The 15 Best Cyber Security Podcasts (2026)

Jack Rhysider has built something genuinely special with Darknet Diaries. Each episode tells one complete story from the darker corners of the internet — real hacks, actual breaches, true cybercrime — and Rhysider's narration pulls you through like a good thriller novel. He started the show in 2017 and has released over 180 episodes since, covering everything from nation-state attacks to social engineering capers to penetration testers who got a little too good at their jobs.

The format blends investigative journalism with narrative storytelling. Rhysider spends weeks researching each episode, then weaves together original interviews with the people who were actually there — the hackers, the defenders, the victims. His voice is calm and deliberate, which makes the wild stories hit even harder. One episode you're hearing from a former NSA operator, the next from someone who broke into a Fortune 500 company's building just to prove they could.

What sets this apart from other security podcasts is that you do not need a technical background to follow along. Rhysider explains complex concepts without dumbing them down. The production quality is movie-grade, with sound design that makes you feel like you are listening to a documentary. Episodes run 30 to 60 minutes, released monthly. There is also a premium tier called Darknet Diaries+ with bonus content and ad-free listening. Rated 4.9 stars with nearly 8,000 ratings on Apple Podcasts — and honestly, it earns every one of them. This is the gold standard for cybersecurity storytelling.

If you work in cybersecurity and only have time for one daily news podcast, CyberWire Daily is the one. Hosted by Dave Bittner, this weekday show from N2K Networks packs the day's most important security news into digestible episodes that typically run 20 to 30 minutes. Bittner has a broadcast journalist's delivery — polished, authoritative, but never stuffy — and he moves through headlines at a pace that respects your time.

The show has been running since 2016 and has racked up over 2,000 episodes. Each one follows a consistent structure: a rapid-fire rundown of the day's top cyber stories, followed by a deeper segment that might be an expert interview, a research breakdown, or a career-focused discussion. The recurring segments keep things fresh — Research Saturday brings on analysts to dissect new threat intelligence, while Career Notes profiles professionals at different stages of their security careers.

N2K Networks built a whole ecosystem around this show, and it shows. The sourcing is solid, the analysis is measured, and Bittner knows how to ask the right follow-up questions when talking to guests. Some listeners mention the ads can pile up, which is fair, but the content between them is consistently strong. With a 4.8 star rating from over a thousand reviews, CyberWire Daily has earned its reputation as the morning briefing that security teams actually trust. It is essentially the Reuters of cybersecurity podcasting.

Patrick Gray launched Risky Business back in 2007, and it has become one of the most respected voices in infosec media. Alongside co-host Adam Boileau, Gray delivers weekly episodes that run about 50 to 60 minutes and manage to be both deeply informative and genuinely entertaining. The show bills itself as "a security podcast without the waffle" and that is an accurate description.

Each episode follows a loose but effective format. Gray and Boileau kick things off with a news discussion segment where they riff on the week's biggest security stories. Their chemistry is natural — they have been doing this long enough that the banter flows without feeling forced. After the news block, the show typically moves into sponsored interview segments where vendors and researchers get to talk about their work in substantive, non-salesy conversations.

What makes Risky Business stand apart is its editorial voice. Gray is an Australian journalist by training, and it shows. He asks pointed questions, pushes back on hype, and is not afraid to call out bad takes in the industry. The show assumes its audience knows the basics, so you will not hear 101-level explainers here. This is a podcast made by security people, for security people. It has maintained a 4.6 star rating across nearly 370 reviews, with listeners consistently praising the depth of coverage and the hosts' willingness to have actual opinions. If you already work in the field and want a smart weekly roundup, this is your show.

Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault bring something rare to cybersecurity podcasting: genuine humor that does not come at the expense of substance. Smashing Security drops weekly on Wednesdays, and over 460 episodes since 2017, the duo has built a loyal following by treating even the most alarming security news with a light touch and sharp wit. The show won best cybersecurity podcast awards in 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024, and it is easy to hear why.

The format is conversational. Cluley and Theriault pick two or three stories each week — data breaches, scam operations, privacy blunders, corporate security fails — and discuss them like two old friends catching up over coffee. They frequently bring on guests too, and the guest list has included names like Garry Kasparov and Mikko Hypponen, which gives you a sense of the show's reach.

Cluley is a cybersecurity industry veteran who has been writing about viruses and hacking since the early 1990s, and Theriault brings years of experience as a security researcher and journalist. Together they make dense topics accessible without oversimplifying. Episodes run about 45 minutes to an hour, and the production is clean. With over 10 million downloads and a 4.5 star rating, Smashing Security proves that cybersecurity does not have to be dry or intimidating. A premium tier offers early access and ad-free episodes for those who want the full experience.

Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte have been hosting Security Now together since 2005, making it one of the longest-running cybersecurity shows in existence. Every Tuesday, Gibson brings his encyclopedic knowledge of computer security to the TWiT network, breaking down the week's vulnerabilities, exploits, and patches in a level of technical detail you will not find on most other security podcasts.

Gibson is a programmer and security researcher who created the first spyware detection tool (OptOut) back in the early 2000s. He has a gift for explaining complex technical concepts in a way that is thorough without being impenetrable. Leo Laporte plays the role of informed audience surrogate — asking the right questions, keeping the conversation grounded, and occasionally steering Gibson back when he goes deep into the weeds (which happens regularly, and fans love it).

Episodes record live on Tuesdays at 4:30 PM Eastern and typically run over an hour. The show covers specific CVEs, patches from Microsoft and others, encryption news, protocol-level security topics, and broader trends like AI-generated malware and supply chain attacks. Nearly 2,000 people have rated it on Apple Podcasts, giving it a solid 4.6 stars. The show skews technical — if you want to understand how a vulnerability actually works at the code level, this is your podcast. Gibson's methodical approach and genuine passion for security are what keep listeners coming back after two decades.

Ran Levi created Malicious Life to answer a question most security podcasts ignore: how did we get here? Over 265 episodes produced between 2017 and 2024, the show told the stories behind the history of cybersecurity — the early viruses, the hacker groups, the zero-days that changed everything. Each episode plays out like a mini-documentary, with Levi narrating and weaving in commentary from the actual people involved: hackers, security researchers, journalists, and government officials.

The production was sponsored by Cybereason, which gave the show resources for solid research and clean audio. Levi's narration style is measured and precise, with an Israeli accent that gives the show a distinctive character. He covered topics like the rise and fall of Anonymous, APT-10's operations against Western corporations, and the Weev saga, always with enough context that you understand the broader implications of each story.

One thing to know: this show appears to have stopped producing new episodes in 2024. The back catalog is still available and absolutely worth working through — 265 episodes of cybersecurity history told well is a resource that does not go stale easily. The show holds a 4.8 rating from over 900 reviews on Apple Podcasts, and listener comments still pop up asking Levi to come back. If you enjoy narrative-driven shows like Darknet Diaries and want something more focused on historical context, Malicious Life is a fantastic companion piece. Just know you are listening to a completed library rather than an ongoing series.

Dave Bittner and Joe Carrigan team up weekly on Hacking Humans to focus on something most security podcasts only touch on in passing: the human side of cybercrime. Social engineering, phishing, scams, manipulation tactics — this show from N2K Networks (the same team behind CyberWire Daily) is entirely dedicated to how attackers exploit people rather than code.

The format is relaxed and conversational. Bittner and Carrigan have an easy rapport — Bittner brings his journalist background and Carrigan provides the technical perspective from his work at Johns Hopkins. They break down real-world scam attempts, dissect phishing campaigns, and explain the psychology behind why these attacks actually work. Maria Varmazis also joins regularly, adding another voice to the mix.

One of the show's best features is "Catch of the Day," where listeners submit scam emails, texts, and calls they have received, and the hosts break them down. It turns audience participation into genuinely useful education. The show also runs "Only Malware in the Building" bonus episodes monthly, featuring guest experts like Selena Larson from Proofpoint. With 746 episodes and counting, a 4.6 star rating, and a focus that fills a real gap in security podcasting, Hacking Humans is a smart pick for anyone who deals with security awareness or just wants to stop falling for phishing emails.

Jim Love runs a tight ship with Cybersecurity Today. This daily podcast delivers quick, no-nonsense updates on the latest threats, breaches, and vulnerabilities hitting businesses around the world. Episodes usually land around 10 to 20 minutes, which makes it easy to squeeze into a morning commute or a coffee break. Love's style is straightforward and reportorial — he gets to the point fast.

The show started in 2018 as part of the ITWC (IT World Canada) media group, and it has grown into one of the top cybersecurity news podcasts globally, ranking in the top 0.5% of all podcasts. Love typically handles the daily briefings solo, summarizing the most important stories with enough detail that you understand what happened and why it matters. On certain episodes, he brings in co-hosts like David Shipley or guest panelists for longer discussions, particularly on weekly roundup shows.

The Canadian perspective is a nice differentiator. While most cybersecurity news pods are US-centric, Cybersecurity Today regularly covers stories from Canadian organizations, government agencies, and regulatory developments alongside the global headlines. Episodes come with detailed show notes, so if something catches your ear you can follow up quickly. It holds a 4.5 star rating from 183 reviews. If you need a daily cybersecurity briefing that respects your time and covers the world beyond just American news, this is a strong choice.

If five minutes is all you have, SANS Stormcast is the most efficient cybersecurity podcast out there. Johannes Ullrich, the dean of research at SANS Technology Institute, records a brief daily episode every weekday morning covering the most critical security events from the previous 24 hours. No fluff, no sponsors, no extended interviews — just a tightly curated summary of what matters.

Ullrich has been doing this since 2009, and the show has accumulated roughly 2,000 episodes. Each one follows the same formula: he picks three to five stories from the SANS Internet Storm Center's monitoring feeds and diary entries, explains what is happening, and tells you what to watch for. The companion website at isc.sans.edu includes detailed write-ups and links for every story mentioned, so you can dig deeper on anything that catches your attention.

The show is published under a Creative Commons license, which tells you something about its ethos — this is a public service, not a commercial venture. Ullrich's delivery is dry and efficient, more professor than entertainer, and that is exactly what the audience wants. Security operations teams use it as a daily briefing tool, and multiple reviewers describe it as required listening for their SOC staff. It holds an impressive 4.9 rating from 674 reviews. If you work in a security operations center or just want a fast, reliable daily security update from someone with serious credentials, Stormcast delivers more value per minute than anything else in the space.

CISO Series built Cybersecurity Headlines as the shortest possible path between you and the day's most important security news. The daily episodes clock in at about five to seven minutes — you get the headlines, a brief bit of context for each, and you are done. On Fridays, the show expands into a 20 to 30 minute weekly recap with guest commentary from security leaders and analysts.

The show has cranked out over 1,700 episodes since launching in 2020, which is a remarkable pace. The format is clean and consistent: a host reads through a curated list of the day's stories, from major breaches and vulnerability disclosures to regulatory changes and industry mergers. The weekly roundup episodes bring in contributors like former CISOs and field CTOs who add perspective that the daily briefings cannot fit.

What makes Cybersecurity Headlines work well alongside a show like CyberWire Daily or SANS Stormcast is its CISO-level framing. The stories are chosen and contextualized for people who make security decisions at organizations — it is less about the technical nuts and bolts and more about what matters from a business risk standpoint. The show is part of the broader CISO Series network, which includes multiple podcasts focused on security leadership. It holds a 4.7 rating from 135 reviews. If you are a security leader who wants a quick daily scan of the news without committing to a longer show, this fits the bill.

Brian Johnson started 7 Minute Security as exactly what the name promises — short, punchy episodes about information security. Over 700 episodes and more than a decade later, the show has grown beyond its original time constraint, but it keeps the spirit of being accessible and practical. Johnson is a penetration tester by trade, and that hands-on experience shapes every episode.

The format varies more than most security podcasts. Some weeks you get solo episodes where Johnson walks through a tool or technique he is using on actual engagements. Other times, he tells stories from real penetration tests in his "Tales of Pentest Pwnage" and "Tales of Pentest Fail" series, which are both educational and genuinely entertaining. He also does interviews with other security professionals and occasional deep dives on blue team defense topics.

Johnson's style is casual and self-deprecating in a way that makes even technical content approachable. He does not pretend to know everything, and he is happy to share his failures alongside his successes. The show has a companion community at 7MinSec.club where listeners can connect and discuss topics further. He also offers training courses, including a pentest lab environment called LPLITE:GOAD. Episodes release biweekly now, with a 4.7 rating from 70 reviews. If you are a penetration tester or aspiring to be one, this podcast feels like getting mentored by a friend who happens to break into networks for a living.

Jerry Bell and Andrew Kalat have been recording the Defensive Security Podcast since 2012, making it one of the more veteran shows in the cybersecurity space. The two hosts are both working security professionals — Bell is a security leader and Kalat brings years of hands-on experience — and that real-world grounding comes through in every episode. They release new shows biweekly, running through 338 episodes so far.

The premise is focused and practical: take the week's biggest security breaches, malware campaigns, and data incidents, then break down what went wrong and what defenders can learn from each one. Bell and Kalat approach every story with a pragmatic mindset. They are not interested in fear-mongering or hype — they want to know what the actual lessons are and how organizations can apply them. Listeners frequently point to their balanced, measured analysis as the show's biggest strength.

The tone sits somewhere between professional and casual. There is enough snark and humor to keep things from feeling like a corporate webinar, but the substance never gets lost. These are two guys who have been in the trenches of incident response and security operations, and they talk about the news the way colleagues would over lunch — informed, opinionated, but grounded. The show holds a 4.7 rating from 368 reviews. If you are a blue team professional or security operations manager looking for a podcast that speaks your language without talking down to you, the Defensive Security Podcast is a reliable pick.

Shon Gerber brings over 23 years of cybersecurity experience across corporate, government, and academic settings to the Reduce Cyber Risk Podcast, and he uses every bit of it. This weekly show is aimed squarely at security leaders and professionals who want practical, actionable guidance — not just headlines. Gerber works as a virtual CISO and consultant, and the podcast reflects that advisory mindset.

Episodes are mostly solo commentary where Gerber breaks down a specific security topic: insider threat management, operational technology security, compliance frameworks, risk assessments, or building a security awareness program from scratch. He occasionally brings in guests for vendor-focused or topic-specific interviews, but the heart of the show is Gerber walking through real-world scenarios and explaining what works and what does not. He also runs a CISSP exam preparation series, which has become a popular recurring segment.

The show launched in 2023 and has already published 193 episodes, which shows serious commitment to a consistent release schedule. Gerber's delivery is educational and direct — think experienced consultant giving you a briefing rather than a polished media personality. The focus on small and medium businesses sets this apart from many security podcasts that assume a large enterprise context. If you are a CISO at a mid-sized company, a security consultant, or someone studying for their CISSP, this podcast speaks directly to your daily reality. It is still building its audience (no Apple Podcasts ratings yet), but the content is solid and the practical focus fills a real need.

MySecurity Media produces the Cyber Security Weekly Podcast with a noticeably different angle than most shows in this space. Rather than focusing purely on technical threats, the show covers the intersection of cybersecurity with business strategy, government policy, and physical security. Since 2017, they have released over 450 episodes featuring interviews with executives, law enforcement officials, government representatives, and security researchers from around the world.

The format is interview-driven, often recorded as video episodes at industry events and conferences. Recent content includes conversations from events like the World Police Summit and Zenith Live, featuring discussions with people like police colonels from ASEANAPOL and CTOs from major security vendors. The perspective tends to be more Asia-Pacific focused than your typical US-centric security podcast, with regular coverage of Australian and Southeast Asian cybersecurity developments.

Episodes run about 20 minutes on average and release roughly three times per week. Topics range from zero trust architecture and agentic AI risks to biometric technology and international cybersecurity cooperation. The show's strength is its access to a wide range of voices you would not normally hear on other security podcasts — policymakers, diplomats, and law enforcement leaders alongside the usual vendor and analyst crowd. It holds a 3.9 rating from 19 reviews on Apple Podcasts. If your work involves security policy, risk management at a government level, or you just want perspectives beyond the Silicon Valley bubble, this show offers something most competitors do not.

PwC UK produced this limited-run podcast across four seasons between 2017 and 2023, delivering 23 episodes focused on enterprise cybersecurity from a consulting and business strategy perspective. The show featured rotating hosts — Chloe Seaton took the lead for the later seasons, with Abigail Wilson hosting earlier runs — interviewing guests from organizations like Virgin Atlantic, the Irish Health Service Executive, and Google Cloud alongside PwC's own cybersecurity leadership.

The format is straightforward professional interviews, typically running 10 to 45 minutes per episode. Topics covered include ransomware resilience planning, CISO career development, threat intelligence operations, regulatory compliance, and operational technology security. The conversations tend to be more strategic than technical — this is a show produced by a Big Four firm, and it sounds like one. The guests bring real-world case studies and the discussions stay focused on practical business outcomes.

This show has not released new episodes since March 2023, so it appears to be concluded. The existing 23 episodes still hold up as a solid resource, particularly the later seasons which address topics like post-pandemic security strategies and emerging threats. It has a perfect 5.0 rating on Apple Podcasts, though that comes from just two reviews. If you are a security leader who appreciates the consulting firm perspective on risk management and wants concise, professional conversations about enterprise cyber strategy, the back catalog is worth exploring. Just set your expectations that this is a completed library, not an active feed.