This week, for the last Cyber Uncut of 2025, David Hollingworth and Daniel Croft talk about Grok's spreading of misinformation regarding the tragic Bondi terror attack, OpenAI's admission of "high cyber risk", the re-emergence of ShinyHunters with a string of possible extortion attempts, ransomware attacks on medical centres, and important tips for using public Wi-Fi over the holidays.

The pair kick things off with reports of how Grok utterly failed to deliver accurate information regarding the 14 December shootings targeting the Jewish community in Sydney. The chatbot utterly failed to meet the moment, leading to multiple instances of incorrect information circulating on X.

In cyber security news, ShinyHunters is engaging in a string of extortion attempts that may – or may not be – linked to its breach of data analytics firm Mixpanel. It's a bit of a ride and a fascinating example of how quickly things can change in the cyber crime landscape. Plus, two more Aussie healthcare centres fall victim to ransomware attacks.

And finally, some helpful travel advice, a wrap-up of our big moments from 2025, and some things to look forward to in 2026.

See you next year The Cyber Uncut team

In this solemn episode of the Contested Ground podcast, hosts Phil Tarrant, Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson and Steve Kuper discuss the immediate aftermath of the Bondi Beach terror attack.

The trio discuss the terrorist shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach, Sydney, which resulted in at least 15 deaths and over 40 injuries. They also tackle the implications of the targeted anti-Semitic attack on Australia's intelligence and law enforcement community.

The conversation then shifts to the beginning of the broader national conversations that will now be taking place in Canberra and capital cities around the nation, as the nation and Sydney grieve the loss of national innocence.

We would also like to pass on our sincere condolences, thoughts and prayers to those impacted by the tragic events.

Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

This episode discusses the US Department of War's AI "Manifest Destiny", hackers going hard on Aussie victims, and Australia bringing in its brand new social media ban.

Hosts David Hollingworth and Daniel Croft kick things off with artificial intelligence, with CommBank trialling a new DevOps agent and the Pentagon launching its new GenAI.mil platform to "dominate" its adversaries.

The pair move on to cyber crime, and the SafePay ransomware gang strikes at three Australian victims in a single week.

Hollingworth and Croft also discuss the social media ban, which came into effect this week.

Finally, the pair look at the Privacy Commissioner's new compliance crusade and a warning that scammers are posing as charities this Christmas season. Enjoy, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, hosts Phil Tarrant and Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson are joined by special guest Dr Ross Babbage, chief executive officer of Strategic Forum and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington DC.

Together, the trio dive into Australia's rapidly shifting strategic landscape, the pressures shaping the US–Australia relationship, and the risks emerging across the Indo-Pacific as 2026 approaches.

The team also tackles the return of a Trump administration in the US government amid rising uncertainty surrounding the People's Republic of China's internal trajectory.

A central theme of the discussion is Australia's struggle to prioritise national security in line with allied expectations.

The conversation then shifts to the composition of Australia's political leadership and its effect on national preparedness.

Finally, the podcast ends with a discussion on military deterrence and insight into needed improvements in national resilience, industrial mobilisation and defence capability in Australia.

Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, David Hollingworth and Bethany Alvaro talk about the week's cyber security and AI news!

Hollingworth and Alvaro get things started by unpacking the Australian government's National AI Plan. Is it actually good governance, or more of a vibe ripe to be abused by the AI giants?

The pair then talk about the eSafety Commissioner's warning that smart car systems are being taken advantage of by domestic abusers, and concern over the impact of the looming social media ban might have on queer youth, before looking at a pair of interesting cyber security incidents from the past week.

But we end on some good news. Hollingworth and Alvaro share some reactions to the National AI Plan, before talking about a new UK initiative to stand up an e-sports event to promote and sharpen vital cyber security skills.

Enjoy, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, David Hollingworth and Bethany Alvaro talk about the week's cyber security and AI news!

Hollingworth and Alvaro get things started with a warning about a rise in AI-driven holiday scams taking advantage of the silly season. The pair also talk about a recent call from CPA Australia for young Australians to embrace AI to drive their entrepreneurial dreams.

And then it's on to cyber security, with parliamentarians in Canberra warned to secure their connected devices ahead of a visit by a Chinese official, and worrying research on how the Chinese AI platform DeepSeek can actively insert vulnerabilities into code when certain "political triggers" are detected. And, sadly, the hacking never stops, with cyber extortionists targeting a pair of Aussie organisations.

But we end on some good news. Hollingworth and Alvaro cover the newly announced AI Safety Institute, as well as the very welcome news of sanctions targeting a Russian cyber criminal service provider.

Enjoy, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, hosts Phil Tarrant, Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson and new co-host, Steve Kuper, detail the intricacies of the proposed Russia–Ukraine peace deal announced by US President Donald Trump.

The trio also unpack three emerging security issues: a proposed Russia–Ukraine peace deal, heightened Chinese activity in the northern Pacific, and suspected Russian sabotage operations in Europe.

The peace proposal centres on a 30-day ceasefire, prisoner exchanges, and Ukraine conceding or freezing control of occupied territories. Ukraine would permanently renounce NATO membership, cap its military at around 600,000 personnel, and restrict long-range weapons. In return, the US and its partners would offer conditional security guarantees and gradually lift sanctions, with up to US$100 billion in frozen Russian assets used for reconstruction.

Chinese maritime activity has intensified, with five survey vessels operating in the north-west Pacific during major US-led exercises. Pacific analysts warn this undersea mapping may support future conflict planning.

In the UK, authorities are investigating whether Russia planted an incendiary parcel that ignited in a DHL warehouse, potentially linked to a similar case in Germany, part of a suspected GRU "mayhem" hybrid campaign.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, David Hollingworth is joined by Bethany Alvaro to talk about all things Australia and cyber security!

The pair kick things off with some AI news. NVIDIA announced record earnings as the AI bubble steadfastly refuses to burst, and ChatGPT's curious new group chat feature.

Hollingworth and Alvaro then talk about cyber crime, with scammers gleefully preparing to take advantage of Black Friday sales, Optus getting pinged over falling afoul of anti-scam legislation, and the Brotherhood ransomware group claiming two Aussie hacks in just one day.

And we end on some good news. Australia, the UK, and the US have sanctioned a pair of Russian companies for providing a raft of services to hackers, and EU law enforcement actions have taken down more than a thousand malicious servers.

Enjoy, The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, hosts Phil Tarrant, Liam Garman, and Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson unpack two unfolding challenges shaping Australia's strategic outlook, an Iran-linked cyber breach exposing sensitive defence data, and China's latest move to outmanoeuvre Canberra in the Pacific.

The discussion opens with the major cyber breach linked to Iran-aligned actors, exposing sensitive information from Australian defence programs through vulnerabilities in overseas contractors. Thompson warns that modern military platforms are now fully digital extensions of the network, and that the Australian Defence Force risks becoming collateral damage without stronger supply-chain defence.

The hosts then turn to the Pacific, where China has unveiled a record $86 million aid package to Vanuatu, a direct counter to the Albanese government's stalled security pact. Garman notes the diplomatic setback highlights the limits of Australia's traditional leverage, with Port Vila reluctant to jeopardise its economic ties with Beijing.

The conversation also covers China's commissioning of its first fully indigenous aircraft carrier, signalling a major step in Beijing's push for blue-water naval capability.

Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, David Hollingworth catches up with Proofpoint's chief strategy officer, Ryan Kalember, and vice president of systems engineering for the APJ region, Adrian Covich, while attending the Proofpoint Protect Tour in Melbourne.

The three talk about the high-level trends and concerns they're seeing from CISOs both in Australia and abroad and the very real challenges of dealing with a fast-paced and ever-evolving threat landscape.

Enjoy the episode, The Cyber Uncut team