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FIRST Impressions Podcast

FIRST Impressions Podcast

Episode 62: Tim Brown, Team8, former SolarWinds CISO, FIRSTCON26 Keynote

Jul 24, 2026 · 0 min · 9 segments

Recorded live at FIRSTCON26 in Denver, Colorado, this episode of FIRST Impressions, interviews Tim Brown, CISO-in-Residence at Team8 and former CISO of SolarWinds, following his opening keynote at the…

Recorded live at FIRSTCON26 in Denver, Colorado, this episode of FIRST Impressions, interviews Tim Brown, CISO-in-Residence at Team8 and former CISO of SolarWinds, following his opening keynote at the conference. Drawing on his firsthand experience leading SolarWinds through one of the most significant cyber incidents in recent history, Tim offers an honest and deeply personal conversation about what happens after the headlines fade. Topics discussed include: How Team8 partners with a global community of CISOs to identify security challenges and launch innovative cybersecurity startups; the realities of leading an organization through the SolarWinds incident, from the initial crisis response to years of recovery; the often-overlooked human impact of major cyber incidents, including prolonged stress, burnout, and the emotional toll on security teams; lessons learned and more! Tim closes with an encouraging message for incident responders: while crises are never easy, they are also opportunities for growth. The experiences gained through responding to difficult incidents can shape stronger leaders, stronger teams, and ultimately a stronger cybersecurity community.

Recorded live at FIRSTCON26 in Denver, Colorado, this episode of FIRST Impressions, interviews Tim Brown, CISO-in-Residence at Team8 and former CISO of SolarWinds, following his opening keynote at the…

Speakers: Tim BrownGuestMartin McKayHostChris John RileyHost

Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube Website

Top entities: Chief information security officer×16 SolarWinds×7 Denver×4 Colorado×3 2020 United States federal government data breach

Show signals: SuitabilitySafeBiasNot politicalAudience≈14k followers

SolarWinds Breach—The First 30 Days2:43 – 4:49

Martin McKayHost

2:43

Now, your talk today was talking about your former position as the CISO for SolarWinds and the December of 2020 compromises that happened there.

Martin McKayHost

2:54

And you gave a very interesting talk.

Martin McKayHost

2:56

But to me, one of the topics that came out of that was you mentioned towards the end just the stress you were under, the stress your team was under, and the long-term stress.

Martin McKayHost

3:06

Let's talk about with the immediate stress of dealing with an international, a worldwide incident.

Martin McKayHost

3:14

And how did your team try and combat some of this from the very beginning?

3:18

Yeah, so from the very beginning, you know, you equate that to somebody breaking into your house and changing your stuff or stealing your stuff.

3:27

You're really mad.

3:28

So when you think about how you deal with it at that point, it's just a little bit of anger.

3:32

This happened.

3:33

I love my products and you disrupted them.

3:36

You disrupted the company I work for.

3:37

You disrupted, you disrupted.

3:40

So you get into that model of, okay, how do I fix this? And it takes time.

3:47

You're working 18-hour days.

3:49

You're trying to work through things.

3:51

Your teams are trying to work through things.

3:53

It's just one of the busiest times in your life.

3:56

So, of course, there's stress with busy.

3:58

I lost 25 pounds in 30 days.

4:01

Oh,

Martin McKayHost

4:01

I could afford to do that.

Martin McKayHost

4:02

Yeah, I know, but not a good diet plan.

Martin McKayHost

4:04

Not a good diet plan.

Martin McKayHost

4:05

Not a good diet plan.

4:07

And then the teams around you are all kind of feeling that same pressure and stress because we're filling in gaps everywhere.

Chief information security officerEntityJob title
94%16 mentions
SolarWindsCompanySoftware company
83%7 mentions
DenverCityCity in Colorado
72%4 mentions
ColoradoAdministrative AreaUS state
61%3 mentions
2020 United States federal government data breachEventIncident
50%1 mention
Foreign Intelligence ServiceGovernment OrganizationGovernment agency
39%1 mention
Lake Lanier IslandsTourist AttractionIsland in Hall County, Georgia
28%1 mention
IsraelCountryCountry in the Middle East
17%1 mention
RussiaCountryCountry
6%1 mention

Mental HealthHealth
Venture CapitalBusiness
Society
Incident ResponseTechnology > Cybersecurity
Workplace StressHealth > Mental Health > Stress
Cyber LawLaw
CybersecurityTechnology
StartupsBusiness > Venture Capital
CommunitySociety
StressHealth > Mental Health
Law
Health
Technology
Business
Professional NetworksSociety > Community
CISOTechnology > Cybersecurity > Incident Response
Stress ManagementTechnology > Cybersecurity > Incident Response > CISO
IncubationBusiness > Venture Capital > Startups
CISO VillageBusiness > Venture Capital > Startups > Incubation
Crisis ManagementHealth > Mental Health > Stress > Workplace Stress
Legal ProcessesLaw > Cyber Law
Corporate GovernanceLaw > Cyber Law > Legal Processes
Incident Response LegalitiesLaw > Cyber Law > Legal Processes > Corporate Governance
CISO CommunitySociety > Community > Professional Networks
Support SystemsSociety > Community > Professional Networks > CISO Community

SolarWinds Breach—The First 30 Days2:43 – 4:49

Martin McKayHost

2:43

Now, your talk today was talking about your former position as the CISO for SolarWinds and the December of 2020 compromises that happened there.

Martin McKayHost

2:54

And you gave a very interesting talk.

Martin McKayHost

2:56

But to me, one of the topics that came out of that was you mentioned towards the end just the stress you were under, the stress your team was under, and the long-term stress.

Martin McKayHost

3:06

Let's talk about with the immediate stress of dealing with an international, a worldwide incident.

Martin McKayHost

3:14

And how did your team try and combat some of this from the very beginning?

3:18

Yeah, so from the very beginning, you know, you equate that to somebody breaking into your house and changing your stuff or stealing your stuff.

3:27

You're really mad.

3:28

So when you think about how you deal with it at that point, it's just a little bit of anger.

3:32

This happened.

3:33

I love my products and you disrupted them.

3:36

You disrupted the company I work for.

3:37

You disrupted, you disrupted.

3:40

So you get into that model of, okay, how do I fix this? And it takes time.

3:47

You're working 18-hour days.

3:49

You're trying to work through things.

3:51

Your teams are trying to work through things.

3:53

It's just one of the busiest times in your life.

3:56

So, of course, there's stress with busy.

3:58

I lost 25 pounds in 30 days.

4:01

Oh,

Martin McKayHost

4:01

I could afford to do that.

Martin McKayHost

4:02

Yeah, I know, but not a good diet plan.

Martin McKayHost

4:04

Not a good diet plan.

Martin McKayHost

4:05

Not a good diet plan.

4:07

And then the teams around you are all kind of feeling that same pressure and stress because we're filling in gaps everywhere.

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