Greg Otto on How Cybersecurity Journalists Contribute to Better Security

Cybersecurity journalists play an essential role in educating the public about the risks of cyberattacks and the importance of protecting their data. They also help keep businesses and individuals informed about the latest security threats and how to protect themselves.

In this episode, host Zaira Pirzada speaks with Greg Otto, Editorial Director at Trail of Bits. During the show, Zaira and Greg explore the ins and outs of cybersecurity journalism and why it matters and shares some of the challenges.  

Topics discussed:

• Greg shares what motivates him to cover and report on the field of cybersecurity.
• Greg and Zaira talk about the relationship between journalists and security researchers. 
• Greg gives some insights into the challenges of communicating a very specialized and technical topic, like cybersecurity, to non-technical users and readers.
• Zaira prompts Greg to share some of the important changes he has noticed over his years covering cybersecurity, from script kiddies to nation-state threat actors. 
• Greg shares why cybersecurity journalists need a somewhat technical understanding of systems and threats and a good grasp of the business side of the equation that drives protection funding.
• The discussion turns to how journalism and threat research are very similar in many ways. 

Resources Mentioned: 

• Greg Otto on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregotto 
• Trail of Bits on Twitter: https://twitter.com/trailofbits