Cyber Uncut

In this episode of the Contested Ground Podcast, hosts Phil Tarrant, Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson, and Steve Kuper discuss the immediate aftermath of the US–Israeli strikes against Iran and the ramifications for Australia.
The trio lays the foundation for a mini-series of focused podcast conversations over the coming weeks to address the impact of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East on Australia and the Australian public.
These topics will include engaging conversations with a range of experts across the following:
The impact on social cohesion and the rise of foreign interference in Australia's diaspora communities.
Australia's declining industrial sovereignty and the impact of contested, frayed and interrupted supply chains.
The economic impacts of the conflict in the Middle East and Australia's cost-of-living crisis and the fuel security challenges Australia faces.
The impact on Australia's key economic pillars and the connective tissue of logistic supply chains.
Cyber security, disinformation and proxy activity in Australia.
Migration and the challenges facing Australia's diaspora communities.
Questions relating to Australia's geographic isolation and the psychology behind our "Tyranny of Distance" and the impact on Australia's security posture.
Questions relating to what kind of "Middle Power" Australia wants to be.
Enjoy the podcast,
The Contested Ground team

This week on Cyber Uncut, Liam Garman and Daniel Croft unpack the week's cyber and AI news, while David Hollingworth reports from Zero Trust World 2026 in Florida!
Garman and Croft kick off the podcast with news of ChatGPT shedding a raft of users since it announced it would sign up with the Pentagon after rival AI giant Anthropic backed down over fears its AI would be used without adequate guardrails.
The pair then unpack the Commonwealth Bank's self-reported $1 billion fraud case involving illegitimate home loans after two whistleblowers accused a lender and a mortgage broker of forging income statements within the bank's private banking division. The two also cover how a hacktivist group named the "Department of Peace" allegedly breached the DHS Office of Industry Partnerships and released details on ICE and DHS contracts with over 6,000 entities, including Anduril, Microsoft, Oracle, and Palantir.
Finally, we then cut to David Hollingworth on the floor of Zero Trust World 2026, where he caught up with ThreatLocker's CEO, Danny Jenkins, unpacking the cyber security implications of the fighting in Iran, after Garman and Croft outline the threats to the world's financial systems as the conflict continues in the region.
Enjoy,
The Cyber Uncut team

This week on Cyber Uncut, David Hollingworth and Daniel Croft unpack the week's cyber and AI news and entertain a special guest to boot!
The pair kick off the podcast discussing Qantas facing a backlash over a series of job cuts that may be informed by the company embracing AI, while WiseTech's announcement of 2,000 job cuts definitely is driven by AI uptake. The pair also talk about CrowdStrike's latest research, which shows hackers are embracing AI as much as everyone else.
Hollingworth then unpacks a hacking spree targeting Australian small and medium-sized businesses by the Qilin ransomware operation, as well as a hack that has taken a major Aussie poultry producer offline. The pair also discuss the implications of an Australian man charged for selling cyber secrets to a broker linked to Russia.
Hollingworth introduces this week's guest, ProofPoint CEO Sumit Dhawan, before the pair have a chat about agentic AI threats and how CISOs can educate their boards, and then they have a look at a more lighthearted – somewhat – sex toy data breach.
Enjoy,
The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Contested Ground Podcast, hosts Steve Kuper and Liam Garman speak with Agsecure's Andrew Henderson as they unpack the recently released US food security strategy.
The trio unpack the details underpinning the pivot in American thinking resulting in the development of the food security strategy.
They also discuss the key priorities and focus areas identified in the food security strategy, ranging from concerns around biosecurity, foreign ownership of agricultural land through to supply chain bottlenecks and constraints for key inputs.
The trio also unpack the lessons for Australia as we begin our own national conversation about our food security and the challenges we face despite exporting 70 per cent of our annual agricultural produce.
Enjoy the Podcast
The Contested Ground team

In this episode of The CISO Brief, Liam Garman and Daniel Croft unpack the massive youX fintech data breach affecting hundreds of thousands of Australians, a Docusign scam targeting personal and myGov credentials, and new insights into how Australian businesses are adopting AI.
The hosts break down the UX hack, why it's not just the quantity of data that matters, but also the sensitive financial ecosystem it sits in, and how threat actors can exploit it for fraud and phishing.
Next, they cover a Docusign impersonation scam, explaining the "borrowed trust" technique and how scammers leverage familiar brands and urgency to trick victims into giving up personal data.
Finally, Garman and Croft review Deloitte's 2026 State of AI in the Enterprise report, revealing that Australian companies are lagging in full-scale AI adoption but are prioritising responsible, measured implementation over rushing in.
Enjoy the show,
The Cyber Daily team