This podcast explores the wide range of topics affecting how the international development and humanitarian assistance sectors implement safety and security across their organizations and the environments in which they operate. From interviews with security professionals both inside and outside the international development and humanitarian assistance sectors to conversations with regional and country specific experts, listeners will gain key insights on best practices and thematic knowledge to help build their capacities and careers.
INSSA Insights
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Podcast Overview
This podcast explores the wide range of topics affecting how the international development and humanitarian assistance sectors implement safety and security across their organizations and the environments in which they operate. From interviews with security professionals both inside and outside the international development and humanitarian assistance sectors to conversations with regional and country specific experts, listeners will gain key insights on best practices and thematic knowledge to help build their capacities and careers.
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Publishing Since
8/9/2021
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Recent Episodes
June 16, 2026
Cyber and Physical Security Convergence for NGOs with Jack McKenna
In conflict zones and hostile environments, the gap between cyber and physical security is not an inconvenience. It is a vulnerability that gets people hurt. Jack McKenna has watched organizations spend money on tools, hire service providers, and still miss the threat because nobody in the building had built a relationship across the aisle.<br /><br />NGO security management and humanitarian aid security have never demanded more from practitioners. The organizations doing the most critical work in international development safety are operating with siloed teams, undertrained staff, and a false sense of protection from tools that were never designed to catch the threats they actually face. Duty of care is not just a policy commitment. Understanding how to close that gap is no longer optional.<br /><br />Jack McKenna is President and CEO of Prescient, a tech-enabled digital intelligence, investigation, and risk advisory firm at the intersection of cybersecurity, corporate security, and intelligence. Amaury Cooper, a former Prescient client and NGO security practitioner, leads this conversation from the field perspective, pressing Jack on what organizations can actually do with limited resources in complex environments.<br /><br /><b>Key Takeaways</b><br /><b></b><br />Set up basic social media alerting for your organization name even without a dedicated security team, because unsophisticated monitoring is still better than none.<br /><br />Threat signals online are rarely explicit. Watch for negative sentiment building over time, coded imagery, emoji and GIF usage, and slang terms rather than waiting for a direct statement.<br /><br />NGO security management requires someone with a named responsibility for physical security. If it is not in anyone's job description, it will not get done when it matters.<br /><br />In hostile environments, assume surveillance and work your security posture backward from that assumption. VPNs and Signal help but do not make you safe if a hostile intelligence service is targeting you.<br /><br />Converged tabletop exercises covering both physical and cyber scenarios are one of the most practical tools any humanitarian aid security team can implement right now.<br /><br />Jack McKenna said, "Assume that you're basically broadcasting where you are," on operating in environments with hostile surveillance infrastructure.<br /><br />Jack McKenna said, "The relationship is the biggest word," on what physical security practitioners must build with their IT and cyber counterparts before a crisis hits.<br /><br /><b>Timestamps</b><br /><b></b><br />00:00 Introduction<br />01:42 How to assess whether your organization is being threatened<br />02:48 Setting up basic social media monitoring for NGOs<br />03:42 Risk assessments and point-in-time chatter reviews<br />04:07 Cultural nuance, emojis, GIFs, and online threat signals<br />05:07 AI limitations in detecting coded threats and imagery<br />06:14 Why bad actors know they are being monitored<br />06:52 Closed forums and indirect threat communication<br />07:53 Should cyber and physical security be converged<br />08:51 Identifying who is responsible for physical security<br />09:37 Avoiding duplicative security spending<br />10:10 The fusion cell model and overlapping risk spheres<br />11:18 How physical security practitioners can learn cyber basics<br />11:58 Why marketing and comms monitoring is insufficient for security<br />12:50 Using AI tools to self-educate on cybersecurity<br />13:36 Stop saying you are not a technical person<br />14:15 What NGOs in austere environments can do proactively<br />14:59 Data ownership and backup access in low-connectivity environments<br />15:45 How personal social media activity creates professional risk<br />16:23 What security focal points on the ground should watch for<br />17:12 Treating all unwanted communications as suspicious<br />17:43 Converged tabletop exercises for physical and cyber scenarios<br />18:11...
June 12, 2026
NGO Cybersecurity and Humanitarian Aid Security with Jack McKenna
In conflict zones, a single name in a breached database can be enough for a hostile government to identify and target a local partner. Jack McKenna has seen it happen. This is not a hypothetical. It is the threat landscape NGOs are operating in right now, and most have no idea how exposed they really are.<br /><br />NGO security management and humanitarian aid security have never been more urgent. The organizations doing the most critical work in the world are also the most targeted and the least resourced when it comes to cybersecurity. Understanding where those threats live and what any organization can do about them is no longer optional.<br /><br />Jack McKenna is President and CEO of Prescient, a tech enabled digital intelligence, investigation, and risk advisory firm at the intersection of cybersecurity, corporate security, and intelligence. He also serves on the board of District 4 Labs, a Prescient spinoff building OSINT data products. Amaury Cooper, a former Prescient client himself, sat down with Jack to break down the real threat landscape facing NGOs and international development organizations.<br /><br /><b>Key Takeaways</b><br /><br />In hostile environments, assume your location and communications are visible and work your security posture backward from that assumption.<br /><br />NGOs are among the most targeted organizations in the world and operate with a fraction of the security resources available to corporations.<br /><br />Threat actors have moved off mainstream platforms and into closed Telegram forums and Discord servers where traditional monitoring does not reach.<br /><br />A single name linking a local partner to an international NGO in a breached database can be enough for a hostile government to target them.<br /><br />Least privilege access and data destruction policies are not advanced concepts. They are basic discipline, and most organizations are not doing them.<br /><br />Jack McKenna said, "In many ways they're the most threatened, but they're the most under resourced," referring to NGOs and their cybersecurity posture.<br /><br />Jack McKenna said, "Assume that it could become publicly available someday," on the reality that any data submitted to any platform is potentially exposed.<br /><br /><b>Timestamps</b><br /><br />00:00 Introduction and welcome<br />01:00 Jack McKenna and Prescient overview<br />02:23 The current threat landscape for NGOs<br />03:56 How threats moved from social media to closed Telegram and Discord forums<br />05:09 Infiltrating closed forums, personas, AI, language, and slang<br />06:36 How investigators identify and track threat actors<br />08:20 Breached government databases and international attribution<br />09:47 Bellingcat, open source intelligence, and what NGOs can learn<br />11:01 The ICRC breach, White Helmets, and real world NGO cases<br />12:39 What NGOs can do, least privilege access and data destruction<br />14:52 How breached data puts local partners in physical danger<br />17:19 AI agents and data access risks<br />18:24 Using breached data to unmask threat actors<br />19:29 District 4 Labs, Bellingcat, and free OSINT support for nonprofits<br /><br /><b>Connect with Jack McKenna</b><br /><br />LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-mckenna-3a301345/<br />Website: https://www.prescient.com/
December 27, 2024
Hostage US
Welcome to INSSA Insights, where we explore global security issues. In this episode, "Hostage US," host Amaury Cooper interviews Liz Cathcart, Executive Director of Hostage US, a nonprofit supporting families of Americans taken hostage or wrongfully detained abroad.<br /><br />Liz discusses the organization’s crucial work, including providing free services to families facing emotional and financial strain. She covers three key types of hostage situations and shares strategies for NGOs and families navigating these crises. Liz also highlights the importance of legal frameworks and proactive policies to support employees at risk.<br /><br />Tune in to learn about the invaluable role of Hostage US in offering legal, emotional, and practical support to families in need.<br /><br />Takeaways<ul><li>Types of Hostage Situations</li><li>Statistics and Notable Cases</li><li>Preparation and Strategy for NGOs</li><li>Support Services by Hostage US</li><li>Resources for Families and Returnees</li></ul>Quotes<br /><br />"True support begins with emotional care — ensuring families know they are never alone, with a trusted, confidential ally by their side.” - Liz Cathcart<br /><br />"Reintegration should support both the person and the organization, filling any gaps in available resources." - Liz Cathcart<br /><br />Featured in this Episode<br />Liz Cathcart<br />Executive Director of Hostage US<br />LinkedIn:<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethcathcart/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethcathcart/</a><br />Website: <a href="http://www.hostageus.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Support for Hostages, Wrongful Detainees, & Their Families | Hostage US</a><br /><br />Chapters<br />00:00 - Introduction<br />04:31 - The Importance of Emotional Support, Confidentiality, and Financial Challenges<br />06:45 - Hostage US Assists Families with Financial and Legal Challenges<br />12:19 - State-Hostage Taking: Addressing Wrongful Detentions and Negotiations<br />16:31 - Updating Employee Details and Establishing Power of Attorney<br />17:51 - Understanding Power of Attorney and Privacy Act Waiver<br />22:10 - Balancing Family Support with Organizational Responsibilities<br />24:43 - Managing Initial Crisis Communication with Families<br />27:42 - Hostage US Website: A Top Resource for Hostage-Related Issues<br />31:33 - "Rope in a Prayer": A Balanced Perspective on Hostage Situations<br />34:32 - Lily Cathcart Leads Hostage US; Available Resources for Families and NGOs<br />34:42 - Outro<br /><br /><a href="http://www.heartcastmedia.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">http://www.heartcastmedia.com</a>
10 total episodes available
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