In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Daniel Croft and David Hollingworth talk about NSWEduChat, a virtual Charlie Kirk, the impact of a cyber incident disrupting airports across Europe, and how Australian not-for-profits are getting a new tool to face a rising tide of ransomware attacks.

• Croft and Hollingworth open proceedings with Instagram’s new AI age assurance checks then talk about the new AI tool being rolled out to NSW public school students and how promising it looks.
• The pair also discuss the ramifications of creating a deepfake of Charlie Kirk to address packed crowds at US megachurches in the wake of his murder and about a data leak on a website set up by American conservatives to out anyone speaking ill of Kirk.
• They also share an update on the Jaguar Land Rover hack which is still disrupting production in the UK and walk through a ransomware attack that has crippled a string of major European airports.
• Finally, Hollingworth and Croft find some good news, with NSW enacting legislation to tackle harmful deepfakes and a service offering cyber attack simulations to the not-for-profit sector, which has experienced a surge in malicious activity so far this year.

Enjoy the episode,
The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, Daniel Croft and David Hollingworth touch on the latest in AI and its incorporation in Australian education, the latest from ransomware operators targeting Australian organisations, and the alleged retirement of Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters.

• Croft and Hollingworth begin by discussing UNSW and its partnership with OpenAI, which will see 10,000 licenses rolled out to students.
• The pair then discuss new and older ransomware gangs, with a new sophisticated ransomware operation called The Gentlemen coming out of the gates strong, while Kairos continues to harm Australian businesses.
• Croft and Hollingworth then discuss the ongoing Jaguar Land Rover cyber attack, which has led to increased factory operation delays.
• Finally, the two discuss action by eSafety to introduce new safeguards in the popular online game Roblox to protect children from predators, a move that Roblox seems to be complying with.

Enjoy the episode,
The Cyber Uncut team

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, host Steve Kuper is joined by the Honourable Andrew Hastie MP, shadow minister for home affairs, for a hard-hitting discussion on the shifting nature of Australia’s national security challenges.

No longer confined to conventional defence or counter-terrorism, the security debate now spans economic sovereignty, industrial security, and social cohesion. Against the backdrop of recent revelations of Iranian espionage attempts on Australian soil, Hastie warns that hostile foreign actors are probing Australia’s vulnerabilities, not only in cyber space and critical infrastructure, but in the trust that underpins our diverse society.

Throughout the conversation, Hastie shares how his perspective has sharpened since stepping into the shadow portfolio following his time as shadow minister for Defence. He outlines the emerging contest for resilience – whether in defending supply chains, protecting advanced technologies, or insulating the national economy from coercion.

Kuper presses Hastie on the domestic implications of foreign espionage operations, particularly the way they threaten multicultural harmony and fuel social division. Hastie stresses that Australia must be proactive in countering influence operations, strengthening intelligence partnerships, and reinforcing trust across society.

The discussion then broadens to the strategic importance of resilience, a whole-of-nation approach that prepares Australians not just to respond to crises, but to withstand them.

Hastie points to key policy gaps, from weak industrial capacity to fragmented national planning, and calls for a more integrated framework that links defence, economy, and society into a coherent security posture.

As Australia navigates an increasingly contested world, this episode challenges listeners to rethink what security really means. The conversation offers sharp insights into how Australia can adapt to a new era of threats and why resilience must sit at the heart of any credible national security agenda.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Contested Ground team