Cyber Leaders

What can cybersecurity learn from industries where human error can have life-or-death consequences? In a first for the Cyber Leaders Podcast, Ciaran and James kick off the latest series in video with SANS instructor and MD of Wildpark Security, John Scott. As an expert on culture and humans in security, John shares his knowledge on driving better human behaviors and outcomes; from understanding human error, to what cyber can learn from the safety industry and why people aren’t the weakest link.Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected]

In this special hosts-only episode, Ciaran and James take stock of a very busy week in cybersecurity. In the wake of the PHP flaw revelations, the boys unpick the difference between attempted attacks and successful exploits, as well as issue an important reminder that not all serious vulnerabilities are AI-led as demonstrated by the eMudhra key leak.Ciaran and James ask the critical question: are the alarm bells justified, or is there more nuance to the headlines? Sense checking the hype, they offer up practical advice for cyber leaders and remind us why patching it properly matters more than ever. Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected]

Late August was a wild stretch for frontier AI and cyber security, capped by more than 100 companies, led by OpenAI, warning of "a limited window to strengthen cyber defenses." In this special hosts-only episode, Ciaran and James take stock. Ciaran walks through how we got here, James asks who is actually going to do all this defending, and Ciaran calls a 4,000-year-old witness on who should answer for the actions of AI agents. They close on the harder question: is trust between the AI labs and the security community fraying, and can it be repaired?Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Ciaran and James are joined for a second time by investigative journalist and author Geoff White to discuss the extraordinary story of the Conti ransomware gang. Ahead of the latest BBC podcast series Cyber Hack, Geoff shares his expertise on Conti’s emergence as one of the original big game ransomware groups, the catastrophic attacks that brought them global attention, and the dramatic and acrimonious collapse that tore the gang apart.Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Ciaran and James speak with Chris Cochran, Field CISO and Vice President of AI Security at SANS Institute, to discuss AI and cyber defense. Chris shares his perspective on the rise of AI-driven attacks, why community matters for security leaders under pressure, and what it will take to keep AI safe.Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Ciaran and James sit down with Katie Moussouris, Founder of Luta Security and one of the pioneers of vulnerability research and bug bounties, to discuss how the industry has changed over time. Katie shares her expertise on vulnerability disclosure programmes, researcher protection and equity, and why she still bets on people in an AI-driven world.Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Ciaran and James sit down with Simon Vernon, Head of Research and Development at SANS Institute, to discuss cloud and AI security. As a practitioner in the field, Simon shares his experience building hands-on training, where cloud security still goes wrong, and how AI is changing attacker behaviour and creating new risks.Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Ciaran and James sit down with Dr. Kevin Jones, Group CISO of Bayer and honorary professor at Cardiff University, to discuss cybersecurity across critical industries.Kevin shares his expertise on human behaviour in security, the growing impact of AI on both attacks and defences, and the challenges of protecting complex, real-world systems.Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Ciaran and James sit down with Jitender Arora, Partner and CISO for Deloitte North and South Europe, to discuss the human side of cyber leadership and how the role is changing. As a veteran of the industry, Jitender shares his perspective on burnout and supporting cyber talent, how the CISO role is shifting towards trust, and how organisations can prepare for AI.Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Ciaran and James are joined by Taz Wake, Digital Forensics & Incident Response expert, to talk about the realities of defending organisations today. Drawing on his background in military intelligence and years on the front line, Taz shares insights on incident response, threat hunting, and the common myths the industry still gets wrong.Contact:Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected]