The Cyber Security Recruiter talks to Andrew Kirch, Director of Technical Operations, Stoic Cybersecurity

Andrew Kirch on Hacker Mindset, Insider Threats, and AI’s Impact on CybersecurityIn this Cyber Security Recruiter podcast episode, Thomas chats with Andrew Kirch, Director of Technical Operations at Stoic Cybersecurity, who describes his wide-ranging background across IT, red and blue team work, tabletop exercises, and early experience running a major DNS blacklist that helped him understand how attackers think. Andrew argues hacker mindset is learnable through experience, stresses reputational and insider threats, and explains prioritizing vulnerabilities based on real exploitability. He shares stories involving Anonymous, Occupy Wall Street amplification, and law-enforcement work culminating in Operation Cyber Slam. The discussion covers increasing criminal organization, AI-driven risks (voice cloning, fake candidates, faster exploit development, and corporate secrets leaking via public AI), the need for continuous learning, and sources he follows such as YouTube, Ground News, CISA updates, and The Register.00:00 Podcast Welcome00:55 Andrew’s Background04:55 Hacker Mindset Tips06:51 Prioritizing Real Threats08:56 Anonymous Storytime12:00 Operation Cyber Slam15:24 Cybercrime As Business17:25 How To Level Up21:01 AI And IP Risks24:04 Generalist Security Skills24:41 AI Voice Fraud Threat26:17 Fake Candidates Remote Hiring27:39 AI Widens Attack Surface29:28 Breach Costs and Insurance31:01 Writing Reports With AI34:10 Tone and Social Engineering36:10 Cyber News Sources39:22 Geopolitics and Ransomware41:18 Utilities and SCADA Risks42:53 Zero Trust and Passkeys45:32 AI for SOC Defense47:25 Wrap Up and Farewell