The Secure Developer

• Advancing AppSec With AI With Akira Brand

  Episode SummaryIn this episode of The Secure Developer, Danny Allan sits down with Akira Brand, AVP of Application Security at PRA Group, to explore the evolving landscape of application security and AI. Akira shares her unconventional journey from opera to cybersecurity, discusses why AppSec is fundamentally a customer service role and breaks down how AI is reshaping security workflows. Tune in to hear insights on integrating security seamlessly into development, AI’s role in secure coding, and the future of AppSec in a rapidly shifting tech landscape.Show NotesIn this engaging episode, The Secure Developer welcomes Akira Brand, AVP of Application Security at PRA Group, for an in-depth discussion on the intersection of AI and application security. Akira’s unique background in opera and stage direction offers a fresh perspective on fostering collaboration in security teams and influencing organizational culture.Key Topics Covered:From Opera to AppSec: Akira shares her journey from classical music to cybersecurity and how her experience in stage direction translates into leading security teams.AppSec as a Customer Service Role: The importance of serving software engineers by providing security solutions that fit seamlessly into their workflows.The ‘Give Them the Pickle’ Approach: How meeting developers where they are and educating them can lead to better security adoption.AI’s Role in Secure Development: How AI-driven tools are transforming the way security is integrated into the software development lifecycle.Challenges in Security Culture: Why security is still an afterthought in many development processes and how to change that mindset.Future of AI in Security: The promise and risks of AI-assisted security tools and the need for standards to keep pace with rapid technological advancements.LinksPRA GroupTuring SchoolBrian HoltFrontend MastersResiliaSnyk - The Developer Security Company Follow UsOur WebsiteOur LinkedIn

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• Authentication, Authorization, And The Future Of AI Security With Alex Salazar

  Episode SummaryIn this episode of The Secure Developer, host Danny Allan sits down with Alex Salazar, founder and CEO of Arcade, to discuss the evolving landscape of authentication and authorization in an AI-driven world. Alex shares insights on the shift from traditional front-door security to back-end agent interactions, the challenges of securing AI-driven agents, and the role of identity in modern security frameworks. The conversation delves into the future of AI, agentic workflows, and how organizations can navigate authentication, authorization, and security in this new era.Show NotesDanny Allan welcomes Alex Salazar, an experienced security leader and CEO of Arcade, to explore the transformation of authentication and authorization in AI-powered environments. Drawing from his experience at Okta, Stormpath, and venture capital, Alex provides a unique perspective on securing interactions between AI agents and authenticated services.Key topics discussed include:The Evolution of Authentication & Authorization: Traditional models focused on front-door access (user logins, SSO), whereas AI-driven agents require secure back-end interactions.Agentic AI and Security Risks: How AI agents interact with services on behalf of users, and why identity becomes the new perimeter in security.OAuth and Identity Challenges: Adapting OAuth for AI agents, ensuring least-privilege access, and maintaining security compliance.AI Hallucinations & Risk Management: Strategies for mitigating LLM hallucinations, ensuring accuracy, and maintaining human oversight.The Future of AI & Agentic Workflows: Predictions on how AI will continue to evolve, the rise of specialized AI models, and the intersection of AI and physical automation.Alex and Danny also discuss the broader impact of AI on developer productivity, with insights into how companies can leverage AI responsibly to boost efficiency without compromising security.LinksArcade.dev - Make AI Actually Do ThingsOkta - IdentityOAuth - Authorization ProtocolLangChain - Applications that Can ReasonHugging Face - The AI Community Building the FutureSnyk - The Developer Security Company Follow UsOur WebsiteOur LinkedIn

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• Rethinking Secure Communication With Mrinal Wadhwa

  Episode SummaryIn this episode of The Secure Developer, Danny Allan sits down with Mrinal Wadhwa, CTO at Ockam, to explore the evolving landscape of secure communication in distributed systems. They discuss the challenges of securing microservices, IoT networks, and Kubernetes environments and how traditional TLS-based security models may no longer be sufficient. Mrinal shares insights into Ockam’s approach to end-to-end encrypted, mutually authenticated channels and the impact of WebAssembly, passkeys, and modern cryptographic identity management on security. Tune in for a deep dive into how organizations can rethink security at runtime to minimize risks in today’s complex digital ecosystems.Show NotesSecurity in modern applications is more challenging than ever, with microservices architectures, IoT deployments, and distributed computing environments introducing new risks. In this episode, Danny Allan welcomes Mrinal Wadhwa, CTO at Ockam, to discuss how secure communication models need to evolve beyond traditional TLS and perimeter-based defenses.Topics covered include:The challenges of securing microservices and Kubernetes clustersHow end-to-end encryption and mutual authentication can minimize riskThe importance of cryptographic identities and key rotation at scaleHow Ockam enables secure channels across multiple transport layers (TCP, Bluetooth, Kafka, etc.)The role of WebAssembly and passkeys in rethinking security modelsShifting from perimeter-based security to secure-by-design communicationMrinal shares key insights on how organizations can rethink risk at runtime, considering the number of people and systems involved in data flow rather than just static build-time dependencies. Whether you're a security leader, developer, or architect, this episode provides actionable insights on building trust in your infrastructure without compromising performance or agility.LinksOckamPasskeys OverviewPrivate Compute Cloud by AppleSnyk - The Developer Security Company Follow UsOur WebsiteOur LinkedIn

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• The Future Of Security, Privacy And Control With Wayne Chang

  Episode SummaryIn this episode of The Secure Developer, Danny Allan, CTO of Snyk, sits down with Wayne Chang, Founder and CEO of SpruceID, to explore the evolving landscape of digital identity and security. From self-sovereign identity to the role of AI in authentication, they discuss the future of identity management, the risks of centralized systems, and the benefits of decentralized approaches. They also dive into how policy, compliance, and emerging technologies like passkeys and zero-knowledge proofs are shaping the security ecosystem.Show NotesThe world of digital identity is changing fast, and in this episode of The Secure Developer, we explore how security professionals and developers can navigate this evolving space. Host Danny Allan is joined by Wayne Chang, Founder and CEO of SpruceID, to discuss key trends and challenges in identity management.Topics Discussed:Wayne's Background: From health tech to digital identity, how Wayne’s early struggles with integrating health records led to his passion for self-sovereign identity.The Evolution of Digital Identity: Why usernames and passwords are no longer the gold standard, and how newer methods like passkeys and cryptographic credentials improve security.Decentralization vs. Centralization: The trade-offs between federated identity systems (like OAuth and SSO) and self-hosted identity wallets.The Role of AI in Identity Security: How AI is both a tool for improving security and a threat vector for identity fraud.Privacy and Compliance: How regulations like GDPR, CCPA, and emerging state-level laws influence digital identity strategies.The Future of Authentication: The move from multi-factor authentication to "myriad factor authentication," leveraging multiple signals for seamless and secure access.Wayne and Danny also discuss real-world use cases, including the development of mobile driver's licenses, emerging digital identity wallets, and the challenges of ensuring privacy and security while maintaining usability. The conversation highlights how organizations can stay ahead with better authentication practices and privacy-preserving architectures as fraud becomes more sophisticated.LinksSpruceID - Identity infrastructure for the digital worldNIST - The National Institute of Standards and TechnologyNIST SP 800-63 - Digital Identity GuidelinesACLU Digital ID State Legislative RecommendationsSnyk - The Developer Security Company Follow UsOur WebsiteOur LinkedIn

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  39:22
• Building Security Culture With Dustin Lehr

  Episode SummarySecurity is more than just a checklist—it’s a cultural movement. In this episode, Dustin Lehr, Co-founder of Katilyst, joins Danny Allan to explore the intersection of security, engineering, and culture. They discuss how to foster security champions, scale security programs, and build a culture where developers naturally integrate security into their workflows. Dustin shares insights from his extensive career, offering practical strategies for creating lasting change in security practices.Show NotesSecurity isn’t just about tools—it’s about people. In this episode of The Secure Developer, Dustin Lehr, Co-founder of Katilyst, joins Danny Allan to discuss the importance of building a strong security culture within engineering teams.Dustin shares his journey from software engineering to security leadership, emphasizing how security should be an extension of software quality. He highlights how security champions programs can empower developers to take ownership of security without disrupting their workflow.Key topics include:The evolution of software development and how security fits inBest practices for launching and sustaining a security champions programThe psychology of change and how to influence developer behaviorThe role of AI in security culture—what works and what doesn’tMetrics and strategies for measuring the success of security initiativesWith real-world insights and actionable advice, this episode is a must-listen for security and engineering leaders looking to scale security through culture, not just technology.LinksKatilyst – Dustin Lehr’s company focused on security cultureSecurity Champion Program Success Guide – A free resource for building effective security champion programsSnyk - The Developer Security Company Follow UsOur WebsiteOur LinkedIn

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