Compromising Positions - A Cyber Security Podcast Compromising Positions

Welcome to Compromising Positions!

The tech podcast that asks non-cybersecurity professionals what we in the industry can do to make their lives easier and help make our organisations more prepared to face ever-changing human-centric cyber threats!

Welcome back to season 3!

To kick things off we are joined by Dr Bettina Palazzo a business ethics expert! She works with compliance managers to create a culture of integrity that focuses on the leadership and behavioural dimensions of compliance.

She states that unethical organisations make people unhappy - and we couldn’t agree more. So she has dedicated her life work to helping organisations create cultures that make work fun and meaningful.

Ethics is such an important subject when it comes to business because poor ethical decisions can mean poor compliance, and ultimately, can lead to poor security decisions.

So how do you build a culture that is comfortable with having honest conversations about ethics?

Well that’s what we will explore in this episode, Rules Without Relationships Create Rebellion: Why Ethics Matter in Cybersecurity.

By the end of this episode you will Learn how to create a ‘speak up’ culture so that people can raise cybersecurity concerns with you.

How to build a compliance influencer programme (and no, that does not mean trips abroad at beautiful locations surrounded by policy documentation for the gram)

And how the cybersecurity team can not only be ethical role models but also give people a reason to care for the big question: why we do the things we do to protect them!

Welcome to Compromising Positions!

The tech podcast that asks non-cybersecurity professionals what we in the industry can do to make their lives easier and help make our organisations more prepared to face ever-changing human-centric cyber threats!


Welcome to the grand finale of season two of ‘Compromising Positions’, where we delve into the fascinating world of AI security. In this special episode, your hosts will guide you through the labyrinth of securing AI models, one step at a time.

For those who prefer a quick overview, we offer an abridged version on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This version deep dives into two key topics:

Jeff’s unique mnemonic C-PTSD for threat modeling AI systems, and an intriguing discussion on the correlation between boredom, worm-killing, and AI efficiency gains.

For those who crave a deeper dive, scroll down or visit our Youtube channel for the extended cut.

This version includes everything from the regular version, plus:

Jeff’s academic journey in AI at the University of Hull

Lianne’s preparation for a 100 days of Code in Python for her MSc in Data Science and AI at Leeds Trinity University

A critical discussion on OpenAI’s transparency and the latest AI wearable technology, along with the complexities of consent and privacy in an ‘always recorded’ lifestyle

Whether you choose the regular or extended version, we appreciate your support throughout season two. Stay tuned for more enlightening discussions in season three! Thank you for being a fantastic audience.

Welcome to Compromising Positions!

The tech podcast that asks non-cybersecurity professionals what we in the industry can do to make their lives easier and help make our organisations more prepared to face ever-changing human-centric cyber threats! 

This week we are joined by Dr David Burkus, one of the world’s leading business thinkers and best-selling author of five books on the topic of business and leadership. Dr Burkus has worked with the leadership teams of some internationally known names such as PepsiCo, Adobe and NASA.

In this episode, “It's a Wonderful Hack! Building a high-performance cybersecurity team“, we discuss the three elements of the “Team Culture Triad”: common understanding, psychological safety and prosocial purpose, and how these elements are the backbone of every successful team.

We delve into how interpersonal trust is a reciprocal process, that trust needs to be met with respect and an open mind, and how we can build a culture that learns from mistakes and people feel safe to challenge at all levels in the business.

We also discuss how being part of a team is more like chess than checkers. We can’t treat all people like they have the same skills or ways of working, we’re a team yes, but it’s a team of individuals.

And the “It’s a Wonderful Life” test. A brilliant thought experiment to show the impact of your team’s contributions, which may not always be tied to revenue.

Welcome to Compromising Positions!

The tech podcast that asks non-cybersecurity professionals what we in the industry can do to make their lives easier and help make our organisations more prepared to face ever-changing human-centric cyber threats!


This week we are joined by Dr David Burkus, one of the world’s leading business thinkers and best-selling author of five books on the topic of business and leadership. Dr Burkus has worked with the leadership teams of some internationally known names such as PepsiCo, Adobe and NASA.


In this episode, “Storytelling Superconnectors: Unleashing Purpose Beyond Metrics in Your Cybersecurity Function”, Dr Burkus challenges the concept of Dunbar’s Number as we discuss the power of human networks, and how finding the superconnectors in your organisation will help you get your cybersecurity agenda in front of the right people.

Indulging in a bit of schadenfreude, Dr Burkus shows us how we can use the hacks and breaches of our competitors to demonstrate our value and purpose offering to the c-suite and he also shares his unique insights on breaking down siloes, and harnessing the power of positive engagement in the workplace.


And as if that wasn’t enough (!) how to move away from just metrics to make your security function shine! If you want to change the way your organisation sees your security team, this is the episode for you!

This is a two part episode (this is part one!) so don’t forget to check back in next week to hear the whole interview!

Welcome to Compromising Positions!

The tech podcast that asks non-cybersecurity professionals what we in the industry can do to make their lives easier and help make our organisations more prepared to face ever-changing human-centric cyber threats!


This week we are joined by Jenn Calland, a seasoned Data Analyst, Analytics Engineer, former Platform Engineer and Full Stack Developer with expertise spanning Google Cloud, Looker, BigQuery, and many other technologies.


In this episode, Data, Data Everywhere, But How Do We Make It Safe to Share? We are going explore the relationship between data, cybersecurity and our personal and organisational desire for convenience which can sometimes lead to insecure and risky behaviour.

Jenn warns data analysts about working under the assumption that by the time they get their hands on the data, that it’s all ‘safe and secure.’ She cautions the data team that they shouldn’t think they don’t need to be ‘secure’ because it has been taken care of either by the cloud providers, compliance or the security team themselves - but in fact, we all need to be accountable in our data/security journey.

We also discussed the challenges around anonymising data and the handling of medical data, how AI is changing things and what security teams can do to make sure we collaborate with the data team in a way that works for all parties involved.

Welcome to Compromising Positions!

The tech podcast that asks non-cybersecurity professionals what we in the industry can do to make their lives easier and help make our organisations more prepared to face ever-changing human-centric cyber threats!


This week we are joined by Bec McKeown, a chartered psychologist with extensive experience in carrying out applied research for organisations including the UK Ministry of Defence and the founder and director of Mind Science, an independent organisation that works with cybersecurity professionals


Last episode we ended by talking with Bec about how cybercriminals leverage the fight-or-flight response and get you to do things you wouldn’t normally do, like share bank details, through amygdala hijacking. Bec concluded the episode by giving us some great advice on how we can retrain ourselves NOT to be so reactive and hopefully, stop ourselves from doing something rash.

In this episode, Awareness ≠ Behavioural Change - Rethinking Cybersecurity Training, we’re going to build upon what Bec discussed last week, a cyber psychology 101 if you will, and see how we practically apply key psychological concepts like cognitive agility, convergent and divergent thinking and meta-cognitive skills to things like tabletop exercises and security awareness training.