Tony Martin-Vegue

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Information Security Podcast Roundup: Mid-2015 Edition

Looking for a great Information Security podcast? There are plenty to choose from! Here’s a roundup of currently active Information Security podcasts.

The list is split into two categories: podcasts run by people representing themselves (meaning they are not speaking for a company) and podcasts produced under the name of a company. I made the distinction because many people would like to know if there might be any bias in opinions. Don’t let company-run podcasts dissuade you from listening, however; some of the best, bias-free podcasts are company-sponsored.

Individual Podcasts:

Take 1 Security Podcast

Format: News, analysis

Frequency: Weekly to monthly

Information: A news and analysis podcast hosted by Daniel Miessler in which he reads several top security stories in one take. Take 1 is a great podcast for consuming a large amount of news in a short amount of time. The analysis by the host is always spot-on.

Brakeing Down Security

Format: News, analysis, interviews

Frequency: Weekly

Information: Brian Brake and Brian Boettcher host this long-running podcast that features news, analysis and guest interviews. The passion the hosts have for security really comes through in the podcast and interviews.

Data Driven Security

Format: Analysis, interviews 

Frequency: Approximately six times per year

Information: Jay Jacobs and Bob Rudis, authors of the book “Data Driven Security,” discuss data science in the information security field. This is a must-listen podcast if you are interested in data visualization and data analysis.

Defensive Security Podcast

Format: News, analysis

Frequency: Weekly 

Information: Hosted by Jerry Bell and Andrew Kalat, this podcast offers a very entertaining analysis of the week’s top security stories.

Down the Security Rabbithole

Format: News, analysis, interview

Frequency: Weekly

Information: This podcast, hosted by Rafal Los, James Jardine and Michael Santarcangelo, offers analysis on significant security stories in the news, often with guests.

NETSEC TL;DR

Format: News

Frequency: Weekly

Information: A new podcast on the scene and one of my favorites. It’s hosted by Rob Fuller and essentially takes the top 10 netsec articles from Reddit and gives the listener the tl;dr version. There are a few podcasts that give a quick rundown of news, but Rob’s passion and knowledge really makes this one great.

OWASP 24/7

Format: Analysis, interview

Frequency: Several times a month

Information: Interesting podcast put on by the folks at The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP). OWASP is a community-driven non-profit project, and the podcast features interviews and analysis on the topic of web application security.

Paul’s Security Weekly

Format: News, analysis, interview

Frequency: Weekly

Information: The longest-running security podcast on this list, Paul’s Security Weekly has been going strong since 2005, featuring news, analysis and interviews with people in the security industry.

Southern Fried Security Podcast

Format: News, analysis, interview

Frequency: Weekly

Information: My personal favorite podcast on this list — Southern Fried Security Podcast is hosted by Andy Willingham, Martin Fisher and Steve Ragan, and focuses on leadership and management aspects in information security.

Risky Business

Format: News, analysis, interview

Frequency: Weekly

Information: An Australian-based podcast that features the latest security news, analysis and guest interviews.

The Risk Science Podcast

Format: News, analysis, interview

Frequency: Approximately 4–6 episodes per year

Information: Somewhat sporadic, yet unique podcast that looks at the risk management and decision science aspects of information security.

The Standard Deviant Security Podcast

Format: Interview

Frequency: Bi-weekly

Information: DISCLAIMER: this is my podcast, so I’m not going to review or editorialize. This is an interview-only podcast, focusing on the people that are solving problems in the information security field.

Company Podcasts:

2 Minute Cyber Security Briefing

Format: News

Frequency: Weekly

Information: The title says it all!

*InfoSecurity-branded podcasts

Format: News, interview

Frequency: Bi-weekly

Information: This is a set of podcasts from the same company, ISMG Corp. The podcasts include Banking InfoSecurity, DataBreachToday, CareersInfoSecurity, HealthInfoSecurity, etc. There is something new nearly every day and good to listen to if you have a particular interest in one of the sectors they cover. These are all available on iTunes.

SANS Internet Storm Center Podcast

Format: News

Frequency: Daily

Information: Amazingly reliable, daily 5–10 minute podcast that recaps the latest security headlines.

Security Current Podcast

Format: News, interview

Frequency: 1–2 times a week

Information: Produced by the folks behind the Security Current news site, this podcast features interviews with experts in IT and Information Security.

Security Now

Format: News, analysis

Frequency: Weekly

Information: A podcast from the vendor of a hard drive recovery company. The few episodes I listened to have several technical inaccuracies — your mileage may vary.

Threatpost Digital Underground

Format: News, interview

Frequency: Twice a week

Information: Kaspersky Lab’s podcast has been going since 2008 and features current events and guest interviews.

Tripwire’s Security Slice Podcast

Format: News, analysis, interview

Frequency: 2–8 times a month

Information: DISCLAIMER: Tripwire is hosting this blog post, but did not edit the content of this review. Security Slice has been around for a very long time — its one of the first security podcasts I listened to and is still one of my favorites today. Hosted by Shelley Boose, this podcast takes the biggest issues of the week and invites guests to comment and give analysis.

Did I miss any that you enjoy listening to? Leave it in the comments below, or let me know on Twitter @tdmv.

Title image courtesy of ShutterStock

Originally published at www.tripwire.com on July 1, 2015.