Bare Metal Cyber

In this episode, we strip away the noise surrounding Software Bills of Materials and reframe them through a fresh lens: allergens. Instead of drowning in endless dependency lists, you’ll learn how to identify the handful of components that can actually break your security posture—known exploited vulnerabilities, crypto and authentication stacks, choke-point libraries, abandoned projects, legal traps, and poisoned registries. We explore how VEX, exploit likelihood, and reachability shrink the noise, and we break down the concept of the minimal-viable SBOM, a leaner approach designed to deliver clarity instead of compliance fatigue.By listening, you’ll sharpen your ability to prioritize real risks over theoretical ones, master how to integrate context like VEX into security workflows, and recognize legal and build-system obligations before they cause damage. You’ll walk away with practical skills for producing SBOMs people will actually use, crafting reports tailored to different audiences, and focusing on trust-building clarity rather than overwhelming volume. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com.

In this narrated Insight, we unpack cyber asset inventory as the quiet backbone of a modern security program. You will hear what cyber asset inventory really means in today’s mix of on-prem, cloud, and SaaS, and where it fits among your existing tools and processes. We walk through why “you can’t secure what you can’t see” is not just a slogan, but a practical reality for vulnerability management, access reviews, and incident response. The narration is based on my Tuesday “Insights” feature from Bare Metal Cyber Magazine, adapted into clear, spoken explanations for busy security and IT professionals.We also explore how a living asset map actually comes together, from discovery sources and central stores to ownership tags and enrichment rules. You will hear everyday use cases that range from quick wins, like building a simple view of internet-facing assets, to more strategic moves like mapping assets to business services. Along the way, we call out the real benefits, trade-offs, and limits of cyber asset inventory, plus the failure modes that cause inventories to decay and the healthy signals that show the discipline is working in real life.

The Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO) exam is built for security leaders who are ready to move from running tools to running a program, and this narrated episode walks through what that shift really means. You will hear a clear breakdown of what CCISO is, who it is designed for, and how it differs from more technical certifications you may know. The episode is based on my Monday “Certified” feature from Bare Metal Cyber Magazine, so the story is structured for early-career professionals and rising managers who want a grounded view of executive-level security leadership. From there, the episode explores what the CCISO exam actually tests, how its domains reflect real-world responsibilities, and where it fits in a broader security career path. You will get a plain-language explanation of exam domains, study focus areas, and the kind of thinking CCISO rewards, along with guidance on when this certification makes sense in a long-term plan. If you decide to go further, you can deepen your preparation with the full audio course for CCISO inside the Bare Metal Cyber Audio Academy, designed to fit around commutes, workouts, and everything else in your schedule.

 In my conversation with Detective Richard Wistocki (Ret.), we talked candidly about a reality that many school leaders and law enforcement professionals already feel in their bones: online threats are constant, confusing, and often paralyzing. This Cyber Talk, developed by BareMetalCyber.com, focuses on what it really takes to track school swatters and potential shooters through “leakage” in social media and online platforms, and then turn that information into timely, lawful action. If you are looking at the video above, this article is here to frame the big ideas and give you a reason to hit play. 

In this episode, you’ll learn how to transform a traditional, forgettable tabletop exercise into something unforgettable: a telenovela. We explore how to recast roles as characters with motives, build dramatic arcs with twists and cliffhangers, and use realistic props to make your IR plan come alive. Instead of walking through checklists, you’ll hear how to stage a story your team will actually remember when a real breach occurs.You’ll also discover the skills that improve when training shifts from paperwork to drama. From sharper communication under pressure, to quicker decision-making, to cross-functional empathy, the tabletop telenovela strengthens instincts that no binder can teach. It turns compliance drills into lived experiences, building resilience through memory and story.Produced by BareMetalCyber.com.