Thales Security Sessions

In this special “Movie Episode,” host Steve Prentice sits down with David Holmes, CTO at Thales, for a wide-ranging and deeply human conversation about the movies and TV shows that didn’t just entertain us but quietly prepared us for the world we’re living in now. Starting with Tron and The Matrix, the discussion explores how science fiction has anticipated virtual worlds, AI, digital identity, algorithm-shaped realities, and our evolving relationship with technology itself. Blending nostalgia, cultural insight, and sharp technological perspective, this episode asks a deceptively simple question: did science fiction merely reflect our fears and hopes, or did it actively shape the future we’re now navigating? The result is a thoughtful, entertaining journey down the rabbit hole: one that challenges listeners to reconsider where reality ends, where technology begins, and what it means to be human in an increasingly constructed world.

Today’s data breaches don’t start with hackers breaking down the door. It is much more dangerous than that. They start with organizations believing they’re already secure. But with generative AI accelerating attacks, unstructured data exploding across clouds, and collaboration tools, AI systems, and post-quantum threats moving quickly from theory to reality, many security leaders are finding themselves flying blind. In this episode of the Thales Security Sessions podcast, we are joined by Jay Thurston, Field CISO at Thales, for a candid conversation about why cybersecurity isn’t about fear, so much as clarity, and what organizations must do now to protect their data, their reputation, and their future.

As we start a new year, the cybersecurity threat landscape is evolving faster than most organizations can track, let alone defend. AI-powered predator bots that never sleep, an explosion of API traffic, and autonomous agents operating at machine speed are quietly reshaping the rules of engagement. In this, our annual predictions episode of the Thales Security Sessions podcast, Tim Chang, Global VP & GM of Application Security at Thales, delivers a clear warning: yesterday’s perimeter-based thinking is no longer enough. To survive what’s coming next, organizations must embrace a “security anywhere” mindset: one that delivers visibility, control, and protection wherever applications, data, and AI actually live.

There are some people in the cybersecurity industry who blaze a trail so bright, it’s impossible and frankly unwise to miss them. Our guest on this episode is one of those people. We’re delighted to welcome back FC, aka Freaky Clown. He’s an ethical hacker with an impressive background, for example being paid to break into hospitals and rob banks, all in the interest of helping his clients improve security. He shares his wisdom on LEGO for hackers, the dangers of putting AI into everything, and his favorite advice for CISOs and the companies that employ them.