Podcast

UnHack the News

Hosted by Drex DeFord

Drex DeFord translates complex cybersecurity risks into clear, actionable guidance for healthcare leaders navigating an increasingly threatening landscape.

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Episodes (37)

Sep 1, 2025·UnHack the News

UnHack (the News): Help Desk Hacks, Fake IT Workers & AI Ransomware - The New Cyber Threat Playbook

September 1, 2025: Cristian Rodriguez , Americas Field CTO at CrowdStrike , joins Drex for the news. What starts as a simple phone call to your help desk could be the beginning of a major security breach—but how do attackers make these voice phishing campaigns so convincing? Then, North Korean operatives successfully infiltrate major western companies as remote employees. How are these fake workers passing interviews, and what happens when their paychecks fund weapons programs while they potenti

Aug 18, 2025·UnHack the News

UnHack (the News): Cybersecurity Leadership and Rural Hospitals Under Attack with George Pappas

August 18, 2025: George Pappas , CEO of Intraprise Health, by Health Catalyst , joins Drex for the news. They tackle the pressing question of how CISOs can evolve from security scorekeepers into business transformation leaders who drive real organizational impact. As the hosts examine a recent White House initiative promising patient-centric healthcare, they question whether lofty proclamations can overcome the business interests maintaining today's fragmented systems. Can artificial intelligenc

Aug 11, 2025·UnHack the News

UnHack (the News): Summer Breach’s Surge and Hidden Security Lessons with Josh Howell

August 11, 2025: Josh Howell , Healthcare CTO from Rubrik , joins Drex for the news. They examine the spike of healthcare organization breaches in summer 2025, with threat actors now moving from breach to data exfiltration in minutes rather than weeks. Josh reveals research showing ransomware attacks trigger a 20-40% decline in patient volumes within the first week, but what happens when notification costs exceed settlement amounts? They challenge conventional disaster recovery thinking, questio

Jul 22, 2025·UnHack the News

UnFake: The Velvet Sundown AI Band and YouTube's New Authenticity Policies

This episode explores AI-generated music and cybersecurity through the story of The Velvet Sundown, a completely synthetic band that fooled millions on Spotify. Drex examines how AI-generated music, voices, and images can deceive audiences, YouTube's new monetization policies for AI content, and the growing challenge of distinguishing authentic from synthetic media. Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: F

Jul 14, 2025·UnHack the News

UnHack (the News): The Duplicate Dilemma and Merger Instability with Kevin Day

July 14, 2025: Kevin Day , CTO at Rhapsody , joins Drex for the news. While 96% of healthcare executives say they're ready for digital health solutions, two-thirds still battle interoperability challenges that create real patient care problems. Kevin and Drex bring up an alarming trend: 28 healthcare breaches affecting over 5 million people in June 2025, with attack vectors evolving from phishing emails to unpatched third-party software. Kevin discusses how AI might solve duplicate patient recor

Jul 7, 2025·UnHack the News

UnHack (the News): Reported Cyber Breach Death and the Interconnected World with Mick Coady

July 7, 2025: Mick Coady , CTO at Armis , joins Drex for the news. This episode examines a sobering milestone: the first confirmed patient death directly attributed to a ransomware attack on London's blood distribution system. The conversation explores how a single cyber incident creates cascading effects across entire healthcare networks, flooding neighboring hospitals with redirected patients and overwhelming emergency departments. With 28 healthcare security incidents reported in June alone—m

Jun 30, 2025·UnHack the News

UnHack (the News): The Digital Identity and Tool Overload Crisis with George Pappas

June 30, 2025: George Pappas , CEO of Intraprise Health by Health Catalyst, joins Drex for the news. They discuss a new H-ISAC white paper and the North Korean catfish issues, speculating on how you can verify identity in a world of AI. Can AI solve the very problems it creates? The most revealing discussion centers on a startling industry survey: nearly half of security leaders now spend more time babysitting their tools than actually defending their organizations. Join the discussion around wh

Jun 20, 2025·UnHack the News

UnFake: Synthetic Faces, Real Crimes - The 5 Million Dollar Deepfake Scam with Drex DeFord

June 20, 2025: Drex dives deep into a chilling case study of AI-powered financial fraud. Learn how cybercriminals used deepfake technology to steal $5 million through a fake CEO video call, and discover why 90% of internet content could be AI-generated by 2026. Learn what to look for and where the threats are evolving in this episode of UnFake. NotebookLM podcast sourced from Eric O’Neill | Speaker, Cybersecurity Expert, Legendary Spy Hunter Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week He

Jun 17, 2025·UnHack the News

UnFake Trailer: A Journey Down the Digital Deception Rabbit Hole with Drex DeFord

After a HIMSS conference presentation on North Korean hackers posing as remote employees led him down an unexpected rabbit hole, Drex unveils his new intermittent series "UnFake". Dive into a world of digital deception and synthetic media, as Drex sets out to help you the listener stay protected and discern fact from fiction in the increasingly complicated field of cybersecurity. You've Been Catfished: The New Remote-Work Employee You Just Hired Is Actually A North Korean Hacker Remember, Stay a

May 5, 2025·UnHack the News

UnHack (the News): VMware Price Shock and Training in Adaptability with Christian Boucher

May 5, 2025: Christian Boucher , Head of Healthcare Strategy and Solutions at Island , joins Drex for the news. They discuss the recent VMware price shock situation, diving into a deeper industry-wide issue: what happens when healthcare becomes overly dependent on specific technology pillars? Are health systems flexible enough to pivot when market forces dramatically shift the technology landscape? Throughout their discussion, Christian emphasizes the value of community collaboration in solving

Apr 14, 2025·UnHack the News

UnHack (the News): Rural Hospital Security and the HIPAA Audit Mirage with George Pappas

April 14, 2025: George Pappas , CEO of Intraprise Health , joins Drex DeFord for the news. The conversation explores Chris Hughes' insights on how machine-readable security controls and dynamic monitoring could revolutionize cybersecurity frameworks. How are rural hospitals surviving in a landscape where financial constraints clash with escalating security demands? The discussion takes a critical look at the regulatory environment, where HIPAA audits have been sparse since 2017 despite record-br

Mar 24, 2025·UnHack the News

UnHack (the News): Governance Trumps Tools and Medical Device Risks with Brad Marsh

March 24, 2025: Brad Marsh (BSN, RN, CEN, CHISL) EVP for Government, Health, and Security Technology at First Health Advisory , joins Drex for the news. How do we protect healthcare systems when everyday medical devices become potential security vulnerabilities? The conversation examines why governance matters more than acquiring new security tools, how organizations should approach comprehensive risk assessment, and what healthcare leaders can learn from the operational strategies of both milit