The Defender's Advantage Podcast

This week’s episode of the Threat Trends series is the final episode of 2022 for The Defender’s Advantage Podcast. To wrap up our year and provide a glimpse into what we can expect from 2023, Sandra Joyce, VP of Mandiant Intelligence, joins host Luke McNamara for a discussion on some of the highlights from the past year. Sandra chats through aspects of the Russian invasion on Ukraine, activity from the DRAGONBRIDGE IO campaign, and Mandiant’s graduation of APT42. She also discusses the evolution of ransomware and the possibility of threat actors targeting countries with ransomware – as we saw in Albania – could be a trend we continue to see in 2023. Additional trends Sandra mentions include the close association of hacktivist activity with APT activity and North Korea’s continued interest in cryptocurrency. Read more about what else experts predict we can expect in the coming year in Mandiant’s Cyber Security Forecast 2023 Report. Download your copy at https://mndt.info/3FDxQ9n. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to The Defender’s Advantage Podcast where you listen to podcasts. 

This week’s episode of The Defender’s Advantage Podcast features British American Tobacco CISO, Dawn-Marie Hutchinson joins Frontline Stories host Kerry Matre for a discussion on third-party risk management. Over the course of the conversation, Dawn-Marie discusses the approach that she takes in third-party risk management and the process of conducting risk assessments. She also shares how she encourages suppliers to increase their security and how she would ideally allocate budget toward risk reduction. You can follow Dawn-Marie at @Rie_Hutch. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to The Defender’s Advantage Podcast where you listen to podcasts. 

This week’s episode of The Defender’s Advantage Podcast features four members of Team Mandiant who previously served in the United States military and transitioned into careers in the cyber security industry. Skills Gap host Kevin Bordlemay was joined by Paul Shaver, Thomas Worthington, Lauren Krukar, and Brian Timberlake for a discussion on what the transition out of service looks like and the resources that are available to those interested in a role in cyber. The group discusses their tips for military personnel considering a transition out of service and the resources they were able to take advantage of during their transitions, including resume review and SkillBridge. They also give their advice on what questions military members should be asking in interviews to ensure they are finding roles that fit. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to The Defender’s Advantage Podcast where you listen to podcasts. 

This week’s episode of The Defender’s Advantage Podcast features Mandiant analysts Gabby Roncone, John Wolfram and Tyler McLellan who joined Threat Trends host Luke McNamara for a discussion on Russian cyber operations over the last year.The group discusses the Russia linked threat groups and activity Mandiant has been tracking related to the conflict in Ukraine, including UNC2589 and APT29. They also share their perspectives on the targeting trends they’ve observed over the last year and the activity we might expect to see moving forward, such as an increase in economic espionage and continued diplomatic targeting by APT29. Follow Gabby Roncone at @gabby_roncone, John Wolfram at @Big_Bad_W0lf_ and Tyler McLellan at @tylabs. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to The Defender’s Advantage Podcast where you listen to podcasts. Additional Resources Listen to the episode, Threat Trends: Russian Invasion of Ukraine Information Operations featuring Sam Riddell and Alden Wahlstrom: https://mndt.info/3wGse9uListen to the episode, Threat Trends: Stolen Emails, Hacked Cameras and the Mysterious UNC3524 featuring Doug Bienstock and Josh Madeley: https://mndt.info/3vMne2RRead the blog post, Trello From the Other Side: Tracking APT29 Phishing Campaigns: https://mndt.info/3UU9HjPRead the blog post, They See Me Roaming: Following APT29 by Taking a Deeper Look at Windows Credential Roaming: https://mndt.info/3FZp7Pk

This week’s episode of The Defender’s Advantage Podcast features Davis Hake, co-founder of cyber insurance company Resilience, who joined Frontline Stories host Kerry Matre for a discussion on the role of cyber insurance. During the conversation, Davis explains the model for how cyber insurance is sold, the application process and how insurance companies work with clients to determine their risks and set rates. He also discusses some of the advances in recent years and those he hopes to see in cyber insurance in the coming years, including global resilience to digital threats. Learn more about Resilience at cyberresilience.com and follow at @ResilienceSays. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to The Defender’s Advantage Podcast where you listen to podcasts. Additional Resources Read Mandiant’s Cyber Security Forecast 2023 Report 

This week’s episode of The Defender’s Advantage Podcast features Mandiant’s Michael Barnhart and Joe Dobson who joined Threat Trends host Luke McNamara for a discussion on recent cyber activity out of North Korea, including the targeting of cryptocurrency. Michael and Joe discuss some of the North Korean threat groups Mandiant is following and a view of the threat landscape in the region. They also chat about the tactics of actors targeting cryptocurrency, which includes applying for roles with companies associated with crypto projects to enable malicious actors within the network. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to The Defender’s Advantage Podcast where you listen to podcasts. 

On this week’s episode of The Defender’s Advantage Podcast, Mandiant’s Nader Zaveri and Simran Sakraney join Skills Gap host Chris Campbell for a discussion on how the cyber security industry and the companies within it can attract candidates from underrepresented groups and foster diversity. Nader and Simran share their individual journeys into the industry and their perspectives on how organizations in cyber can encourage more women to enter the security field and tactics recruiters can take to engage individuals from non-traditional educational and professional backgrounds. They also outline the various types of roles that live within the cyber industry and some of the transferable skills those just starting in the field can lean on. You can follow Nader at @NaderZaveri and Simran at @SIEMmer_Down. Learn how Mandiant is working to address the cyber security skills gap: https://mndt.info/3T0QjQdDon’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to The Defender’s Advantage Podcast where you listen to podcasts. 

This week’s episode of The Defender’s Advantage Podcast features Stan Trepetin, Technical Product Manager at Google Cloud, who joined Threat Trends host Luke McNamara to discuss the Threat Horizon’s Report produced by the Google Cybersecurity Action Team. Stan highlights several articles from the latest report in the quarterly series, including a piece on the importance of sharing information on state actor threats and vulnerabilities with the community to better protect your organization. He also details two of his own articles in the report, one on the issues that arise from improper cloud oversight and the other on malicious files and URLs slipping by IT governance controls. Read the latest Threat Horizons Report from the Google Cybersecurity Action Team: https://mndt.info/3Wjb4K6Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to The Defender’s Advantage Podcast where you listen to podcasts. 

On this week’s episode of The Defender’s Advantage Podcast, Skills Gap series host Chris Campbell is joined by Mandiant’s Fernando Tomlinson and Matt Boyle for a discussion on the value of hiring individuals from diverse professional backgrounds and ensuring accessibility to certifications and tools for those interested in transitioning to the cyber security field. Fernando and Matt share their thoughts on what hiring teams in the industry can do to learn more about an applicant’s analytical or soft skills outside of their resume. They also discuss the tools and resources that are available to foster greater diversity in the industry, which prospective candidates may not have immediate knowledge of, such as topical video libraries, SANS Cyber Immersion Academies and industry conferences.  Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to The Defender’s Advantage Podcast where you listen to podcasts. 

This week’s episode of The Defender’s Advantage Podcast, Mandiant’s Yihao Lim joins the Threat Trends series to chat with host Luke McNamara about the threat landscape in the Asia-Pacific region. Yihao discusses recent IO campaigns in the region, particularly DragonBridge and HaiEnergy, and how these attacks influence how organizations view disinformation campaigns in APJ. He also discusses the impact of geopolitical drivers, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and tensions between China and Taiwan, impact the cyber security landscape in the region. Additionally, Yihao shares the trends that he sees in the threat landscape and how organizations in the region are approaching security. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to The Defender’s Advantage Podcast where you listen to podcasts.