// BLOG
All posts.
Field notes from 20+ years in security. Plus the occasional detour into life, work, and whatever else is on my mind.
SIEM vs. MDR for Community Banks: What Actually Works (And What's a Waste of Money)
A practical guide for community banks choosing between SIEM and MDR solutions. Real costs, what examiners actually want, and a decision framework for banks under $2B in assets.
The Security Program You Actually Need (Not the One Vendors Are Selling You)
Most security advice assumes you're a Fortune 500. You're not. Here's what you actually need at your size, what you can skip, and how to know when to level up.
I Built a Live Deepfake in 30 Minutes. Here's the Part That Actually Scares Me.
Using AI coding tools, I built a convincing live deepfake demo in 30 minutes with zero machine learning knowledge. The barrier to creating sophisticated attacks isn't technical skill anymore, it's just intent.
Intentions, Not Resolutions: On Choosing Presence Over Urgency
On knowing the always-on CISO life isn't sustainable, doing it anyway, and what fractional work is teaching me about presence.
When Everything Is Critical, Nothing Is Critical
Your vulnerability scanner flagged 10,000 issues. Your SIEM has 500 critical alerts. Every project is top priority. So what do you actually fix first?
Security Theater vs. Security: How to Tell the Difference
That shiny new security tool looks impressive in the demo. But will it actually reduce risk? Here's how to tell security theater from real security before you waste the budget.
Stop Protecting Systems, Start Protecting Data
Why modern security strategies must shift from system-centric defenses to data-centric protection approaches.
When Your Bank Examiner Says 'Risk Assessment' and You Break Out in Hives
Why most cybersecurity guidance for community banks is useless, and what to do instead
Vibe Coding: How to Write Secure Code When AI Does the Heavy Lifting
AI coding tools are powerful, but they're trained on decades of mediocre code. Here's how to harness them without inheriting every security mistake we've been making since the 90s.
How to Respond When Your Customer Sends You a Security Questionnaire
Your biggest deal just sent a 200-question security assessment. Here's your step-by-step playbook for responding without losing the deal or your mind.