Purple Squad Security
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
November 19, 2017

Episode 011 – Security Scenario Generator with Dr. Z. Cliffe Schreuders

I speak with Dr. Z. Cliffe Schreuders about a rather amazing project, the Security Scenario Generator (SecGen), which generates random vulnerable VMs!

As security professionals, we often try to keep our skills sharp.  We normally do this by going to training, reading books, or participating in CTFs.  There are Webgoat and Juice Shop from OWASP; sites like HackTheBox, OverTheWire, and SmashTheStack which are often mentioned when people are looking for websites to practice on. This week I speak with Dr. Z. Cliffe Schreuders about the Security Scenario Generator, a rather ambitious project that may scratch that vulnerable VM itch you've had for a while. Some links of interest:

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Find out more at http://purplesquadsec.com

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November 12, 2017

Episode 010 – Crowdsourced Pen Testing w/ Jason Haddix of Bugcrowd

I speak with Jason Haddix of Bugcrowd about the crowdsourcing of pen tests and growing the infosec community.

Penetration testing.  If you're in the information security field, you have run into your fair share of them.  Now there seems to be a trend with penetration testing moving to a crowdsourcing model.  This week I speak with Jason Haddix of Bugcrowd to explore why that is, what's the draw and how are companies like Bugcrowd helping build the infosec community. Some links of interest:

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Thanks for listening, and I will talk with you again next time!

Find out more at http://purplesquadsec.com

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October 29, 2017

Episode 009 – Detecting Intruders on AWS with Scott Piper

Scott Piper joins me this week to talk about detecting intruders on AWS.

The old saying of a defender has to be right 100% of the time while an attacker only has to be right once is growing a bit tired.  Now blue team members should be measured not by keeping the attackers out, but by how quickly they can find out that they're on your network. Scott Piper joins me this week to discuss how we can detect intruders in your AWS cloud infrastructure.  We cover a lot of different tools and techniques that you can use to help detect intruders, and some mitigation strategies to help reduce the risk when an attack is successful. Some links of interest:

Want to reach out to the show?  There's a few ways to get in touch!

Thanks for listening, and I will talk with you again next time!

Find out more at http://purplesquadsec.com

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October 22, 2017

Episode 008 – IAM Securing AWS with J Cole Morrison

This week I speak with J Cole Morrison about AWS Security and how IAM policies seem to be a lost art that are causing news headlines because of security breaches.

The cloud.  The final frontier.  Well, not exactly but it is a pretty important topic in today's IT environment.  Unfortunately 2017 has been the year of leaks, hacks, and misconfigurations when it comes to the cloud.  Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the cloud provider with the most market share, but its security configuration can leave a bit to be desired. J Cole Morrison joins me this week to discuss IAM policies in AWS, what they are and why they are important.  Cole has written about IAM policies on his blog (link below), which I encourage everyone to read. Some links of interest:

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Thanks for listening, and I will talk with you again next time!

Find out more at http://purplesquadsec.com

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October 15, 2017

Episode 007 – Securing Linux in Hostile Networks

I speak with author Kyle Rankin about his latest book, Linux Hardening in Hostile Networks: Server Security from TLS to Tor.

Linux is often the operating system of choice for server deployments due to its stability and security posturing, right out of the box.  Unfortunately not everything is "production ready" right after an install.  Throughout the internet, there are a lot of Linux hardening and security guides on the internet but most are outdated and provide instructions that are no longer applicable. Kyle Rankin joins me this week to discuss his latest book, Linux Hardening in Hostile Networks: Server Security from TLS to Tor.  This really is a great book and one I would recommend any InfoSec professional pick up to read.  It will make a great reference guide and provides an up-to-date hardening guide for most popular Linux distributions. Some links of interest:

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Thanks for listening, and I will talk with you again next time!

Find out more at http://purplesquadsec.com

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October 8, 2017

Episode 006 – What up Bropy

I speak with Matt Domko about Bropy, a tool he built on top of Bro that offers infosec professionals an anomaly detection engine for network analysis.

When people think of an open source IDS, they usually think of Snort.  Bro is another open source IDS that is more than just an IDS.  It is a Network Security Monitor that does so much more.  Matt Domko joins me this week to talk about Bropy, a tool he built that works with Bro to help perform anomaly detection.  This is definitely a tool you will want to have in your bag of tricks. Some links of interest:

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Find out more at http://purplesquadsec.com

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October 1, 2017

Episode 005 – #DFIR to Someone Else

I speak with Jonathon Poling about DFIR and what it entails.

Digital Forensics and Incident Response - DFIR.  The mere mention of the acronym brings forth memories of CSI, plastic bags and agents in suits coming to collect all manner of evidence.  In this episode I speak with Jonathon Poling, a DFIR expert who has graciously agreed to talk DFIR with me!  Another great listen, Jonathon has a lot of great experience in the field and much to share.  Have yourself a listen! Some links of interest:

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Find out more at http://purplesquadsec.com

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September 24, 2017

Episode 004 – A Day In The Life Of A Red Teamer With Mark Kikta

I speak with security consultant Mark Kikta about red teams, their activities and all sorts of interesting aspects on how red teams help organizations build a stronger defence.

Red Teams.  For some, it's the "frenemy".  For others, it's the greener grass on the other side of the defence wall.  In this episode I spend some time speaking with security consultant Mark Kikta about Red Teaming.  Mark has been a Red Teamer for a while and has a lot of experience to share.  We talk about a number of different things, share some laughs and try to shed some light on an often misunderstood group. Mark has also graciously offered to hang out in our Slack channel!  Just message @mark to get in touch with him if you have questions or just want to say "hey". Some links of interest:

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Find out more at http://purplesquadsec.com

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September 17, 2017

Episode 003 – Just the Equifax ma’am

Equifax suffered one of the biggest breaches in history. I try to break down what happened and what we as Infosec professionals can learn from their mistakes.

Equifax had the largest data breach this year, possibly ever!  How could I possibly pass up this opportunity to discuss what happened?  How did it happen and what lessons could we learn from it?  Equifax did a lot of things wrong for sure, but that doesn't mean that we should throw stones.  Especially given how many of us live in glass houses. Have a listen as I explore the Equifax breach from another perspective, in the hopes of salvaging something of use for others in the infosec community. Some links of interest:

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Find out more at http://purplesquadsec.com

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September 10, 2017

Episode 002 – Threat Modeling with Archie Agarwal – Part 2

In the conclusion of my 2 part interview with Archie Agarwal from ThreatModeler, we look at threat modeling outside of early design and architecture.

This is the conclusion of my two part series on threat modeling with Archie Agarwal.  In this episode we go into some benefits on threat modeling, how it can be used beyond the early stages of development and how it can help red teams carry out a more in-depth test against targets! Some links of interest:

Want to reach out to the show?  There's a few ways to get in touch!

Thanks for listening, and I will talk with you again next time!

Find out more at http://purplesquadsec.com

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