The Azure Security Podcast  

A twice-monthly podcast dedicated to Security, Privacy, Compliance, Governance and Reliability on the Microsoft Cloud Platform. Hosted by Microsoft security experts Michael Howard, Sarah Young, Gladys Rodriguez and Mark Simos. Meet the hosts.

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  Episode 117 - 28th August, 2025 - [Gaming Security]

In this episode Michael and Sarah talk with guest Russ Rogers ( ) about gaming security, especially as it pertains to the cloud.
We also discuss Azure Security news about lots!! See the list below!

Links

  Episode 116 - July 31st, 2025 - [Microsoft Sentinel Data Lake]

  Episode 115 - July 10th, 2025 - [MCP Security]

In this episode, Michael, Sarah and Mark talk to Den Delimarksy ( ) about the current posture of Model Context Protocol (MCP). Den serves on the committee that oversees MCP.
We also cover the latest security news about Azure Firewall, OpenTelemetry, Azure Front Door, Azure Database for PostgreSQL and Azure Kubernetes Service.

Links

  Episode 114 - June 5th, 2025 - [SQL Server 2025 Security Improvements]

In this episode Michael talks with guests Pieter Vanhove  ( ) and Pratim Dasgupta  ( ) about security updates in SQL Server 2025.
We also discuss Azure Security news about Private Link, Sarah and Michael's talks at Microsoft Build, as well as more about MCP and security.

Links

  Episode 113 - May 16th, 2025 - [Microsoft Red Team]

In this episode Michael, Sarah and Mark talk with guest Craig Nelson  ( ) VP of the Microsoft Red Team about how the Red Team works to help secure Microsoft and its customers.
In life, there are things you know you know, things you know you don't know, and finally, things you don't know you don't know. This episode is full of the latter!
We also cover security news about LLMs and MCP, TLS 1.1 and 1.0 deprecation, Private End Point Improvements, Containers and more.

Links

  Episode 111 - April 17th, 2025 - [Securing Agentic AI]

  Episode 110 - April 1st, 2025 - [Securing Gen AI Apps with Entra 3/4]

In this episode Michael and Gladys talk with guest Sharon Chahal  ( ) about monitoring and auditing when building GenAI applications. We also cover other related topics.
We also discuss Azure Security news about API Security Posture Management, Azure Key Vault in China, Azure Data Studio retirement, new least privilege permissions in Graph and more.

Links

  Episode 109 - February 17th, 2025 - [Securing Gen AI Apps with Entra 2/4]

In this episode Michael, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Bailey Bercik  ( ) about how to use Microsoft Entra Permissions Management to identify and manage over-permissioned identities in multi-cloud environments to reduce security risks.
We also discuss Azure Security news about Lessons from AI red-teaming, Azure Confidential Ledger, Star Blizzard treat actor, and the CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model.

Links

  Episode 108 - January 20th, 2025 - [Securing Gen AI Apps with Entra 1/4]

In this episode Michael, Gladys, Mark and Sarah talk to guest Diana Vicezar ( ) from the Microsoft Entra team about security Generative AI applications.
Note, this is a short, simple intro episode to introduce three follow-on episodes.
We also cover security news about TLS 1.3 and Azure Event Grid, big updates to Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Azure Database for MySQL, SQL Managed Instance and Confidential Ledger. about
We also cover security news about TLS 1.3 and Azure Event Grid, big updates to Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Azure Database for MySQL, SQL Managed Instance and Confidential Ledger.

Links

  Episode 107 - January 7th, 2025 - [Secure by default and Copilot Overshare Blueprints]

Happy New Year! In this episode Michael, Sarah, and Mark talk with guests Maxime Bombardier  ( ) and Emily Blundo ( ) about the Secure by default and Copilot overshare blueprints
We also cover news about Always Encrypted Assessment in SQL Server Management Studio, MVP Summit, mapping Entra to the Open Group standard for Adaptive Access, and various CISO Workshop topics!

Links

  Episode 104 - November 11th, 2024 - [Post Bluehat Wrap-up]

In this special episode Michael talks with guest Nic Filinghamm  ( ) about what went down at the recent Microsoft Bluehat conference in Redmond, WA.
We also discuss how to tell the NZ and Australian accents apart. This alone is worth listening to :)
This is a follow-on from episode 103 when we talked about what was coming up for Bluehat.
No news, as this is a special, smaller episode. It's also the least edited; other than some ums and ers getting removed and a small retake, the result is as was recorded. Let us know what you think, this feels a little more 'chatty' and personable.
Links

  Episode 103 - October 17th, 2024 - [Microsoft Bluehat]

In this episode Michael and Sarah talk with guest Nic Filinghamm  ( ) about some of the most important security conferences around the globe with a special focus on Microsoft's annual Bluehat conference.
We also discuss Azure Security news about Azure PostgreSQL, Cosmos DB, IP address management, containers and AI Studio.

Links

  Episode 102 - October 7th, 2024 - [Entra ID Purple-teaming with Dr Azure AD]

  Episode 101 - September 20th, 2024 - [GHOST Threat Hunting]

In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guests Waymon Ho ( ) and Matt Zorich  ( ) about the GHOST team at Microsoft and how they help protect Microsoft and Microsoft customers from attacks.
We also discuss Azure Security news about Azure Event Grid, AKS, Azure NetApps, and Chaos Studio. Mark mentions more about Zero Trust.

Links

  Episode 100 - August 29th, 2024 - [Our Stories!]

In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk about our careers so far, explain some funny stories and our wishes for a more secure future.

Our Stories

  • Mark at the start
  • Sarah 4m 5s
  • Gladys 6m 50s
  • Michael 12m 22s
  • Funny Stories

  • Mark 19m 31s
  • Sarah 20m 33s
  • Gladys 22m 46s
  • Michael 24m 39s
  • Career Advice

  • Mark 26m 58s
  • Sarah 29m 18s
  • Gladys 31m 48s
  • Michael 34m 40s
  • Future

  • Mark 36m 27s
  • Sarah 38m 33s
  • Gladys 40m 34s
  • Michael 42m 24s
  • Behind the Scenes

  • 43m 36s
  • BLOOPER: Not Michael's proudest moment!

    Links

      Episode 99 - August 16th, 2024 - [Securing Copilot Data and Purview]

    In this (late) episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Andrew McMurray  ( ) a Principal Product Manager at Microsoft about securing Copilot AI data and the role Purview can play for end-to-end protection.
    We also cover news about MFA access to the Azure Portal (Important), PostgreSQL, Entra ID and Windows authn metadata, Backup Vaults, Conditional Access Policy, ADFS, and Azure Container Apps.

    Links

      Episode 98 - June 20th, 2024 - [Secure Future Initiative and Rust at Microsoft]

      Episode 96 - May 3rd, 2024 - [CNAPP - Cloud Native Applications Protection Platform]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, and Mark talk with guest (and good friend of the podcast) Yuri Diogenes  ( ) about CNAPP - Cloud Native Applications Protection Platform and announce the release of a CNAPP e-book.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about Azure SQL DB, Defender for Cloud, Data Box and Trusted Signing.

    Links

      Episode 95 - April 25th, 2024 - [Threat Intelligence]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah and Mark talk with guest Sherrod DeGrippo  ( ) Director of Threat Intelligence Strategy at Microsoft about the current state of Threat Intelligence.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about Tampa BSides, Virtual Networks, Azure Database for MySQL and PostgreSQL, and SQL Server on Linux.

    Links

      Episode 92 - March 15th, 2024 - [Global Azure (Security)]

    In this episode Michael and Sarah talk with guest Martin Abbott  ( ) about the Global Azure event that starts soon, https://globalazure.net/. We talk about how to successfully fill out a Call for Papers (CFP) so YOU can present to a global audience about security topics that interest you.
    We also cover security news AI security, SQL Always Encrypted, SymCrypt and Rust, SQL Security Fundamentals, and free Security 101 material.

    Links

      Episode 90 - January 24th, 2024 - [AI red teaming]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah and Mark talk with guests Dr. Amanda Minnich ( ) and Pete Bryan ( ) about AI Red Teaming.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about Azure SQL DB, Trusted VMs, NetApp Files, Azure Load Testing and Front Door. Mark covers further details about Zero Trust and the CISO Workshop.

    Links

      Episode 89 - December 18th, 2023 - [Our Year-end Thoughts]

      Episode 88 - December 1st, 2023 - [Attacker's Guide to Securing SQL Server]

      Episode 87 - November 15th, 2023 - [Advances in Always Encrypted and Transparent Data Encryption]

      Episode 86 - October 30th, 2023 - [Zero Trust Playbook]

    In this episode Michael talks with guest Nikhil Kumar  ( ) and our own Mark Simos about a new book they have co-authored named "Zero Trust Playbook Series Zero Trust Overview and Playbook Introduction: Actionable Guidance for Business, Security, and Technology Leaders and Practitioners."

    Links

      Episode 85 - October 11th, 2023 - [Security Response and Bug Bounties]

    In this episode Michael and Sarah talk with guest Madeline Eckert  ( ) about Security Bug Bounties.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about SQL Server 2022, Azure certificate changes, TLS 1.0 and 1.1 deprecation, GitHub security scanning, Ransomeware defenses, Zero Trust and more; and by 'more' we mean lock-picking!

    Links

      Episode 84 - September 22nd, 2023 - [Attack Simulation]

      Episode 83 - August 14th, 2023 - [PowerShell Automation and Scripting for Cybersecurity]

    In this episode Michael and Sarah with guest Miriam Wiesner  ( ) about her new book, "PowerShell Automation and Scripting for Cybersecurity" which comes out soon.

    We also discuss Azure Security news about: Azure SQL DB Always Encrypted improvements, Azure SQL Managed Instance, App Gateway for Containers and Bring your own Key for AKS Ephemeral Disks.

    Links

      Episode 82 - August 8th, 2023 - [Modern Security Strategy]

    In this episode Michael and Mark talk with Microsoft Security MVP Truls Dahlsveen  ( ) about modern security strategy. Actually, Mark and Truls mainly do the talking :)
    We also discuss Azure Security news about Application Gateway TLS policy, Defender for IoT and the Zero Trust Commandments.

    Links

      Episode 81 - July 28th, 2023 - [Auditing in Azure SQL Database]

    In this special episode Michael talks to prior podcast guest and Azure SQL DB colleague Sravani Saluru  ( ) about how to configure, monitor and manage audit logging in Azure SQL Database. She also shares some inside hints and tips!

    Links

      Episode 80 - July 14th, 2023 - [Incident Response]

    In this episode Michael and Sarah talk with guest Matt Zorich  ( ) about Microsoft's Incident Reponse process and services.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about Azure Monitor RBAC and some Web Application Firewall (WAF) updates.

    Links

      Episode 79 - June 13th, 2023 - [Threat Intelligence with MSTICPy]

    In this episode Michael and Sarah talk with guest Thomas Roccia  ( ) about threat intelligence and MSTICPy and more.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about Azure Files SMB shares, Private Link support for Application Gateway, Managed Identities support for Capture in Event Hubs and more.

    Links

      Episode 77 - May 19th, 2023 - [Securing Infrastructure as Code (IaC)]

    In this episode Michael, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Anthony Shaw  ( ) about what he looks for when reviewing Infrastructure as Code files, and some of the best practices he has learned over the years. He also made a fantastic comment:
        "Security pops up a lot when you stick things on the Internet"
    Sarah is away in Singapore, presenting at Blackhat Asia 2023!
    We also discuss Azure Security news about DDoS, Cosmos DB, Microsoft Defender for APIs, Load Balancer, Zero Trust and discovering Internet-facing devices.

    Links

      Episode 76 - May 3rd, 2023 - [Microsoft Security Research]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, and Mark talk with guest Negar Shabab  ( ) about her work in Microsoft's Security Research group.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about new Confidential Computing VMs, SQL Server, T-SQL Parsing, Auditing in Azure SQL DB, Sentinel and more.

    Links

      Episode 75 - April 13th, 2023 - [Latest Microsoft Defender for Cloud News]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with a good friend of the Podcast, Yuri Diogenes  ( ) about the latest Microsoft Defender for Cloud news.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about Trusted VM Launch, Chaos Studio, Azure SQL DB, DDoS protection, Confidential Containers, Firewall and more.

    Links

      Episode 73 - March 17th 2023 - [Microsoft Defender for Cloud as Code]

    In this episode Michael and Gladys talk with guests Sean Wesonga  ( ) and Bojan Magusic  ( )  about using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about new Azure SQL Database migration abilities for authentication and Transparent Data Encryption (TDE).

    Links

      Episode 72 - February 28th, 2023 - [The team reflects after almost three years]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark interview each other!

    The Podcast is almost three years old, and things have changed for each of us, so we thought we'd re-introduce ourselves, reflect, give career advice, and talk about what's top of mind for each of us!
    We also discuss Azure Security news about SQL Server and Azure SQL DB, MFA and AAD, AAD and IPv6, new SC-100 study guide and more.

    Links

      Episode 71 - February 15th, 2023 - [ANNOUNCEMENT: Azure SQL DB, Always Encrypted with VBS Secure Enclaves]

    In this episode Michael talks with guest Pieter Vanhove  ( ) about a new addition to the Always Encrypted family: Always Encrypted with Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) Enclaves. This new feature is available today in Public Preview.
    Links

      Episode 70 - February 9th, 2023 - [Microsoft Purview]

    In this episode Michael and Sarah talk with guests Beau Faull  ( ) and Lou Mercuri  ( ) about Microsoft Purview. Beau and Lou are also co-hosts of the Coast2Coast Podcast.

    We also discuss Azure Security news about Trusted Boot VMs, Sentinel and Defender for Cloud.

    Links

      Episode 69 - January 29th, 2022 - [Secure Software Supply Chain and SBOM]

    In this episode Michael and Mark talk with guest Adrian Diglio  ( ) about Secure Software Supply Chain and Software Bill of Materials or SBOM.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about SQL Server, Azure SQL DB, Azure Database for MySQL, Azure Database for PostgreSQL and Application Secure Groups in Private Endpoints. Mark goes over MCRA, Immutable Laws of Cybersecurity and Security Architecture Design.

    Links

      Episode 68 - December 7nd, 2022 - [SQL Server 2022]

    In this episode Michael sits down with Ajay Jagannathan  ( ) to talk about the recent release of SQL Server 2022 especially some of the new security features and hooks into Azure.
    We also discuss other SQL database security news.

    Links

      Episode 67 - November 24th, 2022 - [Privileged Access]

    In this episode Michael and Sarah talk with guest Bronwyn Mercer  ( ) about Privilegd Access.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about Defender for DevOps, ARM, Application Gateway, and Managed HSM.

    'Designing and Developing Secure Azure Solutions' from Microsoft Press is now available!

    Links

      Episode 65 - November 4th, 2022 - [Microsoft Defender for Threat Intelligence]

      Episode 64 - October 14th, 2022 - [SQL Server Permission Model]

    In this episode Michael talks with guest Andreas Wolter  ( ) about SQL Server and Azure SQL Database permissions. If you have never gotten your head around SQL Server permissions, you came to right place! Andreas and Michael are colleagues in the Azure Data Platform.

    Links

      Episode 62 - September 28th, 2022 - [Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Tamper Protection]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Josh Bregman  ( ) who is a Principal Product Manager at Microsoft about Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and a feature that makes it harder for bad actors to change sensitive security-related settings that could disable security software.
    We also cover the latest security news about Synapse SQL, Service Bus, Storage, Redis, Azure SQL, MySQL, AKS, Managed Disks and Microsoft Defender.

    Links

      Episode 61 - August 26th, 2022 - [Operational Technology (OT) Security]

      Episode 60 - August 23th, 2022 - [Defender for Cloud]

    In this episode Michael, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Safeena Begum  ( ) about current Microsoft Defender for Cloud news as well as using it to monitor AWS and GCP.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about changes to Certificate Authority root certificates in Azure, Microsoft Entra and threat intelligence.

    Links

      Episode 59 - August 9th, 2022 - [CISO Workshop]

    In this episode Michael and Sarah talk to Mark about the updated Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Workshop.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about Gateway Load Balancer, Azure Database for MySQL, Confidential Ledger and Trusted Launch.

    Links

      Episode 58 - July 22nd, 2022 - [Latest Innovations in Azure Confidential Computing]

    In this episode Michael geeks out with guests Vikas Bhatia () and Run Cai () about some of the recent announcements about Azure Confidential Computing. Most importantly, the recent release of Azure Confidential Computing VMs from AMD.

    Links

      Episode 57 - July 12th, 2022 - [Microsoft Sentinel Content Hub]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Roey Ben Chaim  ( ) about the plethor of material available as part of the Microsoft Sentinel Content Hub.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about: Microsoft Entra Permissions Management, MSTICPy 2.0, Microsoft Purview, Azure Monitor Agent, Azure Backup, App Insights and the table of contents from Designing and Developing Secure Azure Solutions :)

    Links

      Episode 56 - July 8th, 2022 - [Microsoft Defender Advanced Hunting]

    In this episode Michael talks with guest Michael Melone  ( ) a Principal Product Manager in the Microsoft 365 Defender team about tips tricks and tools available to help hunt adversaries using Microsoft 365 Defender.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about MySQL, AKS, Comsos DB, and API Management.

    Links

      Episode 55 - June 28th, 2022 - [Practical Zero Trust]

    In this episode Michael and Sarahtalk with guest Matt Soseman  ( ) about Practical Zero Trust. Michael goes off the deep-end about Zero Trust and Assume Breach!
    We also discuss Azure Security news about: Azure SQL SD, SQL Server, Sentinel, Bastion and Microsoft Entra.

    Links

      Episode 54 - June 14th, 2022 - [Azure SQL MI Windows Authentication]

    In this episode Michael talks with guest Sravani Saluru   ( ) about Windows authentication support for Azure SQL Managed Instance. This is an importat feature in Public Preview that allows for seamless Kerberos authentication of on-premise accounts with SQL MI in Azure. This makes it significantly easier to 'lift and shift' on-premise SQL Server workloads, and unblocks many scenarios.

    Links

      Episode 53 - May 24th, 2022 - [Azure SQL Database Ledger]

      Episode 52 - May 18th 2022 - [Microsoft Defender for Containers]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah and Mark talk with guest Shay Amar  ( ) about Microsoft Defender for Containers.
    Azure Security news is a little light because the RSA and Microsoft Build conferences are around the corner. However, there's some news about Confidentual Compute VMs, Microsoft Sentinel and Azure Arc. Mark also reinforces some best practice about protecting against the current scourge of the Internet, ransomware.

    Links

      Episode 51 - April 18th, 2022 - [Updated CosmosDB Security]

      Episode 50 - April 4th, 2022 - [Microsoft Cybersecurity Reference Architectures (MCRA)]

    This special episode is a little different; Michael, Sarah, and Gladys talk to Mark about the Microsoft Cybersecurity Reference Architectures (MCRA) and the Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) and how they relate to Zero Trust and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and more. We also get a little side-tracked at times and discuss other security topics such as developer tools for non-developers, and how IT-folks need to learn the basics of the software development toolchain to support Infrastructure as Code (IaaC).
    We purposefully had no news this week because we wanted to leave as much time as possible for Mark, but one item of great importance to Michael so he covered it anyway: Always Encrypted in CosmosDB is now Generally Available (GA).

    Links

      Episode 49 - March 23rd, 2022 - [RiskIQ]

    In this episode Michael and Gladys talk with guest Jason Zann  ( ) the Vice President, Head of Platform at RiskIQ, a Microsoft subsidiary, about the role of RiskIQ within Microsoft products. Quotes of the month from Jason, "Security isn't a problem you solve, it's a game you play." and "Am I a targeted chance or a targeted choice?"
    We also discuss Azure Security news about: API Management, Azure Monitor, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Identity Protection and Microsoft 365 Sensitivity labels.

    Links

      Episode 48 - March 11th, 2022 - [Microsoft Compliance Manager and Security Score]

      Episode 47 - February 22nd, 2022 - [Microsoft Defender for IoT]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Chris Hallum  ( ) who is a Senior Product Managed in the Microsoft Defender for IoT team, about everything you didn't know about the product. Chris also mentions some of the new features coming later in the year.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about: Sentinel, Azure Learning resources, Azure Active Directory, Azure SQL DB, Azure Monitor and Payment HSM. Stick around for a disussion about network-based printers and the problems of networking sniffing, chatter and latency.

    Links

      Episode 46 - February 11th, 2022 - [Azure Sentinel Extensions]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Matt Egen  ( ) about Azure Sentinel Extensions inlcuding the new Codeless Connectors that are in preview. Matt and Mark also discuss some interesting views on Geo-fencing using IP addresses.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about Azure DevOps and Key Vault.

    Links

      Episode 45 - January 26th, 2022 - [Zero Trust and the SOC]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah and Mark talk with guest Kristin Burke  ( ) about supporting Zero Trust in the Security Operations Center (SOC).
    We also discuss Azure Security news about: Azure Cache for Redis, API Management, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), PostgreSQL, Azure Sentinel, KQL resources and Confidential Compute VM cost reductions.

    Links

      Episode 44 - January 12th, 2022 - [Security - The Boring Bits]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Jess Dodson  ( ) about some of the basic and most fundamental practices organizations should take to secure their Azure and on-prem solutions. There's no glitz and glamor or shiny tools necessary, just good, honest practices.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about Log4j, Key Rotation in Key Vault, Azore Storage and ABAC, updates to Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Azure AD custom security attributes and security training.

    Links

      Episode 43 - December 28th, 2021 - [Deep Dive into Azure Policy]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Liz Kim  ( ) about Azure Policy. We cover topics such as best practices to safely deploy Policy and some of the new features coming soon.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about App Service and Azure Functions, new Confidential Compute VMs, Azure Bastion, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, AKS, ExpressRoute, Microsoft Defender for Containers and more.

    Links

      Episode 42 - December 7th 3rd, 2021 - [Inside Azure Monitor]

    In this episode Michael and Mark talk with guest Dave Lubash ( ) about some little known parts of Azure Monitor. If you ever feel confused about the role of Log Analaytics and Azure Monitor, then this is the podcast episode for you.
    NOTE: There are a couple of sections with a small echo, normally we can remove this, but we had some technical issues this time around. Sorry about that!

    We also discuss Azure Security news about Zero Trust Commandments, Application Insights, Log Analytics, Azure SQL DB, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Logic Apps, Confidential Computing and more.

    Links

      Episode 41 - November 13th, 2021 - [Security Highlights from Ignite]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Abbas Kudrati  ( ) about some of the recent security news and announcements from the November 2021 Microsoft Ignite event.

    Links

      Episode 40 - November 4th, 2021 - [Incident Response with Jupyter Notebooks]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Julie Koesmarno   ( ) a Principal Program Manager in the Azure Data Team about how you can use Jupyter Notebooks to aid with incident response. Another important topic is sensitive data in Notebooks.

    We also cover security news about .NET 6.0, Azure Monitor, HDInsight, Azure Static Web Apps, Azure Key Vault, Kubernetes, Firewall, Sentinel, Ransomware, IoT Solutions and more!

    Links

      Episode 39 - October 21st, 2021 - [Microsoft Digital Defense Reports]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Mark McIntyre ( ) about the recently released Microsoft Digital Defense Report (MDDR). Both Marks talk at length about
    We also discuss Security news about the new OWASP Top 10:2021, Windows 11 TPM 2.0 requirements, Azure Security Center, Azure Sentinel, the recent 2.4Tbps attack on Azure. Mark also points to updates to his "Mark's List". A note to the wise, a link to the list should be in your favorites.

    Links

      Episode 38 - October 1st, 2021 - [Azure Active Directory Conditional Access]

    In this episode Michael, Gladys and Mark talk with Daniel Wood   ( ) about Azure Active Directory Conditional Access, how it works, example scenarios and what's new. He also hints at new features coming soon. Michael and Deniel geek out about 'Do no Harm' in security.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about: Azure disks key rotation, Azure SQL DB roles, Ransomware, Azure Site Recovery, Defender for IoT

    Links

      Episode 37 - September 15th, 2021 - [Adversary Tradecraft - Simuland]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Roberto Rodriguez   ( ) about Simuland, an open-source initiative by Microsoft to help security researchers around the world deploy lab environments that reproduce well-known techniques used in real attack scenarios, actively test and verify the effectiveness of related Microsoft 365 Defender, Azure Defender, and Azure Sentinel detections, and extend threat research using telemetry and forensic artifacts generated after each simulation exercise.

    We also have awesome security news about NSG and UDR support in Private Link, Azure Virtual Desktop, SMB 3.1.1, Azure Monitor and Azure Data Explorer, Azure Security Center, Windows 11, Windows IoT Server 2021 and Microsoft Cloud Reference Architectures.

    Links

      Episode 36 - September 1st, 2021 - [Azure Defender for SQL - Vulnerability Assessment]

    In this episode Michael, Gladys and Mark talk with guest David Trigano ( ) about Azure Defender for SQL Vulnerability Assessment. Basically, it's an excuse for Michael to geek out on SQL security for another episode! Sarah is still taking a break, but she should be back next week if you're missing your Azure Sentinel news!
    We also discuss Azure Security news about networking, SC-900, Azure Defender for IoT, Azure Gov't Top Secret, Executive Order on Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity, intrusion detection,

    Links

      Episode 35 - August 18th, 2021 - [Azure Defender for SQL - Threat Protection]

    In this episode Michael, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Michael Makhlevich ( ) about Azure Defender for SQL - Threat Protection. This is the first part of a two-part conversation about Azure Defender for SQL, next week will talk about Azure Defender for SQL - Vulnerability Analysis.  In this episode, both Michael's discuss some history about SQL-related vulnerabilities and attacks. MichaelM also waxes philosophical about defending SQL databases, and it's not just about protecting data from attack!

    We also discuss security news about Managed Hardware Security Module (HSM), App Config and Key Vault, Sentinel, Machine Learning, Azure Security Center and more.

    Links

      Episode 34 - August 2nd, 2021 - [Study Guide for SC-200: Microsoft Security Operations Analyst]

    This episode is a little different; no news! Michael talks with Yuri Diogenes ( ) and Sarah about the various Azure Security certifications, and Sarah and Yuri talk about their upcoming study guide for SC-200: Microsoft Security Operations Analyst.

    Links

      Episode 33 - July 25th, 2021 - [Zero Trust]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Carmichael Patton, a Senior Security Architect in the Digital Security and Resiliency group at Microsoft  ( ) about Microsoft's journey to Zero Trust and some of the lessons learned along the way.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about: Azure Sentinel, Azure Automation, Azure SQL DB and Always Encrypted withe Secure Enclaves, App Insights, App Service and Functions, Azure Active Directory, Azure Firewall, Azure Kubernetes Service, Azure Security Center, Azure Bastion. Mark also talks about some Open Group activities and recent Microsoft security acquisitions.

    Links

      Episode 32 - July 7th, 2021 - [Azure Sentinel SOC Process Framework]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Rin Ure  ( ) about the Azure Sentinel SOC Process Framework Workbook.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about Azure Web Application Firewall, Azure Front Door, Azure SQL DB, Azure Sphere, Confidential Compute VMs and episode 2 of the Spanish Azure Security Podcast is now out.

    Links

      Episode 31 - June 23rd, 2021 - [Automating Security]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Nicholas DiCola   ( ) about Security automation in Azure. Nicholas is the Director of Cloud Security in the Azure CXE team, and has a new book on Azure networking security.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about Azure Monitor, Confidential Computing, Azure Key Vault, VS Code, Azure Defender for MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL and IoT, and more!

    Links

      Episode 30 - June 9th, 2021 - [Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center - MSTIC]

      Episode 29 - June 1st, 2021 - [Azure Data Explorer]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with Minni Walia  ( ) about Azure Data Explorer, a fast and highly scalable big data analytics service for any types of logs and telemetry data.
    We also discuss Azure Security news about Bicep, VPN Gateway, Azure Backup, Azure Security Center, AKS, Azure Sentinel, IoT Hub, API Management, SimuLand and Microsoft Cybersecurity Reference Architectures and Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework.

    Links

      Episode 28 - May 12th, 2021 - [Azure Purview]

      Episode 27 - April 28th, 2021 - [Applied Data Science, AI and Machine Learning in Security]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Sharon Xia ( ) about applied Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning in Cybersecurity. Sharon is a Principal PM Manager in the Azure Cloud Security - Data Science Team. This is one of those episodes where many of us learned a great deal about something we know little about!  
    We also discuss Azure Security news for: Azure VMs, Azure Charts, Zero Trust and the Open Group, Azure Sentinel, Purview, App Gateway, Security Technical Content Library and a new Azure Networking Security book from Microsoft.

    Links

      Episode 26 - April 14th, 2021 - [Azure Bastion]

      Episode 25 - March 31st, 2021 - [Azure Security Questions]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Chuck Enstall   ( ) about common security questions he's hearing from Azure customers and we delve into some practices around Azure Active Directory, Tenant and subscription level management and isolation. We also discuss Azure Security news for the following services: GitHub, Code QL, Storage, Iot Hub, SQL Server and Synapse, Event Grid, Media Services, Azure Communications Server, Redis, Key Vault, Azure Active Directory, App Service and Express Route as well as an update on PCI DSS certification and a beta of the SC-200 exam, "Microsoft Security Operations Analyst (beta)".

    Links

      Episode 24 - March 17th, 2021 - [Security News Dump from Ignite]

    This episode is a little different, Sarah and Michael discuss the security news and updates from the Microsoft Ignite conference. Lots of security updates covering SQL Server, CosmosDB, Azure Security Center, Azure Kubernetes Service, Windows Server 2022, VM updates, Azure Sphere, Azure Backup, TypeScript, Azure Sentinel and Azure Purview.

    Links

      Episode 23 - March 5th, 2021 - [Network Security]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Anthony Roman  ( ) who is a Senior Program Manager in the Azure Networking Security team. We cover topics such as low-level Azure networking security building blocks (VNets, subnets, NSGs, user-defined routes, hub-and-spoke etc.), Azure Firewall, Azure Frontdoor and more.
    Mark has a public service announcement regarding Exchange on-prem - PLEASE PATCH. We also discuss Azure Security news for the following Azure topics: Azure Sentinel, Data Encryption SDK, Tables and Queues, TypeScript, Service Principals, Authentication and DataBricks.

    Anthony's bio Anthony manages a team of Program Managers responsible for Azure Network Security deployment and product improvement. As part of Microsoft Cloud + AI Security Engineering, the Customer Experience (CxE) team works between customers and product groups to help build comprehensive NetSec solutions that integrate across the Azure Security stack

    Links

    Episode 21 - February 3rd, 2021 - [Azure Sentinel]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Ofer Shezaf  ( ) about Azure Sentinel. Ofer is a Principal Product Manage in the Azure Sentinel team and has years of experience building Security Information and Events Management (SIEM) systems. Ofer also discusses the history of Azure Sentinel and shares some of his insightful philosophies about SIEMs. Make sure you stick around for his fascinating Final Thoughts.
    We also discuss Azure Security news for the following services: Azure Security Center, HDInsight, Azure Attestation and IaaS SQL Server using Secure Enclaves. Gladys covers some of the material she learned this week about Privileged Access Workstations (PAWs), especially in light of Solorigate. PAWs are not just for tier-0 admins, but also for developers. Mark covers Azure Security Benchmarks, extending threat and vulnerability management to macOS and shares details about Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Workbook.

    Links

      Episode 20 - January 20th, 2021 - [An Inside look at Securing Azure]

    In this episode Michael, Sarah, Gladys and Mark talk with guest Alex DeDonker  ( ) about his team's role in helping secure the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.
    We also discuss the latest Azure Security news for the following services: Azure Sphere, Azure Backup, Managed Disks, Azure Security Center, Azure Policy, Azure Defender for SQL, Azure Health Bot and Azure Automation.
    Mark also discusses some updated Solorigate resources, human operated ransomware and more.

    Alex's bio Alex DeDonker is a Program Manager within Cloud and AI Security. Alex drives security awareness and education initiatives within the engineering communities at Microsoft. Specifically, as a part of a program called STRIKE; focused on Azure Security. Prior to joining Azure Security’s STRIKE Team, Alex was a technical recruiter at Microsoft in University Recruiting. Beyond that, he helps organize Microsoft BlueHat and can be spotted as a volunteer at many security conferences.

    Links

      Episode 19 - January 6th, 2021 - [Azure Firewall]

    Michael Howard, Gladys Rodriguez and Mark Simos with guest Suren Jamiyanaa  ( ) who is a Program Manager (PM) in the Azure Firewall team.
    In this episode we cover recent security news including the latest on the SolarWinds attack and updates for Security Center, Azure Stream Analytics, Google's Web Signin, Power BI and BGP improvements.

    Links

      Episode 18 - December 10th, 2020 - [Security and Compliance with Microsoft 365]

    In this episode we chat to Miriam Wiesner ( ) who is a Program Manager in the Microsoft 365 team, about security, compliance and management using Microsoft 365. If you're confused about Azure Defender, Microsoft Defender or Microsoft 365 Defender, then this is the podcast for you!
    Miriam also discusses her pet subject: Event Lists.
    We also discuss current Azure security news, including US Government Cloud data classifications, IoT Hub and private link updates, Latest Azure Security Center news, Azure Databricks, Azure Policy and Unified Connection Monitor. Also, Gladys introduces a new product Azure Purview and announces her new role in Azure Engineering.

    When talking about Microsoft 365, it might be useful to keep the following diagram handy! The second is when Miriam and Gladys discuss killchains.

    Microsoft365 Architecture    Modern Kill Chain
    Miriam's bio Miriam Wiesner works as a Security Program Manager for Microsoft Defender ATP with a focus on Secure Infrastructure and Threat Protection. In her spare time, she enjoys writing articles for her private blog as well as developing tools to support the community and speaks on international conferences and events like Black Hat, hack.lu, BSides, and many more. She's a life-long learner, always excited about new technologies and empowering others.

    Links

      Episode 17 - November 25th, 2020 - [Azure Datacenters]

    In this episode Michael and Sarah talk to Gary Buckmaster ( ) a Senior Architect in the Microsoft Technology Center in Sydney, Australia, about Azure Datacenter security, compliance and reliability. If you'd like to get a better understanding of the security-related lifecycle of a humble hard-drive, then this is the episode for you! We also cover security news about Azure Attestation, Confidential Computing, Storage and Virtual Machines.  

    Links

      Episode 16 - November 11th, 2020 - [Azure Policy]

    Michael Howard, Sarah Young and Mark Simos with guest Nick Fadziewicz who is a Principal Consultant at Microsoft working in the Azure and AI team.
    In this episode we cover security news about Azure Datalake Storage Gen 2 ACLs, HDInsight and Azure Batch now support Private Link in preview, TLS protocol version support on Storage accounts, Azure Security Center vulnerability assessments and improved Kubernetes support, Azure Firewall DNS updates and more.
    Of note is a free e-book "Azure for Architects 3rd Ed" is now available.

    Links

      Episode 15 - October 28th, 2020 - [Azure Top 10 Security Practices]

    Michael Howard, Sarah Young, Gladys Rodriguez and Mark Simos with guest Tom Quinn   ( ) who is a Principal Technical Specialist in Azure to about the Azure Top 10 Security Practices.
    In this episode we cover exciting news about new preview features in IoT, Zero Trust, Azure Key Vault and Log Analytics, and Mark opines about VPN technology.

    Tom's bio Tom Quinn currently works as an Azure Security and Compliance technology specialist for the Americas. He leads Azure security and compliance discussions and designs with Microsoft's major enterprise customers across various industries including G-SIFI banks and financial services institutions, healthcare, pharma, manufacturing, and government contractors.

    Links

      Episode 14 - October 14th, 2020 - [Azure Security Benchmark]

    Michael Howard, Sarah Young, Gladys Rodriguez and Mark Simos with guest Amrita Satapathy  ( ) who works in the Azure Security team.
    In this episode we discuss Azure security news, including a new member to the Azure Key Vault family, immutable storage, PowerBI and private endpoints, Azure Security Center updates and Azure Top 10 Security practices. Finally, the team chats with Amrita about the Azure Security Benchmark project.

    Amrita's bio Amrita is a Principal Program Manager in the Azure Security team with 15+ years of experience in successfully delivering ambitious, innovative services at cloud scale such as Azure Security, Azure Active Directory, Office 365, and Information Protection services. Amrita deeply enjoys diving into technical challenges and building solutions that improve the lives of customers and enterprises. Her latest such endeavor is Azure Security Benchmark which is helping Azure customers to accelerate their cloud adoption journey.

    Links

      Episode 13 - October 7th, 2020 - [Azure Security News from Microsoft IGNITE 2020]

    In this special episode we cover the Azure security, compliance and governance news that came out of Microsoft Ignite 2020.
    Michael Howard and Mark Simos sit down with guest Cyril Voisin  ( ) who is the Chief Security Advisor for Europe, Middle East and Africa, based in Paris, France.
    The topics covered include updated news on the Microsoft Defender suite, Key Vault, SQL Server, Kubernetes, Data Loss Prevention, Azure Security Center, Zero Trust, Microsoft Information Governance and much more.

    Cyril's bio Cyril advises C-level executives and security leaders from leading public and private sector organizations in France, Italy, Middle East, and Africa, on strategic security, risk, and business change issues and opportunities with digital transformation.

    Links

      Episode 12 - September 30th, 2020 - [Confidential Computing]

    Michael Howard, Sarah Young, Gladys Rodriguez and Mark Simos with guest Aeva Black   ( ) who is an Open Source Program Manager in the Confidential Computing group at Microsoft.
    In this episode we discuss current Azure security news for VMs, IoT, Azure Arc, Sentinel and more. Mark gives his analysis of the latest Microsoft Digital Defense Report and then Sarah and Michael talk to Aeva about the technology, benefits and future of Confidential Computing on Azure at various levels of the hardware and software stack. To be honest, Michael geeks out in this one... :)

    If you're new to Confidential Computing on Azure, then you should listen to this episode because Aeva does a magnificent job laying out the why of Confidential Computing.

    Aeva's bio Aeva Black is a radically queer geek and lifelong student of the dharma, a Linux user since the mid '90s, and has been an advocate for Open Source since 2003. They pioneered the creation of the OpenStack Bare Metal Cloud project while working at HPE, and have contributed to projects such as MySQL, Ansible, and Kubernetes. Today, they are the Open Source Program Manager for the Azure Confidential Compute team, Azure’s representative to the Confidential Computing Consortium’s Outreach Committee, and a member of the Kubernetes Code of Conduct Committee.

    Links

      Episode 11 - September 16th, 2020 - [Microsoft Graph]

    Michael Howard, Sarah Young, Gladys Rodriguez and Mark Simos with guest Yina Arenas   ( ) who is a Principal Group Program Manager in the Microsoft Graph Team.
    In this episode we discuss recent Azure security news including TLS in IoT (again!), Log Analytics REST APIs, Azure Information Protection, Azure Monitor and Confidential Computing. We then talk to Yina about the vision behind Microsoft Graph and how it can be used to help build security and IT management solutions.

    Links

      Episode 10 - September 2nd, 2020 - [Threat Hunting with Microsoft Threat Protection]

    Michael Howard, Sarah Young, Gladys Rodriguez and Mark Simos with guest Tali Ash   ( ) who works in the Microsoft Threat Protection team in Israel.
    In this episode we cover current Azure security news. Sarah talks about the recent New Zealand DDoS attacks. Michael talks about vulnerabilities in wolfSSL impacting Azure Sphere. Mark explains what he's been up to around Zero Trust and Gladys explains some Azure Bastion changes and Azure Sentinel Ninjas. We then talk to Tali about threat hunting with Microsoft Threat Protection.
    On a side note, this podcast was recorded in two chunks owing to timezone issues and Michael used the wrong microphone during the intro and news. He thought he was using his flashy mic, but he accidentally used a webcam mic instead! He will be more attentive from now on!

    Links

      Episode 9 - August 19th, 2020 - [Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification]

    Michael Howard, Sarah Young, Gladys Rodriguez and Mark Simos with guest Maryam Rahmani   ( ) who works with the Microsoft Security Partner Development Team, helping partners secure public sector customers. 
    In this episode we cover the latest Azure security news and Mark chats about the role of threat models and shared responsibility in Azure. Maryam then discusses the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) and the role it plays in protecting Dept. of Defense (DoD) contractors from cyber attacks.

    Links

      Episode 8 - August 5th, 2020 - [Azure Network Isolation]

    Michael Howard, Sarah Young, Gladys Rodriguez and Mark Simos with guest Randy Campbell  () a Principal Consultant at Microsoft with a long history working in networking on Azure.
    In this episode we cover the latest Azure security news. Gladys discusses some IT training available from Microsoft to help people looking for IT positions in the wake of COVID-19 job-related issues. Michael then talks to Randy about the history of network isolation in Azure, as well as some DNS gotchas when using private endpoints.

    If your job has been affected by COVID-19, or you know someone who has been affected, please go to the Microsoft JobSeeker link below.

    Links

      Episode 7 - July 22nd, 2020 - [Identity]

    Michael Howard, Sarah Young, Gladys Rodriguez and Mark Simos with guest Ryen Macababbad  () a Senior Security Architect Manager at Microsoft.
    In this episode we cover the latest Azure security news, Gladys discusses some security research findings about weak security caused by companies rushing to deploy solutions for their remote workers and finally, Sarah interviews Ryen about topics relating to identity, multi-factor authentication, the human element of security, why running many security agents on a computer is bad, password-less authentication and much more.

    Links

      Episode 3 - May 27th, 2020 [Azure Security Center]

    Michael Howard, Sarah Young, Gladys Rodriguez and Mark Simos and guest Yuri Diogenese.  ( )
    In this episode Michael and Sarah chat about their experiences clearing the AZ-500 Azure Security Exam. Gladys talks more about Zero Trust, and Mark discusses his work on the Cloud Adoption Framework. Finally, Michael interviews Yuri Diogenes about some new Azure Security Center features announced at Microsoft Build.

    Links

      Episode 1 - April 30th, 2020 [Hello, World!]