As 2024 comes to a close, today, I’m reflecting on some of the key events and trends that shaped my offensive security research this year. From publishing my first book to writing regular blogs on some of cybersecurity’s hottest topics, each piece has contributed to a clearer understanding of the evolving digital landscape.

In this episode, Trust Issues host David Puner wraps up 2024 with a conversation with Red Hat’s Field CTO Ambassador E.G. Nadhan about the future of cybersecurity. They discuss the importance of cloud security principles, the impact of emerging technologies like AI and quantum computing, and the challenges of managing machine identities.

Many years ago, the philosopher Phaedrus said, “Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden.” He couldn’t have possibly imagined today’s world, yet his warning encapsulates deepfakes, one of the greatest threats of modern times. As AI advances, digital disinformation is blurring the lines between fact and fiction.

While Kubernetes’ Role-based access control (RBAC) authorization model is an essential part of securing Kubernetes, managing it has proven to be a significant challenge — especially when dealing with numerous users and pods. Fortunately, KubiScan is here to help address this issue.

The cloud has enabled faster, more reliable and more scalable software delivery for organizations. Alongside these improvements come greater complexity and security considerations, all of which have implications when preparing for cloud security audits. Like all security audits, cloud security audits help ensure that data is kept safe from unauthorized access and theft.

Next time you’re outside on a clear night, look up at the stars and start counting. Chances are you’ll lose track, skip over some or completely forget where you started—there are just so many. Now imagine that vast sky is your enterprise, and each sparkling dot represents an identity (or account). Can you find them all—let alone secure them? If you’re like most organizations out there, the answer is no.

2024 has proved historic for technology and cybersecurity—and we still have some distance from the finish line. We’ve witnessed everything from advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) to brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and humanoid robots. Alongside these innovations, new attack vectors like AI model jailbreaking and prompt hacking have emerged. And we also experienced the single largest IT outage the world has ever seen.

In a time when 94% of companies have experienced an identity-related breach, many CISOs feel the urgency to strengthen identity and access management (IAM) across their organizations. In fact, a recent survey of CISOs found that identity is the top focus area going into 2025. However, communicating IAM’s value to the board remains a challenge—it isn’t enough for these security leaders to craft effective IAM strategies—they must also secure their board’s support.

ByteCodeLLM is a new open-source tool that harnesses the power of Local Large Language Models (LLMs) to decompile Python executables. Furthermore, and importantly, it prioritizes data privacy by using a local LLM that you can run under any environment, like old laptops and VMs. ByteCodeLLM is the first decompile program that manages to decompile the latest versions of Python 3.13 locally.

In this episode of the Trust Issues podcast, host David Puner sits down with Andrew Shikiar, the Executive Director and CEO of the FIDO Alliance, to discuss the critical issues surrounding password security and the innovative solutions being developed to address them. Andrew highlights the vulnerabilities of traditional passwords, their susceptibility to phishing and brute force attacks, and the significant advancements in passwordless authentication methods, particularly passkeys.

Once upon a time, workers sat in offices, only used corporate desktops and crossed a single authentication checkpoint to access company resources kept snugly behind a protective barrier. The world has changed dramatically since then. Cloud and hybrid environments are vast and complex. Work happens anywhere and everywhere. Company employees, contractors, partners and other users interact daily with multiple endpoints—personal and company-owned—alongside SaaS applications and sensitive data.

Imagine a typical morning at an enterprise: employees, remote workers, contractors and partners log in, browsing and accessing apps and files they need to do their jobs. All seems calm. But behind the scenes, security teams face a different reality. They’re managing an explosion of high-risk identities and passwords across countless endpoints, dealing with unchecked admin rights, rising security costs and compliance pressures.