This is a list of high-quality audio-only podcasts

Top 3

The Cybersecurity Librarian recommends these 3 podcasts. They have these attributes:

  • Original Content
  • Quality Analysis
  • Minimal or Stated Bias
The Cyberwire
I believe this is the gold standard for general daily cybersecurity news. The content is timely. The producers actively minimize, disclose, or state bias. The information is accurate and authoritative. The sources they choose are well selected and authoritative. I have seen them state when a source was not primary. The analysis is insightful. The style of the primary host (Dave Bittner) is charming, wry, and still effecient and professional. The guests are well choosen and diverse. While the revenue model they have (advertising/sponsorship) does bias their selection of guests, the interviews themselves appear to be far less bias than other similar shows.
The Cyberwire has a number of spin-off podcasts on the topics of Social Engineer, Cybersecurity Law, Security and Vulnerability Research, and Security Management. Each strikes its own balance of entertainment, education, and original content. Each relies on unique and authoritative guests.
Malicious Life
An extraordinary documentary-style podcast. The host Ran Levi is an engaging presenter and selects worthy topics from the history of cybercrime. What makes this podcast worth listening too is how the producers take complicate timelines of events, balance the detail required, and tell the story of major historical cybersecurity events. There is occaisional bias, but the hosts are good at stating it (mostly). The accuracy and historical detail of the content are impressive. They manage to balance the level of historical and technical detail and tell an entertaining and educational story.
Darknet Diaries
Darknet Diaries presents stories of recent cybercrimes and interviews with cybercriminals, hackers, and penetration testers. Despite the title, the stories are not about the Darknet per se, but about criminal hacking and world of those that compromise security. The topics are diverse, the storytelling is compelling, and interviewed guests are unique. This will give you more than just an entertaining look at cybercrime, it allows us a window into the minds of the people behind many well known security incidents. This is not fact-checked journalism: these are excellent stories. You will hear first hand accounts from criminals and here them state their motivations, tell their life stories, and explain their actions.

News / Threat Intelligence

Discarded
Proofpoint has an amazing Cyber Threat Intelligence team. They are especially well known for tracking email-based threats. This podcasts gives you a behind-the-scenes look into the work of Proofpoint’s intelligence analysts. Typical episodes introduce you to a few analysts, their backgrounds, and the focus of their intelligence work. Then there is a discussion that follows about notable threat actors or analysis methods. If your work involves reporting on any of the “TA” actors (TA505, TA577, TA570), then this podcast is for you. While this is sponsored by a security vendor it is not marketing oriented, and seems to be driven by the analysts themselves giving it an authentic feel: quality content instead of shiny production values.
Click Here
Recorded Future’s newest podcast takes a journalistic style that is different than many other security podcasts. The topics are typically similar to what you might see in the news, but coving the “cyber” side: cyber-espionage, cyber-crime, or cyber-intelligence. The host, Dina Temple-Raston, was formerly part of NPR’s Investigation team and the podcast takes on a serious and more intriguing tone: The format is documentary journalism not round-table discussion.
Recorded Future Podcast
Recorded Future is a company that offers Threat Intelligence services. Their podcast is hosted by Cyberwire host Dave Bittner, and presents interviews with professionals involved in Cyber Threat Intelligence work. Unlike many other vendor podcasts, this one does not focus exclusively on interviewing their own staff and includes many people throughout the industry. It is not a sales-focused marketing initiative and the treatment of topics and selection of guests does not appear to be overly biased.

Privacy, Law, and Policy

Caveat
Caveat is hosted by Cyberwire’s Dave Bittner and Lawyer Ben Yelin. You do not have to be a lawyer to enjoy or learn from this podcast. It discusses recent cybersecurity news and events that are impacted by law.
Privacy Insider
Hosted by Justin Antonipllai, the former Under Secretary for Economic Affairs at the US Department of Commerce, this podcast takes a serious look at law, policy, and social issues related to privacy. The Cybersecurity Librarian has yet to render a verdict on bias. It is sponsored, but the content seemed more “privacy geek” than marketing.

Management and Leadership

Dev.Sec.Lead
While this podcast is no longer produced, it is still available on most platforms. Hosted by Threat Intelligence author Wilson Bautisa Jr., this podcast focuses on leadership development. It is of interest not just to CISOs and managers, but also for the every-day professional. The interview and topics vary greatly and the depth the topics are treated is refreshing. These guests are positive role models focused on improving our profession. This