Cybersecurity Threat Detection; Proactive defense explained #podcast #cybersecuritydistrict

In this episode of Cyber Security District, we speak with Tom Leijte, founder of Passguard, one of the most exciting emerging cybersecurity companies in the Netherlands. Passguard helps organizations detect when infected devices, stolen credentials, and active sessions show up on criminal marketplaces, giving security teams early visibility before exposure turns into a breach.

Tom shares how his journey started outside of “traditional” cybersecurity, working in private investigations where dark web intelligence was already part of high-stakes screening work. Together with his technical co-founder, he built the capabilities to infiltrate closed criminal forums and surface the kind of forensic-level logs most companies never see until it’s too late.

In this episode, we cover:
- Using dark web intelligence for sensitive employee screening
- Why “classic” dark web monitoring often gets deprioritized by security teams
- The infostealer shift: stolen session tokens, not just leaked passwords
- How session theft can bypass MFA and why that changes the game
- How criminal marketplaces work (and how trust is built among criminals)
- How Passguard infiltrates closed forums using reputation, escrow, and long-term access
- Building a European-first solution and partnering with MSSPs / security platforms
- Scaling after investment: team growth, ICP clarity, and market expansion

Connect with the guests:
Tom Leijte: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-leijte-01596536/
Website: https://www.passguard.com/

Follow Cyber Security District:
Laurens Jagt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurensjagt/
Website: https://www.cybersecuritydistrict.com/
All channels & newsletter: https://beacons.ai/cybersecuritydistrict

Видео Cybersecurity Threat Detection; Proactive defense explained #podcast #cybersecuritydistrict канала Cyber Security District