Hacker Valley Studio

In 2025, out of all 70+ guests we had on our show, not one of them said they’d trust AI to run their SOC. Now in 2026, that mindset is shifting. In this episode, Ron sits down with Aqsa Taylor, Chief Security Evangelist at Exaforce, to find out what changed, and what's still standing in the way of security teams being able to trust AI agents with response. The conversation covers what's really behind the agentic SOC hype, why "vibe hunting" might be the most fun phrase in cybersecurity right now, and how teams can build enough confidence to hand over the keys to detection, investigation, and response. Aqsa also gets into the one thing she believes has to come before any of it works: the data. Without the right context feeding your AI you’re just getting confident guesses dressed up as answers. Listen to find out if your team is ready to take the leap into an agentic SOC. Impactful Moments00:00 - Introduction 02:05 - Hack the headlines, June top trends in cybersecurity 05:30 - Welcoming Aqsa Taylor from Exaforce06:15 - Inside Exaforce's $125M raise 08:50 - Redefining what AI SOC should mean 09:30 - The evolution from manual playbooks to AI-driven autonomy 13:40 - Where Exaforce fits in an existing stack 18:10 - What vibe hunting looks like in practice 19:40 - The challenges of securing sensitive data in a world dominated by SaaS platforms22:00 - How to build your trust ladder for AI in the SOC 24:40 - Best use case to get started with AI SOC 28:50 - Ron's takeaway: the data has to be there first Links Connect with Aqsa Taylor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aqsa-taylor Learn more about Exaforce: https://www.exaforce.com Join Exaforce’s Force Multiplier Substack community: https://theforcemultiplier.substack.com – Check out our upcoming events: https://www.hackervalley.com/livestreams Love Hacker Valley Studio? Pick up some swag: https://store.hackervalley.com Become a sponsor of the show: https://hackervalley.com/work-with-us/

Text threads made AI feel personal, then agents made it productive, and suddenly “success” turns into chaos you can’t even track. In this episode, Ron sits down with Pedram Amini, creator of Maestro, to show what agent work looks like when you stop babysitting and start orchestrating. Pedram lays out why context windows are the limiter, why harnessing beats model-chasing right now, and how Auto Run executes task-docs with fresh context every iteration so agents can run for hours (or days) without melting down. Impactful Moments00:00 - Intro02:05 - Codex desktop sparks agent shift06:40 - Harness beats model iteration08:10 - Context window: the hidden limiter12:10 - Terminal sprawl creates agent chaos14:05 - Maestro panels: agents, tabs, history17:25 - Auto Run: fresh context per task26:15 - “Donate tokens” via Symphony PRs28:20 - AI tax debate gets spicy33:05 - Start simple: download and run LinksConnect with Pedram on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pedramamini/ Check out Maestro for yourself: https://runmaestro.ai/ 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/

Cybersecurity didn’t start as a billion-dollar crime machine. It started as pranks, ego, and curiosity. That origin story explains almost everything that’s breaking today. Ron sits down with Graham Cluley, one of the earliest antivirus developers turned trusted cyber voice, to trace how malware evolved from digital graffiti into organized financial warfare. From floppy disks and casino-style viruses to ransomware, extortion, and agentic AI, the conversation shows how early decisions still shape today’s most dangerous assumptions. Graham also explains why AI feels inevitable, but still deeply unfinished inside modern organizations. Impactful Moments00:00 - Introduction04:16 - Malware before money existed07:30 - Cheesy biscuits changed cybersecurity13:10 - When documents became dangerous14:33 - Crime replaced curiosity15:23 - Sony proved no one was safe20:15 - Reporting hacks without causing harm24:01 - AI replacing penetration testers29:18 - Agentic AI shifts the threat model36:30 - Why rushing AI breaks trust LinksConnect with our guest on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamcluley/ 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/

AI didn’t quietly evolve, it crossed the line from recommendation to execution. Once agents stopped advising humans and started acting inside real systems, trust replaced experimentation and consequences became unavoidable. In this episode, Ron sits down with Marcus J. Carey, Principal Research Scientist at ReliaQuest, to examine what happens after AI is given authority: agents running in production, prompt debt replacing technical debt, vibe coding accelerating risk, and maintenance emerging as the true bottleneck. Together, they discuss how cybersecurity, software engineering, and the job market are shifting now that AI operates with autonomy, often faster than organizations can explain what their systems are actually doing. Impactful Moments00:00 - Introduction02:26 - AI agents cross into production03:35 - Trust boundaries become attack surfaces6:46 - Vibe coding and hidden technical debt09:22 - Prompt debt changes everything17:40 - Why junior knowledge disappears19:00 - AI replaces repetitive cyber workflows23:43 - Coding becomes human leverage29:30 - Fall in love with the problem Connect with our guest, Marcus J. Carey: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcuscarey/ X https://x.com/marcusjcarey Articles and Books Mentioned: Article used for discussion: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/this-webui-vulnerability-allows-remote-code-execution-heres-how-to-stay-safe Atomic Habits: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits-summary Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution: https://sobrief.com/books/fall-in-love-with-the-problem-not-the-solution Our Links: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 the most dangerous hackers are the ones who never touch a keyboard? The real threat isn't just about stolen credentials or ransomware; it's about understanding how attackers think before they even strike. In cybersecurity, defense starts with offense, and the best defenders are those who've walked in the hacker's shoes. In this episode, Ron sits down with John Hammond, principal security researcher at Huntress and one of cybersecurity's most recognizable educators. John shares his journey from Coast Guard enlistee to YouTube creator, building an entire media company around ethical hacking. They dig into the balance between public research and responsible disclosure, the rise of AI-augmented attacks, and why identity is now the biggest attack surface in modern enterprises. Impactful Moments:00:00 - Introduction01:00 - AI weaponized in cyber espionage05:00 - Learning by teaching publicly09:00 - Balancing curiosity with responsible disclosure13:00 - Building a creator company16:00 - Identity as the new frontier20:00 - AI agents running breach simulations22:00 - Predictions for cybersecurity in 202625:00 - Ron's hacking habit confession Links:John Hammond LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhammond010/John Hammond Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@_JohnHammond Article for Discussion: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-defense-firms-targeted-by-hackers-using-ai-other-tactics-2025-12-19/Check out our upcoming events: https://www.hackervalley.com/livestreamsJoin our creative mastermind and stand out as a cybersecurity professional:https://www.patreon.com/hackervalleystudioLove Hacker Valley Studio? Pick up some swag: https://store.hackervalley.comContinue 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/