On the Defense Podcast

Cyber threats and financial crime aren't often sunny topics, but Tyler Caskey, Partner and Director at TheBeanCounters, joins us to talk about how technology is helping finance leaders mitigate risks and protect their businesses. Hear Tyler describe what some leaders are doing to balance security and speed, as well as what excites him most about the future.

What are the scam tactics you should be looking out for? And, if those scams succeed, who will be – or should be – liable? Shameela Gonzalez (Executive Director - Financial Services Lead, CyberCX) unpacks some of today’s trickiest questions about B2B scams, what cybercrime looks like from the inside, and how Australia’s debate about scam liability reveals urgent truths that business leaders can’t ignore.

For more from Shameela: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shameelagonzalez/

For more from CyberCX: https://cybercx.com.au/

Starting out as a young cybercriminal, hacker Bastien Treptel now uses his skills for good, but he still has to think like a “bad guy” to help organisations (and kids) stay safe. Tune in to hear how red teaming works, what hackers think about your business, why and how leaders should incorporate adversarial mindsets – and why AI might be a little more exciting than just scary.

We all know businesses can lose money to cybercriminals, but we don't always think about what else cyber threats might be costing us. Economist Alex Koutalistras dives into research produced by Oxford Economics and AustCyber, explaining the direct and indirect costs that all financial leaders should be considering.

Note that the survey Alex refers to in this podcast relates to the work undertaken by AustCyber in support of the Australian Cyber Security Sector Competitiveness Plan 2023 (“SCP”). Oxford Economics Australia’s work and findings formed a part of the SCP though they did not undertake the survey component. You can see the full resource on AustCyber's website: https://www.austcyber.com/resources/sector-competitiveness-plan

Okay, you've heard that cybersecurity is important, but we're all busy, right? And small businesses might be some of the busiest. So what are concrete, practical steps we can take to protect ourselves right now? Founder and Managing Director of Cyber Audit Team, Damian Seaton, explains some of the quickest and most affordable steps we can take toward stronger cybersecurity – and why effective security training often needs to get personal.

Who are the people behind cybercrime? Where do they work, how do they operate, where are they from? In this episode, we find out. Ken Gamble, executive chairman of cybercrime investigation agency IFW Global, tells us what he finds when he tracks down the fraudsters behind scams that cost millions. He also tells us why recovering stolen assets is so difficult and what businesses can do to ensure assets aren't stolen in the first place. And, if you're based in Australia and want more of this info, don't miss the Global Financial Crime Summit happening in Sydney and co-hosted by IFW Global. Head to ifwglobalevents.com for full details.

Lance Rubin, Founder of Model Citizn and longtime CFO, thought he’d taken all the precautions necessary to protect his small business. Then, one day, he learned they’d been hacked anyway. In this episode, Lance shares how the attack happened, why it could have been worse, and what he learned from it – a rare inside look given that most organisations are reticent to disclose that they’ve been hacked at all. But, as Lance points out, how can we solve a problem if we don’t talk about it?

What does a renowned cybersecurity expert see as the biggest threat in 2024? As a strategist and global thought leader, Professor Vijay Varadharajan has led teams at organisations like HP and British Telecom, as well as working with Microsoft and Optus. He's also been publishing research and security insights for over 40 years. Over the past decade, he’s become increasingly worried about society’s (lack of) shared truth. Listen as we sit down with Professor Varadharajan to learn why technology is compounding issues that are very much human problems at their core – and what leaders can do to combat these threats in their own organisations. Find more of his work at https://www.newcastle.edu.au/profile/vijay-varadharajan

Cybercriminals are usually after two things: your data or your money. While CFOs spend a lot of time thinking about how to protect the latter, it's important to understand how and why data security should be top of mind for every leader. To understand more, we spoke with Dan Draper, a data security expert, a filmmaker, and CipherStash's founder and CEO. Tune in to find out: how data protection works, what's at stake if leaders don't prioritise data security, which Oscar-nominated film had the most relevant lesson for business leaders in 2023, and how Dan is uncovering the truth about diversity in tech. Learn more about his work at cipherstash.com or debuggingdiversity.com

Amid rapidly growing cyber threats, it's never been more critical for finance leaders to align their own strategies with those of security specialists. To help them do that, Drew Unsworth, advisor and former executive at NAB, Westpac, Xero, and CBA, sat down to talk about the Federal Government's new national cybersecurity strategy. Find out a banking expert's views on cybercrime, why it's such an unfair fight and – most importantly – what leaders should be doing to protect their organisations.