Plaintext with Rich

Rich Greene

Cybersecurity is an everyone problem. So why does it always sound like it’s only for IT people? Each week, Rich takes one topic, from phishing to ransomware to how your phone actually tracks you, and explains it in plain language in under ten minutes or less. No buzzwords. No condescension. Just the stuff you need to know to stay safer online, explained like you’re a smart person who never had anyone break it down properly. Because you are!

  1. 4일 전

    Threat Intelligence: Why Most Organizations Get It Backwards

    A dashboard lights up with indicators of compromise. The analyst copies the top five into a ticket, tags it "actionable," and sends it to the SOC. Nobody reads it not because they don't care, but because it didn't tell them what to do or why it mattered. That's not an intelligence failure. That's a confusion about what intelligence actually is. This episode breaks down threat intelligence from the ground up, drawing on Rich's military experience as a case officer in special operations. It separates data, information, and intelligence into three distinct layers, explains why most CTI programs skip the step that actually matters. Connecting analysis to a specific decision and introduces the concept of Priority Intelligence Requirements as the questions that should drive everything a security team collects and analyzes. The episode covers the intelligence cycle, why feeds alone aren't intelligence, and why organizations that never close the loop are publishing, not protecting. It closes with a five-step starter kit for building a threat intelligence function that actually changes decisions. Whether you're standing up a CTI program, evaluating one that isn't delivering, or just trying to understand what threat intelligence should look like, Plaintext with Rich cuts through the noise. Is there a topic/term you want me to discuss next? Text me!! YouTube more your speed? → https://links.sith2.com/YouTube   Apple Podcasts your usual stop? → https://links.sith2.com/Apple   Neither of those? Spotify’s over here → https://links.sith2.com/Spotify   Prefer reading quietly at your own pace? → https://links.sith2.com/Blog   Join us in The Cyber Sanctuary (no robes required) → https://links.sith2.com/Discord   Follow the human behind the microphone → https://links.sith2.com/linkedin   Need another way to reach me? That’s here → https://linktr.ee/rich.greene

    9분
  2. 4월 17일

    Roll for Security: What D&D Teaches About Cyber Defense

    The fighter absorbs hits up front. The rogue finds traps before the party walks into them. The cleric keeps everyone alive when things go wrong. And the bard convinces the people with resources to actually fund the quest. Nobody does everything. Everybody has a role. Now replace the dungeon with your company's network. This episode maps cybersecurity roles to D&D character classes, SOC analysts as fighters, pen testers as rogues, incident response as clerics, security architects as wizards, CISOs as bards, and threat intelligence analysts as rangers. It translates the six core ability scores into an organization's security posture: Strength as technical controls, Dexterity as speed of response, Constitution as resilience, Intelligence as threat knowledge, Wisdom as judgment, and Charisma as communication. Then it breaks down why parties wipe, siloed teams, no incident response plan, main character syndrome, and ignoring the logs before closing with a five-step starter kit for building your party and running the campaign. Whether you're a tabletop gamer who works in security or a leader trying to understand why your team needs every role filled, Plaintext with Rich has the quest briefing. Is there a topic/term you want me to discuss next? Text me!! YouTube more your speed? → https://links.sith2.com/YouTube   Apple Podcasts your usual stop? → https://links.sith2.com/Apple   Neither of those? Spotify’s over here → https://links.sith2.com/Spotify   Prefer reading quietly at your own pace? → https://links.sith2.com/Blog   Join us in The Cyber Sanctuary (no robes required) → https://links.sith2.com/Discord   Follow the human behind the microphone → https://links.sith2.com/linkedin   Need another way to reach me? That’s here → https://linktr.ee/rich.greene

    10분
  3. 4월 10일

    Why Reading Code Makes You Dangerous (In a Good Way)

    A vulnerability advisory drops on a Tuesday. Two people read the same report. One sees a severity score and waits for a patch. The other understands what a heap-based buffer overflow actually means and starts reducing risk before a fix even exists. This episode breaks down why code literacy is a cybersecurity skill, not just a developer skill. It starts with the listener's question about learning C and C++ for security, then widens the lens to cover the full stack: why C still matters because of how it handles memory, how offensive operators use that knowledge to find and exploit weaknesses, and how defenders use it to read malware, assess real risk, and build their own tools. The episode maps four languages to four layers, C and C++ for how software touches hardware, Python for automation and speed, JavaScript for web attack surfaces, and Assembly for understanding what the machine is actually doing then closes with a four-step starter kit for building code literacy at any level. Whether you're a security professional wondering where to start with code or a leader trying to understand what your team means by "exploit development," this episode makes the case clearly. Plaintext with Rich. Is there a topic/term you want me to discuss next? Text me!! YouTube more your speed? → https://links.sith2.com/YouTube   Apple Podcasts your usual stop? → https://links.sith2.com/Apple   Neither of those? Spotify’s over here → https://links.sith2.com/Spotify   Prefer reading quietly at your own pace? → https://links.sith2.com/Blog   Join us in The Cyber Sanctuary (no robes required) → https://links.sith2.com/Discord   Follow the human behind the microphone → https://links.sith2.com/linkedin   Need another way to reach me? That’s here → https://linktr.ee/rich.greene

    10분
  4. 4월 3일

    Hacking on Screens and Pages: Pop Culture That Shaped Cybersecurity

    Someone sits down at a keyboard, mashes keys for six seconds, and says "I'm in." Every security professional dies a little inside but that scene is probably the reason half of us got into this field. This episode walks through the movies, TV shows, books, graphic novels, and video games that shaped how we think about cybersecurity. Each pick lands in one of two buckets: the fantastical, the ones that made hacking look cool even when the tech was nonsense and the accurate or semi accurate, the ones that actually got the culture, the tools, and the tedium right or tried to. From Neuromancer to Mr. Robot, from Ghost in the Shell to Hacknet, and from The Cuckoo's Egg to community-built projects like Skadi: Threat Hunter and REKCAH Comics' The Future Is ******, this is a guided tour through the media that built cybersecurity's identity. The episode closes with a five-item starter kit for anyone looking to dive in. Whether you're new to cybersecurity and looking for a way in, or a veteran who wants to hand someone the right recommendation, this one's your reading, watching, and playing list curated on Plaintext with Rich. Is there a topic/term you want me to discuss next? Text me!! YouTube more your speed? → https://links.sith2.com/YouTube   Apple Podcasts your usual stop? → https://links.sith2.com/Apple   Neither of those? Spotify’s over here → https://links.sith2.com/Spotify   Prefer reading quietly at your own pace? → https://links.sith2.com/Blog   Join us in The Cyber Sanctuary (no robes required) → https://links.sith2.com/Discord   Follow the human behind the microphone → https://links.sith2.com/linkedin   Need another way to reach me? That’s here → https://linktr.ee/rich.greene

    11분
  5. 3월 27일

    Linux vs. Windows vs. macOS: Where Security Actually Differs

    People love to ask which operating system is the most secure. That's the wrong shape of question. Each one is designed for a different job, and that shapes how it gets attacked. This episode clears up what Linux actually is, how it compares to Windows and macOS, and why the differences matter for security. It starts by explaining why Linux isn't one product but a family of systems built around a shared kernel, then covers how each OS handles permissions, software installation, and administrator access differently. The episode walks through why Windows attracts commodity malware at scale, why macOS trades flexibility for Apple's guardrails, and why Linux incidents usually start not with a dramatic virus but with quiet exposure: an open SSH service, default credentials, or a skipped patch. It busts three common myths (Linux doesn't get malware, open source means audited, macOS and Linux are the same thing) and closes with a five-step starter kit covering patching, attack surface reduction, least privilege, trusted software sources, and recovery planning. Whether you're choosing an OS for your team, managing Linux servers for the first time, or just curious why your security team cares so much about configurations, Plaintext with Rich sorts it out. Is there a topic/term you want me to discuss next? Text me!! YouTube more your speed? → https://links.sith2.com/YouTube   Apple Podcasts your usual stop? → https://links.sith2.com/Apple   Neither of those? Spotify’s over here → https://links.sith2.com/Spotify   Prefer reading quietly at your own pace? → https://links.sith2.com/Blog   Join us in The Cyber Sanctuary (no robes required) → https://links.sith2.com/Discord   Follow the human behind the microphone → https://links.sith2.com/linkedin   Need another way to reach me? That’s here → https://linktr.ee/rich.greene

    8분
  6. 3월 20일

    APIs: The Control Points Hiding Inside Every App

    You tap a button and a ride shows up. You check out online and your bank approves it in seconds. It feels automatic. But nothing in software is automatic. Something received a request, decided it was valid, did some work, and sent back a response. That something is an API. This episode breaks down what APIs actually are, why they exist, when to use them, and why they matter far more than most people realize. It starts with a restaurant analogy that makes the concept click, then walks through how modern software is built from modular pieces that coordinate through structured requests and responses. From there, it covers the four ways APIs quietly fail: weak identity, excessive permissions, blindly trusted input, and missing guardrails for automation abuse. The episode closes with a four-step starter kit for treating every API like the security-critical control point it is, covering authentication, authorization, data minimization, and abuse prevention. Whether you're a business leader trying to understand what your engineering team means by "API security" or a professional who wants the concept explained without the jargon, Plaintext with Rich makes it clear. Is there a topic/term you want me to discuss next? Text me!! YouTube more your speed? → https://links.sith2.com/YouTube   Apple Podcasts your usual stop? → https://links.sith2.com/Apple   Neither of those? Spotify’s over here → https://links.sith2.com/Spotify   Prefer reading quietly at your own pace? → https://links.sith2.com/Blog   Join us in The Cyber Sanctuary (no robes required) → https://links.sith2.com/Discord   Follow the human behind the microphone → https://links.sith2.com/linkedin   Need another way to reach me? That’s here → https://linktr.ee/rich.greene

    7분
  7. 3월 13일

    Securing AI at Work: What the Chat Box Actually Touches

    At 4:47 p.m., someone pastes a customer escalation into an AI assistant and asks it to rewrite the tone. The reply is perfect. It also includes a private note from the internal thread. No breach. No attacker. Just a new workflow that doesn't know what should stay inside. This episode breaks down how to secure AI tools in the workplace by treating them like any other system that handles sensitive information and influences decisions. It covers the three patterns where AI quietly breaks: sensitive data going in through normal use, assistants being steered by hidden instructions inside documents they read (prompt injection), and over-connected AI with too much autonomy and too little friction. The episode references NIST's AI Risk Management Framework, OWASP's Generative AI Security Project and LLM Top 10, and practitioners like Rob T. Lee and Chris Cochran for ongoing grounded guidance. The starter kit covers four moves in order: creating an approved AI lane with company identity and strong authentication, putting guardrails around sensitive data, limiting connectors and permissions with a human in the loop, and making usage observable through logging and adversarial testing. Whether you're rolling out AI tools to your team or trying to secure what people are already using, Plaintext with Rich provides the baseline. Is there a topic/term you want me to discuss next? Text me!! YouTube more your speed? → https://links.sith2.com/YouTube   Apple Podcasts your usual stop? → https://links.sith2.com/Apple   Neither of those? Spotify’s over here → https://links.sith2.com/Spotify   Prefer reading quietly at your own pace? → https://links.sith2.com/Blog   Join us in The Cyber Sanctuary (no robes required) → https://links.sith2.com/Discord   Follow the human behind the microphone → https://links.sith2.com/linkedin   Need another way to reach me? That’s here → https://linktr.ee/rich.greene

    8분
  8. 3월 6일

    AI Is an Umbrella Word (And That's the Problem)

    Every company says they're using AI. Some mean chatbots. Some mean automation. Some mean statistics with a new logo. If everything is AI, the word stops meaning anything. This episode untangles what people actually mean when they say "AI" by breaking the umbrella into its real components. It covers machine learning (systems that learn patterns from data), deep learning (layered neural networks that made modern recognition possible), large language models (text prediction engines driving today's headlines), RAG or retrieval-augmented generation (connecting models to specific documents instead of relying on training alone), and agentic AI (systems that don't just respond but take action). The episode explains why these distinctions matter for risk, why a fraud detection model making probability estimates is fundamentally different from an agent allowed to move money, and how to filter the hype with a simple mental checklist: is this prediction, generation, retrieval, action, or branding? Whether you're evaluating AI tools for your organization, sitting through vendor demos full of buzzwords, or just trying to have a smarter conversation about what AI can and can't do, Plaintext with Rich sorts the categories. Is there a topic/term you want me to discuss next? Text me!! YouTube more your speed? → https://links.sith2.com/YouTube   Apple Podcasts your usual stop? → https://links.sith2.com/Apple   Neither of those? Spotify’s over here → https://links.sith2.com/Spotify   Prefer reading quietly at your own pace? → https://links.sith2.com/Blog   Join us in The Cyber Sanctuary (no robes required) → https://links.sith2.com/Discord   Follow the human behind the microphone → https://links.sith2.com/linkedin   Need another way to reach me? That’s here → https://linktr.ee/rich.greene

    8분

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Cybersecurity is an everyone problem. So why does it always sound like it’s only for IT people? Each week, Rich takes one topic, from phishing to ransomware to how your phone actually tracks you, and explains it in plain language in under ten minutes or less. No buzzwords. No condescension. Just the stuff you need to know to stay safer online, explained like you’re a smart person who never had anyone break it down properly. Because you are!

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