In this episode of Cyber Insiders, Cian Heasley, Threat Lead at Adarma, shares his insight into how rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are influencing cyber activity. He breaks down the role of hacktivists, the potential involvement of state-aligned actors, and the implications for UK-based organisations and Critical National Infrastructure.

Content Note:
This episode was recorded before the latest developments involving US involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict (21/6/25). These insights reflect the cyber threat landscape prior to this latest development.

In this episode of Cyber Insiders Jamie McCallion, Partner & Technical Manager at Splunk joins us to explore how cybersecurity teams can turn data overload into actionable insight. She shares advice on spotting data blind spots, getting more from the data you already have, and avoiding common mistakes with log management. Jamie also talks data ownership, AI misconceptions, and what to look for in a cybersecurity partner. 

In this episode of Cyber Insiders, Cian Heasley, Threat Lead at Adarma, walks us through our Incident Response team's investigation into the exploitation of Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile (EPMM) by UNC5221, a threat group linked to the Chinese state. 

Cian breaks down how the attackers chained CVE-2025-4427 and CVE-2025-4428 to gain unauthenticated remote code execution, what tools and techniques they used, and explains why this campaign shows signs of strategic pre-positioning. 

In this episode of Cyber Insiders, we sit down with Leanne Salisbury, Principal Consultant at Adarma, to explore how creative cybersecurity testing can help organisations go beyond compliance and surface real, impactful insights. Leanne shares how businesses can shift their mindset by thinking like an attacker, designing realistic and imaginative test scenarios, and using threat intelligence to uncover hidden vulnerabilities. 

In this episode of Cyber Insiders, Cian Heasley, Threat Lead at Adarma, breaks down the rise of DragonForce — a ransomware group linked to recent attacks on major UK retailers. He explores their tools, tactics, and growing influence in the Ransomware-as-a-Service scene, along with steps organisations can take to prepare and defend against them.

In this episode of Cyber Insiders, Cian Heasley, Threat Lead at Adarma, explores the rise of Scattered Spider — a fast-moving cyber threat group linked to the high-profile ransomware attack on UK retailer, Marks and Spencer. He breaks down their social engineering tactics, SIM swapping techniques, and affiliate partnerships. The discussion also covers how organisations can adapt their defences and how Adarma is supporting customers in responding to this evolving threat. 

In this episode of Cyber Insiders, Laura Ingram, Managing Consultant at Adarma, shares her firsthand experience during a major ransomware attack. She explores the initial response, the importance of establishing command, team dynamics, and strategies for containment and recovery. Laura highlights the significance of morale, communication, and preparation in reducing the impact of cyber incidents. The discussion also underscores the need for employee education and the development of a cyber resilience roadmap to help prevent future attacks.

Phishing-as-a-Service (PhaaS) is making it easier than ever for attackers to launch sophisticated phishing campaigns. In this episode of Cyber Insiders, Adarma’s Threat Intelligence Specialist Alison Frost explores how PhaaS works, the groups behind it, and how organisations can defend against evolving phishing threats.

Listen now to stay ahead of the latest cybercrime tactics.

Chinese state-sponsored threat actor Salt Typhoon has been quietly infiltrating global telecommunications networks for years. But how do they gain access, and why are they so difficult to remove once inside? 

In our latest episode of Cyber Insiders, Cian Heasley, Threat Lead at Adarma shares his insights on this sophisticated threat actor.

In this episode of Cyber Insiders, Liz Banbury, Chief Information Security Officer at Thames Water, discusses the unique cybersecurity challenges of protecting critical national infrastructure, especially within the water sector. She also shares her insights on effective stakeholder management, building a security culture, and implementing robust cybersecurity strategies in large, complex organisations.

In this episode of Cyber Insiders, we speak with Jonathan Lloyd White, Group CISO at Natura & Co., a global company operating in 73 countries.

We delve into the cybersecurity challenges he faces in safeguarding such a complex organisation, the approach he takes and what it’s like to lead cybersecurity across diverse cultures and businesses.

Find out more at https://adarma.com

In the latest instalment of Cyber Insiders, we had the privilege of sitting down with EasyJet's Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Paul Midian. In this episode, Paul delves into the challenges that security leaders face in an evolving and heavily regulated cybersecurity landscape. With a remarkable 25 years of experience in information security, Paul provides valuable advice on articulating cyber risk to business stakeholders and strategies to avoid falling into the trap of being perceived as the "department of no."

Find out more at https://adarma.com

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In this episode of Cyber Insiders, we talk to Sarah Dyer-Hall, the Director of Digital, Data and Technology at Drinkaware, about the charity’s cybersecurity journey and the potential repercussions of underestimating the importance and scope of cyber resilience.

Aside from the reputational damage, Sarah warns that without proper preparation and a well-rehearsed incident response plan a cyber-attack could cripple your organisation, making it hard to deliver on your services and promises to stakeholders. Without the right support or a well-tested incident response plan in place, you could be mopping up for weeks after the event, consuming your precious internal resources. Find out how to avoid this scenario and find the right security partner.

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In this episode we talk to Debi Ashenden, Professor of Cybersecurity at the University of Portsmouth about the social and human behavioural aspects of cybersecurity. Debi shares her perspective on the need to find ways to “patch with people” rather than with technology alone and discusses the impact of organisational psychology on cybersecurity.

From “social loafing” to the “free rider” and “sucker effect”, Debi delves into the various psychological factors that influence poor decision making around cybersecurity and explores the changing role of the CISO in driving user awareness and reducing human vulnerability.

Find out more at https://adarma.com

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In this episode of Cyber Insiders, we talk to Rob Black, Director of the UK 9/12 Strategy Challenge about cyber warfare, proactive cyber defence and cyber deception.  

Rob Black is a cybersecurity professional and academic whose areas of expertise include cyber deception, threat analysis, counterterrorism, cyber resilience, and cyber warfare with a background that includes combating pirates to influencing world leaders.  

Rob draws parallels from his experience in the Ministry of Defence to his career in cyber security and discusses how the commercial world could leverage military learnings and techniques to disrupt cyber attacks.

Find out more at https://adarma.com

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In this episode of Cyber Insiders, we talk to Rob Black, Director of the UK 9/12 Strategy Challenge about the ways we can start to address the digital skills shortage, drive diversity within the industry and how experiential learning activities can help open the world of cyber to wider talent pool.

Rob Black is a cybersecurity professional and academic whose areas of expertise include cyber deception, threat analysis, counterterrorism, cyber resilience, and cyber warfare with a background that includes combating pirates to influencing world leaders.

Find out more at https://adarma.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this first episode, Adarma CEO John Maynard and Chief Marketing Officer, Joanne Gilhooley sit-down with cyber industry veteran Andreas Wuchner to discuss the ever-changing role of the CISO and why its moved beyond a pure technical role to a more holistic one.  

Andreas, who has over 25 years of experience in cyber and risk and has worked with big names such as IBM, Deutsche Bank, and the Swiss Government, shares the lessons he’s learned over the course of his fascinating career, the changes he’s seen across the landscape and why he thinks organisations need to actively build a security-first culture and re-think the way we recruit across the industry.

Find out more at https://adarma.com

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Cyber insiders lifts the lid on what it’s really like to work at the top end of cybersecurity. 

Speaking to industry experts we expose a high-pressured, fast-moving industry that expects its leaders to defend against a well-funded growing underbelly of cyber criminals.

From digital extortion to nation state sponsored espionage, it’s no wonder cybersecurity professionals are feeling the pressure.

We’ll take a deep dive into the challenges, stresses, and motivations of those that protect our banks, high street brands, and critical infrastructure, to uncover what it really takes to win against these growing criminal empires.

Brought to you by Adarma. Cybersecurity services tailored to your needs. https://adarma.com

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