Improving Cyber Readiness: Lessons from Real-World Investigations

Todd Renner is a seasoned cybersecurity professional with over 25 years of experience leading global cyber investigations, incident response efforts, and digital asset recovery operations. He advises clients on a wide range of cybersecurity and data privacy matters, combining deep technical knowledge with a strategic understanding of risk, compliance, and regulatory frameworks. With a distinguished background at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and National Security Agency (NSA), Mr. Renner has contributed to national security, international cyber collaboration, and has played a key role in mentoring the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

In this episode…

The rising complexity of cyber threats continues to test how businesses prepare, respond, and recover. Sophisticated threat actors are exploiting these vulnerabilities of private companies and leveraging AI tools to accelerate their attacks. Despite these dangers, many organizations hesitate to involve law enforcement when a cyber event occurs. This hesitation often stems from misconceptions about what law enforcement involvement entails, including fears of losing control over their systems or exposing sensitive company information. As a result, companies may prioritize quickly restoring operations over pursuing retribution from the attackers, leaving critical security gaps unaddressed.

Collaborating with law enforcement doesn’t mean forfeiting control or exposing confidential data unnecessarily. Investigations often reveal repeated issues, including mobile device compromises, missing multifactor authentication, and failing to improve cybersecurity measures after a breach. To be better prepared, companies need to develop and practice incident response plans, ensure leadership remains involved, and build security programs that evolve beyond incident response. And, as threat actors actively use AI to accelerate data aggregation and create convincing deepfakes, companies need to start thinking about how to better detect these threats.

In this episode of She Said Privacy/He Said Security, Jodi and Justin Daniels speak with Todd Renner, Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting, about how organizations are responding to modern cyber threats and where many still fall short. Todd shares why companies hesitate to engage law enforcement, how threat actors are using AI for faster targeting and impersonation, and why many businesses fail to strengthen their cybersecurity programs after a breach. He also discusses why deepfakes are eroding trust and raising new challenges for companies, and he provides practical tips for keeping both organizations and families safe from evolving threats.