Defence & Security Podcast Network

Malicious browser extensions, AI-powered phishing, and the evolution of Australia's Essential Eight are all putting renewed focus on proactive cyber defence. Hear ThreatLocker's lead cyber security engineer, Kieran Human, explain why organisations need to get the basics right before attackers get the chance to exploit them.

Malicious browser extensions are giving attackers another route into corporate environments, with phishing campaigns tricking users into installing tools capable of running arbitrary code. Cyber Daily's David Hollingworth and Human break down how the so-called Edgecution attack method works, how initial access brokers fit into the ransomware ecosystem, and why even highly technical employees can fall for increasingly convincing social engineering.
The conversation then turns to what defenders can actually do about it. Human argues that security teams need to move beyond relying solely on detection and response, with application allow-listing and other proactive controls providing a critical layer of protection when users inevitably make mistakes.
Finally, Hollingworth and Human examine the future of Australia's Essential Eight, including the move towards the new Essentials framework and potential guidance for enterprise, cloud, and AI environments.
Enjoy,
The Cyber Uncut team

Someone has to take the plunge and shoulder the burden.
A pioneer forging the path for the future generations of women in the Australian Defence Force, no matter the consequences.
Royal Australian Navy Captain (Ret'd) Mona Shindy shares her unique journey serving in the Royal Australian Navy as a warship weapons engineer, becoming one of the first three women to serve on an Australian warship, being selected as the first female captain to wear a hijab and, finally, leaving a legacy as the inaugural and only chief of navy strategic advisor on Islamic cultural affairs.
In this episode of The Progress Report, senior journalist Robert Dougherty sits down with Captain Shindy to discuss her extraordinary career spanning more than 25 years in the Royal Australian Navy, her trauma and triumphs navigating the treacherous waters of gender bias, cultural expectations and resistance to change.
The pair also look ahead to the future, how Defence has improved and how it can better understand and support personnel from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds.
Beyond her own career, Shindy reflects on leadership, the nature of negative military culture, her memoir, Shattering identity bias, and a newly launched Mona Shindy Foundation designed to provide mentoring, networks and support to people who may not otherwise have access to them.
The Progress Report. New voices. Real stories. Big shifts.
Enjoy the podcast,
The Progress Report team

How can the UK and Australia deepen defence industry cooperation while balancing high-end capabilities with Ukrainian-style affordable mass?

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, senior journalist Robert Dougherty is joined by UK Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard during his current visit to Australia.
Minister Pollard is undertaking a broader tour of the country's defence industry and headlining the Australian British Chamber of Commerce's Defence Industry Lunch in Perth on 17 August.
The podcast conversation includes the following topics:
The UK's approach to the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), Canada's new observer status and the potential for further international partners to join the program.
The UK's focus on building defence capabilities with allies through shared workshares, technology and industrial cooperation.
Defence technology co-development with Ukraine, including two-way intellectual property sharing and the scaling of Ukrainian and British capabilities.
The role of innovation and rapidly changing electronic warfare requirements in shaping how Western militaries support Ukraine.
The UK's approach to a "high-low-mid mix" of defence advanced platforms, mid-range systems and affordable mass.
Opportunities for Australian defence companies to enter the UK market, including the potential integration of CEA Technologies' active electronically scanned array radar into UK capabilities.
Finally, the discussion wraps up by examining how closer UK–Australia defence industry partnerships can strengthen sovereign capability while creating skilled jobs, apprenticeships and long-term employment opportunities in both countries.
Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team

In this episode of Cyber Uncut, Cyber Daily's Liam Garman is joined by Alex Nehmy, who explains why securing critical infrastructure requires a different approach to traditional IT security.

Discover why operational technology has become one of the highest-value targets for sophisticated threat actors, how attacks on OT differ from conventional data breaches, and why visibility into industrial environments is the foundation of effective defence.
The discussion explores real-world examples of cyber attacks causing physical disruption, the growing risks posed by supply chains and connected devices, and why the idea of a truly "air-gapped" network is often more myth than reality.
The conversation also examines how AI is reshaping both offensive and defensive cyber operations, the challenges organisations face in protecting modern extended OT (XOT) environments, and the practical steps security leaders can take to improve resilience against nation-state threats. Whether you're responsible for IT, OT, or critical infrastructure, this episode offers valuable insights into one of cyber security's most important and rapidly evolving battlegrounds.
Listen now to hear how security leaders can strengthen their OT defences, reduce risk, and stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated cyber adversaries.
Enjoy,
The Cyber Uncut team

Defence's chief data officer and AI strategist explain how autonomy reshapes decision making while keeping commanders accountable for outcomes
 
The Australian Defence Force's approach to artificial intelligence and autonomous systems is not a rush towards unmanned warfare, it is a disciplined pivot toward decision-aid systems that augment human judgement rather than replace it.

Speaking ahead of ADSTAR 2026, Defence's chief data integration officer, Dr Paul Robards, and chief of space, intelligence, national security and cyber division, Andrew Seedhouse, outline how the Defence Force is engineering accountability into AI systems at scale. 
 
The centrepiece is a philosophy that officers remain personally accountable for all decisions, with AI functioning as a high-powered analytical support tool rather than an autonomous agent.

The challenge is acute. Defence systems now ingest vast volumes of sensor data, satellites, drones, communications and cyber intelligence, creating information overload rather than clarity.
 
AI's role is to parse this deluge, surface decision options ranked by strategic utility and present them with full traceability back to the source data. Commanders retain the final say; algorithms provide the why.

Both speakers emphasise the tension between technological velocity and governance rigour. Frontier AI labs release new capabilities weekly. Defence's testing, security validation and policy alignment move faster than legacy defence timelines but must remain slower than pure research cycles. Experimental systems run on ranges with physical limiters; enterprise systems sit firewalled in sandboxes until rigorous vetting confirms fitness for operational deployment.

Equally critical is Australia's industrial capacity challenge. Ukraine's autonomous systems success reflects decades of manufacturing expertise. Australia must build equivalent capability rapidly yet cannot rely on Defence alone to sustain industry. Commercial diversification and allied procurement partnerships are essential.

The strategic upside for a middle power is stark: AI enables capability multiplication without conventional force parity. Small teams wielding superior analytics and autonomous systems can achieve disproportionate effect.

The hard work now is execution without ethical compromise.
 
Enjoy the podcast, 
The Defence Connect team