The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some intel being shared in the LimaCharlie community.Since the onset of the conflict in the Gulf region, cybersecurity researchers have observed a noticeable rise in malicious cyber activity tied to geopolitical events.Unit 42 researchers are warning about an increased risk of destructive cyberattacks tied to the conflict involving Iran.The hacking group known as TeamPCP has expanded a large-scale supply chain campaign targeting widely used open source software ecosystems.In September 2025, Anthropic disclosed an incident in which a state-sponsored threat actor used an AI coding agent to conduct an autonomous cyber espionage campaign targeting 30 organizations worldwide.Support our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform.This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io.

This week on Defender Friday we are joined by Andrew Cook, CTO of Recon InfoSec, to talk about what it means to build a strong security team and why hiring builders is always a good bet.As the CTO of Recon InfoSec, a leading provider of managed security operations, Andrew oversees the technical vision, strategy, and execution of their services and solutions. He has more than a decade of experience in threat hunting, digital forensics, network defense, and capability development.Andrew's mission is to provide customers with the expertise they need to confidently and effectively respond to incidents, protect their organizations, and enhance their resilience. He has a proven track record of delivering high-quality results, leading and mentoring teams, and collaborating with partners across the industry and the government. Andrew is also a former Air Force officer, with national-level contributions and a passion for technical leadership.Learn more at reconinfosec.comRegister for Live SessionsJoin us every Friday at 10:30am PT for live, interactive discussions with industry experts. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just curious about the field, these sessions offer an engaging dialogue between our guests, hosts, and you – our audience.Register here: https://limacharlie.io/defender-fridaysSubscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the notification bell to never miss a live session or catch up on past episodes!Sponsored by LimaCharlieThis episode is brought to you by LimaCharlie, a cloud-native SecOps platform where AI agents operate security infrastructure directly. Founded in 2018, LimaCharlie provides complete API coverage across detection, response, automation, and telemetry, with multi-tenant architecture designed for MSSPs and MDR providers managing thousands of unique client environments.Why LimaCharlie?Transparency: Complete visibility into every action and decision. No black boxes, no vendor lock-in.Scalability: Security operations that scale like infrastructure, not like procurement cycles. Move at cloud speed.Unopinionated Design: Integrate the tools you need, not just those contracts allow. Build security on your terms.Agentic SecOps Workspace (ASW): AI agents that operate alongside your team with observable, auditable actions through the same APIs human analysts use.Security Primitives: Composable building blocks that endure as tools come and go. Build once, evolve continuously.Try the Agentic SecOps Workspace free: https://limacharlie.ioLearn more: https://docs.limacharlie.io/Follow LimaCharlieSign up for free: https://limacharlie.io/LinkedIn: / limacharlieio X: https://x.com/limacharlieioCommunity Discourse: https://community.limacharlie.com/Host: Maxime Lamothe-Brassard - CEO / Co-founder at LimaCharlie

Justin Searle, Director of ICS Security at InGuardians, joins us today to talk about the challenges facing industrial control system security. With increased attack surface areas and maintaining and updating decades-old systems, Justin's dedication to informing and educating newcomers and experts alike is more important now than ever before.As the Director of ICS Security at InGuardians, Justin specializes in ICS security architecture design and penetration testing. He led the Smart Grid Security Architecture group in creating the NIST Interagency Report 7628 and has played key roles in the Advanced Security Acceleration Project for the Smart Grid (ASAP-SG), National Electric Sector Cybersecurity Organization Resources (NESCOR), and Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP). Justin is the owner of ControlThings LLC, a member of the SANS faculty, and an instructor at BlackHat. He has authored and taught numerous courses such as ICS410: ICS/SCADA Security Essentials, Assessing and Exploiting Control Systems and IIoT, Assessing and Exploiting Web Applications with SamuraiWTF, and SEC542: Web App Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking. Justin also presents on a range of cybersecurity topics at leading security conferences across the globe.Learn more at: controlthings.ioSupport our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform. This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io

David Burkett, Cloud Security Researcher at Corelight, is back on Defender Fridays this week to discuss thinking in pipelines for AI agents.As a dedicated and highly experienced Cloud Detection Engineer and Security Architect, David has the privilege of working at a Fortune 50 Company where he leverages his extensive background in cybersecurity to protect digital assets. With a proven track record of building three different Cyber Security Operations Centers for multiple MSSP/MDR providers.David's expertise is backed by a strong set of GIAC certifications, including GCTI, GCIA, GPYC, and GCED... among others. He's proud to have been part of a large overall security team that won the prestigious James S. Cogswell Outstanding Industrial Security Achievement Award from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. Our security operations center was recognized as being among the top 1% of cybersecurity programs for all cleared facilities.In addition to his hands-on experience, David has consulted for over 40 Fortune 500 Companies and Large Federal Organizations, helping them manage their SOAR platforms and playbooks. As a strong believer in knowledge sharing and collaboration, he's also an active contributor to the open-source detection security project known as Sigma. Learn more at https://corelight.com/Register for Live SessionsJoin us every Friday at 10:30am PT for live, interactive discussions with industry experts. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just curious about the field, these sessions offer an engaging dialogue between our guests, hosts, and you – our audience.Register here: https://limacharlie.io/defender-fridaysSubscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the notification bell to never miss a live session or catch up on past episodes!Sponsored by LimaCharlieThis episode is brought to you by LimaCharlie, a cloud-native SecOps platform where AI agents operate security infrastructure directly. Founded in 2018, LimaCharlie provides complete API coverage across detection, response, automation, and telemetry, with multi-tenant architecture designed for MSSPs and MDR providers managing thousands of unique client environments.Why LimaCharlie?Transparency: Complete visibility into every action and decision. No black boxes, no vendor lock-in.Scalability: Security operations that scale like infrastructure, not like procurement cycles. Move at cloud speed.Unopinionated Design: Integrate the tools you need, not just those contracts allow. Build security on your terms.Agentic SecOps Workspace (ASW): AI agents that operate alongside your team with observable, auditable actions through the same APIs human analysts use.Security Primitives: Composable building blocks that endure as tools come and go. Build once, evolve continuously.Try the Agentic SecOps Workspace free: https://limacharlie.ioLearn more: https://docs.limacharlie.io/Follow LimaCharlieSign up for free: https://limacharlie.io/LinkedIn: / limacharlieio X: https://x.com/limacharlieioCommunity Discourse: https://community.limacharlie.com/Host: Maxime Lamothe-Brassard - CEO / Co-founder at LimaCharlie

Today we're speaking with Stel Valavanis, Founder and Chairman at onShore Networks and Co-Founder at The Gallery Building, about sustaining a security company over three decades of industry changes. We also dive into investing in start ups and how founders can think long term about governance and growth.Stel has over 40 years of experience ranging from software development to network design and cybersecurity. He's founded 8 companies, invested in 10 more, and sit on various boards. His goal is to build the best tech stack for his customers but also wants to pay forward and make investments in startups, leveraging his knowledge and resources. Stel is always open to board positions and speaking engagements on cybersecurity, media technology, startup investing, and entrepreneurship.Support our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform. This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some intel being shared in the LimaCharlie community.The White House released President Trump’s Cyber Strategy for America, outlining a national framework to strengthen both defensive and offensive cybersecurity capabilities.Iran has expanded the scope of potential targets in the ongoing conflict with Israel and the United States by identifying infrastructure tied to major American technology companies in the Middle East as “legitimate targets.”Chinese-linked threat actors have launched cyberattacks against organizations in Qatar shortly after the initial US-Israel strikes on Iran, indicating a shift in regional targeting strategy.An Iranian-linked hacking group has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on U.S.-based medical equipment manufacturer Stryker, which disrupted the company’s technology operations across its global offices.Support our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform.This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io.

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some intel being shared in the LimaCharlie community.Iranian drone strikes damaged three Amazon Web Services data center facilities in the Middle East, highlighting the physical risks associated with large-scale cloud infrastructure.Cyber activity linked to Iran and pro-Iranian actors has intensified following a joint US–Israeli military strike on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other government officials.The India-linked advanced persistent threat group known as “Sloppy Lemming” has significantly increased its cyber operations over the past year, targeting organizations in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other parts of South and Southeast Asia.A cybersecurity researcher has reported a potentially serious vulnerability in Honeywell’s IQ4 building management controller, though the vendor disputes both the severity and practical impact of the issue.Support our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform.This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io.

Saurabh Shintre, Founder and CEO of Realm Labs, is on Defender Fridays today to discuss securing AI from within.Saurabh previously led the AI security research at Splunk and Symantec. He has been at the forefront of AI security research for nearly a decade with multiple publications and patents and regularly features on public forums on issues regarding security and AI. Saurabh holds a PhD from Carnegie Mellon. Learn more at https://www.realmlabs.ai/Register for Live SessionsJoin us every Friday at 10:30am PT for live, interactive discussions with industry experts. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just curious about the field, these sessions offer an engaging dialogue between our guests, hosts, and you – our audience.Register here: https://limacharlie.io/defender-fridaysSubscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the notification bell to never miss a live session or catch up on past episodes!Sponsored by LimaCharlieThis episode is brought to you by LimaCharlie, a cloud-native SecOps platform where AI agents operate security infrastructure directly. Founded in 2018, LimaCharlie provides complete API coverage across detection, response, automation, and telemetry, with multi-tenant architecture designed for MSSPs and MDR providers managing thousands of unique client environments.Why LimaCharlie?Transparency: Complete visibility into every action and decision. No black boxes, no vendor lock-in.Scalability: Security operations that scale like infrastructure, not like procurement cycles. Move at cloud speed.Unopinionated Design: Integrate the tools you need, not just those contracts allow. Build security on your terms.Agentic SecOps Workspace (ASW): AI agents that operate alongside your team with observable, auditable actions through the same APIs human analysts use.Security Primitives: Composable building blocks that endure as tools come and go. Build once, evolve continuously.Try the Agentic SecOps Workspace free: https://limacharlie.ioLearn more: https://docs.limacharlie.io/Follow LimaCharlieSign up for free: https://limacharlie.io/LinkedIn: / limacharlieio X: https://x.com/limacharlieioCommunity Discourse: https://community.limacharlie.com/Host: Maxime Lamothe-Brassard - CEO / Co-founder at LimaCharlie

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some intel being shared in the LimaCharlie community.GitLab’s Threat Intelligence Team published detailed findings on North Korean activity associated with the Contagious Interview campaign and broader IT worker operations.A financially motivated, Russian-speaking threat actor used generative AI tools to compromise more than 600 Fortinet FortiGate firewall instances between January and February, according to Amazon Web Services.Cisco has released emergency patches for a critical zero-day vulnerability in its Catalyst SD-WAN products that has been actively exploited in the wild.Citrini Research presents a forward-looking scenario framed as a June 2028 macro memo describing a “Global Intelligence Crisis” triggered by abundant AI-driven intelligence.Support our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform.This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io.

John V, AI risk, safety, and security at the Institute for Security and Technology (IST), joins Defender Fridays today. John's work spans AI red teaming, adversarial machine learning, AI evals and validation, and AI risk assessment, including policy work at the intersection of AGI and nuclear strategic stability. Learn more at https://securityandtechnology.org/Register for Live SessionsJoin us every Friday at 10:30am PT for live, interactive discussions with industry experts. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just curious about the field, these sessions offer an engaging dialogue between our guests, hosts, and you – our audience.Register here: https://limacharlie.io/defender-fridaysSubscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the notification bell to never miss a live session or catch up on past episodes!Sponsored by LimaCharlieThis episode is brought to you by LimaCharlie, a cloud-native SecOps platform where AI agents operate security infrastructure directly. Founded in 2018, LimaCharlie provides complete API coverage across detection, response, automation, and telemetry, with multi-tenant architecture designed for MSSPs and MDR providers managing thousands of unique client environments.Why LimaCharlie?Transparency: Complete visibility into every action and decision. No black boxes, no vendor lock-in.Scalability: Security operations that scale like infrastructure, not like procurement cycles. Move at cloud speed.Unopinionated Design: Integrate the tools you need, not just those contracts allow. Build security on your terms.Agentic SecOps Workspace (ASW): AI agents that operate alongside your team with observable, auditable actions through the same APIs human analysts use.Security Primitives: Composable building blocks that endure as tools come and go. Build once, evolve continuously.Try the Agentic SecOps Workspace free: https://limacharlie.ioLearn more: https://docs.limacharlie.ioFollow LimaCharlieSign up for free: https://limacharlie.ioLinkedIn: / limacharlieio X: https://x.com/limacharlieioCommunity Discourse: https://community.limacharlie.com/Host: Maxime Lamothe-Brassard - CEO / Co-founder at LimaCharlie

On this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we speak with Chris Cochran, Field CISO & Vice President of AI Security at SANS Institute, about how to navigate the future of AI risk and security strategyChris works at the intersection of cyber defense, AI safety, and emerging risk, where the threats are converging and the playbooks are still being written. His career has taken him from the Marine Corps to NSA, U.S. Cyber Command, the U.S. House of Representatives, Mandiant, and Netflix. Across every role, one throughline: understanding adversaries, building high-trust teams, and translating complex problems into strategies leaders can act on.Today, Chris advises organizations, governments, and research institutions on AI governance, agentic threat preparedness, and unifying safety and security into a single discipline. He contributes to global standards efforts including the EU AI Act (via OWASP AI) and leads executive education on cybersecurity and AI strategy at SANS.Support our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform. This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some intel being shared in the LimaCharlie community.A financially motivated threat actor known as GS7 is conducting a large-scale phishing campaign called Operation DoppelBrand, targeting Fortune 500 companies by impersonating their corporate login portals.Kaspersky researchers have analyzed a newly identified Android malware strain named Keenadu that provides attackers with remote control over infected devices.Application Programming Interfaces continue to be a primary attack surface, and new research from Wallarm shows the problem is accelerating as AI adoption expands.Hacker News outlines cybersecurity technology priorities for 2026, framing the environment as one of continuous instability rather than periodic disruption.Support our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform.This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io.

This week on Defender Fridays, Farshad Abasi, Founder and CEO of Forward Security and Eureka DevSecOps, discusses how AI can help us set a new standard in app and cloud security. Farshad brings over 27 years of industry experience to the forefront of cybersecurity innovation. His professional journey includes key technical roles at Intel and Motorola, evolving into senior security positions as the Principal Security Architect for HSBC Global, and Head of IT Security for the Canadian division. Farshad's commitment to the field extends to his role as an instructor at BCIT, where he imparts his wealth of knowledge to the next generation of cybersecurity experts. His diverse experience, which spans startups to large enterprises, informs his approach to delivering adaptive and reliable solutions.Engaged actively in the cybersecurity community through roles in BSides Vancouver/MARS, OWASP Vancouver/AppSec PNW, and as a CISSP designate, Farshad's vision and leadership continue to drive the industry forward. Under his guidance, Forward Security is setting new standards in application and cloud security. Learn more at https://www.eurekadevsecops.com/ and https://forwardsecurity.com/Register for Live SessionsJoin us every Friday at 10:30am PT for live, interactive discussions with industry experts. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just curious about the field, these sessions offer an engaging dialogue between our guests, hosts, and you – our audience.Register here: https://limacharlie.io/defender-fridaysSubscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the notification bell to never miss a live session or catch up on past episodes!Sponsored by LimaCharlieThis episode is brought to you by LimaCharlie, a cloud-native SecOps platform where AI agents operate security infrastructure directly. Founded in 2018, LimaCharlie provides complete API coverage across detection, response, automation, and telemetry, with multi-tenant architecture designed for MSSPs and MDR providers managing thousands of unique client environments.Why LimaCharlie?Transparency: Complete visibility into every action and decision. No black boxes, no vendor lock-in.Scalability: Security operations that scale like infrastructure, not like procurement cycles. Move at cloud speed.Unopinionated Design: Integrate the tools you need, not just those contracts allow. Build security on your terms.Agentic SecOps Workspace (ASW): AI agents that operate alongside your team with observable, auditable actions through the same APIs human analysts use.Security Primitives: Composable building blocks that endure as tools come and go. Build once, evolve continuously.Try the Agentic SecOps Workspace free: https://limacharlie.ioLearn more: https://docs.limacharlie.ioFollow LimaCharlieSign up for free: https://limacharlie.ioLinkedIn: / limacharlieio X: https://x.com/limacharlieioCommunity Discourse: https://community.limacharlie.com/Host: Maxime Lamothe-Brassard - CEO / Co-founder at LimaCharlie

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some intel being shared in the LimaCharlie community.Russian cyber operations have maintained a consistent focus on exploiting both tactical and strategic targets within the defense industrial base, particularly in the context of the war in Ukraine.Sygnia has disclosed a large-scale, AI-driven scam operation involving over 150 cloned websites impersonating law firms.A joint investigation by SentinelLabs and Censys has revealed a growing ecosystem of publicly exposed AI compute infrastructure, driven largely by deployments of Ollama - an open-source framework for running large language models locally.Flare has identified a widespread, ongoing campaign attributed to a threat actor group known as TeamPCP -also operating under aliases such as PCPcat and ShellForce - which has compromised over 60,000 servers worldwide since late December.Support our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform.This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io.

This week Brandon Min, Founder and CEO of Herd Security, joins Defender Fridays to discuss how human risk management needs to rebrand with empathy.Brandon is the co-founder and CEO of Herd Security, where they help security teams drive employee engagement in security, making a more resilient organization. Humans have been the #1 target of organizational cyber attacks; however, security teams, organizations, vendors, and leaders have vilified them. At Herd, they believe security should be led with empathy and care. Building trust amongst users that will drive their engagement in security. Building herd immunity from cyber attacks. Learn more at https://herdsecurity.io/Register for Live SessionsJoin us every Friday at 10:30am PT for live, interactive discussions with industry experts. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just curious about the field, these sessions offer an engaging dialogue between our guests, hosts, and you – our audience.Register here: https://limacharlie.io/defender-fridaysSubscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the notification bell to never miss a live session or catch up on past episodes!Sponsored by LimaCharlieThis episode is brought to you by LimaCharlie, a cloud-native SecOps platform where AI agents operate security infrastructure directly. Founded in 2018, LimaCharlie provides complete API coverage across detection, response, automation, and telemetry, with multi-tenant architecture designed for MSSPs and MDR providers managing thousands of unique client environments.Why LimaCharlie?Transparency: Complete visibility into every action and decision. No black boxes, no vendor lock-in.Scalability: Security operations that scale like infrastructure, not like procurement cycles. Move at cloud speed.Unopinionated Design: Integrate the tools you need, not just those contracts allow. Build security on your terms.Agentic SecOps Workspace (ASW): AI agents that operate alongside your team with observable, auditable actions through the same APIs human analysts use.Security Primitives: Composable building blocks that endure as tools come and go. Build once, evolve continuously.Try the Agentic SecOps Workspace free: https://limacharlie.ioLearn more: https://docs.limacharlie.ioFollow LimaCharlieSign up for free: https://limacharlie.ioLinkedIn: / limacharlieio X: https://x.com/limacharlieioCommunity Discourse: https://community.limacharlie.com/Host: Maxime Lamothe-Brassard - CEO / Co-founder at LimaCharlie

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some intel being shared in the LimaCharlie community.OpenClaw, an open source AI agent formerly known as MoltBot and ClawdBot, has rapidly become the fastest-growing project on GitHub, amassing over 113,000 stars in under a week.A critical vulnerability in the React Native Community CLI NPM package, tracked as CVE-2025-11953 with a CVSS score of 9.8, has been actively exploited in the wild since late December 2025, according to new findings by VulnCheck. JFrog article.Following the disclosure in the Notepad++ v8.8.9 release announcement, further investigation confirmed a sophisticated supply chain attack that targeted the application's update mechanism.Google, in coordination with multiple partners, has undertaken a large-scale disruption effort targeting the IPIDEA proxy network, which it identifies as one of the largest residential proxy networks globally.Support our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform.This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io.

Most orgs have a major blind spot: the browser.This week on Defender Fridays, we're joined by Cody Pierce, Co-Founder and CEO at Neon Cyber, to discuss why browser security remains a critical gap, from sophisticated phishing campaigns that bypass traditional controls to shadow AI tools operating outside your security perimeter.Cody began his career in the computer security industry twenty-five years ago. The first half of his journey was rooted in deep R&D for offensive security, and he had the privilege of leading great teams working on elite problems. Over the last decade, Cody have moved into product and leadership roles that allowed him to focus on developing and delivering innovative and differentiated capabilities through product incubation, development, and GTM activities. Cody says he gets the most joy from building and delivering products that bring order to the chaos of cyber security while giving defenders the upper hand.About This SessionThis office hours format brings together the LimaCharlie team to share practical experiences with AI-powered security operations. Rather than theoretical discussions, we demonstrate working tools and invite the community to share their own AI security experiments. The session highlights the rapid evolution of AI capabilities in cybersecurity and explores the changing relationship between security practitioners and automation.Register for Live SessionsJoin us every Friday at 10:30am PT for live, interactive discussions with industry experts. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just curious about the field, these sessions offer an engaging dialogue between our guests, hosts, and you – our audience.Register here: https://limacharlie.io/defender-fridaysSubscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the notification bell to never miss a live session or catch up on past episodes!Sponsored by LimaCharlieThis episode is brought to you by LimaCharlie, a cloud-native SecOps platform where AI agents operate security infrastructure directly. Founded in 2018, LimaCharlie provides complete API coverage across detection, response, automation, and telemetry, with multi-tenant architecture designed for MSSPs and MDR providers managing thousands of unique client environments.Why LimaCharlie?Transparency: Complete visibility into every action and decision. No black boxes, no vendor lock-in.Scalability: Security operations that scale like infrastructure, not like procurement cycles. Move at cloud speed.Unopinionated Design: Integrate the tools you need, not just those contracts allow. Build security on your terms.Agentic SecOps Workspace (ASW): AI agents that operate alongside your team with observable, auditable actions through the same APIs human analysts use.Security Primitives: Composable building blocks that endure as tools come and go. Build once, evolve continuously.Try the Agentic SecOps Workspace free: https://limacharlie.ioLearn more: https://docs.limacharlie.ioFollow LimaCharlieSign up for free: https://limacharlie.ioLinkedIn: / limacharlieio X: https://x.com/limacharlieioCommunity Discourse: https://community.limacharlie.com/Host: Maxime Lamothe-Brassard - CEO / Co-founder at LimaCharlie

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some intel being shared in the LimaCharlie community.Researchers at Trend Micro have uncovered continued activity from China-aligned threat actors leveraging a cross-platform JavaScript-based command-and-control framework known as "PeckBirdy".Silent Push has identified an extensive phishing campaign targeting over 100 organizations, attributed to the threat actor group ShinyHunters.A malicious Visual Studio Code extension impersonating an AI coding assistant for OpenClaw (former Moltbot) has been discovered distributing malware via the official VS Code Extension Marketplace.Dragos has attributed the December 2025 cyberattack on the Polish power grid to the Russian state-sponsored group known as ELECTRUM, with medium confidence.Support our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform.This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io.

Join us for a special Defender Fridays Office Hours session where the LimaCharlie team demonstrates the new Agentic SecOps Workspace (ASW) and explores what's possible when AI agents operate security infrastructure directly.At Defender Fridays, we delve into the dynamic world of information security, exploring its defensive side with seasoned professionals from across the industry. Our aim is simple yet ambitious: to foster a collaborative space where ideas flow freely, experiences are shared, and knowledge expands.What We'll DiscussIn this hands-on session, we showcase real working implementations of AI in cybersecurity operations. From reverse engineering malware to automated rule tuning and infrastructure management, we demonstrate how AI agents are transforming security workflows from concept to production-ready tools in hours instead of days.Key TopicsAutomated malware analysis and decompilation without traditional manual reverse engineering workflowsRule tuning at scale: Investigating noisy detections, writing false positive rules, and deploying them autonomouslyInfrastructure automation: Setting up data sources, configuring tenants, and managing security operations through AI agentsThe permission model: Balancing AI capability with human oversight and approval workflowsReal-world applications: Custom reporting, detection coverage analysis, and operational time savingsAbout This SessionThis office hours format brings together the LimaCharlie team to share practical experiences with AI-powered security operations. Rather than theoretical discussions, we demonstrate working tools and invite the community to share their own AI security experiments. The session highlights the rapid evolution of AI capabilities in cybersecurity and explores the changing relationship between security practitioners and automation.Register for Live SessionsJoin us every Friday at 10:30am PT for live, interactive discussions with industry experts. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just curious about the field, these sessions offer an engaging dialogue between our guests, hosts, and you – our audience.Register here: https://limacharlie.io/defender-fridaysSubscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the notification bell to never miss a live session or catch up on past episodes!Sponsored by LimaCharlieThis episode is brought to you by LimaCharlie, a cloud-native SecOps platform where AI agents operate security infrastructure directly. Founded in 2018, LimaCharlie provides complete API coverage across detection, response, automation, and telemetry, with multi-tenant architecture designed for MSSPs and MDR providers managing thousands of unique client environments.Why LimaCharlie?Transparency: Complete visibility into every action and decision. No black boxes, no vendor lock-in.Scalability: Security operations that scale like infrastructure, not like procurement cycles. Move at cloud speed.Unopinionated Design: Integrate the tools you need, not just those contracts allow. Build security on your terms.Agentic SecOps Workspace (ASW): AI agents that operate alongside your team with observable, auditable actions through the same APIs human analysts use.Security Primitives: Composable building blocks that endure as tools come and go. Build once, evolve continuously.Try the Agentic SecOps Workspace free: https://limacharlie.ioLearn more: https://docs.limacharlie.ioFollow LimaCharlieSign up for free: https://limacharlie.ioLinkedIn: / limacharlieio X: https://x.com/limacharlieioCommunity Discourse: https://community.limacharlie.com/Host: Maxime Lamothe-Brassard - CEO / Co-founder at LimaCharlie

In this special episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, a panel of cybersecurity experts discuss the irreversible changes AI has brought to the industry. This panel originally aired on January 20th, 2026.The panel attendees include:Christopher Luft (host) - Co-Founder / CCO, LimaCharlieMaxime Lamothe-Brassard - Founder / CEO, LimaCharlieEric Capuano - Co-Founder, Digital Defense InstituteJoshua Neil - Co-Founder, Alpha LevelKris Merritt - AdvisorDaniel Lees - Sr Staff Cloud Security Architect, GoogleLimaCharlie has watched the AI SOC conversation unfold and stayed quiet. Until now.Security vendors are racing to attach chatbots to legacy platforms and call it innovation. AI SOC startups have raised hundreds of millions to build better alert triage. Both approaches solve the same narrow problem: helping analysts click faster.Service providers managing hundreds or thousands of tenants face a different reality. Alert triage matters, but so does deployment, configuration, detection engineering, reporting, and onboarding. The tedious work that eats margin and slows growth spans the entire operation.What if AI could operate your entire security infrastructure with the same access as your best analyst?We built LimaCharlie for complete programmatic access from day one. we were building for AI operators before AI operators existed. On January 20th, we'll show you what happens when AI agents can do everything in a security platform, across every tenant, through natural language.No marketing theater. Just real conversations and a demonstration of AI-driven security operations where you stay in control.Learn more at https://limacharlie.io/

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some intel being shared in the LimaCharlie community.North Korean threat actors are targeting macOS software developers in a new malware campaign that abuses Visual Studio Code (VS Code) confi gurations to deliver JavaScript-based backdoors, according to research from Jamf.Sinkholes are usually seen as the end of a malicious campaign - the point where domains are seized and abuse stops.China’s pen-testing and red-team ecosystem has always been hard to observe, especially since many teams stopped participating in international CTFs post-2018.A critical zero-day vulnerability, CVE-2025-64155, has been discovered in Fortinet’s FortiSIEM platform by Horizon3.ai, allowing unauthenticated remote code execution and privilege escalation to root.Support our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform.This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io.

This week on Defender Fridays, John Hubbard, SANS Institute Cyber Defense Curriculum Lead, discusses the future of security operations and what it means for SOC leaders today. We'll be talking about:Building continuous improvement into SOC leadershipCurrent vendor and product trends shaping security operationsAI's real impact on SOC jobs and operationsFew instructors combine real-world security operations center (SOC) leadership, curriculum design, and frontline defense experience like John Hubbard. As a Senior Instructor at the SANS Institute, author of SANS SEC450: SOC Analyst Training – Applied Skills for Cyber Defense Operations, and co-author of SANS LDR551: Building and Leading Security Operations Centers, John translates years of frontline SOC leadership into practical lessons students can immediately apply. His courses give participants more than technical knowledge—they build the skills and judgment that ensure professionals thrive in modern security operations.At Defender Fridays, we delve into the dynamic world of information security, exploring its defensive side with seasoned professionals from across the industry. Our aim is simple yet ambitious: to foster a collaborative space where ideas flow freely, experiences are shared, and knowledge expands.Join us every Friday at 10:30am PT for live, interactive discussions with industry experts. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just curious about the field, these sessions offer an engaging dialogue between our guests, hosts, and you – our audience. Register here: https://limacharlie.io/defender-fridaysSubscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the notification bell to never miss a live session or catch up on past episodes on our website!This episode is brought to you by LimaCharlie, the world's first SecOps Cloud Platform (SCP). Build and customize your security stack like "lego blocks" with our flexible, API-first solution.Eliminate vendor sprawl and tool complexityDeploy and scale effortlessly on native multi-tenant architectureReduce costs with intelligent data routing and free 1-year retentionBuild custom solutions with 100+ security capabilities on-demandImprove response times with automation and real-time capabilitiesTry the SecOps Cloud Platform free: https://limacharlie.ioHost: Maxime Lamothe-Brassard - Founder at LimaCharlie

In this special episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, Mike Privette hosts a keynote discussion with LimaCharlie Founder and CEO, Maxime Lamothe-Brassard. LimaCharlie has watched the AI SOC conversation unfold and stayed quiet. Until now.Security vendors are racing to attach chatbots to legacy platforms and call it innovation. AI SOC startups have raised hundreds of millions to build better alert triage. Both approaches solve the same narrow problem: helping analysts click faster.Service providers managing hundreds or thousands of tenants face a different reality. Alert triage matters, but so does deployment, configuration, detection engineering, reporting, and onboarding. The tedious work that eats margin and slows growth spans the entire operation.What if AI could operate your entire security infrastructure with the same access as your best analyst?We built LimaCharlie for complete programmatic access from day one. we were building for AI operators before AI operators existed. On January 20th, we'll show you what happens when AI agents can do everything in a security platform, across every tenant, through natural language.No marketing theater. Just real conversations and a demonstration of AI-driven security operations where you stay in control.Learn more at https://limacharlie.io/

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some intel being shared in the LimaCharlie community.Security researchers at Check Point have uncovered a previously unknown Linux malware framework named VoidLink, which stands out for its complexity and modular design.Researchers at Trend Micro have identified a new phishing campaign that combines legitimate services and open-source tools to distribute AsyncRAT, a commodity-remote access trojan.New research into Predator spyware reveals a deeper level of sophistication and operational intelligence than previously understood.The widespread adoption of AI agents in enterprise environments is creating a new class of identity and access control risks as highlighted in a new report from The Hacker News.Support our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform.This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io.

This week on Defender Fridays, Tom Cross, Head of Threat Research at GetReal Security, joins us to talk hiring fraud and deepfakes on our first Defender Fridays session of 2026!At Defender Fridays, we delve into the dynamic world of information security, exploring its defensive side with seasoned professionals from across the industry. Our aim is simple yet ambitious: to foster a collaborative space where ideas flow freely, experiences are shared, and knowledge expands.Join us every Friday at 10:30am PT for live, interactive discussions with industry experts. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just curious about the field, these sessions offer an engaging dialogue between our guests, hosts, and you – our audience. Register here: https://limacharlie.io/defender-fridaysSubscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the notification bell to never miss a live session or catch up on past episodes on our website!This episode is brought to you by LimaCharlie, the world's first SecOps Cloud Platform (SCP). Build and customize your security stack like "lego blocks" with our flexible, API-first solution.Eliminate vendor sprawl and tool complexityDeploy and scale effortlessly on native multi-tenant architectureReduce costs with intelligent data routing and free 1-year retentionBuild custom solutions with 100+ security capabilities on-demandImprove response times with automation and real-time capabilitiesTry the SecOps Cloud Platform free: https://limacharlie.ioHost: Maxime Lamothe-Brassard - Founder at LimaCharlie

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some intel being shared in the LimaCharlie community.A newly disclosed vulnerability in the workflow automation platform n8n, tracked as CVE-2026-21858 and rated CVSS 10.0, allows unauthenticated remote attackers to fully compromise exposed instances.Two malicious Chrome extensions impersonating a legitimate product from AITOPIA were found exfiltrating sensitive user data, including full AI chat histories, according to a report from OX Security.The recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro may have included cyber operations, but official confirmation of cyber’s role remains ambiguous.Two U.S. citizens with professional backgrounds in cybersecurity have pleaded guilty to acting as affiliates of the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware group, a prominent ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation.Support our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform.This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io.

On this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast we're starting the new season off with the hottest topic of 2025: AI. Sitting down with Maxime Lamothe-Brassard, Founder and CEO of LimaCharlie, we discuss the ways AI has rapidly changed how companies are building security tools.Join an in-depth discussion January 20, 2026 and witness LimaCharlie's fundamentally different approach to AI-powered security operations. Your security operations will never be the same: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7401665070889545728/Maxime Lamothe-Brassard began his cybersecurity career at the Canadian Department of National Defense before providing direct assistance to organizations facing cyber defense challenges. His career includes key roles at CrowdStrike and Google, as well as being part of Chronicle Security’s founding team, ultimately leading him to establish LimaCharlie to revolutionize security operations infrastructure. Support our show and share your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform. This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io.

On this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we revisit the 2025 predictions shared by our guests throughout the year. From attackers and defenders to AI and the broader security industry, these forecasts capture what experts expected was coming next. Rather than judging accuracy - which is still too early to assess -we're examining the predictions themselves: where they aligned, how they clustered, and what those patterns reveal about the industry’s mindset as this year came to a close. Free from hindsight bias, this episode explores what remained uncertain as we entered 2026.Support our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform. This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io.

This week on Defender Fridays, Bryan Brake, Senior Product Manager and Bug Bounty Team Lead at Amazon, joins us to discuss vulnerability remediation, bounty processes, and incident response workflows.Bryan will share practical insights on managing disclosures and coordinating responses across security teams.At Defender Fridays, we delve into the dynamic world of information security, exploring its defensive side with seasoned professionals from across the industry. Our aim is simple yet ambitious: to foster a collaborative space where ideas flow freely, experiences are shared, and knowledge expands.Join us every Friday at 10:30am PT for live, interactive discussions with industry experts. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just curious about the field, these sessions offer an engaging dialogue between our guests, hosts, and you – our audience. Register here: https://limacharlie.io/defender-fridaysSubscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the notification bell to never miss a live session or catch up on past episodes on our website!This episode is brought to you by LimaCharlie, the world's first SecOps Cloud Platform (SCP). Build and customize your security stack like "lego blocks" with our flexible, API-first solution.Eliminate vendor sprawl and tool complexityDeploy and scale effortlessly on native multi-tenant architectureReduce costs with intelligent data routing and free 1-year retentionBuild custom solutions with 100+ security capabilities on-demandImprove response times with automation and real-time capabilitiesTry the SecOps Cloud Platform free: https://limacharlie.ioHost: Maxime Lamothe-Brassard - Founder at LimaCharlie

On this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast we speak with Rebekah Skeete, Executive Director and CEO of BlackGirlsHack Foundation. Rebekah dives into how BGH is helping to increase diversity in cybersecurity by bridging the gap between what is taught in educational institutions and what is necessary for careers in cybersecurity.For more information visit: https://www.blackgirlshack.org/HomeRebekah Skeete is a Security Engineer with Schellman based in Dallas, Texas. As a member of the Infrastructure and Security team, Rebekah is part of a collaborative group of technology professionals serving as the primary technical resource to safeguard the organization's computer networks and systems. In her role, she is responsible for planning and carrying out security measures to monitor and protect sensitive data and systems from infiltration and cyber-attacks. Prior to joining Schellman in 2022, Rebekah worked for the Texas Rangers in a myriad of roles, including Cybersecurity Analyst and Manager of IT Applications and Operations. During the construction of the Rangers new state-of-the-art ballpark, Globe Life Field, Rebekah assisted the Rangers IT department’s efforts to transition over 200 front office employees to their new workspaces. Outside baseball and IT, Rebekah is also interested in politics and started volunteering for campaigns in 2008. From 2013-2016, she served as a Campaign Manager in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In 2015, she attended the Women’s Campaign School at Yale. Rebekah is the COO of BlackGirlsHack, a nonprofit organization providing black women with resources, training, mentoring, and access to increase representation and diversity in the cybersecurity field. Committed to inclusion and belonging, she holds the firm belief that representation enhances the culture and community of an organization and seeks to amplify underserved voices at any table she has a seat.Support our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform. This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io.

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some intel being shared in the LimaCharlie community.For for more information about Cybersecurity Cares, visit cybersecurity-cares.comReact2Shell is the latest high-profile vulnerability in the web application landscape, scoring a critical CVSS 10.0 and drawing immediate comparisons to Log4Shell.Researchers at Noma Labs disclosed a critical vulnerability in Google's Gemini Enterprise AI assistant, dubbed GeminiJack, that allowed attackers to stealthily exfiltrate sensitive enterprise data.U.S. prosecutors have charged Victoria Eduardovna Dubranova, a 33‑year‑old Ukrainian woman, in two separate indictments for her alleged involvement with pro‑Russia hacktivist groups CyberArmyofRussia_Reborn and NoName057(16).A China-aligned threat actor identified as Warp Panda has been linked to recent compromises of VMware vCenter environments at U.S.-based organizations, according to a new report from CrowdStrike. Original CrowdStrike article. CISA BRICKSTORM Backdoor breakdown. Analysis report.Support our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform.This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io.

Join us for this week's Defender Fridays as we explore the reality of AI-powered malware threats with Randy Pargman, Senior Director of Threat Detection at Proofpoint.At Defender Fridays, we delve into the dynamic world of information security, exploring its defensive side with seasoned professionals from across the industry. Our aim is simple yet ambitious: to foster a collaborative space where ideas flow freely, experiences are shared, and knowledge expands.In this episode, Randy challenges the hype around AI-powered polymorphic malware and examines how threat actors actually operate in practice. He discusses why defenders should focus on real-world threats rather than theoretical sophisticated attacks.Key Topics:The gap between AI malware hype and practical realityWhy threat actors prefer simple, effective methods over sophisticated techniquesThe prevalence of legitimate RMM tools in modern attacksBuilding practical detection strategies for actual threatsLessons from physical security that apply to cybersecurity defenseRandy Pargman is Senior Director of Threat Detection at Proofpoint, where he leads detection engineering, sandbox development, and threat actor tracking initiatives. Join us every Friday at 10:30am PT for live, interactive discussions with industry experts. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just curious about the field, these sessions offer an engaging dialogue between our guests, hosts, and you – our audience. Register here: https://limacharlie.io/defender-fridaysSubscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the notification bell to never miss a live session or catch up on past episodes on our website!This episode is brought to you by LimaCharlie, the world's first SecOps Cloud Platform (SCP). Build and customize your security stack like "lego blocks" with our flexible, API-first solution.Eliminate vendor sprawl and tool complexityDeploy and scale effortlessly on native multi-tenant architectureReduce costs with intelligent data routing and free 1-year retentionBuild custom solutions with 100+ security capabilities on-demandImprove response times with automation and real-time capabilitiesTry the SecOps Cloud Platform free: https://limacharlie.ioHost: Maxime Lamothe-Brassard - Founder at LimaCharlie

On this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast we speak with Alec Fenton, VP of Security Operations at Foresite Cybersecurity about his journey from SOC analyst to security leader.Alec Fenton is a seasoned Cyber Security professional with over 15 years of extensive experience across many IT domains. With a career spanning more than a decade, Alec has honed his expertise in addressing a broad spectrum of cybersecurity challenges, leveraging his analytical prowess and hands-on approach to leadership.Throughout his career, Alec has navigated the intricate landscape of IT security, working across various sectors including managed service providers and private companies. His tenure as an analyst in the cybersecurity space has not only equipped him with a deep understanding of emerging threats and vulnerabilities but has also shaped his leadership philosophy of "lead from the front."Alec's commitment to excellence and his unwavering dedication to staying ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving field of cybersecurity have earned him recognition as a trusted advisor and thought leader in the industry. When he's not immersed in the world of IT security, Alec enjoys spending time outdoors, and help coach his son's baseball/basketball teams.Support our show by sharing your favorite episodes with a friend, subscribe, give us a rating or leave a comment on your podcast platform. This podcast is brought to you by LimaCharlie, maker of the SecOps Cloud Platform, infrastructure for SecOps where everything is built API first. Scale with confidence as your business grows. Start today for free at limacharlie.io.