# When Trust Becomes a Trap

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/easy-prey-456730/when-trust-becomes-a-trap
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/easy-prey-456730/when-trust-becomes-a-trap.md
Podcast: [Easy Prey](https://stenobird.com/podcast/easy-prey-456730)
Published: 2026-07-22T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.easyprey.com/333
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/easyprey/EP333.mp3?dest-id=1655398
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/easy-prey-456730/episodes/when-trust-becomes-a-trap
Duration seconds: 3178

## Resource

Most people use technology all day without giving much thought to what is happening behind the screen. We trust routers that may not have been updated in years, depend on internet systems few of us understand, and now turn to artificial intelligence for everything from travel plans to home repairs. That convenience comes with tradeoffs. In this episode, we look at the weaknesses built into our connected world and what happens when our technical knowledge fails to keep pace with the technology surrounding us. Sherrod DeGrippo leads threat intelligence for Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks, where she oversees teams working to identify and respond to increasingly complex cyber threats. During more than two decades in information security, she has held senior leadership roles at Microsoft and Proofpoint, along with positions at Nexum, Symantec, Secureworks, and the National Nuclear Security Administration. Sherrod was named Cyber Security Woman of the Year in 2022 and regularly shares her expertise at industry conferences and through outlets including BBC News, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and The New York Times. She is also the author of *Threat Driven Software Development: Defending Modern Online Services*. We discuss how outdated home routers become tools for criminal and nation-state attacks, what could happen as technical knowledge disappears, and why foundational internet systems may be more vulnerable than people realize. Sherrod also explains why the greatest danger from AI may not be a dramatic technological disaster, but the gradual loss of human connection as people choose frictionless answers over real conversations. Along the way, she shares practical examples of where AI genuinely helps, where its limits become obvious, and why slowing down still matters when em…

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## Transcript

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