🎙️ Inverted Podcast #20 — Targeted Attacks: Protecting High‑Risk People and Organizations 🎙️

What does it really mean to be a high‑risk user—and how are targeted attacks different from everyday phishing and scams?

In this episode of the Inverted Podcast, Jeroen Kemperman is joined by co-hosts Dario Salice and Dana Kaufman, with special guest Mike Sager, to break down the world of targeted cyberattacks. Together, they explore how activists, journalists, political candidates, founders, and other high‑value individuals are targeted by well‑resourced adversaries—and why conventional security advice often falls short for these groups.

The conversation dives into how nation‑states, organized crime, and sophisticated attackers operate differently from “drive‑by” attackers, investing time and resources to research their targets, craft personalized lures, and escalate attacks until they succeed. The panel discusses real‑world examples like political campaigns, advocacy organizations, journalists, and small consulting teams that become critical entry points for attackers—often without the resources of large enterprises.

The episode also looks at how AI and data leakage are changing the threat landscape, making highly personalized social‑engineering attacks faster, cheaper, and more scalable than ever before. As the panel explains, techniques that once required days or weeks of effort can now be performed in hours—dramatically expanding who can be targeted and how.

From a product and platform perspective, the discussion turns to what builders can do to better protect high‑risk users. Drawing on experience with programs like Google’s Advanced Protection Program, panel discusses raising the security baseline, giving users ways to opt into stronger protections, being opinionated about defaults, and balancing security with usability so protections don’t get turned off.

The episode wraps with practical advice for individuals who believe they may be targeted—ranging from using hardware security keys, to seeking help from trusted organizations, to developing a mindset of verification and healthy skepticism.

If you’re building products for real people—or you worry that you or your users might be a high‑value target—this episode offers clear, grounded insights on how to think about security when failure really matters.

If you’re interested in real-world security strategies, zero trust, and the evolving challenges facing media organizations, this episode is a must-listen.

Connect with the hosts and guests on LinkedIn to continue the conversation!

🎧 Listen, learn, and join the conversation! 🎧

Find us on LinkedIn, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music/Audible, iHeartRadio or our website, and leave a message with your thoughts or questions. Check out our 🌐website: https://invertedpm.com/

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#securitypm #ProductManagement #riskmanagement #risk #Cybersecurity #InvertedPM #TrustAndSafety #security #abuseprevention #userexperience #hacked #compromised

Music by: Bensound

License code: KQNVJHTWQEBEDSEA

In this compelling episode of The Inverted Podcast, host Jeroen Kemperman is joined by co-hosts Dario Salice and Dana Kaufman, along with special guest Olivia, a travel content creator based in Switzerland. Olivia bravely shares her firsthand experience of being hacked—a story that highlights the real-world risks faced by digital creators and the importance of robust online security.Listeners will hear Olivia recount how a targeted phishing email, disguised as a legitimate collaboration request from a well-known brand, led to her Google and YouTube accounts being compromised. Despite having multiple layers of security, including two-factor authentication and backup recovery keys, Olivia describes how the attacker swiftly removed her access and the emotional impact of watching her accounts slip away in real time.

The episode explores:

• The tactics used by hackers to exploit creators’ excitement and trust
• The limitations of current recovery methods and security features
• The critical lessons learned about digital vigilance and account protection
• Practical advice for creators and product builders to improve security and user empathy

Olivia’s story is a powerful reminder that even well-informed users can fall victim to sophisticated attacks. The hosts discuss how platforms and users alike can adapt to evolving threats, and Olivia offers actionable tips for anyone managing important online accounts.

Be sure to check out Olivia's travel content on:

📱https://www.instagram.com/olliechinny

📱https://www.youtube.com/olliechinny

Tune in for an honest, insightful conversation that will help you rethink your own digital security practices and inspire product teams to build safer, more empathetic experiences.

If you’re interested in real-world security strategies, zero trust, and the evolving challenges facing media organizations, this episode is a must-listen.

Connect with the hosts and guests on LinkedIn to continue the conversation!

🎧Listen, learn, and join the conversation!🎧Find us on LinkedIn, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music/Audible, iHeartRadio, and leave a message with your thoughts or questions.

✅  Subscribe for more deep dives into the world of inverted product management!✅ 

🔗 Join the conversation in the Inverted Product Management community on LinkedIn.

Inverted PM LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12902712/

#SecurityPM #ProductManagement #riskmanagement #risk #Cybersecurity #InvertedPM #TrustAndSafety #security #abuseprevention #userexperience #hacked #compromised

Music by: Bensound

License code: KQNVJHTWQEBEDSEA

🎙️ Inverted Podcast #18: Digital Legacy – Will You Continue to Live as AI After You Die?

What happens to your digital life when you’re gone?

In this episode of the Inverted Podcast, the hosts explore the emerging and deeply human topic of "digital legacy"—the data, accounts, and digital identities we leave behind when we die or become incapacitated. From locked email accounts and smart homes behaving strangely, to AI systems trained on your data that may continue acting “as you,” the conversation reveals just how unprepared most of us—and most companies—are for this reality.

Joining the discussion is Dean H. Saxe, Principal Security Engineer at Remitly and a longtime identity expert, who shares his work with the OpenID Foundation’s "Death in the Digital Estate" community group. Together, the group unpacks what a digital estate really includes, why consent and access matter, and how poor handling of digital legacy can reopen emotional wounds, create security risks, or even lead to unintended impersonation after death.

The episode also dives into:

• Real-world examples of digital legacy gone wrong
• The rise of AI and unintentional “digital immortality”
• Why companies should treat death as a core product scenario—not an edge case
• Delegated access vs. impersonation models for account management
• The role governments could play in validating death and incapacity digitally
• Practical steps individuals can take today to better manage their digital estate

This is a thoughtful, sometimes unsettling, and often practical conversation about identity, security, and what it means to exist digitally—both during life and after it.

👉 Links mentioned in the episode, including the new OpenID Foundation paper and additional resources, can be found below.

➡️Why digital estates need standards, and why we need them now: https://openid.net/why-digital-estates-need-standards-and-why-we-need-them-now/

➡️The Unfinished Digital Estate paper: https://openid.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/The-Unfinished-Digital-Estate-Final.pdf

➡️OpenID - Death and the Digital Estate (DADE) Community Group (get involved): https://openid.net/cg/death-and-the-digital-estate/

If you’re interested in real-world security strategies, zero trust, and the evolving challenges facing media organizations, this episode is a must-listen.

💥Connect with the hosts and guests on LinkedIn to continue the conversation!💥

🎧Listen, learn, and join the conversation!

🎧Find us on LinkedIn, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music/Audible, iHeartRadio, and leave a message with your thoughts or questions.

✅  Subscribe for more deep dives into the world of inverted product management!

✅ 🔗 Join the conversation in the Inverted Product Management community on LinkedIn.

➡️Inverted PM LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12902712/

#SecurityPM #ProductManagement #riskmanagement #risk #Cybersecurity #InvertedPM #TrustAndSafety #security #abuseprevention #userexperience #hacked #compromised #AI

Music by: Bensound

License code: KQNVJHTWQEBEDSEA