Proofpoint Discarded Podcast

NOMINATION HIGHLIGHTS

Proofpoint Discarded: Tales from the Threat Research Trenches is a podcast for security practitioners, intelligence analysts, and threat hunters seeking to learn more about the latest threat actor behaviors and attack patterns. Discarded boasts ratings of 4.9 and 4.8 out of 5 on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, respectively. Over the last year, the podcast published 23 episodes and saw a 188% increase in listenership, as well as 26% more followers on Spotify alone.

A technical podcast, episodes dive deep into specific threat actors and provide insights into the evolving threat landscape, covering both the latest campaigns and the most successful attack methods used by cybercriminals, with the goal of better equipping defenders with valuable information. From new email attack techniques, including Microsoft 365 Direct Send abuse to request-for-quote (RFQ) fraud, malware, and social engineering, listeners can expect real-world examples in every episode from the team that spends every day hunting down emerging threats, analyzing attack chains, reverse engineering exploits, and disrupting cyber threats across the world.

Today, the Discarded podcast is hosted by Selena Larson, a staff threat researcher at Proofpoint. She was awarded “Women to Watch” distinction from SC Media Women in IT awards in 2024, highlighting women who, through their ideas, are reshaping the future of the cybersecurity landscape. Also in 2024, she won the “Most Inspiring Up & Comer” award at the CyberScoop 50 Awards.

Other members of the Proofpoint threat research team, including Tim Kromphard, Sarah Sabotka, Mark Kelly and Joe Wise, regularly join the podcast, and there are also guests from outside the company. The episode “Elect More Hackers: Tech Skills for Real-World Change” in November 2025 featured Founder and Executive Director of the Elect More Hackers nonprofit while Alex Pinto, Associate Director of Threat Intelligence at Verizon Business and lead author behind the Verizon DBIR (Data Breach Investigations Report) joined in June in the popular “DBIR Deep Dive: Identity, Access, and the Expanding Attack Surface” episode.

In 2026, Selena and team continue to innovate through the launch of Intercepted: From Headers to Headlines, a monthly interactive video cast series. This spin-off series takes Discarded to the next level, as it is livestreamed on video to thousands of attendees across the world. Attendees will benefit from the opportunity to engage directly with Proofpoint Threat Researchers and are encouraged to bring their pressing questions about the threats targeting their companies.