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Technology

Plaintext with Rich

Rich Greene

Cybersecurity is an everyone problem. So why does it always sound like it’s only for IT people?


Each week, Rich takes one topic, from phishing to ransomware to how your phone actually tracks you, and explains it in plain language in under ten minutes or less. No buzzwords. No condescension. Just the stuff you need to know to stay safer online, explained like you’re a smart person who never had anyone break it down properly. Because you are!

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  • 24 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 9 min
  • English

Episodes 24

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Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • S1 · E21
    April 17 · 10 min

    Roll for Security: What D&D Teaches About Cyber Defense

    The fighter absorbs hits up front. The rogue finds traps before the party walks into them. The cleric keeps everyone alive when things go wrong. And the bard convinces the people with resources to actually fund the quest. Nobody does everything. Everybody has a role. Now replace the dungeon with your company's network. This episode maps cybersecurity roles to D&D character classes, SOC analysts as fighters, pen testers as rogues, incident response as clerics, security architects as wizards, CISOs as bards, and threat intelligence analysts as rangers. It translates the six core ability scores into an organization's security posture: Strength as technical controls, Dexterity as speed of response, Constitution as resilience, Intelligence as threat knowledge, Wisdom as judgment, and Charisma as communication. Then it breaks down why parties wipe, siloed teams, no incident response plan, main character syndrome, and ignoring the logs before closing with a five-step starter kit for building your party and running the campaign. Whether you're a tabletop gamer who works in security or a leader trying to understand why your team needs every role filled, Plaintext with Rich has the quest briefing. Is there a topic/term you want me to discuss next? Text me!! YouTube more your speed? → https://links.sith2.com/YouTube Apple Podcasts your usual stop? → https://links.sith2.com/Apple Neither of those? Spotify’s over here → https://links.sith2.com/Spotify Prefer reading quietly at your own pace? → https://links.sith2.com/Blog Join us in The Cyber Sanctuary (no robes required) → https://links.sith2.com/Discord Follow the human behind the microphone → https://links.sith2.com/linkedin Need another way to reach me? That’s here → https://linktr.ee/rich.greene

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  • S1 · E20
    April 10 · 9 min

    Why Reading Code Makes You Dangerous (In a Good Way)

    A vulnerability advisory drops on a Tuesday. Two people read the same report. One sees a severity score and waits for a patch. The other understands what a heap-based buffer overflow actually means and starts reducing risk before a fix even exists. This episode breaks down why code literacy is a cybersecurity skill, not just a developer skill. It starts with the listener's question about learning C and C++ for security, then widens the lens to cover the full stack: why C still matters because of how it handles memory, how offensive operators use that knowledge to find and exploit weaknesses, and how defenders use it to read malware, assess real risk, and build their own tools. The episode maps four languages to four layers, C and C++ for how software touches hardware, Python for automation and speed, JavaScript for web attack surfaces, and Assembly for understanding what the machine is actually doing then closes with a four-step starter kit for building code literacy at any level. Whether you're a security professional wondering where to start with code or a leader trying to understand what your team means by "exploit development," this episode makes the case clearly. Plaintext with Rich. Is there a topic/term you want me to discuss next? Text me!! YouTube more your speed? → https://links.sith2.com/YouTube Apple Podcasts your usual stop? → https://links.sith2.com/Apple Neither of those? Spotify’s over here → https://links.sith2.com/Spotify Prefer reading quietly at your own pace? → https://links.sith2.com/Blog Join us in The Cyber Sanctuary (no robes required) → https://links.sith2.com/Discord Follow the human behind the microphone → https://links.sith2.com/linkedin Need another way to reach me? That’s here → https://linktr.ee/rich.greene

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  • S1 · E19
    April 3 · 10 min

    Hacking on Screens and Pages: Pop Culture That Shaped Cybersecurity

    Someone sits down at a keyboard, mashes keys for six seconds, and says "I'm in." Every security professional dies a little inside but that scene is probably the reason half of us got into this field. This episode walks through the movies, TV shows, books, graphic novels, and video games that shaped how we think about cybersecurity. Each pick lands in one of two buckets: the fantastical, the ones that made hacking look cool even when the tech was nonsense and the accurate or semi accurate, the ones that actually got the culture, the tools, and the tedium right or tried to. From Neuromancer to Mr. Robot, from Ghost in the Shell to Hacknet, and from The Cuckoo's Egg to community-built projects like Skadi: Threat Hunter and REKCAH Comics' The Future Is ******, this is a guided tour through the media that built cybersecurity's identity. The episode closes with a five-item starter kit for anyone looking to dive in. Whether you're new to cybersecurity and looking for a way in, or a veteran who wants to hand someone the right recommendation, this one's your reading, watching, and playing list curated on Plaintext with Rich. Is there a topic/term you want me to discuss next? Text me!! YouTube more your speed? → https://links.sith2.com/YouTube Apple Podcasts your usual stop? → https://links.sith2.com/Apple Neither of those? Spotify’s over here → https://links.sith2.com/Spotify Prefer reading quietly at your own pace? → https://links.sith2.com/Blog Join us in The Cyber Sanctuary (no robes required) → https://links.sith2.com/Discord Follow the human behind the microphone → https://links.sith2.com/linkedin Need another way to reach me? That’s here → https://linktr.ee/rich.greene

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  • S1 · E18
    March 27 · 7 min

    Linux vs. Windows vs. macOS: Where Security Actually Differs

    People love to ask which operating system is the most secure. That's the wrong shape of question. Each one is designed for a different job, and that shapes how it gets attacked. This episode clears up what Linux actually is, how it compares to Windows and macOS, and why the differences matter for security. It starts by explaining why Linux isn't one product but a family of systems built around a shared kernel, then covers how each OS handles permissions, software installation, and administrator access differently. The episode walks through why Windows attracts commodity malware at scale, why macOS trades flexibility for Apple's guardrails, and why Linux incidents usually start not with a dramatic virus but with quiet exposure: an open SSH service, default credentials, or a skipped patch. It busts three common myths (Linux doesn't get malware, open source means audited, macOS and Linux are the same thing) and closes with a five-step starter kit covering patching, attack surface reduction, least privilege, trusted software sources, and recovery planning. Whether you're choosing an OS for your team, managing Linux servers for the first time, or just curious why your security team cares so much about configurations, Plaintext with Rich sorts it out. Is there a topic/term you want me to discuss next? Text me!! YouTube more your speed? → https://links.sith2.com/YouTube Apple Podcasts your usual stop? → https://links.sith2.com/Apple Neither of those? Spotify’s over here → https://links.sith2.com/Spotify Prefer reading quietly at your own pace? → https://links.sith2.com/Blog Join us in The Cyber Sanctuary (no robes required) → https://links.sith2.com/Discord Follow the human behind the microphone → https://links.sith2.com/linkedin Need another way to reach me? That’s here → https://linktr.ee/rich.greene

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Showing 21–24 of 24 episodes