Securing nuclear energy systems on all fronts with Audrey Crowe

Securing nuclear energy systems on all fronts with Audrey Crowe

Author: BKBT Productions January 19, 2026 Duration: 35:54
Are we sleepwalking into a security crisis that makes ransomware look quaint? Nuclear security expert Audrey Crowe joins the show to talk about the convergence of grey zone warfare, critical infrastructure, and nuclear security. This isn't your parents' Cold War nuclear threat, this is about adversaries who've figured out they don't need missiles when they can manipulate our infrastructure through cyber operations, disinformation, and coercion that lives in the murky space below armed conflict. While our adversaries operate in the grey zone with zero institutional friction, democratic nations tie themselves in bureaucratic knots. We demand attribution, legal frameworks, and perfect evidence before we can even acknowledge a threat. It's like showing up to a knife fight with a permission slip. Audrey walks us through how Stuxnet changed everything, why the nuclear sector spans energy, transportation, healthcare, and government regulation, and why she's on a mission to get nuclear industry stakeholders share more information with one another. We also get into the elephant in the room: Big Tech's sudden hunger for nuclear power to feed AI data centers. When profit-driven actors start controlling nuclear infrastructure, will safety remain sacred? Or will we sacrifice long-term security for short-term computational power?

There’s a lot of noise in the world of technology talk, but Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks cuts through it with a focus on the people behind the products and the societal currents shaping our digital landscape. Hosts George K and George A steer conversations that are less about specs and hype, and more about real-world consequences. You’ll hear them dig into topics like the messy rollout of new AI tools, the often-invisible backbone of digital infrastructure, and why communities adopt or reject certain technologies. This podcast regularly features guests from various fields who offer unvarnished opinions on what’s genuinely functional and what’s fundamentally flawed in our tech-saturated lives. The discussions move beyond simple commentary to challenge the standard narratives promoted by the tech industry, examining the cultural and social ripples of every new development. It’s a show for anyone who feels that technology coverage often misses the human element-the frustrations, the adaptations, and the ethical dilemmas. Tune in for a grounded, critical, and consistently engaging dialogue that connects the dots between code and culture. This production from BKBT Productions lives up to its name, getting down to the brass tacks of how technology is built and used, with a bare-knuckle honesty that’s increasingly rare.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks
Podcast Episodes
Continuous Red Teaming in the AI Era [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:49
This week, Ads Dawson, Staff AI Security Researcher at Dreadnode, joins the show to talk all things AI Red Teaming! George K and George A talk to Ads about: * The reality of securing #AI model development pipelines * Why…
How Building Talent Creates Loyalty and Business Value [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:37
Ever wondered why cybersecurity hiring is broken? Jessica's flipping the script with a revolutionary approach to talent acquisition and development! George K and George A talk to Jessica about: * How she transformed the…
Trust, Risk, and AI:  On the Cybersecurity  Decisions That Matter [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:15
This week, researcher Kate Wood from Info-Tech joins the show to talk about the future of security autonomization with AI. George K and George A talk to Kate about: * The reality of AI adoption in security beyond marketi…
How Cyber Marketing Teams Can Better Understand and Connect to Buyers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:06
This week Jeanette Belashov, of Anvilogic [https://www.anvilogic.com/], joins the show to talk about smarter and more authentic cybersecurity marketing. George K and George A talk to Jeanette about: * Why the lead gen MQ…
World Domination, the Process, and Gaining Real World Cyber Skills [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:52
The unstoppable Tennisha Martin joins the show this week! The Executive Director of BlackGirlsHack [https://www.blackgirlshack.org/] digs into what it really takes to build diverse cybersecurity talent pipelines in today…
Authentic Networking and Using Your Voice [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:58
Candace Williams, security leader, joins the show to talk about what ACTUALLY matters in networking and professional development in cybersecurity. No BS, just real talk from someone who's lived it. George K and George A…
GRC Engineering: The Manifesto and Beyond! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:39
This week we dive into GRC Engineering with Justin Pagano, Emre Ugurlu, and returning guest Terra Cooke, three of minds behind the new GRC Engineering Manifesto. We tackle: * Why GRC folks are engineers (yes, really!) *…