The BlueHat Podcast

In this episode of The BlueHat Podcast, host Nic Fillingham is joined by George Hughey from Microsoft who returns to discuss his Blue Hat India talk on variant hunting, explaining how MSRC uses submission data from hacking competitions like Pwn2Own and Tianfu Cup to uncover additional security vulnerabilities in Windows. George shares how incentives in competitions differ from bug bounty programs, how tools like CodeQL assist variant hunting, and why collaborating with the security research community is key to improving Windows security.    In This Episode You Will Learn:   How hacking competitions help find real-world Windows vulnerabilities  The role of MSRC in hunting variants beyond submitted vulnerabilities  Why fuzzing is not always effective for modern edge cases    Some Questions We Ask:  How do you decide which cases to pursue for variant hunting?  What advice do you have for researchers submitting variants?  How does the CodeQL team collaborate with your team?      Resources:       View George Hughey on LinkedIn      View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn    View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn     Related Microsoft Podcasts:    Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast    Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson    Uncovering Hidden Risks       Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts      The BlueHat Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.

In this episode of The BlueHat Podcast, host Nic Fillingham and Wendy Zenone are joined by Mike Macelletti from Microsoft’s MSRC Vulnerabilities and Mitigations team to explore Redirection Guard, a powerful mitigation designed to tackle a long-standing class of file path redirection vulnerabilities in Windows. Mike shares how his interest in security began, the journey behind developing Redirection Guard, and how it's helping reduce a once-common bug class across Microsoft products. He also explains how the feature works, why it's impactful, and what developers can do to adopt it. Plus, a few fun detours into Solitaire hacking, skiing, and protein powder.     In This Episode You Will Learn:   What Redirection Guard is and how it helps prevent file system vulnerabilities  How Microsoft identifies and addresses common bug classes across their ecosystem  Why some vulnerabilities still slip past Redirection Guard and what’s out of scope    Some Questions We Ask:  What is a junction and how is it different from other redirects?  How does Redirection Guard decide which shortcuts to block?  Are there vulnerabilities Redirection Guard doesn’t cover?      Resources:       View Mike Macelletti on LinkedIn      View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn    View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn     Related Microsoft Podcasts:    Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast    Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson    Uncovering Hidden Risks       Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts      The BlueHat Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.

In this episode of The BlueHat Podcast, host Nic Fillingham and Wendy Zenone share Ram Shankar Siva Kumar’s dynamic keynote from BlueHat India 2025, where he explores the evolving threat landscape of AI through the lens of the Microsoft AI Red Team. From adversarial machine learning to psychosocial harms and persuasive AI, Ram highlights real-world case studies, including prompt injection, content safety violations, and memory poisoning in AI agents. Ram underscores the urgent need for robust red teaming practices to secure AI systems against traditional security flaws and emerging threats across images, text, audio, and autonomous agents.    In This Episode You Will Learn:   Why old-school security flaws still break modern AI systems  Real-world AI red teaming in action, from scams to memory hacks  How small input tweaks can fool AI across images, audio, and text  Some Questions We Ask:  Can attackers fool AI using just slight image changes?  Are generative AI systems vulnerable to prompt manipulation?  Do you need to be an expert to break an AI model?      Resources:       Watch Ram’s BlueHat India 2025 Keynote: BlueHat India 2025 Day 2 Keynote - Ram Shankar Siva Kumar  Listen to Ram’s Previous Appearance on The BlueHat Podcast: Not with a Bug but with a Sticker    View Ram Shankar Siva Kumar on LinkedIn     View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn    View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn     Related Microsoft Podcasts:    Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast    Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson    Uncovering Hidden Risks       Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts      The BlueHat Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.

In this episode of The BlueHat Podcast, host Nic Fillingham and Wendy Zenone share David Weston’s keynote from BlueHat India 2025. David explores the growing role of on-device AI in Windows, the security risks it introduces, and how Microsoft is rethinking architecture to defend against new threats like model tampering, data exfiltration, and AI-powered malware. He also shares insights on innovations like Windows Recall, biometric protection, and the future of secure, agentic operating systems.     In This Episode You Will Learn:   How AI integration in Windows (like Windows Recall and MS Paint) is evolving  Emerging threats from protocols like MCP and CUAs  What a “confused deputy” attack is, and how Microsoft is protecting users  Some Questions We Ask:  What are the biggest security threats in on-device AI—data, model, or runtime?  Can AI be used to accelerate post-compromise attacks?  What will it take to bring Azure-level confidential computing to the consumer device?      Resources:       View David Weston on LinkedIn    View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn    View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn        Related Microsoft Podcasts:    Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast    Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson    Uncovering Hidden Risks       Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts    The BlueHat Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.

In this episode of The BlueHat Podcast, host Nic Fillingham and Wendy Zenone are joined by Felix Boulet fresh off his participation in Zero Day Quest. Felix talks about his unique journey from industrial maintenance to becoming a full-time vulnerability researcher, and how that background fuels his passion for hacking and bug bounty work. He explains his method for finding bugs in Microsoft products—particularly in identity systems—and why identity is such a valuable target for attackers. Felix also shares highlights from the Zero Day Quest event, where he focused on building connections, learning from Microsoft engineers, and experiencing the collaborative side of the security community.     In This Episode You Will Learn:   Why identity-based bugs are especially valuable and dangerous in the security world  When breaking identity controls can be the key to pivoting through an entire system  How SharePoint's concept of "virtual files" impacts vulnerability validation  Some Questions We Ask:  What was your first bug bounty experience?  Can you explain what the flash challenges were and what your experience was like?  Do you think sharing bug ideas could cost you a bounty?      Resources:       View Felix Boulet on LinkedIn   View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn    View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn     Related Microsoft Podcasts:    Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast    Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson    Uncovering Hidden Risks       Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts      The BlueHat Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.

In this episode of The BlueHat Podcast, host Nic Fillingham and Wendy Zenone are joined by Marco Ivaldi, co-founder and technical director of HN Security, a boutique company specializing in offensive security services, shares his journey from hacking as a teenager in the '80s to becoming a key figure in the security research community. With nearly three decades of experience in cybersecurity, Marco digs into the ongoing challenges, particularly in Active Directory and password security, highlighting vulnerabilities that continue to pose significant risks today. He recounts his unexpected path into bug bounty hunting, including his involvement in Microsoft's Zero Day Quest and his passion for auditing real-time operating systems like Azure RTOS.  In This Episode You Will Learn:  How Marco taught himself BASIC and assembly through cassette tapes and trips to local libraries Why mentorship and positive leadership can catapult your cybersecurity career When measuring network response times can unintentionally leak valuable info Some Questions We Ask: Do you remember the first time you made code do something unexpected? What was your experience like in the Zero Day Quest building for those three days? How are you thinking of approaching fuzzing after Zero Day Quest?      Resources:      View Marco Ivaldi on LinkedIn    View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn   View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn  HN SECURITY Learn More About Marco   Related Microsoft Podcasts:     Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast   Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson   Uncovering Hidden Risks     Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts   The BlueHat Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.

In this episode of The BlueHat Podcast, host Nic Fillingham and Wendy Zenone are joined by Dhiral Patel, Senior Security Engineer at ZoomInfo and one of MSRC’s Most Valuable Researchers (MVR). Dhiral shares how a hacked Facebook account sparked his passion for ethical hacking. From web development to penetration testing, Dhiral has become a top bug hunter, landing multiple spots on the MSRC leaderboards. Dhiral reflects on his early MSRC submissions and lessons learned. He also discusses the importance of mastering web security basics, practicing on platforms like TryHackMe and Hack the Box, and staying connected with the bug bounty community.  In This Episode You Will Learn:  The importance of mastering web security basics before diving into bug bounty hunting Why hands-on platforms like TryHackMe and Hack the Box are perfect for beginners Dhiral’s journey from blogging to freelancing and security research Some Questions We Ask: How do you balance competition and collaboration in the bug bounty community? Can you explain what clickjacking is and if it still works today? Why did you start with Power BI, and how did it lead to your journey in security?    Resources:      View Dhiral Patel on LinkedIn   View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn   View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn    Related Microsoft Podcasts:     Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast   Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson   Uncovering Hidden Risks   Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts   The BlueHat Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.

In this episode of The BlueHat Podcast, host Nic Fillingham and Wendy Zenone are joined by security researcher Tobias Diehl, a top contributor to the Microsoft Security Research Center (MSRC) leaderboards and a Most Valuable Researcher. Tobias shares his journey from IT support to uncovering vulnerabilities in Microsoft products. He discusses his participation in the upcoming Zero Day Quest hacking challenge and breaks down a recent discovery involving Power Automate, where he identified a security flaw that could be exploited via malicious URLs. Tobias explains how developers can mitigate such risks and the importance of strong proof-of-concept submissions in security research.  In This Episode You Will Learn:  Researching vulnerabilities in Power Automate, Power Automate Desktop, and Azure The importance of user prompts to prevent unintended application behavior Key vulnerabilities Tobias looks for when researching Microsoft products Some Questions We Ask: Have you submitted any AI-related findings to Microsoft or other bug bounty programs? How does the lack of visibility into AI models impact the research process? Has your approach to security research changed when working with AI versus traditional systems?    Resources:      View Tobias Diehl on LinkedIn   View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn   View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn  Related Microsoft Podcasts:     Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast   Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson   Uncovering Hidden Risks   Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts   The BlueHat Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.

In this episode of The BlueHat Podcast, host Nic Fillingham and Wendy Zenone are joined by Brad Schlintz, independent security researcher and bug bounty hunter. Brad shares how he transitioned from a decade-long career as a software engineer to hacking Microsoft products while traveling the world with his wife. He recounts his early days tinkering with RuneScape bots, his experience working in SharePoint and Azure at Microsoft, and the moment he first encountered a real-world cybersecurity incident. He also discusses his journey into ethical hacking and his qualification for the upcoming Zero Day Quest, showcasing how he turned bug hunting into a lifestyle that allows him to work from anywhere—including a stunning island in Brazil.      In This Episode You Will Learn:     How a single discovered bug can lead to finding multiple vulnerabilities in the same area  The importance of exploring app integrations when searching for security vulnerabilities  Why building on prior discoveries can make it easier to uncover more hidden security issues    Some Questions We Ask:    What guidance can you share with other researchers and hackers on how to find vulnerabilities?  Why did your background in software engineering help you in your bug bounty work?  How did you transition from working on the website incident to more full-time security research?      Resources:       View Brad Schlintz on LinkedIn     View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn    View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn      Related Microsoft Podcasts:       Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast    Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson    Uncovering Hidden Risks          Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts      The BlueHat Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.

In this episode of The BlueHat Podcast, Nic and Wendy are joined by seasoned security researcher, and CTO of Morphisec, Michael Gorelik. Michael discusses his approach to security research, which often begins by exploring PoCs released by other researcher groups and continues through to the release and validation of – sometimes multiple rounds of – fixes. Michael also provides an overview of this BlueHat 2024 presentation from last October and discusses his upcoming participation in the Zero Day Quest Onsite Hacking Challenge.      In This Episode You Will Learn:     How Michael Gorelik transitioned from security researcher to company founder  Deeper motivations driving ethical hackers like Michael Gorelik beyond money  The importance of identifying incomplete security patches before attackers do    Some Questions We Ask:    What are you looking forward to with Zero Day Quest?  Did you have a moral dilemma about hacking when you were younger?  What was your experience like at Deutsche Telekom Laboratories?      Resources:       View Michael Gorelik on LinkedIn    View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn    View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn      Related Microsoft Podcasts:       Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast    Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson    Uncovering Hidden Risks          Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts    The BlueHat Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.

In this episode of The BlueHat Podcast, host Nic Fillingham is joined by Scott Gorlick, Security Architect for Power Platform at Microsoft. Scott shares his unconventional journey into cybersecurity, from managing a KFC to driving big rigs before landing in tech. He dives into security research in Copilot Studio, discussing how AI models interact with security frameworks and how researchers can approach testing these systems. We also explore his recent training video on YouTube, which provides guidance for security researchers looking to engage with Microsoft’s bug bounty program.    In This Episode You Will Learn:     What Scott does to ensure Power Platform applications remain governable and secure  Why security and software quality go hand in hand in modern development.  How security researchers can explore vulnerabilities in Microsoft's low-code AI development platform    Some Questions We Ask:    What kinds of security issues should researchers focus on in Copilot Studio?  Can Copilot help researchers write better reports, especially in different languages?  How can researchers get access to Copilot Studio? Is there a free version?         Resources:       View Scott Gorlick on LinkedIn    View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn    View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn     Security Research in Copilot Studio Overview and Training on YouTube    Related Microsoft Podcasts:       Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast    Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson    Uncovering Hidden Risks          Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

In this episode of The BlueHat Podcast, hosts Nic Fillingham and Wendy Zenone are joined by Jason Geffner, Principal Security Architect at Microsoft, to discuss his groundbreaking work on scaling and automating Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST). Following on from his BlueHat 2024 session, and outlined in this MSRC blog post, Jason explains the key differences between DAST, SAST, and IAST, and dives into the challenges of scaling DAST at Microsoft’s enterprise level, detailing how automation eliminates manual configuration and improves efficiency for web service testing.     In This Episode You Will Learn:     Overcoming the challenges of authenticated requests for DAST tools  The importance of API specs for DAST and how automation streamlines the process  Insights into how Microsoft uses DAST to protect its vast array of web services    Some Questions We Ask:    What's a lesson from this work that you can share with those without Microsoft's resources?  Can you explain what the transparent auth protocol is that you mentioned in the blog post?  How is your work reducing the manual effort needed to configure DAST system services?     Resources:       View Jason Geffner on LinkedIn    View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn    View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn     Related Blog Post: Scaling Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) | MSRC Blog  Related BlueHat Session Recording: BlueHat 2024: S10: How Microsoft is Scaling DAST     Related Microsoft Podcasts:       Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast    Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson    Uncovering Hidden Risks          Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

In this episode of The BlueHat Podcast, hosts Nic Fillingham and Wendy Zenone are joined by BlueHat 2024 presenter Joe Bialek, a security engineer at Microsoft with over 13 years of experience. Joe shares his fascinating journey from intern to red team pioneer, recounting how he helped establish the Office 365 Red Team and pushed the boundaries of ethical hacking within Microsoft. He discusses his formative years building sneaky hacking tools, navigating the controversial beginnings of red teaming, and transitioning to the Windows Security Team to focus on low-level security and mitigations. Joe reflects on the challenges of internal hacking, the human reactions to being "hacked," and the value of strengthening defenses before external threats arise.    In This Episode You Will Learn:     How Microsoft is developing tooling to identify and address bad programming patterns  Why kernel-related discussions are primarily focused on Windows and driver developers  The challenges developers face when reading and writing through pointers in C or C++    Some Questions We Ask:    How does working with the Windows kernel impact system security and performance?  What sets Windows kernel and driver development apart from other types of development?  Why should internal teams test systems for vulnerabilities before external hackers?      Resources:       View Joe Bialek on LinkedIn   View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn    View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn     BlueHat 2024 Session: Pointer Problems – Why We’re Refactoring the Windows Kernel    Related Microsoft Podcasts:     Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast    Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson    Uncovering Hidden Risks        Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts    The BlueHat Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.

In this episode of The BlueHat Podcast, hosts Nic Fillingham and Wendy Zenone welcome back George Hughey and Rohit Mothe from the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) to discuss their latest blog post on mitigating NTLM relay attacks by default. George and Rohit explain their roles in vulnerability hunting and delve into NTLM, a 40-year-old authentication protocol, outlining its vulnerabilities and the risks of relay attacks, which function as a type of man-in-the-middle exploit. They highlight Microsoft's move to a "secure by default" approach, ensuring mitigations like channel binding are enabled automatically, providing stronger protections across services like Exchange, Active Directory Certificate Services (ADCS), and LDAP.     In This Episode You Will Learn:     Steps users can take to enhance security in their environments  Why legacy protocols remain a challenge and what the future might hold  The challenges and successes of improving authentication security      Some Questions We Ask:  What is an NTLM relay attack, and how does it work?  Can you explain channel binding and its role in preventing NTLM relay attacks?  What challenges arise from modernizing authentication in complex environments?         Resources:       View George Hughey on LinkedIn   View Rohit Mothe on LinkedIn   View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn    View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn      Related Microsoft Podcasts:       Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast    Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson    Uncovering Hidden Risks          Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Yonatan Zunger, CVP of AI Safety & Security at Microsoft joins Nic Fillingham and Wendy Zenone on this week's episode of The BlueHat Podcast. Yonatan explains the distinction between generative and predictive AI, noting that while predictive AI excels in classification and recommendation, generative AI focuses on summarizing and role-playing. He highlights how generative AI's ability to process natural language and role-play has vast potential, though its applications are still emerging. He contrasts this with predictive AI's strength in handling large datasets for specific tasks. Yonatan emphasizes the importance of ethical considerations in AI development, stressing the need for continuous safety engineering and diverse perspectives to anticipate and mitigate potential failures. He provides examples of AI's positive and negative uses, illustrating the importance of designing systems that account for various scenarios and potential misuses.      In This Episode You Will Learn:       How predictive AI anticipates outcomes based on historical data  The difficulties and strategies involved in making AI systems safe and secure from misuse  How role-playing exercises help developers understand the behavior of AI systems    Some Questions We Ask:        What distinguishes predictive AI from generative AI?  Can generative AI be used to improve decision-making processes?  What is the role of unit testing and test cases in policy and AI system development?    Resources:   View Yonatan Zunger on LinkedIn      View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn   View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn    Related Microsoft Podcasts:     Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast   Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson   Uncovering Hidden Risks       Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

In this episode of The BlueHat Podcast, hosts Nic Fillingham and Wendy Zenone are joined by Johann Rehberger, security expert and Red Team director at Electronic Arts. Johann shares his career journey through roles at Microsoft, Uber, and EA, highlighting his expertise in red teaming and cybersecurity. Johann shares the inspiration behind his book on Red Team strategies and discusses his BlueHat 2024 talk on prompt injection vulnerabilities, a critical and evolving AI security challenge. Johann breaks down the distinction between prompt injection and jailbreaking, offering insights into the potential risks, including data exfiltration and system unavailability, and emphasizes the importance of securing Red Teams themselves.      In This Episode You Will Learn:     Why AI tools should have stricter default settings to control what kind of outputs they generate  The importance of reading technical documentation to understand how AI systems are built  Why developers should implement stronger filters for what tokens are allowed to be emitted by LLMs    Some Questions We Ask:    How are prompt injection and SQL injection similar, and how are they different?  What is AI spyware, and how does it exploit memory tools in ChatGPT?  Does AI jailbreaking access the LLM’s core system like iPhone jailbreaking does the OS?         Resources:       View Johann Rehberger on LinkedIn   View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn    View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn      Related Microsoft Podcasts:       Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast    Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson    Uncovering Hidden Risks          Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

In this episode of The BlueHat Podcast, hosts Nic Fillingham and Wendy Zenone present an insightful address by Corporate Vice President and Head of Product for Microsoft's Developer Division, Amanda Silver. Amanda discusses the importance of securing the software supply chain and Microsoft's efforts to protect the open-source ecosystem. She introduces the Secure Software Supply Chain Consumption Framework (S2C2F), a model for tracking and defending against vulnerabilities in open-source dependencies. Silver highlights tools like Dependabot and improvements in NuGet to help developers address security issues seamlessly. She also shares a case study on the "XZ" supply chain attack, underscoring the need for a security mindset in tech culture. Silver closes by urging listeners to adopt a proactive approach to cybersecurity, emphasizing that attacks are inevitable.       Resources:    View Amanda Silver on LinkedIn      View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn    View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn      Related Microsoft Podcasts:       Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast    Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson    Uncovering Hidden Risks          Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts    The BlueHat Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.

In episode 41 of The BlueHat Podcast we bring you the BlueHat 2024 day 1 keynote address given by Chris Wysopal, also known as Weld Pond, founder and Chief Security Evangelist at VeraCode, and founding member of the L0pht.     Chris’ talk - A Clash of Cultures Comes Together to Change Software Security - recounts the early days of “hacking” and how the industry evolved to embrace vulnerability discovery and coordinated, responsible disclosure.    Chris presentation provides a fascinating reflection on a tumultuous period for Microsoft around 2001, marked by significant vulnerability discoveries, which ultimately led to the establishment of the Organization for Internet Safety and the consultancy AtStake, transforming the security landscape and professionalizing the role of hackers. Watch Chris’ BlueHat 2024 Day 1 Keynote here: https://youtu.be/w6SAqT4ZQik    Resources:    View Chris Wysopal on LinkedIn      View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn    View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn      Related Microsoft Podcasts:       Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast    Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson    Uncovering Hidden Risks          Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

In this episode of the Blue Hat Podcast, hosts Nic Fillingham and Wendy Zenone are joined by Arjun Gopalakrishna, a security engineer at Microsoft, to discuss his fascinating journey from software engineer to security leader. Arjun reflects on his 11-year tenure at Microsoft, including how a childhood experience with a computer virus sparked his curiosity in cybersecurity. He talks about his early exposure to security issues while working in Windows and his eventual transition to Azure security. Arjun also shares insights into how he began presenting security talks internally through Microsoft's Strike program and how he continues to use storytelling to make complex security concepts approachable for colleagues across the company.    In This Episode You Will Learn:       The importance of empathy and accessibility when discussing technical vulnerabilities  Why Arjun honed his focus on cloud security, application security, and offensive security.  How Microsoft's internal Strike platform helps employees build a deeper understanding of cybersecurity  Some Questions We Ask:        Can you walk us through how you honed in on a specific area of security?  What are your tips for bringing non-security professionals into a security mindset?  Is there anything you're specifically working on within SFI?     Resources:   View Arjun Gopalakrishna on LinkedIn   View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn   View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn    Related Microsoft Podcasts:     Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast   Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson   Uncovering Hidden Risks     Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts   The BlueHat Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.

In this episode of the Blue Hat Podcast, hosts Nic Fillingham and Wendy Zenone interview each other to give listeners insight into their personal and professional backgrounds. Nic recounts his unique career journey, which began with jobs like working as a chicken butcher and selling CDs, before joining Microsoft as an Xbox demo specialist. His career with Microsoft spanned various roles, ultimately leading him to work on the Blue Hat program, where he was captivated by the concept of ethical hacking. Wendy, on the other hand, shares her transition from PR into security, with stops at Netflix and Salesforce, and her current role at Microsoft leading the Strike program.    In This Episode You Will Learn:      Wendy’s experience buying chicken from a stranger in a parking lot  Nic’s encounter with The Rock during a wrestling game demo  Wendy starting in public relations before transitioning to the security world    Some Questions We Ask:       How did attending an all-women’s software engineering school influence your career shift?  What do you enjoy most about working in the security field?  What advice do you have for women looking to enter the security industry?     Resources:   View Wendy Zenone on LinkedIn   View Nic Fillingham on LinkedIn  Related Microsoft Podcasts:   Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast   Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson   Uncovering Hidden Risks     Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts     The BlueHat Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.