The Defender's Log Podcast
Deep in the digital shadows, where threats hide behind any random byte, a fearless crew of cybersecurity warriors guards the line between chaos and order. Their epic battles, rarely spoken of - until today.
All Episodes
Inside the DNS Battlefield: Malware, Tunnels & the Future of Network Defense
Johannes Weber
Johannes Weber explores the hidden world of DNS security, revealing how 90% of malware uses DNS in its kill chain. He explains DNS exfiltration, tunneling, and domain generation algorithms (DGAs) as key attack vectors, and discusses defenses including recursive resolvers, DNSSEC, and the trade-offs of DNS over HTTPS in enterprise environments.
The Defender's Mentality - From Film Sets to Cyber Resilience
Francois Driessen, Co-Founder ADAMnetworks
Francois Driessen explores the intersection of human psychology, extreme risk, and cybersecurity. His background in film production and technical diving taught him that resilience must be built into the system. He advocates for a Zero Trust "True Proactive" approach - security by design with a default deny posture that stops threats before they connect.
27 Years of Defending the Web: Inside Peter Lowe's Blocklist
Peter Lowe
Peter Lowe, the curator of one of the internet's longest-running blocklists, explores the intersection of language, human behavior, and digital privacy with host David Redekop.
The Architect of the Internet on the Future of Trust
Dr. Paul Mockapetris, Inventor of DNS
Paul Mockapetris, the architect of DNS, discusses the evolving role of the Domain Name System from a simple directory to a sophisticated security tool. He posits that modern networking requires "making sure DNS doesn't work when you don't want it to," comparing DNS filtering to essential services like spam filters and firewalls.
The Hidden Layer of Cybersecurity: DNS & DDI Defense
Andreas Taudte
Andreas Taudte discusses DDI (DNS, DHCP, and IP Address Management) as an often-overlooked attack surface. He shares horror stories of misconfigurations, discusses DNS tunneling attacks, and emphasizes that DNS resolution should be predictable.
The Dark Truth About Modern Cyber Threats
Joshua Domagalski, CISO Astronomer
Joshua Domagalski shares his journey from offense to defense and why defensive cybersecurity presents a more complex and worthwhile challenge. He discusses AI adoption challenges, Zero Trust Architecture, and why humility is key in recognizing that cyber is a human-made problem.
Inside DNS Threat Intelligence: Privacy, Security & Innovation
Tim Adams, Founder Scout DNS
Tim Adams shares how he transitioned from a wireless network integrator to building Scout DNS. He advocates for moving beyond traditional threat feeds to a zero-trust model that blocks unclassified domains and predicts a fractured internet with differing regional privacy standards.
Defending the Frontline: Ransomware, AI, and Real-World Lessons
Alexander Rau, Partner Cyber Security, KPMG
Alexander Rau discusses the evolving incident response landscape. The past summer was the busiest on record, driven by zero-day firewall vulnerabilities. Threat actors are now using AI chatbots for ransom negotiations, and MFA is no longer a silver bullet against Business Email Compromise.
Cyber Warriors & Digital Shadows: Insights from Canada's Cybersecurity Leader
Sami Khoury, Senior Official for Cybersecurity, Government of Canada
Sami Khoury shares his 33-year career at the Communication Security Establishment (CSE). He discusses how cyber defense is a team sport, identifies ransomware as the top threat to Canadian organizations, and emphasizes proactive defense and collaboration.
Beyond the Firewall: How Attackers Weaponize Your DNS
Josh Kuo, Infoblox Educator
Josh Kuo from Infoblox shares how DNS has become a primary vector for cyberattacks. The discussion covers DNS tunneling, data exfiltration through DNS queries, and how Protective DNS services can stop these attacks before connections are established.
A Defender's Journey: From Passion Project to Protecting Children Online
Will Earp, Lead Engineer SWGfL
Will Earp shares his unconventional path into cybersecurity and his mission-driven career at SWGfL, a UK-based charity dedicated to protecting children online. His story is a testament to the power of following your passion.
Understanding Microsoft Zero Trust DNS
Aditi Patange, Microsoft
Aditi Patange from Microsoft explains Zero Trust DNS, a new enterprise security feature in Windows 11 that blocks all outbound connections by default. The feature was created in response to a U.S. government cybersecurity executive order requiring solutions without TLS termination.
Breaking Barriers: IPv6 Adoption and DNS Transformation
Tommy Jensen
Tommy Jensen, an internet technologist specializing in IPv6 and Zero Trust, discusses the critical importance of migrating to IPv6 and the necessity of overcoming legacy systems. The episode explores encrypted DNS, TLS termination implications, and the future of the internet.
Defending the DNS: How Quad9 Protects the Internet
John Todd, CTO Quad9
John Todd from Quad9 discusses their mission to protect the internet through secure DNS. Quad9, a non-profit launched in 2017, provides a free, global recursive DNS resolver that blocks malicious domains using threat intelligence from 35 providers.
Cybersecurity Explained: Privacy, Threats, and the Future
Chester Wisniewski
Host David Redekop and guest Chet Wisniewski discuss the dynamic world of cybersecurity. Wisniewski traces his journey from early BBS and phone network exploration to becoming a cybersecurity expert. They delve into the evolution of hacking, the emergence of profitable cybercrime, and the critical distinction between privacy and security.