Cyber Uncut – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, hosts Major General (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson, inaugural head of the ADF’s Information Warfare Division, Phil Tarrant and Liam Garman unpack the importance of long-range strike as a deterrent and how Australia is uplifting its cyber and information warfare capabilities.

• MAJGEN (Ret’d) Thompson begins unpacking the benefits of establishing the ADF’s Cyber Command, drawing together the cyber capabilities of each of the services and enhancing the integrated force’s warfighting effects.
• They then examine Iran’s cyber operations against the Republican Party in the US, and whether Australia and the US should consider expanding ANZUS.
• The trio then discuss the acquisition of the B21 to provide redundancy as Australia procures nuclear-powered submarines and the need to develop clear doctrine across the electromagnetic spectrum.

Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Contested Ground podcast, where hosts Major General (Ret’d) Marcus Thompson, Phil Tarrant and Liam Garman unpack how nations vie for influence below the threshold of armed conflict.

• In this episode, the hosts unpack how foreign actors sought to stoke tensions during the recent English riots and how social media echo chambers have caused a deep division in society.
• The hosts then look closer to home and how the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) recently raised Australia’s terror threat level, analysing a range of factors that have contributed to this, including how communities responded to the 7 October attacks in Israel.
• They wrap up the podcast debating whether the government and police should monitor speech online, and to what extent.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Contested Ground team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Liam Garman, David Hollingworth, and Daniel Croft unpack a crazy week in cyber security – with millions of Australians caught up in attacks through to splits within the hacking community. 

• The trio unpack the recent Ticketmaster breach – with millions of users impacted nationwide – and the surprising name behind the attack. 
• They then discuss BreachForums coming back online – and a recent split that has happened in the hacking community in response to the forum’s re-emergence. 
• Garman, Hollingworth, and Croft wrap up the podcast by looking at new reporting guidelines for businesses and some crazy tweets surrounding the government’s Digital ID laws.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Chris Fisher, regional director of ANZ at Vectra AI, joins host Liam Garman to unpack how generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools are creating new exploits for malicious actors, and how cyber professionals can best prepare for these emerging threats.

• Fisher and Garman begin the podcast by examining how threat actors exploit generative AI tools, which are used to drive business efficiency, to expedite access to sensitive data.
• Fisher addresses some common misconceptions in cyber security about the use of AI: how effective is AI-generated script? Can it be used to identify zero-days? What does the future of AI look like in cyber security?
• The pair then address how cyber security professionals can leverage AI within their own teams to drive efficiency in prioritising and executing likely threats.
• They wrap up the podcast with some top tips for businesses to protect themselves against emerging threats emanating from AI.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, hosts Major General (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson, Phil Tarrant and Liam Garman unpack what advertisers and business leaders can learn from military information warfare campaigns and just how many similarities these fields share.

• They begin the podcast by looking at the history of influence on the battlefield and how business leaders today seek to harness influence through social and traditional media to proliferate their messaging.
• The trio then look at core lessons from the Russian campaign during the 2016 presidential election in the US – and how Russia’s market segmentation delivers interesting lessons for modern advertisers.
• The podcast wraps up with an analysis of how branding and narrative can capture the imaginations of a target audience.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Liam Garman and David Hollingworth unpack how the US and Australian governments are holding social media giants responsible for their content and data safety.

• The pair begin by discussing revelations that Congress is looking to force ByteDance to sell TikTok in the United States to an approved third party or face being shut down. 
• They then discuss how Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety commissioner, is challenging X for hosting videos of the Wakeley stabbing attack and their rocky history.
• The podcast wraps up by analysing the recent OracleCMS hack. 

Enjoy the podcast,
The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Sabeen Malik, vice-president of global government affairs and public policy at Rapid7, joins Liam Garman to discuss the changing nature of global tech policy – applauding Australia’s stringent cyber security legislation.

• The pair begin the podcast by discussing Malik’s time developing tech policy within the Obama administration and how there is a hesitancy among policymakers to acknowledge the nefarious application of popular new technologies.
• Malik then applauds Australia as a world leader in cyber security and recommends that Australia could strengthen its frameworks yet further with privacy regulations that make cyber personally relevant to all individuals and organisations.
• They then discuss the necessity of public-private partnerships for cyber security, given the expertise of the private sector.
• The podcast wraps up with some tips for businesses to get ahead of the curb and prepare for future regulations in the sector, including developing bespoke processes based on unique risk profiles.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, hosts Phil Tarrant and Major General (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson unpack building a nexus between academia, business and our national security organisations to build a stronger domestic cyber security industry.

• MAJGEN (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson begins the podcast by discussing his experience setting up the Australian Defence Force’s initial cyber and information warfare capabilities and discusses creating a pathway into the cyber security industry to foster public-private innovation.
• The pair then unpack the challenges in creating a nexus between academia, industry and national security with the risk of foreign interference on university campuses.
• Tarrant and Thompson then discuss the Change Healthcare hack and the operating model of politically and financially motivated criminal gangs.
• The podcast wraps up by analysing the benefits of the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act and the Australian Digital ID legislation and how governments can improve legislation yet further.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Ben Miller, chief information security officer at Dragos, joins host Liam Garman to unpack the increasing number of ransomware attacks directed towards industrial organizations and how OT/ICS operators can better protect their assets.

• The pair begin by unpacking how threat groups have adapted their TTPs to attack modern industrial organisations and how ransomware attacks on manufacturers continue to disrupt global supply chains.
• Miller then details how OT/ICS operators can strengthen their cyber security posture and how the industry can better collaborate to enhance cyber resilience.
• The podcast wraps up by unpacking how Dragos enhances the threat detection and response strategies of industrial operators and what the future of OT cyber security looks like.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Raj Samani, senior vice-president and chief scientist at Rapid7, joins host Liam Garman to provide intelligence direct from the cyber security battlefield.

• The pair begin the podcast by discussing the links between leading threat groups and rogue states, detailing their TTPs and operating models.
• Samani then unpacks recent findings from North Korea’s Kimsuky threat group, lifting the veil on how such threat actors target companies and how Rapid7 works with governments and businesses to keep them safe online.
• The podcast wraps up by examining emerging TTP trends and how businesses can build effective systems and processes to monitor their organisation’s attack surface.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Cyber Uncut team