CyberBites Podcast

41 episodes listed below

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Breach headlines translated into plain, personal stakes.

The gist

CyberBites Podcast follows host Nick Sturgeon through security headlines, from the ransom paid after the Colonial Pipeline attack to Iran and Russia obtaining U.S. voter registration data, and asks what each one means for the people whose data is exposed. Between the commentary episodes come interviews on digital literacy, pandemic employment scams and National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

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About CyberBites Podcast

CyberBites Podcast is a cybersecurity show hosted by Nick Sturgeon, and it runs mainly on his own commentary. He admits the intro music gets him pumped up. Before the stories he often catches up on life: a hard semester of grad school, a family Christmas, a week of Florida beach away from the four walls he calls 'command central'. Then he gets to work. The solo episodes are built from source material. He scrolls through articles and reads passages aloud. In one episode he plays part of a news conference about Iran and Russia obtaining U.S. voter registration data before the 2020 election. The real value is in what he says afterward. He argues that voter records matter because they hold personally identifiable information about real people. Election security gets similar treatment. He argues for transparency, defense in depth and work with academia and other security researchers, and he has no patience for any company that claims its systems are completely secure. He calls isolation and decentralization strengths and admits he sounds like a broken record on the point. He is candid on air, too, and at one point stops to admit he went off the rails. One episode is titled The First Death from Ransomware, and its opening insists that the dangers of cybersecurity are no exaggeration but a matter of life and death. Later in that episode he argues that laws such as HIPAA are meant as a floor, not a ceiling, and that people have real power when they stop spending money with businesses that neglect privacy and security. He also knows when to calm things down. One sign-off asks for calm around politics, arguing that whoever holds the presidency affects daily life less than people think. The guests add range. Dewand Neely describes the program at Eleven Fifty Academy as a quick way for people to find out whether tech suits them, with a foundation in digital literacy either way. Daniel Eliot comes on in October, during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, to discuss the surge in employment scams during the pandemic, fake job postings, health-tracking devices and free tip sheets on staysafeonline.org, and he ends by urging people to become security evangelists. The feed also includes a special episode from Sturgeon's appearance with Hammer and Nigel of WIBC 93.1, a conversation about the Colonial Pipeline ransom, Russian hackers demanding cryptocurrency and SolarWinds. What a listener gets is a translator: someone who reads the same headlines as everyone else and keeps asking what they mean for a person's data, money and safety.

Made for: Suits a listener who follows security news but wants someone to say plainly what a ransomware attack, a paid ransom or leaked voter data means for ordinary people. It also fits someone curious about free awareness resources and entry points into tech who likes a relaxed, talkative host.

What sets it apart: The show runs on one host's frank, conversational reactions. He ties each headline back to privacy, consumer leverage and public trust, and he mixes that commentary with interviews on awareness campaigns and digital literacy.

In their own words

With cybersecurity becoming more complex and the threats even more dangerous… knowing what to do to protect yourself can seem like an impossible task. That is until now, welcome to the CyberBites Podcast. The Podcast where we help you filter through the noise one byte at a time.

Why you'd press play

Nick Sturgeon takes your security curiosity from router passphrases to Indiana attorney general candidates.

Press play if you want

  • to hear why rushed app development can leave security teams and developers at odds
  • to connect your privacy concerns about commercial data with questions about government surveillance
Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
Ransomware and its real-world harmElection security and foreign interferenceVoter data as personal privacyHIPAA as a floor, not a ceilingHigh-profile attacks like Colonial Pipeline and SolarWindsNational Cybersecurity Awareness MonthPandemic-era employment scamsDigital literacy and tech training

Talks about

Best episodes of CyberBites Podcast

Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.

The Election is over... well sort of!Nov 18, 2020

A skeptical election-security episode about trust, scrutiny, and the limits of official reassurance.

Cyberbytes Podcast frames its election episode around a central question: how public institutions earn trust after a contested vote. Host Nick Sturgeon moves from the media call for Biden and Trump's refusal to concede into a broader discussion of voting-system security, arguing…

Russian and Iran are up to no good.... again!Oct 24, 2020

A calm, practical look at voter data exposure, foreign influence, and the reactions that help misinformation travel.

Cyber Bytes Podcast covers the FBI announcement that Iran and Russia had obtained U.S. voter registration information before the 2020 election, with host Nick Sturgeon keeping the focus on what that does and does not mean.

CyberBites Chat - Daniel EliotOct 3, 2020

A practical Cyberbytes conversation on turning scams, home-device risks, and cyber hygiene into public-facing advice.

National Cybersecurity Awareness Month gives this Cyberbytes episode a clear seasonal hook, but the real value is in treating cyber hygiene as a public responsibility.

The First Death from RansomwareSep 23, 2020

A cybersecurity episode that pushes past financial hassle toward personal safety and public accountability.

Nick Sturgeon frames cybersecurity as a public-interest issue with real personal stakes. He starts with familiar pain points, such as lost money, frozen accounts, replacement cards, and daily frustration, then widens the lens toward consequences he sees as potentially life and…

Podcasts like CyberBites Podcast

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  • Click Here

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  • Hacking HumansN2K Networks

    Dave, Joe, and Maria break down phishing kits, deepfakes, and social-engineering scams weekly.

  • The Privacy AdvisorJedidiah Bracy, IAPP Editorial Director

    Privacy law meets the systems it governs.

  • The CyberWireAlan Geason

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Episodes

  1. 1

    My Hammer and Nigel Interview 5-12-21

    May 19, 2021·19m
  2. 2

    Dewand Neely - Eleven Fifty Academy - Interview

    Hidden gem

    Cyberbytes Podcast interviews Duan Neely about 1150 Academy's cybersecurity program, which uses a 90-day format built around CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+ material.

    Dec 31, 2020·54m·5 clips
  3. 3

    The Election is over... well sort of!

    Hidden gem

    Nick Sturgeon opens by reading CISA and Fox 59 language claiming the November 3rd election was "the most secure in American history" and that no voting system deleted or lost votes.

    Nov 18, 2020·35m·3 clips
  4. 4

    Russian and Iran are up to no good.... again!

    Nick Sturgeon examines an FBI announcement that Iran and Russia obtained some voter-registration information 13 days before the 2020 U.S.

    Oct 24, 2020·26m·1 clip
  5. 5

    CyberBites Chat - Daniel Eliot

    Hidden gem

    CyberBites Podcast host Nick Sturgeon talks with Daniel Elliott of the National Cybersecurity Alliance about National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and the theme do your part, be cyber smart.

    Oct 3, 2020·50m·3 clips
  6. 6

    The First Death from Ransomware

    Nick Sturgeon opens Cyber Bytes Podcast by calling the German hospital ransomware case a life-and-death cybersecurity event, not a financial inconvenience.

    Sep 23, 2020·30m·2 clips
  7. 7

    Remembering 9-11-2001and the 2020 Elections

    Hidden gem

    Nick of the Cyberbytes Podcast remembers working at Indiana State University when slow CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC sites signaled that something was happening on September 11, 2001.

    Sep 11, 2020·40m·2 clips
  8. 8

    CyberBites Chat w\James Czerniawski of the Libertas Institute

    Hidden gem

    Nick Sturgeon interviews James Sieranowski, a Libertas Institute policy analyst focused on technology and innovation, about the relationship between cybersecurity, privacy, and government policy.

    May 31, 2020·1h 9m·5 clips
  9. 9

    CyberBites COVID-19 Chat w/Lindsay Marie

    Hidden gem

    Nick Sturgeon and Lindsay Marie discuss COVID-19 restrictions, executive orders, business closures, and civil-liberties concerns in Indiana and Texas.

    May 20, 2020·29m·2 clips
  10. 10

    CyberBites Chat - Eric Wassenaar w/Veracode

    Hidden gem

    Cyber Bytes Podcast host Nick Sturgeon interviews Eric Wassenaar of Veracode about application security, cybersecurity careers, and organizational culture.

    Apr 26, 2020·49m·3 clips
  11. 11

    Meet the Candidate - John Westercamp for Indiana AG

    Cyber Bytes Podcast host Nick interviews John Westerkamp, one of three candidates for Indiana Attorney General, during the COVID-19 disruption of the 2020 campaign.

    Apr 15, 2020·58m·4 clips
  12. 12

    Meet the Candidate - Adam Krupp for Indiana AG

    Hidden gem

    Cyber.Now host Nick Sturgeon interviews Adam Krupp, a former Indiana Department of Revenue commissioner running for the Republican nomination for Indiana attorney general.

    Mar 11, 2020·1h 13m·5 clips
  13. 13

    Lindsay Marie Interview Part 2

    Hidden gem

    Nick Sturgeon and Lindsay Marie discuss surveillance cameras hidden in gravestones, automatic license plate readers, airport facial recognition, and government data collection.

    Feb 9, 2020·35m·2 clips
  14. 14

    Lindsay Marie FISA Discussion Part 1

    Nick Sturgeon and Lindsay Marie debate Indiana Senate Bill 436, which could let the attorney general appoint special prosecutors when local prosecutors decline selected crimes and charge local taxpayers.

    Feb 2, 2020·35m·2 clips
  15. 15

    A FISA Court Discussion

    Jan 26, 2020·25m
  16. 16

    A New Year, A New Cyber Conflict Emerges

    Jan 19, 2020·19m
  17. 17

    A Real Life Lesson in the Dangers of an IoT Connected World

    Dec 15, 2019·24m
  18. 18

    A Long Rant on a Short Story

    Nov 24, 2019·28m
  19. 19

    Why won't the Epstein Didn't Kill Himself Meme Go Away?

    Nov 17, 2019·29m
  20. 20

    Old Rudy G. Butt Dials a Legend

    Nov 4, 2019·24m
  21. 21

    Special Edition: Monty Combs - Speedway Candadate Interview Series

    Oct 20, 2019·44m
  22. 22

    My WIBC First Day with Terri Stacy Interview on NCSAM

    Oct 13, 2019·14m
  23. 23

    Don't let the cyber monsters of the government threaten your free speech!

    Oct 6, 2019·31m
  24. 24

    Is a Social Media PBS Really What We Need?

    Sep 29, 2019·31m
  25. 25

    Accusations agains the US and my interview with Joe Neidig of SIMBA Chain

    Sep 15, 2019·47m
  26. 26

    What the Echo is going on? And my interview with YAL's Cliff Maloney

    Sep 7, 2019·34m
  27. 27

    2020 Dem Candidates, doxing, storming Area 51, and much much more with Lindsay Marie

    Host Nick Sturgeon interviews Lindsay Marie about cybersecurity, tech, and political climate.

    Aug 18, 2019·1h
  28. 28

    CyberTech Midwest 2019 - Teddy Guzek Interview

    Aug 12, 2019·32m
  29. 29

    CyberTech Midwest 2019 - Julia Kraut Interview

    Aug 4, 2019·14m
  30. 30

    CyberTech Midwest 2019 - Chetrice Mosley Interviews

    Host Nick Sturgeon introduces a series of minisodes from interviews at the CyberTech Midwest Conference, featuring cybersecurity professionals.

    Jul 29, 2019·23m
  31. 31

    Another Day, Another Silly Social Media Challenge

    Jul 21, 2019·32m
  32. 32

    Go Ahead and Storm Area 51

    Jul 14, 2019·28m
  33. 33

    Tensions are a rising between U.S. so Iran away from you

    Jun 23, 2019·23m
  34. 34

    A talk on Cyber Philosophy

    Jun 21, 2019·24m
  35. 35

    Really FireEye was no one else available?

    Jun 9, 2019·22m
  36. 36

    Keep Calm Big Changes are Coming

    May 19, 2019·17m
  37. 37

    We are in a Cyber Marathon not a Sprint

    May 12, 2019·25m
  38. 38

    049: A Brave New Cyber World - A discussion on the future of our Rights in a Cyber Society

    Apr 27, 2019·25m
  39. 39

    048: Day 2 Interviews Live from CERIAS Security Symposium

    Host Nick Sturgeon introduces episode 48 of Cyber.Now, featuring interviews from the Sirius Cybersecurity Symposium with Joel Rasmus, Mark Lepker, and Gene Spafford.

    Apr 20, 2019·1h 8m
  40. 40

    047: My interview with Ray Rothrock Interview at the 2019 CERIAS Symposium

    Host Nick Sturgeon discusses cybersecurity, tech, politics, and policy, celebrating the show's one-year anniversary and thanking sponsors and listeners.

    Apr 14, 2019·42m
  41. 41

    046: A talk about corporate cyber malfeasance, negligence, and wrongdoing

    Apr 6, 2019·32m