It's a late night, and you're staring at logs trying to piece together a potential breach, wondering if you've missed something obvious. In moments like these, experience matters more than theory. The right mentor can be the difference between sleepless nights and confident decisions.
That's what makes these shows different. You'll hear the raw stories of actual breaches, feel the tension of real incident response, and learn from those rare experts who've lived through security's worst moments and emerged stronger.
Let's take a look at the best cybersecurity podcasts to listen to.
1) Best Leadership Podcast: Enterprise Security Weekly
Ever felt overwhelmed trying to translate complex security threats into business decisions? Adrian Sanabria and his team of battle-tested experts dissect enterprise security challenges through a practical lens. You'll learn how other CISOs handle board presentations, which emerging threats actually matter to your infrastructure, and get unfiltered reviews of security tools before you waste your budget. If you're tired of theoretical security advice and need actionable strategies that work in the real world, this is your weekly dose of information.
2) Best True Crime Hacking Podcast: Darknet Diaries
Remember that moment when you first realized how vulnerable our digital world really is? Darknet Diaries captures that same eye-opening feeling in every episode. Jack Rhysider's masterful storytelling transforms dense technical incidents into intense human dramas. How on Earth did a teenager breach a major corporation? How did nation-state hackers almost trigger an international crisis? Each story peels back layers of digital security to show you exactly how these breaches happen, teaching you to spot similar patterns in your own organization.
3) Best Industry News Podcast: Risky Business
Since 2007, Patrick Gray and Adam Boileau have been the security industry's most trusted voices precisely because they tell it like it is. You'll hear what seasoned security professionals really think about the latest threats, tools, and industry trends. The show's technical depth combined with sharp, often biting commentary helps you separate genuine security concerns from industry noise. When a new vulnerability hits the headlines, this is where smart security professionals turn first to understand what's actually worth their attention.
4) Best Technical Podcast: Security, Cryptography, Whatever
There's a moment in every security professional's career when you realize textbook cryptography and real-world implementation are entirely different beasts. One missing parameter, one flawed assumption about your threat model, and suddenly your "perfectly secure" system has a gaping hole. This is where Security, Cryptography, Whatever becomes invaluable. Deirdre, Thomas, and David share the kind of insights you only get from years of watching systems fail in spectacular ways. They'll take you behind the scenes of critical vulnerabilities, showing you not just what broke, but the subtle design decisions that caused the break.
5) Best Educational Podcast: Unsupervised Learning
We’re not sure if this will make the start of the week slightly better for you, but every Monday morning there is a new Unsupervised Learning episode coming out bringing you the most interesting stories from the dark side of the internet. This isn’t your typical cybersecurity news rundown. The show starts with a 10-30 minute summary on the topic, that host Daniel Miessler has thoroughly researched, and then he pairs it with compelling commentary on how those events may affect our future. This way you’re getting important insights not just on cyber security, but also the global affairs in all their social and technological contexts.
6) Best Weekly Cybersecurity Podcast: Smashing Security
With Smashing Security, Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault have proven that security awareness doesn't have to be boring. In every episode, these two hosts transform and bring in compelling stories with key takeaways. It could be the latest privacy scandal or exposing a corporate security blunder, but in any case, they strike that perfect balance between education and entertainment.
7) Best Daily Threat Podcast: Cyberwire Daily
While security news cycles thrive on panic, Dave Bittner's daily briefings (which are only 20 to 30 minutes long) give you the context mainstream tech coverage misses. He'll tell you which ransomware groups are changing tactics, why certain industries are being targeted, and what those IOCs actually mean for your defense strategy. For security teams who need to make fast, informed decisions, these daily insights have become as essential as morning coffee.
8) Best Cloud Security Podcast: Cloud Ace
Cloud Ace might just be the best cybersecurity podcast to get real insights from SANS instructors who've seen cloud implementations fail and succeed. In every episode, Brandon Evans and Frank Kim explain the thinking behind cloud security architecture decisions that impact millions of users. Whether you're battling with IAM policies or planning a zero-trust implementation, you'll get to hear of effective strategies, advice, and real-world failures to avoid the same costly mistakes.
9) Best Cyber History Podcast: Malicious Life
There's a reason why history repeats itself in cybersecurity. We often fail to understand the full context of past incidents. Ran Levi's Malicious Life fills this critical knowledge gap by diving deep into the stories that shaped our industry. Each episode reveals patterns that continue to play out in today's threats. Through meticulous research and compelling narratives, you'll understand how the first computer viruses evolved into modern ransomware, or how early phishing tactics inform today's social engineering. This historical context becomes invaluable when you're planning defenses against tomorrow's threats.
10) Best Phishing Prevention Podcast: Hacking Humans
Most security training focuses on systems and software, but attackers increasingly target the human psyche. Hacking Humans fills this critical blind spot by exposing the psychological weapons in every social engineer's arsenal. Dave Bittner and Joe Carrigan dissect the emotional triggers and manipulation tactics that make these attacks successful.
