You Deserve to be Hacked

There's a machine in your building controlling something physical right now. It's probably connected to the internet. And you definitely don't know it's there.Operational technology sits in the biggest blind spot in cybersecurity. We patch our laptops every Tuesday. These systems haven't been updated in a decade.In this episode, we sit down with Amy Brooks, a chartered engineer with 15 years defending OT across healthcare, manufacturing, and critical infrastructure, and James Smith, a CovertSwarm Hive Leader who specializes in attacking these systems before real adversaries do.What you'll hear:Why that "smart" building you moved into is full of inherited vulnerabilities nobody documentedHow attackers pivot from a basic phishing email to controlling your production floorWhy you can't patch OT the way you patch ITWhat offensive OT testing actually looks like (hint: it's about paths, not payloads)This episode won't panic you. It'll show you what's actually at risk and what you can do about it.-- Successful companies are constant targets for attackers. Those who take security seriously don’t test their defenses once a year. They subscribe to CovertSwarm.

Die Hard. Christmas movie or not?That's how we kick off this special edition of YOU DESERVE TO BE HACKED, a fireside chat recorded as 2025 comes to a close.This year brought seismic shifts in offensive security. AI agents everywhere. Prompt injection still unsolved. Shadow AI spreading faster than IT teams can track it. And threat actors like Scattered Spider proving that the front door is still the easiest way in.In this episode, CovertSwarm's Luke Potter (COO), James Dale (Head of Adversary Simulation), Jack Smith (Senior Hive Leader), and Dominika Pietrzak (AI Engineer) sit down to unpack what they've seen on the front lines this year.This isn't a predictions episode. It's a reflection on what actually happened, straight from the operators running constant cyber attacks every day.If you want an honest look at where offensive security is heading, this one's for you.-- Successful companies are constant targets for attackers. Those who take security seriously don’t test their defenses once a year. They subscribe to CovertSwarm.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming an active partner in offensive cybersecurity. In this episode, Jim Clover, founder of Varadius Ltd and former UK Government cyber operations lead, joins Luke Potter, COO at CovertSwarm, to explore how AI is changing the way real attacks are planned and executed.Jim brings a grounded perspective shaped by years of experience and a deep understanding of AI model safety. Luke provides insight from the front line of offensive operations, where AI is already accelerating reconnaissance, social engineering, and adaptive attack planning. Together, they examine the opportunities and risks that come with integrating AI into offensive capability, and what responsible evolution should look like as the technology moves forward.AI is not replacing human operators, but it is reshaping the craft. This conversation uncovers how experts are navigating that shift and what it means for the future of security.-- Successful companies are constant targets for attackers. Those who take security seriously don’t test their defenses once a year. They subscribe to CovertSwarm.

AI is changing how we work and how we get hacked.Every day, employees rely on large language models to draft emails, summarize data, and solve problems. But the same conversational power that makes them useful also makes them vulnerable. The words we use can shape, persuade, or even exploit the systems we trust.In this episode, we speak with Elle Neal, AI and data scientist at Databutton and associate at AI4C, and Ibai Castells, Senior Hive Member at CovertSwarm, about how communication, psychology, and offensive security collide in the world of AI.Together, they explore:How human tone and phrasing can cause AI performance to spiral or improveWhy polite and hostile prompts reveal both emotional intelligence and riskHow attackers are turning everyday language into prompt injection exploitsWhat “AI as a new employee” means for culture, trust, and continuous testingThis isn’t about fear. It’s about awareness.As AI becomes part of every team, the way we talk to it could define how secure or exposed we really are.Successful companies don’t just adopt AI.They learn to challenge it continuously.They subscribe to CovertSwarm.-- Successful companies are constant targets for attackers. Those who take security seriously don’t test their defenses once a year. They subscribe to CovertSwarm.

Nation-state attacks aren't just reserved for governments anymore. They're being repurposed, rebranded, and redirected at the private sector - and most organizations won’t see them coming.In this episode, we speak with Chris Worthy, former UK national security lead, and Billy Giles, CovertSwarm’s Head of Adversary Simulation (US), about how enterprise targets are increasingly in scope for state-aligned threat actors.Together, they explore:What an APT really is and why "advanced" doesn’t always mean complexHow offensive tactics once limited to cyber warfare are now turning up inside businessesWhy attribution is nearly impossible, and why it might not matterHow organizations can build resilience and test their readiness when there are no guaranteesThis isn’t about panic. It’s about clarity.Because if your organization holds something of value, chances are someone is already working on how to take it.-- Successful companies are constant targets for attackers. Those who take security seriously don’t test their defenses once a year. They subscribe to CovertSwarm.

In this episode of YOU DESERVE TO BE HACKED, we sit down with representatives from the Bank of England and CovertSwarm to unpack the truth behind CBEST. This isn’t about pass/fail. It’s about exposing hidden assumptions, simulating real-world attacks, and stress-testing the entire financial ecosystem—starting at Tier 1 and scaling outward.We explore the mindset shift, how it informs operational resilience, and why STAR-FS might be the future for the rest of the sector. Whether you’re a regulator, a red teamer, or a CISO looking for answers beyond the audit, this conversation will challenge everything you think you know about cybersecurity readiness.-- Successful companies are constant targets for attackers. Those who take security seriously don’t test their defenses once a year. They subscribe to CovertSwarm.

Social engineering. SIM swapping. MFA fatigue. These aren’t just headlines from last year. They’re live tactics, straight from the Scattered Spider playbook.In this episode, we join CovertSwarm’s own operators as we explore the methods used by threat groups like Scattered Spider. From helpdesk manipulation to full identity compromise, we break down the tactics, the weak points, and how attackers really move inside your org.-- Successful companies are constant targets for attackers. Those who take security seriously don’t test their defenses once a year. They subscribe to CovertSwarm.

The CovertSwarm podcast has been running for nearly three years, but it's time for a revamp. We're hitting pause briefly before returning with something fresh, new, and more disruptive than ever. Look out for YOU DESERVE TO BE HACKED The Podcast - coming soon.-- Successful companies are constant targets for attackers. Those who take security seriously don’t test their defenses once a year. They subscribe to CovertSwarm.

In this second episode hosted by Hacker Valley, Ron Eddings sits down with CovertSwarm’s Academy Hive Leader, Iain Jackson, for an eye-opening, innovative, and unsettling episode.This time, Ron’s voice is cloned live on air. Using cutting-edge AI impersonation tools, Iain demonstrates how attackers can weaponize synthetic voices to breach organizational defenses, this time by cloning our host's voice. They’ll dissect the mechanics behind this tactic and reveal why phishing got much more personal.While many still fixate on stopping email-based scams, Iain will expose the vulnerabilities in voice-based verification systems. From bypassing phone-based security protocols to exploiting human trust in familiarity, this conversation is a wake-up call.They’ll also explore the role of a psychological phenomenon named the uncanny valley, where slight imperfections in synthetic voices or behaviors can trigger a gut feeling that something isn’t right. Trusting this instinct could be the key to spotting and stopping scammers before they succeed. Tune in to discover how CovertSwarm’s relentless testing methodology mirrors techniques used by your worst cyber nightmares and why it’s essential to pressure-test every layer of your defenses against threats that blur the line between the digital and the social.Hosted by Hacker Valley.-- Successful companies are constant targets for attackers. Those who take security seriously don’t test their defenses once a year. They subscribe to CovertSwarm.

In this episode hosted by Hacker Valley, Ron Eddings sits down with CovertSwarm's US team members Dahvid Schloss, Hive Leader, and Ilan Fehler, US Sales Lead, to uncover the hidden vulnerabilities most organizations overlook.While many focus on fortifying their outermost defenses, Dahvid and Ilan reveal why testing the entire brand is crucial to identifying vulnerabilities in the inner layers and building cyber-maturity within your organization. They'll dive into how adversaries exploit social, physical, and digital vectors to gain access and how CovertSwarm's approach emulates real-world cyber threats acting as real APTs against our clients.Hosted by Hacker Valley.-- Successful companies are constant targets for attackers. Those who take security seriously don’t test their defenses once a year. They subscribe to CovertSwarm.