In Episode 0x9 of Hack Dissection, host Mike Lisi flips the perspective from offense to defense with guest Cody Spooner, Principal Sales Engineer at Corelight.

While Mike spends his days breaking into networks, Cody helps organizations defend them. Together they unpack how visibility, monitoring, and mindset intersect in modern cybersecurity — from the SOC Triad (SIEM, EDR, NDR) to the realities of MDR services, threat hunting, and alert fatigue.

They dig into:

• Why companies think they’re protected but still miss every alert
• How to turn red-team findings into real defensive improvements
• What threat hunting actually means (and why it’s not just a buzzword)
• Lessons from ransomware incidents and tabletop exercises
• How small businesses can build effective defenses without enterprise budgets

If you’ve ever wondered what happens after the pen testers pack up, this conversation connects the offensive and defensive sides of the same fight — and shows how better collaboration can close the gap.

In this episode of Hack Dissection, host Mike Lisi welcomes back Graham O’Donnell, Penetration Tester at Maltek Solutions, to pull back the curtain on what really happens during external and internal network assessments.

From OSINT and subdomain enumeration to Nmap quirks and the chaos of inconsistent vulnerability data, Graham shares his raw, unfiltered process for finding weaknesses in the wild — plus the unexpected human side of hacking when tests get a little too real.

Mike and Graham also discuss:

• Automating and optimizing pen testing workflows
• Credential reuse and why third-party breaches still matter
• The ethics of exploring live environments
• What it feels like to uncover personal data during an engagement

Whether you’re a cybersecurity pro or just curious how ethical hackers think, this conversation offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the craft, the chaos, and the conscience of penetration testing.

In this episode of Hack Dissection, host Mike Lisi sits down with Brandon Finton, MS, CISSP, CISM, President of Orion Secure, to unpack the evolving landscape of cybersecurity for businesses. From the early days of Cyber Defense Institute to the launch of Orion Secure, Brandon shares his journey and the shift from training to professional services. Together, Mike and Brandon dive into: 🔒 Why Written Information Security Policies (WISP) are the foundation of any program 💡 The difference between compliance reviews and real risk assessments 👩‍⚕️ Why no one—not even doctors, lawyers, or CEOs—should get a pass on MFA 📑 Governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) as living documents 🤖 How AI and chatbots are reshaping security—and the risks of giving them too much authority ⚠️ Real-world stories from penetration tests, ransomware cases, and phishing assessments Whether you’re a small business owner, IT leader, or simply curious about the state of cybersecurity, this episode sheds light on the challenges organizations face—and the practical steps they can take to strengthen their defenses.

In this episode of Hack Dissection, Mike Lisi is joined by cyber operations expert Paul Marco for a deep dive into the true purpose—and power—of tabletop exercises. From crisis simulations that reveal communication breakdowns to the uncomfortable truths leaders often overlook, Paul shares real-world stories that highlight the human factor in cybersecurity.

You’ll hear why most organizations get tabletop exercises wrong, what really matters in the heat of a cyber crisis, and how to build muscle memory that actually holds up under pressure. Plus, Paul and Mike discuss the need for chaos, iteration, and yes—even a little embarrassment—to prepare your team for the moment the alarms go off.

Whether you’re building your first incident response plan or you’ve lived through the fire, this episode offers practical insights, blunt truths, and a refreshing perspective on what real cybersecurity preparedness looks like.

In this episode of Hack Dissection, hosts Mike Lisi and Graham O'Donnell sit down with red teamer, educator, and co-author of Redefining Hacking — Wesley Thurner. What starts as a light-hearted conversation about soldering badges at Cactus Con quickly dives deep into red team tactics, AI exploitation, and the culture of CTF (Capture the Flag) competitions.

Wesley shares real-world stories from his time in the military, his role on red teams at Amazon and Intuit, and his work organizing large-scale CTF events through ThreatSim and Red Team Village. From session hijacking and model poisoning to building MVP command-and-control tools with LLMs, this episode is packed with insights from the front lines of ethical hacking.

Whether you're a cybersecurity pro, CTF player, or curious about how AI is reshaping the red team playbook, this conversation offers a rare look behind the curtain — with humor, humility, and a whole lot of practical wisdom.

Topics covered:

• Creative red team engagements involving AI platforms
• How tainted training data can derail machine learning models
• The evolving power (and danger) of prompt engineering
• CTF design philosophy and community-first organizing
• Why the simplest hacks still work in complex systems

📕 Redefining Hacking is available now — and you might even catch Wesley signing copies at DEF CON’s Red Team Village.

In this episode of Hack Dissection, Mike Lisi is joined once again by ethical hacker Graham O’Donnell to unpack a memorable internal penetration test at a K-12 school district. What started with a forgotten, outdated Windows machine in a bus garage quickly escalated into full domain compromise—and revealed just how fragile infrastructure can be when one unpatched endpoint gets plugged back in.

Mike and Graham walk through each stage of the assessment, from asset mapping to privilege escalation, showing how seemingly minor oversights can trigger devastating cascading effects. Along the way, they highlight how tools like BloodHound, EternalBlue, and Mimikatz played pivotal roles, and why school districts—despite tight budgets—must prioritize cyber hygiene.

This episode dives into real-world tactics, practical takeaways for IT teams, and some wild detours into smartboards, PA systems, and Russian hacking forums.

🔐 Key topics:

• Pen testing vs. red teaming
• Internal vs. external assessments
• Risks of legacy systems in modern environments
• Miscommunications that lead to major security gaps
• The real-world implications of cached credentials

If you’re a school IT admin, security pro, or just a fan of behind-the-scenes cybersecurity stories, this episode is a must-listen.

🎧 Want to share your own pen test war story? Reach out: contact@malteksolutions.com

In this episode, Mike Lisi sits down with Graham O'Donnell, a penetration tester at Maltek Solutions, to explore the mindset and methods behind physical security testing. From the art of blending in with a Carhartt jacket to the thrill of mapping out buildings like real-life Hitman levels, Graham shares his journey from curious wanderer to professional pen tester. Topics covered in this episode:

🔹 The thrill of exploring abandoned places

🔹 How photography sparked a career in cybersecurity

🔹 Lessons learned from early mistakes

🔹 The tools and tactics used to bypass physical security

🔹 Why physical security is often overlooked in modern businesses

Whether you’re an aspiring ethical hacker or just curious about the world of physical security, this episode will give you a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to break into the field – and the buildings. 🔔 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay up-to-date with the latest episodes of Hack Dissection.

#HackingForGood #Cybersecurity #PhysicalSecurity #EthicalHacking #TechTalk

In this episode of Hack Dissection, ethical hacker and TASBot creator Allan Cecil dives into the fascinating world of tool-assisted speedruns and video game exploitation. Discover how unchangeable, read-only code can still be manipulated to reveal unexpected behavior—and what that teaches us about cybersecurity, system flaws, and human ingenuity.