What if the device keeping you alive was also a cybersecurity vulnerability? That's not a hypothetical — it's Victor Barge's reality.

In this episode of The Audit, IT Audit Labs' Global Delivery Director Victor Barge shares the story of his sudden cardiac event and the life-saving defibrillator now implanted in his chest and the eye-opening security questions that followed. Co-hosts Joshua Schmidt, Eric Brown, and Nick Mellum connect Victor's story to the real-world cyber risks organizations ignore every single day.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• How modern pacemakers and defibrillators transmit biometric data 24/7 — and what happens if that data is compromised
• Why the 2017 Abbott pacemaker recall of 500,000 devices is a warning the industry hasn't fully heeded
• The parallel between reactive healthcare and reactive cybersecurity — and why waiting costs you more
• Why billion-dollar organizations are still storing passwords in spreadsheets in 2026
• What continuous monitoring in IT security can learn from real-time cardiac telemetry

Whether you're a CISO, IT auditor, or just someone wearing a smartwatch, this episode will make you rethink what "sensitive data" really means.

What does it take to go undercover with international cybercriminals — with no backup, no safe house, and no script? In this episode of The Audit, Richard LaTulip, Field CISO at Recorded Future and former U.S. Secret Service agent, pulls back the curtain on three years of undercover operations spanning Thailand, Dubai, Macau, and China. From buying stolen credit card data in bulk to handing cheap government-issued laptops to disappointed hackers, Richard shares the raw, unfiltered reality Hollywood never shows you.

Co-hosts Joshua J Schmidt, Eric Brown, Nick Mellem, and Jen Lotze dig into the psychology of social engineering, the stark differences between nation-state and financially motivated threat actors, and why your employees are simultaneously your greatest asset and your biggest vulnerability. Richard breaks down how SolarWinds revealed the patience of nation-state operations, why cultural awareness is a cybersecurity weapon, and how organizations can shift security from a cost center to a value driver.

• 🔑 Key Topics Covered:
• Undercover operations against international cybercriminal networks — the reality vs. the Hollywood version
• Nation-state vs. financially motivated threat actors — how their goals fundamentally change defense strategy
• The ClickFix campaign and social engineering attacks targeting human psychology
• How Recorded Future delivers actionable, tailored threat intelligence vs. generic feeds
• Why tabletop exercises need HR, communications, and every department at the table • Cultural dimensions of cybersecurity — from Eastern European honeytraps near nuclear sites to password reuse psychology
• Turning your security team from a "cost center" into a trusted business ally
• Operation Carter Chaos — Richard's new book chronicling the untold human side of undercover cyber operations

📖 Richard's book Operation Carder Kaos is available now on Amazon.

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Microsoft dominates 22% of all phishing attacks, a $800 tool tricks 60% of victims into self-hacking, and Apple's planning a surveillance pin that records everything—welcome to 2025's cybersecurity nightmare. In this episode of The Audit, co-hosts Joshua J Schmidt, Eric Brown, and Nick Mellem are joined by Jen Lotze from IT Audit Labs to dissect three headlines that prove the threat landscape isn't just evolving—it's accelerating. From brand impersonation scams that exploit your brain's pattern recognition to ClickFix malware that bypasses antivirus by weaponizing copy-paste commands, this conversation reveals how attackers are shifting from breaking through defenses to manipulating humans into opening the door themselves.

What You'll Learn:

• Why trusted brands like Microsoft, Amazon, and DHL are irresistible phishing targets, especially during high-traffic seasons when vigilance naturally drops
• How ClickFix attacks exploit legitimate-looking broken websites to trick users into installing malware through their own command prompts—achieving 60% success rates that evade traditional security
• Real-world consequences of sophisticated social engineering, including a $116,000 wire fraud loss that proves even tech-savvy professionals aren't immune
• The privacy and consent implications of Apple's rumored 2027 AI wearable with dual cameras and always-on environmental recording
• Whether constant surveillance is becoming the unavoidable price of technological convenience—and what that means for building security cultures in organizations today

From training employees to recognize copy-paste scams to navigating the ethics of ambient recording devices, this episode delivers frontline intelligence for security professionals and practical awareness for anyone trying to stay safe online.

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