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Cyber Voices

Cyber Voices

By: Australian Information Security Association (AISA)
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Welcome to CYBER VOICES, where we highlight and celebrate the diverse voices of the Australian cyber community. From top-ranking CISOs and government officials to threat hunters and vulnerability analysts, if there’s a voice to be heard, you’ll hear it on CYBER VOICES. Join us as we delve into the stories, insights, and expertise that shape the world of cybersecurity in Australia.Copyright AISA
Episodes
  • The 2026 Threat Landscape, Iran, and AI-Powered Phishing with Michael Kosak

    The 2026 Threat Landscape, Iran, and AI-Powered Phishing with Michael Kosak
    May 27 2026
    Mike Kosak joins Cyber Voices to deliver a frank assessment of the 2026 cyber threat environment: it's not great, and it's getting worse. Mike is Director of Threat Intelligence at LastPass, with nearly 25 years of experience that began in the US Department of Defense as a counterterrorism intelligence officer. He served three deployments to Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, led the Pentagon office responsible for intelligence updates to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and acted as senior command representative to Joint Special Operations Command for the Defence Intelligence Agency. Since moving into the private sector he has led strategic cyber intelligence at Bank of America, headed the Cyber Threat Intelligence team at TIAA, and now drives threat intelligence at LastPass.

    In this conversation Mike and David unpack what the ongoing conflict in the Middle East means for Australian defenders, why Five Eyes membership puts Australia squarely in scope regardless of physical proximity, and how Iran targets opportunistically and then retrofits the rationale to fit. They look at China and Taiwan as a potential 2027 flashpoint, with critical infrastructure, education, and the defence industrial base already in frequent crosshairs. The conversation then shifts to phishing, where AI has lowered the barrier to entry and lifted operational tempo dramatically. Mike shares what his team has been observing as a single threat actor group develops its own AI-assisted phishing kit across three increasingly sophisticated versions, evolving from a basic login page to an attacker-in-the-middle reverse proxy.

    The episode closes with practical guidance for the Australian cyber community: the Essential Eight still gets you 80% of the way there, and getting a real handle on your tech stack, including shadow AI and shadow tech, will pay enormous dividends as the gap between vulnerability detection and exploitation continues to shrink.

    Subscribe to Cyber Voices wherever you get your podcasts, and find us on YouTube for the video version.
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    29 mins
  • Responding to a Cyber Crisis You Don’t Control with Darren Hopkins

    Responding to a Cyber Crisis You Don’t Control with Darren Hopkins
    May 20 2026
    In this episode of Cyber Voices, recorded live at BrisSEC 2026, host David Savva-Willett speaks with Darren Hopkins, Partner at McGrathNicol and a Brisbane-based cybersecurity professional with more than 30 years’ experience across law enforcement, digital forensics, incident response and cyber crisis management.

    Darren shares insights from his BrisSEC talk, “When You’re Already Losing: Responding to a Cyber Crisis You Don’t Control,” exploring the messy reality of cyber incidents where the playbook does not match the crisis. From third-party suppliers and SaaS dependencies to ransomware negotiations, regulators, media pressure, board expectations and limited information, Darren explains why effective incident response requires more than a neatly documented plan.

    David and Darren discuss why cyber crisis simulations matter, how organisations can build decision-making muscle memory, the importance of update cadence, the risks of over-communication, and why many incidents remain preventable through basic cyber hygiene, prioritisation and executive support. This episode is essential listening for CISOs, security leaders, board members, risk teams, communications professionals and anyone involved in preparing for or responding to a cyber incident.

    In this episode, we cover:
    • How to respond when you do not control the cyber crisis
    • Why incident response plans still matter, even when reality gets chaotic
    • The role of executives, legal, communications, HR and technical teams during a breach
    • Why third-party and SaaS risk changes crisis response
    • How cyber simulations can prepare boards and leadership teams
    • The importance of clear communication and update cadence
    • Why are many cyber incidents still preventable
    • What cyber leaders should start doing differently today
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    28 mins
  • Inside the Mind of an Attacker — Atticus D'mello on Bypassing Social Media's Security Controls

    Inside the Mind of an Attacker — Atticus D'mello on Bypassing Social Media's Security Controls
    May 13 2026
    Recorded live on the floor at BrisSEC 2026 in Brisbane, David Savva-Willett sits down with Atticus D'mello, higher degree research student, vulnerability researcher, and emerging cybersecurity specialist with Safety Net Cyber, to unpack his BrisSEC talk Inside the Mind of an Attacker.

    Atticus walks us through how he and his team approached one of the most under-discussed problems in consumer cybersecurity: how attackers bypass account creation limits on the world's biggest social media platforms to spin up anonymous accounts at scale. Working with nothing more than a laptop and a typical home internet connection, they mapped the controls, found the gaps, and responsibly disclosed the vulnerabilities, many of which have now been fully patched.

    The conversation goes beyond the technical, exploring why burner accounts are the gateway to online bullying, mass phishing, artificial engagement, and large-scale scams, and the very real human toll that follows. Atticus also shares his work helping victims regain access to compromised Instagram and Facebook accounts, the rise of fake "Meta verification" phishing emails, why TikTok's security-by-default model is worth paying attention to, and what every one of us can do to make social media a safer space. If you've ever wondered how those random accounts in your DMs come from nowhere — this one's for you.
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    31 mins
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