The Audit - Cybersecurity Podcast

In this episode of The Audit, co-hosts Eric Brown and Nick Mellem dive deep into organizational psychology and team dynamics with a refreshingly honest look at how IT Audit Labs is using assessments like CliftonStrengths, Kolbe, and PRINT to decode their team. This isn't fluffy HR talk—it's strategic workforce optimization that directly impacts how security teams respond to threats, collaborate under pressure, and execute...

What if the difference between AI mediocrity and breakthrough isn't the tool—it's how you architect your approach? Carter Jensen from The Uncommon Business joins the crew to reveal why most people are stuck "button pushing" while others are unlocking 3X productivity gains. This isn't theory; it's the frontline reality of businesses transforming workflows with the right AI architecture. 

If you're t...

In this special year-end episode, Joshua Schmidt revisits the most mind-bending moments from The Audit's 2025 season. From Justin Marciano and Paul Vann demonstrating live deepfakes in real-time (yes, they actually did it on camera) to Bill Harris explaining how Google's quantum experiments suggest parallel universes, to Alex Bratton's urgent warning about the AI adoption crisis happening right now in boardrooms ever...

What if you could hire an army of AI security analysts that work 24/7 investigating alerts so your human team can focus on what actually matters? Edward Wu, founder and CEO of DropZone AI, joins The Audit crew to reveal how large language models are transforming security operations—and why the future of cyber defense looks more like a drone war than traditional SOC work. 

From his eight years at AttackIQ generating millions of secur...

When hackers target the systems controlling your water, power, and transportation, the consequences go far beyond data breaches—people can die. Leslie Carhartt, Technical Director of Incident Response at Dragos, pulls back the curtain on one of cybersecurity's most critical blind spots: industrial control systems that keep society running but remain dangerously exposed. 

What You'll Learn: 

• Why industrial control system...

What if your security team is playing defense while hackers play offense 24/7? Foster Davis, former Navy cyber warfare officer and founder of BreachBits, breaks down why traditional penetration tests become obsolete in weeks—and how continuous red teaming changes the game. From hunting pirates in the Indian Ocean to defending critical infrastructure, Foster shares hard-earned lessons about adversarial thinking, operational risk man...

What if everything AI tells you about cybersecurity costs is completely wrong? The Audit crew unpacks a shocking data black hole that has infected every major AI model—plus field-tested tech that actually works.

In this laid-back Field Notes episode, Eric Brown, and Nick Mellum return from Gartner's CIO Symposium with insights that'll make you question your AI outputs. From discovering that the "trillions in cybercrim...

What happens when Apple Vision Pro meets enterprise AI? In this episode of The Audit, Alex Bratton—applied technologist and AI implementation expert—joins hosts Joshua Schmidt and Nick Mellem to reveal how spatial computing and artificial intelligence are colliding to reshape how we work. From conducting million-dollar sales meetings in virtual reality to building AI governance frameworks that actually work, Alex breaks down the cu...

Ever wonder what the hosts of The Audit talk about when the mics are rolling but the formal interview isn't happening? This Field Notes episode gives you exactly that—unfiltered conversations covering everything from coffee preferences and glider flying to trademark scams targeting cybersecurity professionals. 

Nick and Eric dive into Eric's latest aviation adventures (spoiler: gliders are apparently safer than planes with...

Cybercriminals are exploiting X's Grok AI to bypass ad protections and spread malware to millions—while researchers discover your home Wi-Fi can now monitor your heart rate. This week's news breakdown covers the attack vectors you need to know about. 

Join co-hosts Joshua Schmidt, Eric Brown, and Nick Mellem as they dive into the latest cybersecurity developments that could impact your organization tomorrow. From social me...

The threat landscape is moving faster than ever—and traditional response playbooks aren't keeping up. In this live Field Notes episode, Eric Brown and Nick Mellem dive into the surge of recent cyberattacks hitting state governments, transit systems, and critical infrastructure across the U.S.

From Nevada's complete state office shutdown to Maryland's Metro Transit paralysis, the hosts explore why organizations still &...

When ransomware hits a hospital, it's not just data that's at stake—patients are dying. Ed Gaudet, CEO of Censinet, reveals the shocking research proving what healthcare security professionals feared: cyberattacks on hospitals directly increase mortality rates and disrupt life-saving care. 

But Ed's biggest concern? The eerie quiet before what he believes could be the next wave of coordinated attacks across multiple c...

What happens when your next hire isn't who they claim to be? In this eye-opening episode of The Audit, we dive deep into the alarming world of AI-powered hiring fraud with Justin Marciano and Paul Vann from Validia. From North Korean operatives using deepfakes to infiltrate Fortune 500 companies to proxy interviews becoming the new normal, this conversation exposes the security crisis hiding in plain sight. 

Key Topics Covered:...

Can you spot the difference between real cybersecurity talent and someone using ChatGPT to fake their way through interviews? In this episode of The Audit, Thomas Rogers from Meta CTF reveals how Capture the Flag competitions are becoming the ultimate litmus test for authentic cyber skills—and why traditional hiring methods are failing in the AI era. 

Whether you're a CISO looking to revolutionize your hiring process, a securit...

Dallas Turner's $240,000 fraud loss isn't just celebrity news—it's a wake-up call for anyone with a bank account. When even NFL linebackers fall victim to social engineering, what does that mean for the rest of us? 

In this episode of The Audit, co-hosts Joshua Schmidt, Eric Brown, and Nick Mellem break down the sophisticated tactics behind this massive financial fraud and reveal why help desk vulnerabilities are beco...

What does it take to build real cybersecurity skills in underserved communities? In this episode of The Audit, Rasheed Alowonle shares his journey from Chicago to becoming a cybersecurity educator and community advocate. This isn't your typical career advice—it's about fortifying communities through practical security hygiene and hands-on learning.

Co-hosts Joshua J Schmidt, Eric Brown, and Nick Mellum dive deep with Rashe...

What happens when your carefully crafted incident response playbook becomes worthless? Cody Sullivan from OpsBook reveals the brutal truth about tabletop exercises: most organizations are practicing with medieval armor for a drone war. From 70-participant, 6-hour exercises spanning three continents to the harsh reality of insider threats, this conversation exposes the gaps that could leave your organization bleeding when the real a...

Think you can manage industrial systems like your IT infrastructure? Think again. In this episode of The Audit, Dino Busalachi unpacks the high-stakes complexity of OT-IT convergence—and why your trusty IT playbook flatlines on the plant floor. 

Join the IT Audit Labs crew as we dive into the chaos of managing 10,000+ industrial assets across a sprawling landscape of vendors, protocols, and operational rules that laugh in ...

What happens when you cross a Tamagotchi with a Wi-Fi hacking tool? You get the Pwnagotchi—a pocket-sized device that "feeds" on Wi-Fi handshakes and learns from its environment. In this episode, Jayden Traufler and Cameron Birkland join the crew to demonstrate how this deceptively cute device can passively capture encrypted Wi-Fi credentials from any network in range, autonomously gather handshakes, share intelligence wi...