The Lock & Key Lounge — An ArmorText Original Podcast

How Extreme Weather Disrupts Digital Defenses

When the forecast calls for hurricanes, floods, wildfires or heat waves, most organizations are focused on physical risk. But what happens when cyber risk rides shotgun with those storms?

In today’s episode, we’ll explore how extreme weather events don’t just disrupt operations—they create windows of opportunity for cyberattacks. Attackers are increasingly timing ransomware, DDoS attacks,...

Cyber Threats to Global Good and the Fight for Collective Defense

Why nonprofit organizations are bigger cyber targets than most realize—and how the NGO-ISAC is helping defend the sector. 

NGOs face a cyber threat landscape that’s as serious—if not more —than private sector organizations. Partly because they often face those challenges with fewer resources, leaner teams, and less public awareness of their risk profiles.

 Today we’re j...

Traditional tabletop exercises have a reputation for being, well, a little dry. Picture it—stale slides, scripted injects, and facilitators who may or may not be able to keep an audience engaged. But what if we could change that? What if tabletop exercises felt more like high-stakes crisis simulations, pulling participants into a dynamic, unfolding story rather than another box-checking exercise?


That’s ex...

Traditional tabletop exercises have a reputation for being, well, a little dry. Picture it—stale slides, scripted injects, and facilitators who may or may not be able to keep an audience engaged. But what if we could change that? What if tabletop exercises felt more like high-stakes crisis simulations, pulling participants into a dynamic, unfolding story rather than another box-checking exercise?


That’s exactly what w...

Lessons from E-ISAC’s Success

Threat intelligence sharing is a critical pillar of cybersecurity, yet not all programs are equally effective. 

The E-ISAC has distinguished itself as one of the most successful models for cross-industry collaboration, providing timely, actionable intelligence to its participants through various initiatives, including the widely successful Cybersecurity Risk Information Sharing Program (CRISP).

So today w...

How Grid Exercises Shape Real-World Resilience

The reliability of the electricity sector is increasingly tested by both physical and cyber threats. Large-scale exercises like GridEx have played a critical role in shaping how industry leaders, asset owners, and operators respond to crises. In this episode, we sit down with Jesse Sythe, Program Manager for GridEx at E-ISAC, to discuss the role of these exercises in enhancing industry-...

Navigating Threat Intelligence Sharing in Uncertain Times

First, we’re joined again by Joe Slowik, formerly a Principal Critical Infrastructure Threat Intelligence Engineer at MITRE and now Director for cybersecurity alerting at Dataminr. Joe’s career spans the U.S. Navy, national labs, and private sector security teams—where he’s led efforts to track adversary behavior and build resilient cyber defense programs.

He recently joined u...

 What Happens When Government Steps Back

Now, on this episode, we'll be exploring a question that has been on a lot of people's minds -- What happens when the federal agencies tasked with cybersecurity begin to pull back? As workforce reductions hit CISA and the Cyber Safety Review Board is disbanded, many are left wondering how critical infrastructure and national cybersecurity posture will adapt. In this episode, we spea...

Signal-gate Unlocked:Striking the Balance Between Secure Communications and Legal Oversight in Government

Our guest Marisa chairs the White Collar, Government Investigations & Regulatory Compliance Practice Group at Benesch. A former state and federal prosecutor, she has successfully tried more than 15 complex criminal cases to verdict. Marisa handles a wide range of investigations, including bribery, corruption, Foreign Corrupt...

Why Enterprises Simply Can’t Take CISA and the FBI’s Guidance at Face Value

Welcome to the show! Today, I’m joined by Marisa T. Darden, chair of the White Collar, Government Investigations & Regulatory Compliance Practice Group at Benesch. Marisa is a former state and federal prosecutor who has successfully tried more than 15 complex criminal cases to verdict. She handles a range of investigations—including bribery, corruption, ...