The PowerShell Podcast

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we sit down with Michael Haag, Principal Threat Researcher at Splunk, to dive into PowerShell security, threat detection, and automation. Michael shares his journey from IT support to becoming a security expert, the role of PowerShell in modern cybersecurity, and his work on PowerShell Hunter and Atomic Red Team.
Key topics in this episode include:

• Michael’s journey into security – From IT support to system administration and eventually security research.
• Incident response and PowerShell – How PowerShell is used to detect and mitigate threats.
• PowerShell Hunter – A powerful tool for hunting threats and automating security tasks.
• Atomic Red Team and Atomic Test Harnesses – How these tools help defenders simulate and detect attacks.
• The importance of automation in security – How PowerShell can help security teams manage large-scale environments efficiently.
• Advice for getting into security and automation – Why contributing to open-source and getting involved in the community is key.

Michael also shares his thoughts on the evolving security landscape, how defenders can stay ahead of attackers, and practical steps for IT professionals looking to pivot into cybersecurity.

Bio and Links:
Michael Haag is Principal Threat Research Enginer at Splunk. Michael led the development of Atomic Red Team, an open-source testing platform that security teams can use to assess detection coverage. An avid researcher, he is passionate about understanding and evaluating the limits of defensive systems. His background includes security analysis, threat research, and incident handling.

• Follow Michael on Twitter (@M_Haggis) and GitHub (@MHaggis)
• Check out PowerShell Hunter on GitHub https://github.com/MHaggis/PowerShell-Hunter/
• Learn more about Atomic Red Team https://www.atomicredteam.io/
• Watch Atomics on a Friday, Michael’s security research show on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@atomicsonafriday
• Join PowerShell Wednesdays every Wednesday at 2 PM EST in the PDQ Discord (discord.gg/pdq)
• The PowerShell Podcast: https://pdq.com/the-powershell-podcast
• The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/F2TbwUS-eRI

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we sit down with Morten Kristensen, an automation specialist and PowerShell enthusiast, to discuss his journey with PowerShell, his experience working with the Microsoft Graph API, and his recent leap into public speaking. Morten shares insights from his first-ever technical talk, the challenges of working with Graph API, and how he's navigating his professional growth.

Key topics in this episode include:

• Getting started with MS Graph API – Overcoming common challenges, including authentication, filtering, and throttling.
• Batching API requests – How to optimize Graph API calls for efficiency and performance.
• Taking the leap into public speaking – Morten shares his experience preparing for and delivering his first-ever talk at PowerShell Wednesdays.
• The power of community engagement – How being part of the PowerShell community has accelerated learning and career growth.
• Starting a PowerShell blog – Why Morten launched his blog and how he plans to share more insights and technical knowledge.

Morten also shares his career perspective, how he got into automation, and why he believes that solving problems and sharing knowledge is key to professional growth.

 

Bio: An automation specialist with a passion for scripting and homelabbing, Morten Mynster specializes in PowerShell, Python, and Terraform to streamline processes, manage systems, and optimize cloud infrastructure. With a strong focus on automation tools and best practices, Morten shares insights and experiences through blogging, helping others navigate the world of scripting and infrastructure as code.

 

Links: 

• Read Morten’s blog at mynster9361.github.io
• Connect with Morten on https://www.linkedin.com/in/mortenmynster/ 
• Check out my GitHub repositories:
  https://github.com/Mynster9361?tab=repositories
• Check out PowerShell Wednesdays every Wednesday at 2 PM EST in the PDQ Discord (discord.gg/pdq) for live discussions and demos.
• The PowerShell Podcast: https://pdq.com/the-powershell-podcast
• The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/74fjqGtYW0Q

 

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we welcome Greg Martin, a longtime developer and PowerShell enthusiast, who has taken PowerShell beyond system administration and into the realm of game development. Greg shares his journey of building Eldoria, a terminal adventure game written entirely in PowerShell, and how his experience across multiple programming languages influenced his approach.
Key topics in this episode include:

• Building a game in PowerShell – How Greg used PowerShell to create a rich text-based adventure.
• The power of terminal-based gaming – A brief look into ANSI escape sequences, JSON asset management, and the REPL loop.
• Greg’s programming journey – From C and C++ to PowerShell, game development, and enterprise automation.
• Lessons in curiosity and career growth – How following your interests can lead to unexpected and rewarding opportunities.

Greg also discusses the challenges of structuring a large-scale PowerShell project, how PowerShell’s object-oriented features made development easier, and how anyone can start exploring creative projects with PowerShell.Join the conversation:

 

Bio and links:
Gregory Martin is a Senior Linux Engineer, formerly an industrial network designer, IT manager, sysadmin, and may have given a lecture or two at tech conferences. He's an avid programmer with over 20 years of experience, ranging from Windows/Linux Desktop, Web, Android/iOS, Industrial IoT, Linux CLI, and Automation Orchestration. In his spare time, he writes computer games and dabbles with AI technologies. He writes at his blog (themartinmethod.com).

• Check out Eldoria on Greg's GitHub and explore the game in your own terminal.
• Read Greg’s blog at TheMartinMethod.com for updates on Eldoria and other projects.
• Join PowerShell Wednesdays every Wednesday at 2 PM EST in the PDQ Discord community (discord.gg/pdq) for live discussions.

https://github.com/gregoryfmartin/Eldoria
https://github.com/gregoryfmartin/Burnt-Latte
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewplatech/
The PowerShell Podcast: https://pdq.com/the-powershell-podcast
The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0kBrtPsD2EE

 

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we welcome back security-focused PowerShell expert Jake Hildreth for an insightful conversation about PowerShell, security tools, and his continued journey in the PowerShell community. Jake shares updates on Locksmith v2, his work with PowerPUG, and his experience learning new PowerShell techniques to refine and improve his tools.

Bio: I'm a husband, a dad, and a recovering sysadmin. I've worked in technology since the year 2000, when I got my first tech job as Tier 1 support for cable modem companies. After that, I transitioned into systems & network administration, always with a security focus. In the last three years, I pivoted into security, focusing on Active Directory. When I'm not working, I enjoy cooking, drinking whiskey, lifting weights, traveling, reading... and writing code. Coding is like creating and solving little puzzles for yourself! So soothing.

Key topics in this episode include:

• The evolution of Locksmith and the road to v2, including improvements in automation, PowerShell best practices, and making security more accessible.
• PowerPug and the protected users group, a tool that helps sysadmins secure their environments by eliminating outdated authentication vulnerabilities.
• Learning Crescendo, explore how Jake wrapped certutil.exe.
• Improving PowerShell workflows, including scripting automation, optimizing profiles, and using community resources for best practices.
• The importance of documentation, automation, and making security easier for sysadmins.

Jake also shares insights from his time working with the PowerShell community, including PowerShell Wednesdays, learning from peers, and the power of building in public.

Join the conversation:

• Follow Jake at JakeHildreth.com for links to all his projects and socials.
• Catch PowerShell Wednesdays every Wednesday at 2 PM EST in the PDQ Discord community (discord.gg/pdq) for live discussions and demos.

Links:

The PowerShell Podcast: https://pdq.com/the-powershell-podcast

The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/A6ycrxQRIns

 

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we sit down with Mark Go, a PowerShell enthusiast and innovator, to discuss his exciting journey from the Navy to becoming a tech-savvy system administrator. Mark shares his experiences using PowerShell to make his work life better.

Key topics in this episode include:

1. Mark’s journey from a Navy corpsman to a PowerShell expert, including his first breakthrough script for managing IoT medical devices.

2. Using PowerShell to explore and tinker with IoT devices, Raspberry Pi projects, and microcontrollers.

3. The power of community connections, networking, and starting a PowerShell user group.

4. Lessons learned from Lean Six Sigma and how continuous process improvement ties into PowerShell.

5. Favorite PowerShell modules, including PSReadLine, PSDiscoveryProtocol, and KBUpdate, and how they make daily tasks more efficient.

Bio and Links:

Mark Go is a PowerShell enthusiast, IT professional, and former Navy corpsman with a passion for automation and innovation. 

Discover more tools and resources at PowerShell Wednesdays, hosted weekly at 2 PM EST in the PDQ Discord community: discord.gg/pdq

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-go-0439791b7/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewplatech/

https://github.com/lahell/PSDiscoveryProtocol 

The PowerShell Podcast: https://pdq.com/the-powershell-podcast

The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/85L3OApF3a8

In this episode of the #PowerShell Podcast, we continue our deep dive with Fred Weinmann, a Microsoftie and PowerShell legend, as he shares more insights and tools that redefine productivity for PowerShell enthusiasts. Picking up where we left off in the last episode, Fred takes us through his journey of mastering PowerShell, collaborating with the community, and optimizing workflows with powerful custom modules.
Key topics in this episode include:

• Fred’s Learning Journey: The value of collaboration in projects like dbatools and the evolution of his development practices.
• PowerShell Package Management Simplified: Exploring Fred’s toolkit for unifying and streamlining PowerShellGet and PSResourceGet, including tools for offline environments and multi-machine deployments.
• The Importance of Workflow Optimization: Fred shares his philosophy on making the console your home and configuring it to eliminate unnecessary pain points.
• Fred’s Advanced Tools: Fred takes us step-by-step through his projects

Fred also emphasizes the importance of adopting best practices, learning from community contributions, and continuously optimizing your tools to make PowerShell work for you.

Join PowerShell Wednesdays at 2 PM EST for community discussions and learning.

Bio:

Fred Weinmann is a seasoned Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft and a renowned PowerShell expert with years of experience designing and implementing scalable solutions. A prolific creator, Fred has developed key tools like PSFramework, PSModuleDevelopment, PSUtil, and PSFramework.Nuget, which empowers developers and IT professionals to optimize their workflows. Passionate about technology and problem-solving, Fred’s innovative approach to PowerShell module development and his commitment to community-driven open-source projects have made him a respected figure in the PowerShell community.

Resource links:
https://github.com/FriedrichWeinmann

https://discord.gg/pdq

https://aka.ms/psdiscord

PowerShell Podcast Home page: https://www.pdq.com/resources/the-powershell-podcast/

The PowerShell Podcast: https://pdq.com/the-powershell-podcast 

The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IcRVwrNNY2g

 

 

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we sit down with Fred Weinmann, a prolific PowerShell module creator, to explore his remarkable contributions, including PSFramework, PSModuleDevelopment, PSUtil, and PSFramework.Nuget. Fred shares insights on developing impactful solutions, such as the KRBTGT module and the evolution of module development in large-scale environments. 

We dive into Fred's journey at Microsoft as a Cloud Solution Architect, discussing how he leverages his passion for technology and PowerShell to create scalable and innovative tools. Key topics include: 

• Building internal PowerShell repositories and best practices for managing trust and dependencies.
• Overcoming challenges with module distribution in offline environments. 
• Fred's unique hierarchical approach to structuring modules for business and technical processes. 
• Exciting projects like automating help documentation for commands and enhancing AI's role in PowerShell development. 

Fred also reflects on his decision to pursue a hands-on technical career over management, emphasizing the satisfaction and impact he derives from solving complex technical challenges. 

Join us for PowerShell Wednesdays at 2 PM EST, on the PDQ Discord https://discord.gg/pdq 

Join us next week for part two with Fred Weinmann. 

Bio and Links:
Fred Weinmann is a seasoned Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft and a renowned PowerShell expert with years of experience designing and implementing scalable solutions. A prolific creator, Fred has developed key tools like PSFramework, PSModuleDevelopment, PSUtil, and PSFramework.Nuget, which empower developers and IT professionals to optimize their workflows. Passionate about technology and problem-solving, Fred’s innovative approach to PowerShell module development and his commitment to community-driven open-source projects have made him a respected figure in the PowerShell community.

https://github.com/PowershellFrameworkCollective/PSFramework.NuGet

https://github.com/ActiveDirectoryManagementFramework/ADMF

 

PowerShell Podcast Home page: https://www.pdq.com/resources/the-powershell-podcast/

 

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, Andrew catches up with returning guest Adam Bacon. Adam shares an update on his career and shares how PowerShell has played a huge role in helping him accomplish his dream. 

Guest Bio and links: 
Adam Bacon has over 24 years of IT experience, 13 of which with PowerShell. He can be found writing on one of his blogs, adding code to one of his 80+ projects on GitHub, speaking about PowerShell, and more.  

https://adam-bacon.netlify.app/

PowerShell Wednesdays: https://discord.gg/pdq

The PowerShell Podcast: https://pdq.com/the-powershell-podcast

The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HgDCzoNcir4