Security Guy TV: Software Risks & Nation-State Threats
NetRise CEO Tom Pace joins Security Guy TV to discuss how nation-state actors are targeting connected devices and what organizations can do to reduce risk.
Attackers are shifting to xIoT/firmware as “low-hanging fruit”:
Internet-facing edge devices (routers, VPNs, telecom/satellite gear, etc.) often run 10–20-year-old components and aren’t updated frequently—making them easier to compromise than modern endpoints with XDR, scanning, and layered controls.
The biggest problem is basic visibility into what’s inside critical devices:
Organizations can usually tell you what’s running on laptops/servers, but often can’t verify what software components exist in firmware—even when major issues like Log4j show up across firewalls/VPNs, OT/ICS, and even automotive contexts.
You don’t scale firmware security with manual teardowns—automation is the unlock:
The talk contrasts expensive, time-heavy “consulting-style” firmware reverse engineering with an automated approach and produce results in minutes instead of weeks so teams can manage firmware risk continuously, not as a one-off project.