The Unfair Fight

Summary:  George Piro is best known for being the lone interrogator of Saddam Hussein who succeeded in getting the dictator to spill his secrets. But there is much more to Piro's extraordinary life and career. From escaping war-torn Lebanon to becoming a decorated FBI special agent and professional jiu-jitsu fighter, George's journey is one of courage, dedication, and purpose. Listen as Jon Murchison uncovers George’s experiences assimilating as an immigrant through martial arts, embracing a career in law enforcement, and joining the FBI, where his native Arabic skills led him to pivotal roles in counterterrorism and on the FBI Fly Team during the Iraq War. Gain insights into his passion for physical fitness and mental strength and hear the life lessons that informed how he approached his role as special agent in charge of the FBI Miami Field Office. Hear in his words the trait that sets true champions apart—and be inspired by George Piro's story of perseverance, gratitude and serving a cause bigger than oneself.   About the Unfair Fight Podcast  Welcome to The Unfair Fight, a podcast by Jon Murchison, the founder and CEO of Blackpoint Cyber. Previously an NSA computer operations expert and IT professional, Jon spent more than a decade executing high-priority national security missions. Now, he welcomes experts onto his podcast. Together, they participate in compelling conversations surrounding geopolitics, high-level performance in diverse fields, entrepreneurship, and the current cybersecurity landscape.  Tune in now or check out a previous episode! 

Few can say they've jumped out of an airplane with a nuclear device strapped to their body, or can claim to be one of the first Americans on the ground in Afghanistan after 9/11. For Phil Reilly, former CIA senior operations officer, elite missions have been the story of his career. Phil joins Jon to discuss his remarkable 29-year run with the CIA and the Army Special Forces training that led to it. From intense Green Beret military training to covert assignments in the paramilitary wing of the CIA, Phil discusses his experiences around the world and how 9/11 changed the course of his career, leading to high-level roles as Chief of Station and Chief of Operations of the CIA Counterterrorist Center. Looking ahead, he discusses the shifting focus of the US to the looming threat of China. Drawing from his elite training, he shares lessons that apply to the private sector business world—like building teams from scratch and handling the stress of high-performance roles. About the Unfair Fight Podcast Welcome to The Unfair Fight, a podcast by Jon Murchison, the founder and CEO of Blackpoint Cyber. Previously an NSA computer operations expert and IT professional, Jon spent more than a decade executing high-priority national security missions. Now, he welcomes experts onto his podcast. Together, they participate in compelling conversations surrounding geopolitics, high-level performance in diverse fields, entrepreneurship, and the current cybersecurity landscape.

In this concluding segment of a two-part episode, professional BASE jumper and wingsuit pilot Jeb Corliss delves deeper into his remarkable journey of finding purpose through extreme jumping. In Part Two, Jeb describes miraculously surviving a fatal accident and how it transformed his entire outlook on life, imparting invaluable lessons during the desperate seconds when death seemed imminent. Jeb's evolution from a despondent teenager to a lover of life serves as an inspiration to anyone who has confronted adversity and fear. Join Jon Murchison as he and Jeb wrap up a fascinating episode that explores survival, resilience, and getting a second chance at life. 

For this first half of two episodes, Jon welcomes professional skydiver and BASE jumper Jeb Corliss to The Unfair Fight.  During their conversation, Jeb recounts some of his most harrowing and death-defying jumps, how he manages and conquers his fears, and what it means to truly live life on the edge.  Jon and Jeb also discuss memorable passages from Jeb’s book, Memoirs From the Edge, in which Jeb narrates his life story and details how he came to discover his interest in jumping, and how he ultimately was able to turn a passion into a career despite the odds he faced.  With over 2,000 jumps to-date, Corliss is inarguably one of the most skilled and experienced BASE jumpers in the world with jumps from the Eiffel Tower, Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil, Golden Gate Bridge, and into a half-mile deep cave in China.  This is one episode that you won’t want to miss.  Stay tuned for Episode 22:  Part 2 with real-life adventurer Jeb Corliss. 

For this episode of The Unfair Fight, Jon welcomes Bill Priestap, Former Assistant Director, of the FBI Counterintelligence Division.  Bill discusses his love of sports, his experience as a coach, as director of football operations at the University of Michigan, and then later how he used his experience in athletics to end up at the Bureau.  They discuss staying power, the will to succeed, and how success is defined not only by wins, but also by failures and the lessons learned; and they share stories of humanity and the nuanced complexities of the criminals they have crossed paths with in their previous work for the government.  Jon and Bill go on to talk about current global issues with respect to China’s adversarial threats, the recent airborne spy balloon over U.S. airspace which was intercepted by the American government, and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.    At The Unfair Fight, we take a closer look at what it means to succeed against all odds. Listen to regular episodes where founder & CEO, Jon Murchison, is joined by high achievers in the governmental, entrepreneurial, and cybersecurity spaces to discuss current events, geopolitical matters, and lessons learned. 

The Unfair Fight welcomes General David H. Petraeus (U.S. Army, Ret.).  General Petraeus talks with Jon about his experience fighting the unfair fight in combat overseas, his journey ascending the ranks of the U.S. Army, and eventually becoming the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. His dedication to effective and strategic leadership has made him successful in the military, in business, and in his personal life. They discuss how perspective and deliberate tactics, techniques, and procedures of a leader or business owner can help them get a leg up on the competition.  General Petraeus also discusses his time leading troops in Iraq, and shares his opinion on both NATO and the eventual outcome of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. 

The Unfair Fight welcomes Matt Solomon, Chief Business Development Officer, Co-Founder of the Channel Program. A leading authority on sales and business development, Matt talks with Jon about his professional journey from the world of start-up, his position as Channel Chief for a multi-billion dollar organization, and now a business owner.  Matt gives expert advice on how vendors and MSPs can better support each other, how MSPs can better serve their customers, and where he sees the short- and long-term future going for MSPs.

This week, The Unfair Fight welcomes Admiral James “Sandy” Winnefeld. Admiral Winnefeld is a retired United States Navy admiral, now serving as the chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board since May of this year. He shares stories with Blackpoint CEO, Jon Murchison, about his time at the Navy Fight Weapons School while a student, then instructor during the filming of the 1986 blockbuster, Top Gun; and his career as an F-14 Tomcat fighter pilot. Admiral Winnefeld went on to captain of the USS Enterprise, stationed in the Middle East during 9/11. He and Jon also discuss nation-state capabilities in terms of cyberattacks, U.S. defensive and offensive military capabilities, the current state of the Russia-Ukraine war, and national security operations. Lastly, tune in to this interview to hear about the implications of supply chain disruptions in the wake of COVID-19.

The day after Exchange’s zero-day, The Unfair Fight took to LinkedIn Live to record its latest podcast episode. Robel Campbell, Blackpoint’s Reverse Engineer, joined Jon Murchison, Xavier Salinas, and David Rushmer for the first time to discuss the zero-day, as well as Uber’s recent hack, and the use of ISO files in malware. Impacted by tradecraft that surpasses AV, as well as MFA fatigue, these four discuss lessons learned, the correlating research they’ve been conducting, and GTSC’s (a Vietnamese cybersecurity company) quick response and mitigation steps. Get the inside scoop on the threat intel that drives our investigations and product development. 

This week, The Unfair Fight welcomes Michael Morell, former Acting Director and Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). During his 33-year career at the CIA, Michael served as Deputy Director for four years, where he managed the Agency’s day-to-day operations, represented the Agency at the White House and Congress, and maintained the Agency’s relationships with intelligence services and foreign leaders around the world. Michael also served twice as Acting Director, leading the CIA when Leon Panetta was named Secretary of Defense and again after David Petraeus left government.  Michael talks about his beginnings with the CIA and what made him want to be an intelligence officer analyst. He shares stories from his time in the field as George W. Bush’s first daily intelligence briefer and serving overseas as the liaison between CIA analysts and British intelligence analysts. Morell also discusses if he thinks we are investing enough into our defensive and offensive capabilities, and why it’s critical that we be supremely intentional with our geopolitical dynamics.