Richard Martin

Episode 30: Mead, Deer Crashes & XDR: The 2025 Cybersecurity Wrap-Up

December 12th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 1 min

It’s the final Scinary Information Nexus of 2025! Richard, Pierre, Hunter, and Brazos take over the studio to wrap up a massive year for Scinary.

Episode 29: MIT & Safe Security's "AI Slop" Research

November 14th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 10 mins

The team dissects two major scams shaking the cybersecurity world. First, they delve into the recent federal indictment of ransomware negotiators and incident responders, revealing how insiders allegedly colluded with the infamous Black Cat (ALPHV) ransomware group to extort their own clients. They explore the "fraud triangle" and question just how widespread this type of corruption is within the cyber insurance ecosystem.

The main event is a takedown of what security researcher Kevin Beaumont calls "AI Slop"—a deeply flawed research paper co-authored by MIT and the vendor Safe Security. The team systematically debunks the paper's central, fear-mongering claim that "80% of ransomware attacks are now AI-driven," exposing how it uses fabricated data, cites defunct malware groups, and ultimately functions as a marketing scam disguised as legitimate academic research.

Episode 28: Nightmare on AWS Street: Halloween Special

October 31st, 2025  |  Season 2  |  53 mins 59 secs

In this Halloween special, the team discusses the massive AWS outage that recently brought large swaths of the internet to a halt. They break down the technical "race condition" that caused the DNS failure, explore the comical real-world consequences like smart beds getting stuck, and analyze why even competitors like Microsoft were affected. The conversation broadens into a critical look at the tech industry's single points of failure (AWS, AT&T), the dangerous trade-off between efficiency and resiliency, and whether our critical infrastructure is too reliant on a few monopolies. Additionally, they provide an update on the Salesforce breach, revealing that data belonging to personnel in major US government departments (DOD, DHS, ICE) was compromised by the threat group "Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters"

Episode 27: The New Rules of War: Cyber & Disinformation

October 24th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 2 mins

The team is joined by special guest Lieutenant Colonel Steven Beseda, a retired U.S. Army Armor and Information Operations officer, for a deep dive into modern warfare. The discussion clarifies the critical differences between misinformation (unintentional falsehoods) and disinformation (deliberate deception), using historical examples from Schwarzkopf’s "left hook" in Desert Storm to Russia's ongoing campaign in Ukraine. The conversation pivots to the escalating tensions between China and Taiwan, analyzing how China is "prepping the battlespace" with information warfare and the strategic importance of Taiwan's semiconductor industry. Finally, they explore the chilling concept of a new "Cyber MAD" (Mutually Assured Destruction), questioning whether the next global conflict will be fought with bombs or with bytes targeting critical infrastructure.

Episode 26: A Tech Director's Perspective on School Cyber Threats

October 17th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 18 mins

The Scinary team, along with special guest Greg Babbitt, Technology Director at Palmer ISD, tackles a massive week in cybersecurity news. They dissect the colossal Salesforce breach allegedly carried out by the "Scattered Lapsis Hunters," breaking down the OAuth attack vector, the $1 billion ransom, and the major companies affected like Disney and Home Depot. The discussion then pivots to the unique and often overlooked cybersecurity challenges within K-12 education. Greg provides a frontline perspective on the constant battle against the "human element," the difficulties of managing third-party vendor risk with limited leverage, and the hidden costs and security gaps in "free" educational tools like Google Workspace.

Episode 25: Your TV is Watching You: ATSC 3 / NextGen Broadcast

October 10th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  59 mins 21 secs

This week, the team is joined by broadcast television veteran Daniel Hamilton to explore two major technological shifts with significant cybersecurity and privacy implications. First, they dive into ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV), the new standard that will transform free over-the-air television into an interactive, IP-based platform. The discussion unpacks how this technology will enable hyper-targeted advertising by collecting and correlating viewer data—much like Google and Meta do—and raises questions about the new security vulnerabilities and privacy trade-offs for consumers.

The conversation then pivots to the impending government ban on Chinese-made drones (like those from DJI). Daniel, who administers a national drone program, details the operational and financial chaos this legislation is causing. The team critically examines the policy, labeling it "political theater" that targets consumer tech while ignoring the widespread use of Chinese components in America's critical infrastructure, and highlights the lack of viable, cost-effective American alternatives.

Episode 24: Phishing 3.0: AI Threats Beyond Email (ft. Ironscales CEO)

October 3rd, 2025  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 4 mins

The team sits down with Eyal Benishti, the CEO of our partner Ironscales, for a deep dive into the evolution of email security. Eyal shares the origin story of Ironscales and explains why traditional Secure Email Gateways (SEGs) are no longer sufficient to stop modern, sophisticated "Phishing 2.0" attacks like Business Email Compromise. The core of the discussion explores the emerging frontier of "Phishing 3.0," a new threat landscape driven by generative AI, deepfakes, and multi-channel attacks that weaponize platforms like Teams and Slack. Eyal explains how the defense must shift towards adaptive, agentic AI to protect all forms of communication and rebuild trust in a world where you can't always believe what you see or hear.

Episode 23: Debunking VPN Myths: Are You Really Anonymous Online?

September 26th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  58 mins 35 secs

The team pulls back the curtain on the consumer VPN and data privacy industry. They conduct a deep-dive into the privacy policies of major players like NordVPN and Surfshark, revealing how "no-log" claims can be misleading due to DNS logging and financial transaction records. They also present compelling research on PII (Personally Identifiable Information) removal services like Incogni and DeleteMe, exposing their surprisingly low success and accuracy rates, and questioning if these expensive subscriptions are truly worth the cost.

Episode 22: The MSP Playbook: Building a Business with Brian Kane

September 19th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 7 mins

This week, we have a very special guest in the studio: Brian Kane, the Vice President of Global MSP Channels at Threatdown/Malwarebytes. Brian pulls back the curtain on his 20-year journey, from the scrappy beginnings of building an MSP to advising a global cybersecurity leader.

Episode 21: Cybersecurity Tools of the Trade: Our Top Picks

September 12th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  44 mins 47 secs

This week, the team cracks open a few beers and pulls back the curtain on the cybersecurity tools they can't live without.

Episode 20: From Our First Intern to Rival CEO: Hacking with Jason Phillips

September 2nd, 2025  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 3 mins

This week, we go back to our roots and sit down with a very special guest: Jason Phillips, the founder of Mustang Cyber and, once upon a time, the very first intern at Scinary Cybersecurity.

Episode 19: Why Your Cybersecurity Bill Is a Ripoff

August 26th, 2025  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 18 mins

This week, we're going full medieval with mead and Viking helmets while exposing the most predatory pricing schemes in cybersecurity.