The conversation covers the BSides Vancouver Island Conference, Geoff's background in AI and cybersecurity, the impact of AI on cybersecurity, realistic threats of fully autonomous AI attacks, AI-powered worms, and preparing for AI-driven attacks.

Takeaways

• AI is changing the landscape of cybersecurity
• Security teams need to prepare for AI-driven attacks

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to B Sides Vancouver Island Conference
• 01:10 Jeff's Background and Interest in AI and Cybersecurity
• 02:30 Transition to AI and Machine Learning Team Leadership
• 03:24 Impact of AI on Cybersecurity and Transition to AI
• 04:24 Fully Autonomous AI Attacks and Realistic Threats
• 10:10 AI-Powered Worms and Their Impact
• 14:16 Preparing for AI-Driven Attacks

JOIN US AT BSIDES VANCOUVER ISLAND 2026

BSides Vancouver Island is a community-driven, grassroots cybersecurity conference bringing together security practitioners, researchers, students, and technology enthusiasts to learn, connect, and share knowledge.

Friday, September 25, 2026
Victoria Conference Centre — Victoria, BC

This year marks our fifth anniversary*, with *two talk tracks for the first time.

🎟️ Tickets and conference details: https://bsidesvi.com

Follow BSides Vancouver Island for speaker interviews, conference talks, workshops, and community content.

The conversation delves into the Anatomy of a Sandworm, the Shy Halud attacks, and the evolution, behavior, and adaptation of Shy Halud. It also provides practical lessons and actions for security teams and discusses building stronger supply chain protections.

Takeaways

• Shy Halud attacks raised important questions about trust, software dependencies, and the speed of compromise in modern development.
• Pinning to exact versions of dependencies is crucial for reducing the risk of supply chain attacks.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to B Sides Vancouver Island
• 00:50 Anatomy of a Sandworm: The Shy Halud Attacks
• 03:31 Evolution of Shy Halud Attacks
• 04:25 Unusual Behavior of Shy Halud
• 06:08 Adaptation and Changes in Shy Halud
• 07:29 Practical Lessons and Actions for Security Teams
• 08:28 Building Stronger Supply Chain Protections

JOIN US AT BSIDES VANCOUVER ISLAND 2026

BSides Vancouver Island is a community-driven, grassroots cybersecurity conference bringing together security practitioners, researchers, students, and technology enthusiasts to learn, connect, and share knowledge.

Friday, September 25, 2026
Victoria Conference Centre — Victoria, BC

This year marks our fifth anniversary*, with *two talk tracks for the first time.

🎟️ Tickets and conference details: https://bsidesvi.com

Follow BSides Vancouver Island for speaker interviews, conference talks, workshops, and community content.

What happens when you put BSides Vancouver Island attendees on the spot?

We took a quick lightning round around the conference floor and asked participants a few essential security-community questions:

What’s your favourite hacker movie?

If you could download any skill in The Matrix, what would it be?

Tea or coffee?

What makes the BSidesVI community special?

The answers included WarGames, Sneakers, The Matrix, Hackers, flying, pattern recognition, bullet time, a lot of coffee, and plenty of appreciation for the people who make this community what it is.

BSides Vancouver Island is a community-driven cybersecurity conference presented by the Vancouver Island Security Research Society. We bring together security researchers, practitioners, students, sponsors, and community members to learn, share knowledge, and connect.

Learn more about upcoming events, talks, and tickets: https://bsidesvi.com

Follow along and join the conversation:

#bsidesvi

#cybersecurity #infosec #BSidesVI #hackercommunity #WarGames #TheMatrix

Alan Ilicic discusses the topic of DNS exfiltration and its significance in cybersecurity. He explores the challenges of defending against DNS exfiltration and the practical steps to make environments less vulnerable to this kind of attack. The conversation also touches on the use of AI in DNS exfiltration and the broader implications of DNS as a covert tunnel for command and control.

Takeaways

• DNS exfiltration is a significant challenge in cybersecurity
• Defending against DNS exfiltration requires careful control of egress and behavioral analysis

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to DNS Exfiltration
• 03:20 The Significance of DNS in Cybersecurity
• 04:10 Challenges and Countermeasures
• 06:06 AI in DNS Exfiltration
• 07:18 Practical Steps for Defense

BSides Vancouver Island is a community-driven, grassroots cybersecurity conference bringing together security practitioners, researchers, students, and technology enthusiasts to learn, connect, and share knowledge.

Friday, September 25, 2026
Victoria Conference Centre — Victoria, BC

This year marks our fifth anniversary, with two talk tracks for the first time.

🎟️ Tickets and conference details: https://bsidesvi.com

Follow BSides Vancouver Island for speaker interviews, conference talks, workshops, and community content.

The conversation covers the upcoming BSides Vancouver Island 2026 cybersecurity conference, with a focus on the talk 'The Control Plane Awakens: How Attackers Are Taking Over Network Edge Infrastructure' by Ryan Smith. The discussion delves into the evolving threat landscape, edge security and the importance of community involvement in cybersecurity events.

Takeaways

• Edge infrastructure is increasingly targeted by attackers for long-term operational purposes.
• Community involvement and support are essential for individuals attending their first security conference or giving their first security talk.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to B Sides Vancouver Island
• 01:20 The Control Plane Awakens: Attackers and Network Edge Infrastructure
• 02:23 Ryan Smith's Journey in Cybersecurity
• 04:21 Attackers' Approach to Edge Devices
• 07:08 Defenders' Monitoring and Detection Challenges
• 09:07 Improving Edge Security Monitoring
• 10:51 Community Involvement and Support in Cybersecurity

BSides Vancouver Island is a community-driven, grassroots cybersecurity conference bringing together security practitioners, researchers, students, and technology enthusiasts to learn, connect, and share knowledge.

Friday, September 25, 2026
Victoria Conference Centre — Victoria, BC

This year marks our fifth anniversary, with two talk tracks for the first time.

🎟️ Tickets and conference details: https://bsidesvi.com

Follow BSides Vancouver Island for speaker interviews, conference talks, workshops, and community content.