No Password Required: CISO at RSA and Champion of a Passwordless Future
Tue Jan 20 2026
Rob Hughes, the CISO at RSA, has more than 25 years of experience leading security and cloud infrastructure teams. In this episode, he reflects on his unconventional career path, from co-founding the original Geek.com and serving as its chief technologist during the early days of the internet, to leading security and systems design at Philips Home Monitoring.
Jack Clabby of Carlton Fields and Kayley Melton welcome Rob for a wide-ranging conversation on identity, leadership, and the realities of modern cybersecurity. Rob currently leads RSA’s Security and Risk Office, overseeing cybersecurity, information security governance, and risk across both RSA’s products and corporate environment.
Rob explains his dream for a passwordless future. He unpacks why passwords remain one of the largest sources of cyber risk, how real-world incidents and password-spraying attacks have accelerated change, and why phishing-resistant technologies like passkeys may finally be reaching a tipping point.
The episode wraps with the lifestyle polygraph, where Rob lightens the conversation with stories about gaming with his kids, underrated horror films, and classic cars.
More
Rob Hughes, the CISO at RSA, has more than 25 years of experience leading security and cloud infrastructure teams. In this episode, he reflects on his unconventional career path, from co-founding the original Geek.com and serving as its chief technologist during the early days of the internet, to leading security and systems design at Philips Home Monitoring. Jack Clabby of Carlton Fields and Kayley Melton welcome Rob for a wide-ranging conversation on identity, leadership, and the realities of modern cybersecurity. Rob currently leads RSA’s Security and Risk Office, overseeing cybersecurity, information security governance, and risk across both RSA’s products and corporate environment. Rob explains his dream for a passwordless future. He unpacks why passwords remain one of the largest sources of cyber risk, how real-world incidents and password-spraying attacks have accelerated change, and why phishing-resistant technologies like passkeys may finally be reaching a tipping point. The episode wraps with the lifestyle polygraph, where Rob lightens the conversation with stories about gaming with his kids, underrated horror films, and classic cars.