John Strand isn't interested in fixing the broken security education system—he's tearing it down and rebuilding it. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, the founder of Black Hills Information Security explains why scholarships don't solve the real problem, how American universities are losing ground to European programs, and the unexpected places where he's finding the next generation of security talent.

What We Cover:

Why scholarships preserve a broken system instead of fixing it

The barriers that actually matters: Not what you expect

American universities vs. European programs: who's winning and why

Career changers bringing new perspectives to the industry.

AI's "fallow period" in hiring and what comes next

The standardization of mediocrity: how AI is making everything "blah"

00:00 Introduction

00:50 Rethinking Cyber Education

07:01 Diversity Brings Amazing People into Security

09:53 Changing Lives

11:42 Giving Back to the Community

14:33 The Strand Family of Companies

17:02 Security's AI Mistake

Part 2 coming soon

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Keeping your Flipper Zero's firmware updated is critical for security and performance—but the update process isn't always smooth. In this episode, we'll walk you through every step of updating your Flipper Zero firmware, including how to work through a snag you might encounter.

Whether you're a security professional, pentester, or hardware enthusiast, regular firmware maintenance is essential for keeping your tools secure and functional. This guide shows you what it takes for the popular Flipper Zero.

00:00 Introduction to Flipper Zero

02:30 Laptop connection and app

06:20 Begin Update

07:23 This doesn't look right

09:40 Definitely not right

10:27 Success

12:57 Next steps

Catch up with the previous episode in this series when we unboxed the Flipper Zero:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1rU2o8B5cd9MYZ4uQSB3VG?si=cce55d68cdc048b6

And our episode on the ethics of 'hacking' devices:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0olsN2LKLn09wOLpnxqeIH?si=adf4b00394714209

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Website: https://securitycocktailhour.com

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Twitter: @SecCocktailHour

Curious about the Flipper Zero, one of the most talked-about `gadgets` out there? We give you a quick look as we unbox a new one.

This is a companion to one of our earliest episodes, where we talked about the ethics and proper use of hacking tools. https://youtu.be/BVca3X8wE_c

📧 Subscribe to Our Newsletter: Get exclusive cybersecurity insights, episode updates, and career tips delivered to your inbox.

👉 https://securitycocktailhour.com/newsletter/

🔗 Connect With Us:

Website: https://securitycocktailhour.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/security-cocktail-hour/

Twitter: @SecCocktailHour