Why “Permit by Exception” Might Be the Key to Business Resilience | A Brand Story with Rob Allen, Chief Product Officer at ThreatLocker | A RSAC Conference 2025 Brand Story Pre-Event Conversation

At this year’s RSAC Conference, the team from ThreatLocker isn’t just bringing tech—they’re bringing a challenge. Rob Allen, Chief Product Officer at ThreatLocker, joins Sean Martin and Marco Ciappelli for a lively pre-conference episode that previews what attendees can expect at booth #854 in the South Expo Hall.

From rubber ducky hacks to reframing how we think about Zero Trust, the conversation highlights the ways ThreatLocker moves beyond the industry’s typical focus on reactive detection. Allen shares how most cybersecurity approaches still default to allowing access unless a threat is known, and why that mindset continues to leave organizations vulnerable. Instead, ThreatLocker’s philosophy is to “deny by default and permit by exception”—a strategy that, when managed effectively, provides maximum protection without slowing down business operations.

ThreatLocker’s presence at the conference will feature live demos, short presentations, and hands-on challenges—including their popular Ducky Challenge, where participants test whether their endpoint defenses can prevent a rogue USB (disguised as a keyboard) from stealing their data. If your system passes, you win the rubber ducky. If it doesn’t? They (temporarily) get your data. It’s a simple but powerful reminder that what you think is secure might not be.

The booth won’t just be about tech. The team is focused on conversations—reconnecting with customers, engaging new audiences, and exploring how the community is responding to a threat landscape that’s growing more sophisticated by the day. Allen emphasizes the importance of in-person dialogue, not only to share what ThreatLocker is building but to learn how security leaders are adapting and where gaps still exist.

And yes, there will be merch—high-quality socks, t-shirts, and even a few surprise giveaways dropped at hotel doors (if you resist the temptation to open the envelope before visiting the booth).

For those looking to rethink endpoint protection or better understand how proactive controls can complement detection-based tools, this episode is your preview into a very different kind of cybersecurity conversation—one that starts with a challenge and ends with community.

Learn more about ThreatLocker: https://itspm.ag/threatlocker-r974

Guest: Rob Allen, Chief Product Officer, ThreatLocker | https://www.linkedin.com/in/threatlockerrob/

Resources

Learn more and catch more stories from ThreatLocker: https://www.itspmagazine.com/directory/threatlocker

Learn more and catch more stories from RSA Conference 2025 coverage: https://www.itspmagazine.com/rsa-conference-usa-2025-rsac-san-francisco-usa-cybersecurity-event-infosec-conference-coverage

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Keywords: rsac conference, cybersecurity, endpoint, zero trust, rubber ducky, threat detection, data exfiltration, security strategy, deny by default, permit by exception, proactive security, security demos, usb attack, cyber resilience, network control, security mindset, rsac 2025, event coverage, on location, conference

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