Inside BurbSec: From Suburban InfoSec Beers to Global Discord Community – Johnny Xmas

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, Sean Juroviesky joins us to share their journey through cybersecurity, from finding community in BurbSec to giving talks at major conferences like DEF CON and BlueTeamCon. Sean dives deep into the realities of risk management, executive sign-off processes, and the critical importance of understanding business impact. The conversation also touches on the necessity of building cross-functional relationships and documenting everything to make informed, actionable security decisions.https://burbsec.com/Sean Juroviesky is a dedicated cybersecurity, risk management, and privacy advocate, speaking on those topics at conferences across the world, including DEF CON, CypherCon, CornCon, BSides Rochester, SecretCon, Sec-T, and more. Sean also acts as a cybersecurity architect for a large music streaming provider. Beyond their professional pursuits, Sean finds joy in backpacking through the mountains with their adventurous Australian Shepherd, partner, and twins, embracing the serenity of nature and the thrill of exploration.

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, Dwayne McDaniel and Sankalp Kumar dive into the world of deepfakes, how they are created using transformer models and GANs, and the real-world scams they enable. They discuss current detection techniques, including physiological analysis, iris scanning, and PKI-based authentication. Sankalp also shares actionable advice for security teams to adopt existing tools and prepare for the evolving deepfake threat landscape.With over 7 years of experience working with industry giants like McAfee, Juniper, and Fraunhofer, Sankalp Kumar has consistently been at the forefront of security innovation. He has expertise in building software systems that do intrusion detection and was one of the lead engineers in building McAfee’s IPS. Today, Sankalp leads efforts for scaling, improving network software stacks, and securing software systems.Further reading for the audience:(1) News article for deep fake scams:DOJ's probe into Doppelganger: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-disrupts-covert-russian-government-sponsored-foreign-malign-influenceDeepfake CFO scam: https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/04/asia/deepfake-cfo-scam-hong-kong-intl-hnk/index.html(2) Some tools for further understanding the detection of deep fakes:Darpa MediFor: https://www.darpa.mil/research/programs/media-forensicsMicrosoft Video Authentication: https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2020/09/01/disinformation-deepfakes-newsguard-video-authenticator/

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, we’re joined by Matt Gracie, a seasoned blue team expert and senior engineer at Security Onion Solutions. Matt dives deep into the architecture and practical deployment of Security Onion, a powerful open-source enterprise security monitoring tool. He also shares insights from his role as a cybersecurity educator, reflecting on how generational shifts are changing the way students learn and approach security.https://securityonionsolutions.com/Matthew Gracie is a defensive security specialist with fifteen years of Blue Team experience in higher education, manufacturing, financial services, and healthcare. He is currently a Senior Engineer on the professional services team at Security Onion Solutions, as well as an adjunct professor of Cybersecurity in the graduate school at Canisius University. Matt is also the lead organizer of Infosec 716, a monthly meetup for security enthusiasts in Western New York, and the BSides Buffalo technology conference. He enjoys good beer, mountain bikes, open source security tools, and college hockey, and can be found on Bluesky as @InfosecGoon.

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, software engineer and newly minted CISSP Matt Olmsted joins us to explore cryptographic fundamentals and why understanding them matters for anyone in security. From explaining symmetric vs. asymmetric encryption to the real-world implications of side-channel attacks, Matt delivers practical insights for blue teamers and developers alike. Plus, we dive into his journey in InfoSec, his unique use of podcasting tech to distribute ocarina music, and even enjoy a live performance to close the show.https://mattthetall.site/https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-olmsted/Matt Olmsted has worked professionally in software engineering for over a decade, and been interested in infosec his entire career. In 2024 he decided to go for the CISSP as his first infosec cert and passed the exam at the minimum number of questions after only studying two weeks. He's something of a polymath and renaissance man, the latter in both a literal and figurative sense.

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, Johnny Xmas shares the grassroots story and philosophy behind BurbSec, a unique InfoSec meetup network focused on genuine community and consistent in-person engagement. He dives into the evolution from IRC to Discord, detailing how digital platforms have helped expand and sustain their hyperlocal connections. Johnny also discusses the broader social impacts of tech culture, the value of assuming breach in security strategy, and the dangers of oversimplified advice like "just patch your stuff."https://burbsec.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnyxmas/Johnny Xmas, a prominent figure in the Information Security community since 2002, has been a dedicated contributor to public forums, sharing his extensive research and knowledge. Most notably recognized for being the showrunner of the BurbSec Infosec Meetup Network, his pivotal role in exposing the American TSA Master Key leaks (2014-2018), uncovering Venmo stalking vulnerabilities (2018), and being an overall nuisance. Currently, he is the Global Head of Offensive Security for a Fortune 200 food manufacturing company. Before that, he spent many years in the field as a penetration tester, security engineer for a global Fortune 500 corporation, and Mainframe auditor and Systems Engineer for several IT asset recovery firms.

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, we meet Christian Pinkston, a cybersecurity student and car culture enthusiast who's become a recognizable figure in the hacker community. Christian shares his unique journey into cybersecurity—from early experiments with hacking tools to volunteering at major conferences and running mesh networks with Meshtastic and LoRa. He also offers insightful advice on how to get involved in security through local meetups, hands-on projects, and staying curious.https://www.meetup.com/oc2600/https://www.irvineunderground.org/https://www.nuccinc.org/Christian Pinkston aka “Itz.Ghriz” is a niche internet personality blending cybersecurity, car culture, and humor across platforms like Instagram, Threads, and YouTube.a self-described "Local Hacking Legend and General Sex Icon." His profile indicates he's a cybersecurity student and car enthusiast, with a flair for humor and a strong online persona.

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, we sit down with Matt Glaman, a veteran developer in the Drupal community, to explore the role of static code analysis in maintaining secure, performant, and upgrade-ready PHP applications. We dive into tools like PHPStan and DrupalCheck, and how they help identify deprecations and prevent security risks. Matt also shares insights on mentoring in open source, the impact of AI on contributions, and lessons from surviving Drupalgeddon.https://mglaman.dev/https://bsky.app/profile/mglaman.bsky.socialhttps://www.drupal.org/node/3343181Matt Glaman is an experienced software engineer and a prominent member of the Drupal community. With over a decade of experience in web development, he has gained a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the field. He is the author of several books, including "Drupal 8 Development Cookbook" and "Drupal 10 Development Cookbook," which provide a comprehensive guide to building and customizing Drupal sites.As an active member of the Drupal community, Matt is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and expertise with others. He regularly contributes to Drupal projects and is passionate about helping others develop their skills and become more proficient in Drupal development.

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, Manoj Viswanathan shares his unconventional journey into cybersecurity, from a personal phishing incident to mastering Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions and interning at Toshiba. The conversation dives deep into the community-driven value of groups like BurbSec, the practical benefits of hands-on experience over certifications, and the evolving path from student to professional. Manoj also offers candid reflections on the importance of mentorship, curiosity, and perseverance for those entering the field.https://www.linkedin.com/in/manojvisw/https://burbsec.com/https://chibrrcon.com/Manoj is a recent cybersecurity graduate from Illinois Institute of Technology, where he gained hands-on experience as a Product Security Intern at Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions.Passionate about staying ahead in the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, Manoj is an avid attendee of security conferences, finding them an excellent resource for keeping up-to-date with the latest trends and advancements.

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, we dive deep into the evolving role of DevSecOps with Nivathan Athiganoor Somasundharam, a technical account manager at Teleport. He shares his journey from cloud engineering to becoming a DevSecOps practitioner, emphasizing proactive security, the elimination of secrets, and the future of identity-based infrastructure access. We also explore how AI can enhance DevSecOps practices and the cultural shift needed to embed security across development and operations.https://www.linkedin.com/in/nivathan/https://goteleport.com/Nivathan Athiganoor Somasundharam is a technical account manager at Gravitational Inc. DBA Teleport. He specializes in Zero-Trust implementation, identity security, and DevSecOps. He has a unique blend of experience in the cloud, working on Hyperscalers like AWS, GCP, Azure, and Security for them, which makes him an actual DevSecOps Practitioner.  An active contributor to the cybersecurity community, Somasundharam shares his expertise through blogs, webinars, and conferences focused on cloud infrastructure security. He is also a key contributor to the open-source VMware Carbon Black Harbor Adapter project. Beyond that, Nivathan enjoys cooking and snowboarding on the slopes.

In this episode of the Security Repo Podcast, Andy Dennis, VP at Modus Create, joins Dwayne McDaniel to unpack what "shifting left" really means for security and engineering teams. They explore the impact of hands-on security training at B-Sides events, the concept of developer toil, and the role AI tools like GitHub Copilot AutoFix are starting to play in secure coding workflows. Andy also shares candid advice for aspiring security engineers and insights on measuring the true value of AI in developer environments.https://docs.horusec.io/docs/overview/moduscreate.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-d-b43a17b/Andy Dennis is VP of the Platform and Cloud Practice at Modus Create, a Digital Transformation consulting agency. He is responsible for overseeing engineering teams across Cybersecurity, Cloud/DevOps, Build Systems, Functional Programming and Tooling.Andy has 22+ years experience in the technology industry and has worked in the UK, Canada and US. He’s had 5 books published on a variety of topics including IoT and the Raspberry Pi and spoken at multiple events around the country. Previously Andy tutored undergraduates at Goldsmith’s College, University of London’s online degree program and is currently studying with HEC in Paris.