Episode 116 - Start-Up Secure with Chris Castaldo

Episode 116 - Start-Up Secure with Chris Castaldo

In this episode of the Hacker Valley Studio podcast, Ron and Chris are joined by Chris Castaldo, Chief Information Security Officer at Crossbeam and author of Start-Up Secure: Baking Cybersecurity into Your Company from Founding to Exit. Throughout his career, Chris noticed that the same cybersecurity related problems surface but there are many different ways to solve them.

Chris has always been passionate about startups and has plans to one day start his own company. While going through lists of top 10 books for startups and entrepreneurs he didn’t find any that mentioned how to do cybersecurity at a startup. This a significant gap for startups, not baking in cybersecurity early results in expensive rework 4-10 years after the startup is founded. This led to Chris writing Startup Secure - his goal was to create a guide and methodology for startup founders to avoid the expensive mistake of not baking cybersecurity into the startup in the beginning.

As the episode progresses, Chris highlights the difference in challenges for startups that are B2B (Business-to-Business) vs B2C (Business-to-Consumer). Cybersecurity startups must weigh the risks of building a product and building a secure company. It’s easier to implement all of the security controls offered by a solution when the startup is 20 employees or less because there is less impact on users and business functions. When cybersecurity startups are selling to organizations with cybersecurity teams, the startup is asked tough questions. For example:

  • What is your vendor review process?
  • Is your startup leveraging cloud security controls?
  • What is your privacy policy?

As a cybersecurity professional, Chris emphases the importance of networking with other professionals. There is an increase in virtual conferences and adoption of LinkedIn. Asking questions to the leaders in the field and providing mentorship to others both provide a significant impact while cultivating your career. Chris also highlights the importance of following up on conversations to build relationships and securing opportunities.

When transitioning from engineer to CISO, Chris found that being intentional and purposeful with his time was impactful in his transition. He developed these skills by reading books about stoicism. He found that focusing on “the right thing to do” was tough because of constant distractions but being purposeful was the solution to distraction. Instead of focusing on all the things that were on his plate he would break down his goals into smaller chunks and give them his undivided attention for a specific amount of time.

Moments During This Podcast:

0:00 - Intro

1:57 - Chris Castaldo on Hacker Valley Studio Podcast

2:47 - Chris’ start in cybersecurity as a red team member

3:50 - Why did Chris write his book Startup Secure

6:58 - Challenges of implementing cybersecurity at a startup

9:56 - What excites Chris about cybersecurity

13:35 - How do you immerse yourself in learning about cybersecurity?

17:33 - Surprises when transitioning from engineer to CISO

22:43 - Core tenants of solving hard problems

25:53 - Protecting the crown jewels at an organization during a breach

33:38 - Advice on sharing knowledge with the world

Links:

Pre-order Start-Up Secure: Baking Cybersecurity into Your Company from Founding to Exit

Learn more about Chris Castaldo and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Hacker Valley Studio.

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon.

Follow Hacker Valley Studio on Twitter.

Follow hosts Ron Eddings and Chris Cochran on Twitter.

Learn more about our sponsor ByteChek.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(432)

What AI Agents Should Own in Your SOC, And What Happens If You Wait with Tim Leehealey

What AI Agents Should Own in Your SOC, And What Happens If You Wait with Tim Leehealey

What happens when the adversary moves at machine speed, and your SOC is still responding at human speed? Why does nearly every security team say AI should handle L1 work, while 64% of organizations st...

21 Heinä 0s

We Shipped a Tool That Acts Like You. Meet Interceptor.

We Shipped a Tool That Acts Like You. Meet Interceptor.

Think about everything you could accomplish if you don’t have to be the one driving your browser. In this solo episode, Ron Eddings introduces Interceptor, Hacker Valley Media's first piece of softwar...

14 Heinä 30min

How to Turn Cybersecurity Customers into Lifelong Advocates with Antu Buck

How to Turn Cybersecurity Customers into Lifelong Advocates with Antu Buck

What if the same psychology that threat actors use to manipulate their targets is the same psychology that marketers use to earn your trust?  In this episode, Ron sits down with Antu Buck, Senior Dir...

7 Heinä 30min

What's Really Stopping AI From Running Your SOC with Aqsa Taylor

What's Really Stopping AI From Running Your SOC with Aqsa Taylor

In 2025, out of all 70+ guests we had on our show, not one of them said they’d trust AI to run their SOC. Now in 2026, that mindset is shifting. In this episode, Ron sits down with Aqsa Taylor, Chief ...

23 Kesä 31min

Feed Your Brain: What Cybersecurity Veterans Are Getting Wrong with Johnny Xmas

Feed Your Brain: What Cybersecurity Veterans Are Getting Wrong with Johnny Xmas

Is AI really coming for your red teaming job? What does it actually take to build a team that thinks like the adversary, and what happens when that team stops caring? And what do you do when you've be...

16 Kesä 28min

Fighting Smarter: What Combat Sports Teaches Us About Cyber Defense with Robin Black

Fighting Smarter: What Combat Sports Teaches Us About Cyber Defense with Robin Black

What does a calf kick have to do with vulnerability management? What can a fighter's mindset teach a security practitioner about operating against an adversary they've never faced?  Ron Eddings bring...

9 Kesä 25min

Is Vibe Coding Breaking the Internet? with Tanya Janca

Is Vibe Coding Breaking the Internet? with Tanya Janca

What happens when AI writes all the code and nobody reads it? What if the security prompt you trusted still produced software designed to leak your secrets? And who exactly is on the hook when an AI-g...

2 Kesä 35min

Why Smart People Fall for Deepfakes with Perry Carpenter

Why Smart People Fall for Deepfakes with Perry Carpenter

What if the most sophisticated attack has nothing to do with your firewall? In a world where AI can clone voices, re-lip-sync politicians, and spread a fake newscast to 200,000 people in days, the rea...

26 Touko 35min

Suosittua kategoriassa Koulutus

rss-murhan-anatomia
psykopodiaa-podcast
voi-hyvin-meditaatiot-2
aamukahvilla
kesken
ihminen-tavattavissa-tommy-hellsten-instituutti
rss-arkea-ja-aurinkoa-podcast-espanjasta
rahapuhetta
solu-ja-molekyylibiologian-perusteet
rss-liian-kuuma-peruna
rss-koira-haudattuna
rss-narsisti
rss-rahataito-podcast
rss-hereilla
ilona-rauhala
rss-niinku-asia-on
rss-taloustaito-podcast
rss-itseni-nakoinen-elama
rss-ai-mita-siskopodcast
rss-luonnollinen-synnytys-podcast