Listen to Talos security experts as they bring their hot takes on current security topics and Talos research to the table. Along the way Hazel, Mitch, Matt and a rotating chair of special guests will talk about anything (and we mean anything) that's on their minds, from the latest YouTube trends to Olympic curling etiquette. New episodes every other Thursday.
This week, the B-Team gets an upgrade as we’re joined by Sara McBroom from Talos’ nation-state threat intelligence and interdiction team. Sara shares her journey from a liberal arts major to tracking some of the world’s most advanced adversaries. Along the way, she talks about moving from the U.S federal service to Talos, mentoring, leading with empathy, and why making bad actors miserable is a pretty good day’s work.
Before diving into Sara’s story, we hit the security headlines (ouch) and also discuss a Dutch hacker camp with flaming badges and port-a-potty internet. But from 17 minutes in, it’s all about Sara — her path, her research (Static Tundra, anyone?), and how she leads her team without micromanaging.
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to ruin an APT’s day for a living, this is the episode.
Here's the research that Bill mentioned: "Psychopathia Machinalis: A Nosological Framework for Understanding Pathologies in Advanced Artificial Intelligence" https://www.psychopathia.ai
Every week, our host brings on a new guest from Talos or the broader Cisco Security world to break down a complicated security topic in just five or 10 minutes. We cover everything from breaking news to attacker trends and emerging threats.
Every October, Cybersecurity Awareness Month brings a wave of tips: update your software, enable MFA, use strong passwords. But what good is any of that if the people behind the defenses are feeling burned out?
In this episode of Talos Takes, Hazel sits down with Joe Marshall for a candid, vulnerable conversation about the human cost of cybersecurity. Joe opens up about his experience during the VPNFilter campaign — months of secrecy, long hours, immense pressure, and the trauma it left behind. Hazel shares her own journey with burnout, and together they talk about how to recognise the warning signs.
They close with practical steps: building a personal “incident response playbook” that includes boundaries, peer support, and self-care. Because at the end of the day, you can’t patch a system if you're burned out.