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UnHack the Podcast

Hosted by Drex DeFord

In-depth conversations about cybersecurity strategy, risk management, and building resilient healthcare organizations in the face of evolving cyber threats.

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Episodes (403)

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UnHack the Podcast UnHack the News Executive Interview Solution Showcase Newsday 2 Minute Drill

Jan 8, 2026·2 Minute Drill

2 Minute Drill: Healthcare's Cybersecurity Workforce Crisis With Drex DeFord

Drex breaks down ISC2's 2025 cybersecurity workforce study and explains why healthcare's security staffing problem isn't about finding more people—it's about broken operating models and unrealistic expectations. He covers the critical skills gap in translating cyber risk to business risk, the burnout driving away mid-career talent, and why third-party risk management has become more complex than ever. Plus, practical solutions healthcare CISOs are using: growing security teams internally by hiring from other departments and strategically leveraging managed services. The workforce gap won't be fixed by traditional hiring—it requires designing better systems and building resilience instead of just buying more tools. Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Jan 5, 2026·Newsday

Newsday: The $7B ServiceNow-Armis Deal & What's Coming in 2026 with Jason Rose

January 5, 2026: ServiceNow's $7 billion acquisition of Armis signals a major shift in healthcare IT consolidation strategy. Jason Rose , CEO of Clearsense dives into what this deal means for health systems juggling overlapping security tools and bloated app portfolios. The conversation shifts to bold predictions for 2026, including a massive wave of multi-billion dollar health system mergers and the rural hospital crisis. Jason reveals how Trinity Health eliminated $100 million in operational c

Dec 19, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: CMS ACCESS Model & Tech-Enabled Care with Laura O’Toole

December 19, 2025: CMS has unveiled its new ACCESS Model—an ambitious 10-year initiative aimed at expanding digital, tech-enabled care for millions of Medicare beneficiaries. In this discussion, Laura O’Toole , CEO of SureTest , joins Bill and Sarah to unpack how outcome-based reimbursement could finally accelerate innovation in remote monitoring and chronic disease management. They explore what this shift means for CIOs, including the need for stronger data interoperability, integrated analytics, and secure pipelines to support continuous digital care. The conversation also highlights risks, from digital literacy gaps to patient privacy concerns as de-identified data gains value across the industry. From wearables and home health devices to the challenge of building a true digital front door, this episode examines how ACCESS could reshape care-in-place models—and why commercial payers may soon follow Medicare’s lead. X : This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Dec 16, 2025·UnHack the Podcast

UnHack Rewind 2025: The Year Healthcare Cybersecurity Grew Up

From crippling outages to AI-powered deepfakes, 2025 tested healthcare cybersecurity like never before. This year-end recap explores the moments that mattered most: how teams built resilience during system failures, why users became partners instead of "weak links," how identity became the new perimeter, and what it means when you can't trust your own eyes. Through powerful stories from the front lines, we revisit the lessons learned and the community that kept us standing. Because at the end of

Dec 15, 2025·2 Minute Drill

2 Minute Drill: Zero-Day Vulnerabilities Spark a Global Race Against Attackers with Drex DeFord

A critical vulnerability called React to Shell exposed tens of thousands of systems worldwide, triggering immediate exploitation by threat actors—including China-nexus groups—within minutes of disclosure. Drex breaks down how this flaw turns innocent web requests into remote access backdoors, why CloudFlare's emergency response accidentally caused widespread outages, and what this high-stakes race teaches us about rapid response patching in healthcare. When attackers move at internet speed, your playbook needs to be faster than your Slack discussion. Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Dec 15, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: How PhD-Level AI Agents are Changing Healthcare with Dan Schubert

December 15, 2025: What if healthcare's biggest breakthroughs require throwing out the playbook? Joined by Daniel Schubert , CEO and Co-Founder of Revuud , this episode explores how AI is fundamentally reshaping healthcare IT strategy, from deploying countless virtual PhD-level agents across operations to rethinking patient access and workflow automation. Healthcare leaders discuss the challenge of prioritizing AI initiatives amid competing demands, the importance of creating organizational margin for creative problem-solving, and why divergent thinking beats linear logic in digital transformation. The conversation tackles talent deployment, the dangers of "we've always done it this way" mentality, and a critical question every CIO must answer: how resilient are your systems when AI becomes mission-critical infrastructure? Key Points: 01:40 AI in Healthcare: A LinkedIn Post Discussion 04:18 Challenges and Opportunities with AI 08:38 Future of AI in Healthcare 10:55 Organizational Impact and Talent Management 20:05 Resilience and Final Thoughts X : This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Dec 12, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: Preparing for Cloud Outages and Phishing Attacks with Charles Knight

December 12, 2025: When cloud platforms like AWS and Azure experience outages, hospitals across the country feel the impact. But are healthcare organizations truly prepared for these disruptions? Charles Knight , Founder of EHC Consulting , explores the critical gaps in healthcare's cloud resilience strategies. From understanding single points of failure to running actual failover tests, this conversation reveals why documentation and operational readiness matter just as much as technical redundancy. Key Points: 04:09 Challenges in Disaster Recovery and Documentation 16:14 Phishing and Cybersecurity Concerns 21:30 Thanksgiving Food Favorites X : This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Dec 8, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: Streamlining Patient Access and Healthcare Abroad with Will Akers

December 8, 2025: Healthcare systems are drowning in administrative calls while patients struggle with fragmented portals and coordination nightmares. Will Akers , Chief Strategy Officer from Switchboard, MD , joins Bill Russell, Sarah Richardson, and Drex DeFord to unpack a stunning reality: 25-40% of health system calls are simple scheduling requests that could be automated today. Drawing from his experience having children in both Hong Kong and the US healthcare systems, Will reveals stark efficiency gaps costing patients time and money. The conversation explores why seniors spend three weeks yearly on healthcare logistics, how multiple portals create care coordination chaos, and practical automation strategies that could transform contact centers while improving patient access for vulnerable populations. Key Points: 02:06 Healthcare Experiences Abroad vs. US 09:55 Technology in Healthcare Communication 16:44 Patient-Centric Healthcare Solutions 22:52 Thanksgiving Traditions X : This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Dec 3, 2025·2 Minute Drill

2 Minute Drill: How AI-Powered Scams Are Reshaping Healthcare Cybersecurity with Drex DeFord

Drex DeFord explores what he calls the "trust recession"—a era where deepfakes, AI-generated content, and sophisticated social engineering have made it nearly impossible to distinguish real from fake. From synthetic customer service agents to North Korean operatives using AI to pass job interviews at US health systems, the threat landscape has fundamentally shifted. DeFord shares practical strategies for healthcare professionals to protect themselves during the holiday season when cyber criminals are most active, including how to validate information, verify identities, and trust your instincts when something feels off. Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Dec 1, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: The AI Staffing Dilemma - The Productivity Paradox with This Week Health

December 1, 2025: As AI tools rapidly transform healthcare IT workflows, leaders face an unexpected challenge: what happens when your team becomes dramatically more productive? Bill Russell, Drex DeFord, and Sarah Richardson explore the productivity paradox hitting healthcare organizations—when AI enables staff to accomplish in hours what once took weeks, do you need fewer people or different approaches? From closing open positions to managing "cozy" employees who've mastered automation, they de

Nov 26, 2025·2 Minute Drill

2 Minute Drill: Insider Threats in Healthcare: Employee Recruitment Schemes with Drex DeFord

Drex examines the growing insider threat landscape in healthcare cybersecurity. The episode covers CrowdStrike's recent insider incident where screenshots were leaked to cybercriminals, new research showing 93% of organizations struggle to detect insider threats, and the Geisinger Health/Nuance $5 million settlement over improper data access. Drex also reveals how ransomware groups like Medusa are directly recruiting healthcare employees with financial incentives, highlighting that insider threats aren't just malicious employees—they're also your people being actively targeted through phishing and recruitment offers. Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Nov 25, 2025·UnHack the Podcast

UnHack (the Podcast): Breaking Down Silos and Building Up Culture with Shawna Hofer

November 25, 2025: What if cybersecurity awareness training could be fun, like mixing bratwurst and flu shots? Shawna Hofer , CISO at St. Luke's Health System , shares how her team transformed security culture by meeting staff where they are—literally. From creating engaging one-minute videos featuring everyday healthcare workers to establishing a groundbreaking IT and cyber resiliency team that breaks down traditional silos, Shawna reveals why the best healthcare CISOs are expert translators and relationship builders. She also tackles the tough questions around AI governance, operational resilience in the wake of major industry incidents, and why cyber preparedness must extend beyond hospital walls to protect entire communities. Discover how collaboration and creativity are reshaping healthcare cybersecurity from the inside out. Key Points: 03:28 Building a Cybersecurity Culture 08:00 Operational Resilience and Incident Response 15:58 AI Governance 20:55 Promoting Diversity in Cybersecurity 25:27 The Role of a Healthcare CISO X : This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer