Tom Uren

Tom Uren, a policy and intelligence editor specializing in cybersecurity, joins Amberleigh Jack to explore the recent revelations about AI-driven cyber espionage campaigns. They discuss how this innovation aids opportunistic attackers, while offering little advantage to Western intelligence. The conversation shifts to Google's legal victory over the Lighthouse phishing operation, which has had unexpected success in disrupting their activities. Lastly, Uren highlights the benefits of adopting the memory-safe Rust programming language in Android, showing its impact on security and performance.

Tom Uren, a policy and intelligence editor, dives deep into the troubling U.S. reliance on Chinese manufacturers for electrical grid equipment. He discusses the risks posed by Chinese hacking and the alarming intent behind recent PLA research aimed at grid sabotage. The conversation takes a turn as they explore the controversial U.S. involvement in cyberattacks on Venezuela's state oil company and critique the ineffectiveness of Russian state-backed hacktivism. Uren emphasizes the need for strategic mitigations and warns about the political misuse of security concerns.

Tom Uren, a cyber policy analyst and author of the Seriously Risky Business newsletter, joins to discuss a new framework outlining seven 'red flags' for assessing cyber operations. They explore Iran's use of cyber intelligence for missile strikes and the implications of political interference in elections. The conversation dives into the significance of corporate disclosure amid evolving state cyber activities, and they express skepticism about China's claims of being a responsible cyber actor. This engaging dialogue sheds light on the complexities of modern cyber warfare.

Tom Uren, a policy and intelligence editor specializing in cybersecurity, dives into the concerns around the DeepSeek-R1 AI model, revealing how it produces insecure code when prompted with topics sensitive to the Chinese Communist Party. He explains emergent misalignment in AI and emphasizes that biases are not unique to China, citing Musk's Grok as an example. Additionally, he discusses the doxxing of Iran's APT35 group, detailing their structure and operations, while predicting their resilience after the leak. Uren underscores the need for rigorous review of AI-generated outputs.

Tom Uren, a policy and intelligence editor, dives into Meta's alarming $16 billion profit from scam ads, revealing the internal incentives that keep fraud thriving. He discusses how Meta's high denial threshold and algorithmic engagement create perverse incentives for scammers. The conversation shifts to restrained state-backed supply chain attacks and why some intrusions weren't weaponized. Lastly, Uren highlights the UK's pause on intelligence sharing with the US over concerns regarding legality in operations against suspected drug boats.