and Fortune 500 executives on ethical AI implementation. THE OPTIMISTIC VISION: Virtual worlds can tap talent anywhere, breaking geographic barriers. They can connect separated families, provide legal identity to excluded populations, and create opportunities we can't yet imagine—but only if we build them with security, ethics, and human values as foundational requirements. ABOUT SECURETALK: SecureTalk ranks in the top 2.5% of podcasts globally, making cybersecurity and compliance topics accessible to business leaders. Hosted by Justin Beals, CEO of Strike Graph and former network security engineer. Perfect for: Security professionals, technology leaders, business executives, policy makers, anyone concerned about building ethical AI systems and secure virtual worlds. 📚 "Building a Thriving Future: Metaverse and Multiverse" by Dr. Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio (MIT Press, 2025) #AIEthics #Cybersecurity #VirtualWorlds #TechnologyGovernance #MetaverseSecurity #DigitalEthics #AIRegulation #SecureByDesign

Why Security Leaders Struggle With Security Culture | Steven Sloman on Secure Talk

Brown University cognitive scientist Steven Sloman reveals the hidden mechanism driving cultural division—and why it matters for security leadership. In this wide-ranging conversation, Sloman explains the fundamental tension between sacred values and consequentialist thinking, and how understanding this dynamic transforms how leaders communicate risk and build organizational culture. Justin Beals opens with a personal story about leaving a religious environment defined by absolute values, setting the stage for an exploration of how cognitive science explains why extremists control discourse, why outrage dominates social media, and why having strong values might actually be essential for good decision-making. KEY TOPICS: • The two systems humans use for decision-making and why both matter • Why simplified positions dominate complex policy debates • How humor breaks through absolutist thinking • The critical difference between AI association and human deliberation • Why communities radicalize when they become too insular • Practical frameworks for leadership teams navigating value conflicts Sloman, author of "The Cost of Conviction: How Our Deepest Values Lead Us Astray," shares insights from decades of research on cognition, reasoning, and collective thinking. The conversation moves from abstract cognitive science to immediate applications for security professionals operating in organizations where tribal loyalties threaten evidence-based decision-making. Whether you're presenting risk assessments to boards, building security culture, or helping organizations function during divisive times, this episode offers frameworks for understanding when values serve us and when consequentialist analysis becomes essential. Resources: Sloman, S. (2025). The cost of conviction: How our deepest values lead us astray. MIT Press. (https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262049825/the-cost-of-conviction/ [https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262049825/the-cost-of-conviction/])

From Punk Rock Anarchist to Bank Security Leader: An Unlikely Journey in Threat Intelligence | SecureTalk with Joe Rossi

Most threat intelligence programs can't prove their value. Joe Rossi's team at Zions Bank did the opposite—preventing $3 million in fraud annually while actually attracting new customers to the bank. In this episode, former punk rock kid turned threat intelligence leader Joe Rossi reveals why your most valuable security intelligence isn't from expensive vendor feeds—it's sitting in your own logs right now. He shares the hard lessons learned building CTI programs from scratch, why most organizations focus on the wrong threats, and how to make security a competitive advantage instead of just a cost center. Key insights: • Why your firewall logs are more valuable than threat intelligence feeds • The cultural mindset required before you invest in CTI • How to quantify security program ROI in terms leadership actually cares about • Dark web monitoring: reality vs. Hollywood expectations • When your organization is actually ready for threat intelligence Whether you're a CISO considering a CTI program or a security professional trying to prove value, this conversation offers practical frameworks for building security capabilities that directly impact the bottom line.