DrZeroTrust

My conversation with Kurtis Minder cuts through the fantasy land most people live in when they talk about ransomware.This isn’t about movie-style hackers or “just restore from backup” nonsense. It’s about the industrialized ransomware economy—where threat actors operate with rules, quotas, minimum payouts, and negotiation playbooks that look a lot more like organized business than random crime.We get into the ugly realities organizations face when ransomware hits:How ransom negotiations actually work todayWhy cyber insurance often shapes decisions more than security teams doAnd the uncomfortable ethical tradeoffs executives are forced to make under real pressureWe also call out one of the biggest contributors to successful ransomware attacks: complacency. Most organizations have incident response plans that look great in PowerPoint and fall apart the second reality shows up. If you’re not rehearsing, testing, and updating those plans, they’re effectively worthless.Finally, we talk about what actually moves the needle. Not buzzwords. Not vendor bingo. Real strategy:Zero Trust done correctlyLeast privilege enforced, not “eventually planned”Microsegmentation that limits blast radius instead of praying backups workRansomware isn’t going away. The only question is whether your organization is architected to absorb impact and survive, or whether you’re funding the next criminal enterprise.Key TakeawaysRansomware is a structured business model, not chaos—negotiations follow rules and economics.Complacency kills response efforts; untested incident plans fail every time.Zero Trust, least privilege, and microsegmentation materially reduce ransomware blast radius when implemented correctly.

In this conversation, I break down the state of cybersecurity heading into 2025—and it’s not pretty. Ransomware isn’t “ramping up,” it’s eating the market alive, while too many organizations are still betting their future on outdated controls, checkbox compliance, and the fantasy that perimeter security is a strategy. I call out the continued failure of traditional security models, the uncomfortable reality of high-profile vendor missteps, and the industry’s habit of confusing tool sprawl with actual risk reduction.My bottom line is simple: Zero Trust isn’t a buzzword; it’s the only approach that aligns with how modern environments actually operate—cloud-first, identity-driven, and constantly under attack. If you want real improvement, start treating identity like the control plane, tighten your cloud and endpoint fundamentals, get serious visibility into what’s connecting and what’s executing, and stop pretending “prevention” alone is a plan. Initial access is going to happen—so engineer for containment and resiliency. I wrap up with practical steps you can apply immediately to harden posture and quit treating cyber defense like a yearly renewal rather than a continuous operational discipline.TakeawaysRansomware incidents surged in 2025, impacting critical infrastructure.Traditional defenses are failing to contain ransomware attacks.Using a password manager is essential for security.Cybercrime costs are projected to reach $10 trillion by 2025.Misconfigurations in cloud services are a major risk factor.Identity management is a solvable problem that needs attention.Vendors in cybersecurity are not immune to breaches.Organizations should partner with service providers for cybersecurity.Research and data should guide cybersecurity strategies.A proactive approach is necessary to mitigate cyber threats.

In this episode, we take a hard look at how AI is being integrated into cybersecurity—and where the narrative often diverges from reality. The discussion spans offensive and defensive use cases, the structural challenges facing SMBs, and why open-source cyber threat intelligence (CTI) remains a critical foundation despite aggressive vendor marketing.We also explore the economic pressures shaping today’s security market, including broken pricing models, unrealistic expectations placed on small teams, and the growing gap between compliance optics and real risk reduction. The episode concludes with a forward-looking discussion on applied machine learning, mathematical modeling, and how these approaches can meaningfully support incident responders in the field.Practical applications of AI in cybersecurity operationsOffensive vs. defensive AI tradeoffsThe SMB security gap and market failureOpen-source CTI as a force multiplierPricing models and market distortionApplied ML and mathematics for real-world incident responseProduct direction and long-term vision00:00 — Introduction and company overview38:10 — Pricing models, market dynamics, and systemic issues39:26 — Future plans, roadmap, and strategic vision52:00 — AI in offensive and defensive cybersecurity operations58:54 — Open-source CTI and applied AI capabilitiesKey Topics CoveredChapters

In this conversation, I discuss the latest findings from the Identity Theft Resources Center's Business Impact Report. He highlights alarming cybersecurity trends, particularly the rise of AI-powered attacks and their financial implications for small businesses. The discussion covers the disconnect between perceived security preparedness and actual security measures, as well as best practices for improving cybersecurity resilience.TakeawaysCyber attacks are a near-universal threat, especially for small businesses.The financial cost of cybercrime is being passed directly to consumers, creating a hidden 'cybertax'.Business leaders' confidence in their cybersecurity preparedness has significantly declined.There is a dangerous disconnect between the perception of risk and the adoption of basic security controls.Small business leaders have mixed opinions on the role of AI in cybersecurity.AI-powered attacks are a significant threat, accounting for over 40% of incidents.Cyber insurance is becoming less reliable, forcing businesses to find alternative recovery methods.Loss of customer trust and employee turnover are significant consequences of cyber attacks.Training alone is not sufficient to prevent cybersecurity breaches.Mastering foundational cybersecurity practices is essential for resilience.

Hard truth: if you’re shipping AI and haven’t rethought identity, you’re not “innovating” — you’re just building a faster, prettier fraud engine.In this conversation with Heather Dahl, we dig into what identity in the age of AI really means — and why mutual authentication is now the minimum entry fee for doing business online.A few blunt takeaways:AI changes the economics of scams — this isn’t “50 cents here, a dollar there” anymore, it’s industrialized fraud at AI speed.A slick AI experience on top of a weak identity is just a scam delivery platform.If you burn a customer with a security failure, you don’t get a second chance. They move on.Every dollar you put into AI without strong identity and mutual authentication is risk capital for the attacker, not innovation spend.If your systems can’t prove who they are to the customer, and your customers can’t prove who they are to you, your “AI strategy” is really just an attack surface with good branding.🔗 Watch the full episode + bring this to your next board or exec conversation about “AI investments” and “digital experience.” If identity and mutual auth aren’t on the slide — the strategy is incomplete.#ZeroTrust #AI #Identity #MutualAuthentication #CyberSecurity #DigitalTrust #FraudPrevention #CustomerExperience #VerifiableCredentials #ScamsAtScale