From Skepticism to Security: Journey into Social Engineering

In this episode of the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast, host⁠ ⁠⁠Sherrod DeGrippo is joined by Aarti Borkar, Simeon Kakpovi, and Andrew Rapp for a behind-the-scenes look at how Microsoft Threat Intelligence and Microsoft Incident Response teams collaborate as part of a closed-loop system, the emotional toll of breaches, and how organizations of any size can build resilience through preparation and psychological safety. By listening to this segment, you’ll get a preview of what this group brought to the main stage of Black Hat this year. 

Later, Sherrod chats with Snow, co-founder of the Social Engineering Community Village at DEF CON, about her journey from special effects makeup to elite social engineer, and how empathy, creativity, and even a ladder can be powerful tools in physical security testing. 

In this episode you’ll learn:      

• How Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit uses legal tactics to disrupt threat actors 

• Why rehearsing your incident response plan can save weeks of recovery time 

• How AI is being trained to make social engineering phone calls on its own 

Some questions we ask:     

• How would you describe the overall health of the global cybersecurity landscape? 

• Why does tailoring AI prompts sometimes feel like social engineering? 

• What is the feedback loop between incident response, intelligence, and product protections? 

Resources:  

View Aarti Borkar on LinkedIn 

View Simeon Kakpovi on LinkedIn  

View Andrew Rapp on LinkedIn   

View Sherrod DeGrippo on LinkedIn  

Microsoft at Black Hat USA 2025 

Related Microsoft Podcasts:                   

• Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson 

• The BlueHat Podcast 

• Uncovering Hidden Risks     

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts  

Get the latest threat intelligence insights and guidance at Microsoft Security Insider 

The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network.