In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some cutting-edge intel coming out of LimaCharlie's community.

• On March 24, The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg reported a significant OPSEC failure involving U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who allegedly sent him detailed U.S. military plans over Signal—an encrypted messaging app—on March 15.
• A newly discovered supply chain attack on the npm ecosystem is targeting developers by backdooring local packages through a process known as “manifest confusion.”
• Unit 42 researchers at Palo Alto Networks have uncovered an ongoing software supply chain attack targeting GitHub repositories via malicious GitHub Actions workflows.

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some cutting-edge intel coming out of LimaCharlie's community Slack channel.

• Google has announced a $32 billion ALL CASH acquisition of the Israeli cybersecurity startup Wiz, making it one of the largest deals in the company’s history.
• A newly discovered zero-day vulnerability in Windows allows attackers to escalate privileges, potentially granting them full control over affected systems.
• Security researchers have identified new intrusion techniques used by the SocGholish malware framework, which is increasingly being leveraged to distribute ransomware.
• Security researchers have uncovered a new technique that allows attackers to disable Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions using Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC).
• Security researchers have discovered undocumented commands in a widely used Bluetooth chip, potentially exposing over a billion devices to security risks.

On today's episode of the Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we speak with Jen VanAntwerp, the Founder of Sober in Cyber.

Jen is a cybersecurity marketing professional and the founder of Sober in Cyber, a nonprofit on a mission to provide alcohol-free events and community-building opportunities for sober and sober-curious individuals working in infosec. Jen is passionate about breaking the stigma of addiction recovery and is profoundly driven to increase the number of professional networking events that don’t revolve around alcohol. She is also the founder of JVAN Consulting, where she provides marketing consultation services to cybersecurity startups.

Sober in Cyber Discord can be found here.

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some cutting-edge intel coming out of the LimaCharlie community.

• The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is facing significant operational challenges as budget constraints force it to scale back key cybersecurity programs.
• Scammers are taking a new approach to extortion by mailing physical ransom letters to victims, claiming to be the operators of the BianLian ransomware group.
• A newly identified advanced persistent threat (APT) group, dubbed "Crafty Camel," has been targeting aviation operational technology (OT) systems using a sophisticated technique involving polyglot files.
• A new malvertising campaign is leveraging deceptive online ads to distribute information-stealing malware hosted on GitHub, highlighting an ongoing evolution in cybercriminal tactics.
• Security researchers have disclosed details of multiple vulnerabilities in Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems that could be exploited to facilitate attacks on industrial environments.

On this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast we speak with Andrew Cook, CTO of Recon InfoSec, about lessons learned scaling Managed Security Operations.

On this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast we speak with Philippe Humeau, CEO of CrowdSec, about Multimodal Offensive Artificial Intelligence (MOAI).

Philippe is a cybersecurity expert and seasoned entrepreneur with a deep passion for enhancing global internet security. He is the founder and CEO of CrowdSec, an innovative open-source platform that harnesses the power of community-driven threat intelligence to protect systems worldwide. Philippe's work focuses on collaborative approaches to cybersecurity, ensuring that organizations can stay ahead of evolving threats by pooling collective knowledge and resources. With years of experience building solutions that address complex security challenges, Philippe has made a significant impact on the field.

Before founding CrowdSec, Philippe successfully launched and led several companies within the cybersecurity space, further cementing his reputation as a thought leader and innovator. His journey reflects a commitment to addressing the most pressing challenges in the digital age, from fostering safer internet ecosystems to empowering businesses with the tools they need to defend against cyberattacks. Philippe is also an advocate for open-source technology and community-driven solutions, underscoring his belief that collaboration is key to combating global threats.

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some cutting-edge intel coming out of LimaCharlie's community Slack channel.

• North Korea’s state-backed Lazarus Group is believed to be responsible for the largest cryptocurrency heist ever recorded, stealing $1.5 billion from the Bybit exchange.
• The "BadPilot" hacking campaign has been linked to Russia's Sandworm threat group, a unit of the GRU known for cyber espionage and disruptive attacks.
• GreyNoise has observed active exploitation of CVE-2025-0108, a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks’ PAN-OS.
• Security researcher Paul Butler has demonstrated a novel technique for smuggling arbitrary data using emojis, leveraging the way modern text encoding and rendering systems handle Unicode characters.
• Kitty Stealer is a newly identified malware targeting macOS systems, designed to steal sensitive user data such as credentials, browser cookies, and cryptocurrency wallets.
• SEKOIA researchers have uncovered a previously unknown IoT botnet named PolarEdge, which has been operating covertly for an extended period.

On this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast we talk with John Vaina, AI Researcher and Red Teamer, about AI risk and safety.

John is an expert in AI risk, safety, and security. John currently works as an AI red team operator, tackling some of the most complex challenges in the field. His work spans traditional cybersecurity concerns, such as identifying vulnerabilities in AI systems, to cutting-edge tasks like testing for emergent behaviors and conducting AI alignment and safety audits.

John’s expertise includes evaluating ethical and bias risks, ensuring model robustness, and running adversarial attack simulations to uncover potential weaknesses. Beyond these technical aspects, he also addresses broader safety issues, including scenarios involving CBRNE threats and other high-stakes risks.

John’s unique combination of technical skills, strategic thinking, and a focus on ethical considerations makes him a leading voice in ensuring that AI technologies are safe, secure, and aligned with human values.

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss stress management and avoiding burnout with Amanda Berlin, CEO of Mental Health Hackers.

Amanda is the Senior Product Manager of Cybersecurity at Blumira, where she collaborates with a talented team to make security more accessible. With a career in IT spanning nearly her entire adult life, her expertise includes infrastructure security, network troubleshooting, purple teaming, and security awareness training.

Beyond her role at Blumira, Amanda leads Mental Health Hackers, an organization dedicated to addressing the unique mental health challenges faced by cybersecurity professionals and heavy technology users. Through education and advocacy, she helps shine a light on the critical intersection of mental health and the tech industry.

All of the links:

Coffee bot: Donuts

Book: The Fearless Organization

American Psychological Association

Mental Health hackers next at: Bsides Charm in Baltimore, Blue Team Con in Chicago... check social media for more

On this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we talk about security issues in the Arctic with Deepak Dutt, Founder of Zighra.

Deepak is a technology leader and entrepreneur on a mission to secure the future against AI-powered threats and to inspire founders to transform their ideas from zero to meaningful impact.

Deepak’s career began in the software space, inspired by his father’s passion for technology. In his late teens, he founded his first company in the eLearning space, which he successfully led to an acquisition, relocating to Ottawa at the age of 21.

While in Ottawa, Deepak balanced graduate studies with roles at Newbridge Networks and Nortel, where he spent nearly a decade gaining expertise in product development, go-to-market strategy, and technological innovation. These experiences reinforced his drive to harness technology’s transformative potential.

In 2009, Deepak founded his second startup, a cloud-based cybersecurity company. Over the years, he has participated in leading accelerators worldwide, including Barclays/Techstars, Creative Destruction Labs, and the Canadian Technology Accelerator. Today, as Founder and CEO of Zighra, he is building an operating system designed to defend against AI-powered attacks, working with financial institutions and governments to deliver robust security solutions powered by explainable AI, behavioral biometrics, and contextual intelligence.

A passionate advocate of the Zero to Impact philosophy, Deepak is committed to inspiring tech founders to embrace big challenges and develop innovations that drive meaningful change.