Shows
Phillip Wylie ShowAlethe Denis: The Art of Social EngineeringSummaryIn this episode of the Phillip Wylie Show, Phillip Wylie interviews Alethe Denis from Bishop Fox, exploring her journey into hacking, the significance of social engineering in cybersecurity, and the evolving landscape of phishing and red teaming. Alethe shares her unique origin story, insights into the importance of real phishing engagements, and creative methods for gaining access during physical pen tests. The conversation also touches on the ethical implications of social engineering, the challenges posed by increasing security awareness, and valuable advice for aspiring security professionals.TakeawaysAlethe's journey into hacking began with...
2025-08-0443 min
The Hacker's Cache#53 The Dark Side of Influence: When Winning Feels Like Losing ft. Alethe DenisIn this episode of The Hacker’s Cache, Kyser Clark interviews legendary social engineer Alethe Denis to explore the ethical limits of influence in red team engagements. From her DEF CON Black Badge victory to her groundbreaking work at Bishop Fox, Alethe shares hard-earned insights on emotional manipulation, deepfakes, social engineering strategy, and why some tactics cross the line, even when they work. Whether you're a cybersecurity professional, aspiring red teamer, or just fascinated by the human side of hacking, this episode dives deep into the psychology, ethics, and real-world impact of social engineering. Connect---------------------------------------------------
2025-07-1939 min
The Audit - Cybersecurity PodcastSocial Engineering Tactics & Defense Strategies with Alethe DenisYou’re Being Hacked Right Now—And You Don’t Even Know It Ever wonder how cybercriminals manipulate human behavior to breach even the most secure organizations? In this episode of The Audit, Eric Brown and Nick Mellum sit down with renowned social engineer and penetration tester Alethe Denis to break down real-world hacking techniques, red team strategies, and the shocking ways attackers exploit trust. From winning DEF CON’s Black Badge Social Engineering competition to executing high-stakes red team engagements, Alith shares jaw-dropping stories and expert insights on modern security threats. Key topics we c...
2025-02-1038 min
Layer 8 PodcastEpisode 113: "I'm Not a Threat, But You're Adorable" - Alethe, Part 2This is the second part of a two-part podcast episode with Alethe Denis. If you missed the first part, you'll want to go back and listen to that first as this episode picks up, mid-story where Alethe has just caught the eye of a security guard during a social engineering engagement. Can she evade the guard or will the job come to an end?
Alethe is a senior security consultant with Bishop Fox, has given presentations to multiple conferences, including a keynote on redteaming. Alethe was also the featured guest on one of the most popular episodes...
2024-09-0239 min
Nexus: A Claroty PodcastAlethe Denis on Social Engineering, Red-TeamingBishop Fox senior security consultant Alethe Denis joins the Claroty Nexus podcast to discuss social engineering in cybersecurity and how it has become part of red-team engagements, especially inside critical infrastructure organizations. She explains the value of open source intelligence and data stolen in breaches to scammers and extortionists in creating pretexts for their schemes. She also explains how to best defend against these tactics that aid threat actors in weaponizing personal information against victims and organizations. For more, visit nexusconnect.io/podcasts.
2024-08-2643 minLayer 8 PodcastEpisode 112: Red Teaming with Alethe Denis, Part 1Alethe Denis is the first ever three-time guest to the Layer 8 Podcast. When Alethe comes on, we can swap stories for hours. And we did! This is part 1 of a two-part episode, as Alethe had so many great stories to share.
For this episode, she talks her way into buildings, tells us how she prepares her OSINT and when she knows it's time to go into the building.
Check back in two weeks for part 2!
2024-08-1946 min
Cyber Distortion Podcast SeriesS3 – Episode 003 – Alethe-Al Weapon with Alethe DenisEPISODE DESCRIPTION: In this episode, we sit down with Sr. Security Consultant and Red Teamer, Alethe Denis. Alethe is a social engineer who excels in the art of human hacking. Alethe Denis is a Senior Security Consultant on the Red Team at Bishop Fox, an offensive cyber security company that helps clients protect their assets and data. She holds the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification and has multiple awards and publications in the field of social engineering and cybersecurity. Pursuing her passion for hacking she joined the cyber security industry after winning the...
2024-05-112h 04
Hacking HumansThe DNA dilemma: Unraveling a 23AndMe breach.Alethe Denis from Bishop Fox is talking with Dave and Joe with her take on the 23AndMe breach. Dave and Joe share some follow up from listener Michael, who writes in to share thoughts on our catch of the day from last episode, regarding the voice mail from Spectrum. Dave shares a story on email security, and how human factors have a heavy influence on it, especially with people's vulnerability to phishing and social engineering. Joe has two stories this week, his first story is a good wrap on the holiday's and gift card scams. Joe's second story is...
2024-01-0449 min
The OSINTionEpisode 4 - Trace Labs 2/2023 AMA Part 4 with Belouve, Levi, and Alethe Denis: Final Parting WisdomThis episode of the Trace Labs AMA features Belouve, Levi, Alethe Denis, and Joe Gray, who are coming together to share their final parting words of wisdom for the Trace Labs OSINT Search Party. Belouve starts by reminding everyone to be empathetic in their searches. Levi adds to this sentiment by emphasizing the importance of preparation. Alethe Denis takes the conversation in a different direction and emphasizes the importance of collaboration. Joe Gray wraps up the panel with a reminder to take breaks.
Links Mentioned:
https://fotoforensics.com/
https://fotoforensics.com/analysis.php...
2023-02-2325 minThe OSINTionEpisode 4 - Trace Labs 2/2023 AMA Part 4 with Belouve, Levi, and Alethe Denis: Final Parting WisdomThis episode of the Trace Labs AMA features Belouve, Levi, Alethe Denis, and Joe Gray, who are coming together to share their final parting words of wisdom for the Trace Labs OSINT Search Party. Belouve starts by reminding everyone to be empathetic in their searches. Levi adds to this sentiment by emphasizing the importance of preparation. Alethe Denis takes the conversation in a different direction and emphasizes the importance of collaboration. Joe Gray wraps up the panel with a reminder to take breaks.
Links Mentioned:
https://fotoforensics.com/
https://fotoforensics.com/analysis.php...
2023-02-2325 min
The OSINTionEpisode 3 - Trace Labs 2/2023 AMA Part 3 with Belouve, Levi, and Alethe Denis: Reporting and Rabbit HolesJoin us for a Trace Labs AMA with Belouve, Levi, Alethe Denis, and Joe Gray! We'll be discussing reporting within the competition and controlling OSINT rabbit holes. Belouve and Levi will kick things off with an overview of reporting within the competition and why it is important to the security community. We will then dive into the topic of controlling OSINT rabbit holes – what steps can be taken to ensure that investigations are not sidetracked by irrelevant leads, and how to ensure that investigations stay on track. We look forward to your questions and comments!
T...
2023-02-2030 minThe OSINTionEpisode 3 - Trace Labs 2/2023 AMA Part 3 with Belouve, Levi, and Alethe Denis: Reporting and Rabbit HolesJoin us for a Trace Labs AMA with Belouve, Levi, Alethe Denis, and Joe Gray! We'll be discussing reporting within the competition and controlling OSINT rabbit holes. Belouve and Levi will kick things off with an overview of reporting within the competition and why it is important to the security community. We will then dive into the topic of controlling OSINT rabbit holes – what steps can be taken to ensure that investigations are not sidetracked by irrelevant leads, and how to ensure that investigations stay on track. We look forward to your questions and comments!
T...
2023-02-2030 min
The OSINTionEpisode 2 - Trace Labs 2/2023 AMA Part 2 with Belouve, Levi, and Alethe Denis: Screenshots, Judges, and the Importance of IntelligenceJoin us for a Trace Labs AMA with Belouve, Levi, Alethe Denis, and Joe Gray! We'll be discussing screenshots, competition judges, and the importance of intelligence. Levi will kick things off with an overview of screenshots and why they are important to the security community. Belouve will then dive into the topic of competition judges – what criteria they use to evaluate submissions, how to make sure you're prepared for a competition, and how to make sure you stand out from the crowd. Alethe and Joe will then discuss the importance of intelligence, how it can be used to enhance se...
2023-02-1629 minThe OSINTionEpisode 2 - Trace Labs 2/2023 AMA Part 2 with Belouve, Levi, and Alethe Denis: Screenshots, Judges, and the Importance of IntelligenceJoin us for a Trace Labs AMA with Belouve, Levi, Alethe Denis, and Joe Gray! We'll be discussing screenshots, competition judges, and the importance of intelligence. Levi will kick things off with an overview of screenshots and why they are important to the security community. Belouve will then dive into the topic of competition judges – what criteria they use to evaluate submissions, how to make sure you're prepared for a competition, and how to make sure you stand out from the crowd. Alethe and Joe will then discuss the importance of intelligence, how it can be used to enhance se...
2023-02-1629 min
The OSINTionEpisode 1 - Trace Labs 2/2023 AMA Part 1 with Belouve, Levi, and Alethe Denis: Aliases, Logging, ChatGPTJoin The OSINTion for a joint AMA with Trace Labs featuring Belouve, Levi, Alethe Denis, and Joe Gray! We'll be discussing alias/sock accounts, providers logging, and ChatGPT. We will kick things off with an overview of alias/sock accounts and why they are important to the security community. Jow will then hit on on providers logging – what types of data they log, why it's important, and how it can be used to improve security measures. Joe will then discuss ChatGPT, what it is, how it works, and how it can be used in investigative scenarios and with alias/so...
2023-02-1333 minThe OSINTionEpisode 1 - Trace Labs 2/2023 AMA Part 1 with Belouve, Levi, and Alethe Denis: Aliases, Logging, ChatGPTJoin The OSINTion for a joint AMA with Trace Labs featuring Belouve, Levi, Alethe Denis, and Joe Gray! We'll be discussing alias/sock accounts, providers logging, and ChatGPT. We will kick things off with an overview of alias/sock accounts and why they are important to the security community. Jow will then hit on on providers logging – what types of data they log, why it's important, and how it can be used to improve security measures. Joe will then discuss ChatGPT, what it is, how it works, and how it can be used in investigative scenarios and with alias/so...
2023-02-1333 min
Adventures of Alice & BobEp. 16 - Like Shooting Vish in a Barrel // Alethe DenisToday’s episode is hosted by Karl and James. They talk to Alethe Denis, Senior Security Consultant at Bishop Fox, about how children learn how to utilize social engineering at a young age, some common misconceptions about making a career out of social engineering, and why HR departments are a force to be reckoned with.Produced by ProSeries Media
2022-11-281h 12
8th Layer InsightsFinding Your Path: Mid-Career Moves into CybersecurityThis is a follow-up to Season 2, episode 4 –Bridging the Cyber Skills Gap. Many listeners contacted me saying that they loved the episode, but wished that I’d put more focus on people trying to find a career in cybersecurity later in life. So, consider this episode a Bridging the Cyber Skills Gap Part 2.We’ll hear the stories of several people who’ve come to cybersecurity a bit later in life. This episode features interviews with Alethe Denis, Tracy Z. Maleeff (a.k.a. InfoSec Sherpa), Phillip Wylie, Lisa Plaggemier, Naomi Buckwalter, and Alyssa Miller.Guests:
2022-08-2343 min8th Layer InsightsFun and Games: Lock Picking, Capture the Flag Contests, Simulations, and MoreWhat images come to mind when you see or hear the word 'Cybersecurity?' That word probably evokes mental images of people hunched over keyboards launching cyberattacks at each other. Or maybe you picture someone picking a lock or stealing a badge to slip into a building. In other words, most people picture the battle... or what some might think of as "the fun parts." But, here's the thing. Not everyone gets to participate in these aspects of cybersecurity and, in many cases, finding safe and legal ways to practice these skills can be challenging. So where can curious...
2022-03-221h 00
Layer 8 PodcastEpisode 76: Alethe Denis - Creating Pretexts for Social EngineeringAlethe Denis is an amazing accomplished social engineer. She won the Social Engineering Capture the Flag competition at Defcon 27. She was part of a team that won a Trace Labs OSINT Capture the Flag competition. She will again be a judge at the Collegiate Social Engineering competition. She created the Defcon 209 chapter in California, and is the original ambassador to the Innocent Lives Foundation. In this episode, Alethe takes us through her pretext preparation for Defcon and how she creates pretexts for social engineering. She breaks down some of the principles of persuasion that she talks about in her...
2021-09-131h 00
The Official OffSec Podcast#5. Hear from DEF CON Black Badge, Social Engineering CTF winner: Alethe Denis!In this action-packed episode, our host TJ Null sits down with Alethe Denis, to talk social engineering, red team, blue team, raising chickens, and everything in between! Learn why Alethe was honored by DEF CON with a Black Badge following her win of the Social Engineering Capture the Flag (CTF) contest at DEF CON 27. She shares her favorite tools for social engineering campaigns as well as the best way to gain trust and get the answers you need in a phishing campaign. Alethe breaks down what it takes to be a world-class social engineer. She also touches on her...
2021-05-2854 min
Breadcrumbs by Trace LabsEpisode 7.5 - The Death Star Run: OSINT with Alethe Denis (Part 2)OSINT can have a profound effect on a person's life. In part 2 of our conversation, Alethe lays out some amazing career advice (with an OSINT twist) and walks us through the wonderful (and perhaps under appreciated) world of Real Estate OSINT.Alethe on Twitter: @AletheDenisWant to learn more about Open Source Intelligence? Follow us on Twitter: @TraceLabsJoin our Slack Channel: https://tracelabs.org/slackLearn how to get started with Trace Labs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OrI4MYv9i4Learn about our...
2021-04-2934 minBreadcrumbs by Trace LabsEpisode 7. - The Death Star Run: OSINT with Alethe Denis (Part 1)OSINT can have a profound effect on a person's life. In part 1 of our conversation, Alethe walks us through the twists, turns and Death Star Runs that her OSINT journey has taken.Alethe on Twitter: @AletheDenisWant to learn more about Open Source Intelligence? Follow us on Twitter: @TraceLabsJoin our Slack Channel: https://tracelabs.org/slackLearn how to get started with Trace Labs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OrI4MYv9i4Learn about our Search Party CTFs: https://www.tracelabs.org/initiatives/search-party
2021-04-2739 min
CyberSpeaksLIVEICS, DFIR and PancakesCon with Lesley Carhart (Hacks4Pancakes)Lesley Carhart (@hacks4pancakes) joins us for the reboot of CyberSpeaksLIVE featuring Alethe Denis (@alethedenis) as our new co-host. Lesley is a Principal Industrial Incident Responder at the industrial cybersecurity company Dragos, Inc. She has spent more than a decade of her 20+ year IT career specializing in information security, with a heavy focus on response to nation-state adversary attacks. She is also the founder of the PancakesCon virtual conference occurring on Sunday 3/21/21. Details about events, villages, talks, and miscellany are available on the website: pancakescon.com or by following the event on Twitter (@PancakesCon). In he...
2021-03-181h 13Breadcrumbs by Trace LabsBonus: An Evening With the Puppet Masters - Sock Puppet WebinarIn this webinar we engage a panel of experts to hear their thoughts, experiences and best practices when it comes to sock puppet creation and maintenance.A huge thank you to our panelists: - Alex Minster - @UlicBelouve - Alethe Denis - @AletheDenis - Weiliang Zhuang - @egomy_cs - Jake Creps - @jakecrepsWant to learn more about Open Source Intelligence? Follow us on Twitter: @TraceLabsJoin our Slack Channel: https://tracelabs.org/slackLearn how to get started with Trace Labs: https://www...
2021-02-061h 55
The Jerich Show PodcastThe Jerich Show Episode 30 - Alethe Denis Joins Us, Amazon Scams, and Cyber Attacks at HomeIn this episode, Javvad and Erich welcome Althe Denis, winner of the Social Engineering Capture the The Flag (SECTF) at DEFCON and one of the most motivated and awesome people we have met.
They discuss her path to an infosec career, how she keeps things straight and advice for those interested in getting in to the infosec community from other careers.
They also discuss some interesting news stories related to cyber attacks on homes, the OGUsers forum hack/ransom, Amazon delivery scams and the value of C-Level executive credentials and accounts.
All this and...
2020-12-0448 min
Talent Intelligence Collective PodcastThe one with Alethe Denis from ManpowerGroup TalentWelcome back to 4th episode of the Talent Intelligence Collective Podcast.
Where we, as in myself, Alan Walker, and my amazing co-hosts Toby Culshaw and Nick Brooks, joining for his debut podcast episode, chatted to Talent Intelligence superstar Alethe Denis.
Alison Ettridge our other usual co-host was unable to join us. The combination of a biblical storm. The fact she lives in the sticks. And her broadband – basically two tin cans and a long piece of string – was knocked out because of said storm.
Anyway! Not to worry, Alison will be back for the...
2020-11-0242 min
#10QPresents:E044: Alethe DenisIT'S THE LOST EPISODE!!!
Well, it wasn't really lost.
But this was the first podcast that led to the beginning of a great friendship!
Also, Alethe tells a story that might be able to rival the one told by @DAkacki in E014...
https://anchor.fm/10questions/episodes/E014-Rand0h-ebbbih
2020-08-301h 10
#10QPresents:E044: Alethe DenisIT'S THE LOST EPISODE!!!
Well, it wasn't really lost.
But this was the first podcast that led to the beginning of a great friendship!
Also, Alethe tells a story that might be able to rival the one told by @DAkacki in E014...
https://anchor.fm/10questions/episodes/E014-Rand0h-ebbbih
2020-08-301h 10
CyberSpeaksLIVEMental Health in InfoSec with Alethe Denis::TALKING POINTS:: Mental Health in the Hacking Community and Globally Social Engineering Your Own Mindset Innocent Lives Foundation TraceLabs Mental Health and Wellness for Volunteers Tribe of HackersAlethe Denis is a social engineer who specializes in open-source intelligence (OSINT) and phishing, specifically voice elicitation or phishing over the phone. Awarded a DEF CON Black Badge at DEFCON 27 for Winning the Social Engineering Capture the Flag (SECTF) contest, she is the VP of Dragonfly Security, CFO of PENGUIN, Voice & Data Services and a Founding Member of the DC209 DEFCON Group.She's presented at BSides San...
2020-08-0555 min
#10QPresents:E030: #WANParty 7Alethe Denis & Chris Kirsch talk about competing in SECTF competitions, OSINT in general, and skills such as vishing. This is a good conversation to listen to if you're trying to learn more about aspects of social engineering, especially in competition scenarios.
2020-04-221h 10
#10QPresents:E030: #WANParty 7Alethe Denis & Chris Kirsch talk about competing in SECTF competitions, OSINT in general, and skills such as vishing. This is a good conversation to listen to if you're trying to learn more about aspects of social engineering, especially in competition scenarios.
2020-04-221h 10
The Social-Engineer PodcastEp. 128 - OSINT, Vishing and the Winning the SECTF with Alethe DenisEpisode Highlights: Alethe shares her initial thoughts on receiving details about her target company. One mistake Alethe made in her first competition was misunderstanding that you can repeat flags. Alethe outlines how she prepared for the second competition, including watching re-enactment videos. Chris and Alethe discuss the importance of pretext and the key switch Alethe made. Alethe describes the experience of bringing a young baby to DefCon. She spent over 100 hours of time on her OSINT report. She spent even more time getting ready for the calls. Alethe tells us the most dangerous OSINT she found in her...
2020-04-1347 min
#10QPresents:E011: Speed Round 1 - AletheAlethe Denis has already recorded her 10 Questions, set to be released later this year. Some fun stories in there. But she joined me again for the 10x10 Speed Round. 100 questions.
2020-02-2947 min
#10QPresents:E011: Speed Round 1 - AletheAlethe Denis has already recorded her 10 Questions, set to be released later this year. Some fun stories in there. But she joined me again for the 10x10 Speed Round. 100 questions.
2020-02-2947 minLayer 8 PodcastEpisode 13: Alethe Denis - Social Engineer Your Own BrainFor this episode, we welcome Alethe Denis, the founder of Dragonfly Security and the reigning champion of the Defcon social engineering capture the flag competition. This is Alethe’s story of where she came from, how she was always a social engineer from childhood and also how words from Lady Gaga turned her life around. She tells us how we can social engineer ourselves to move in a positive direction.
2020-02-2453 min