What happens when AI refuses to be replaced? This episode kicks off with a chilling real-world example of an AI threatening blackmail—and only gets more intense from there.

Host Ron Eddings unpacks the terrifyingly innovative ways AI is altering the cybersecurity threat landscape. From deepfakes convincing enough to fool your own family to auto-summarizing email clients acting as unintentional insiders, the stakes have never been higher. Ron also shares insights from his brand-new book Attack Surface Management, co-authored with MJ Kaufman and published by O'Reilly, and breaks down why the simplest social engineering tactics remain the most dangerous—even in the age of advanced AI.

00:00 - Introduction

02:30 - Model Context Protocol explained

05:00 - Google's VEO-3 and fake riot videos

07:00 - Fake Facebook ads pushing malware

09:30 - Social engineering still reigns supreme

13:30 - Using AI to write malicious emails

16:30 - Calendly phishing and credential theft

19:00 - Gemini and the risk of auto-summarization

21:30 - LLM access to your private documents

22:45 - Takeaways and protecting your environment

Links:

Connect with Ron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronaldeddings/

Grab a copy of Ron’s new book, “Attack Surface Management: Strategies and Techniques for Safeguarding Your Digital Assets”: https://a.co/d/1nmPod2

Check out the full article on “The Rise of ‘Vibe Hacking’ Is the Next AI Nightmare” here: https://www.wired.com/story/youre-not-ready-for-ai-hacker-agents/

Check out our upcoming events: https://www.hackervalley.com/livestreams

Join our creative mastermind and stand out as a cybersecurity professional:

https://www.patreon.com/hackervalleystudio

Love Hacker Valley Studio? Pick up some swag: https://store.hackervalley.com

Continue the conversation by joining our Discord: https://hackervalley.com/discord

Become a sponsor of the show to amplify your brand: https://hackervalley.com/work-with-us/

What if Zero Trust isn’t a framework, but the only viable cybersecurity strategy—more about people than products?

In this episode, George Finney, CISO at the University of Texas System and author of Project Zero Trust, reveals the human-first truth behind the Zero Trust movement, and why it’s not something you buy but something you build. George shares stories from hacking a college database to launching a deepfake of himself trained on his own books, all while breaking down how AI and creativity are reshaping security leadership.

Impactful Moments:

00:00 - Introduction 01:16 - Cyber Hall of Fame recognition 07:00 - Hacked his college to solve mail 09:00 - Took startup job without paycheck 14:14 - Zero Trust is a strategy, not tool 17:00 - Tailoring security like a custom suit 23:29 - AI strategy through Zero Trust lens 29:30 - Built a Zero Trust voice clone hotline 36:00 - You don’t need to be a CISO 38:30 - Why weirdos make cybersecurity stronger

Links:

Connect with our guest, George Finney: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgefinney/

Check out George’s books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B01MT0C6X3

Check out our upcoming events: https://www.hackervalley.com/livestreams

Join our creative mastermind and stand out as a cybersecurity professional:

https://www.patreon.com/hackervalleystudio

Love Hacker Valley Studio? Pick up some swag: https://store.hackervalley.com

Continue the conversation by joining our Discord: https://hackervalley.com/discord

Become a sponsor of the show to amplify your brand: https://hackervalley.com/work-with-us/

You won’t be replaced by AI—you’ll be replaced by someone using it better.

Returning guest Marco Figueroa is back with a frontline report on the AI agent boom. This isn’t a prediction—it’s a tactical update from someone tracking every release, every benchmark battle, and every edge worth chasing.

In this episode, Ron is joined by Marco as he breaks down the rapid evolution of AI agents—from Claude Code to Codex to Google Flow. He explains why general-purpose models are leveling off, how specialized tools are reshaping the landscape, and why creativity is now your most valuable edge. Whether you're in code, ops, or content, your two-year advantage starts right here.

00:00 - Introduction 01:08 - AI agents are no longer hype 03:45 - Major LLM releases and what's next 05:32 - The Grok delay and pricing drama 07:30 - Why general models are losing steam 10:50 - Benchmark manipulation and model specialization 14:15 - The future belongs to creatives 22:05 - The next AI drops to watch

Links:

Connect with our guest, Marco Figueroa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marco-figueroa-re/

Check out our upcoming events: https://www.hackervalley.com/livestreams

Join our creative mastermind and stand out as a cybersecurity professional:

https://www.patreon.com/hackervalleystudio

Love Hacker Valley Studio? Pick up some swag: https://store.hackervalley.com

Continue the conversation by joining our Discord: https://hackervalley.com/discord

Become a sponsor of the show to amplify your brand: https://hackervalley.com/work-with-us/