CYBER UNCUT: Proofpoint's Ryan Kalember and Adrian Covich on CISO trends and dealing with growing cyber threats
In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, David Hollingworth catches up with Proofpoint's chief strategy officer, Ryan Kalember, and vice president of systems engineering for the APJ region, Adrian Covich, while attending the Proofpoint Protect Tour in Melbourne. The three talk about the high-level trends and concerns they're seeing from CISOs both in Australia and abroad and the very real challenges of dealing with a fast-paced and ever-evolving threat landscape. Enjoy the episode, The Cyber Uncut team
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CONTESTED GROUND: Hacktivists target ADF program, China counters Australia in the Pacific
In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, hosts Phil Tarrant, Liam Garman, and Major General (Ret'd) Dr Marcus Thompson unpack two unfolding challenges shaping Australia's strategic outlook, an Iran-linked cyber breach exposing sensitive defence data, and China's latest move to outmanoeuvre Canberra in the Pacific. The discussion opens with the major cyber breach linked to Iran-aligned actors, exposing sensitive information from Australian defence programs through vulnerabilities in overseas contractors. Thompson warns that modern military platforms are now fully digital extensions of the network, and that the Australian Defence Force risks becoming collateral damage without stronger supply-chain defence. The hosts then turn to the Pacific, where China has unveiled a record $86 million aid package to Vanuatu, a direct counter to the Albanese government's stalled security pact. Garman notes the diplomatic setback highlights the limits of Australia's traditional leverage, with Port Vila reluctant to jeopardise its economic ties with Beijing. The conversation also covers China's commissioning of its first fully indigenous aircraft carrier, signalling a major step in Beijing's push for blue-water naval capability. Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team
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THE PROGRESS REPORT: Authentic leadership, vulnerability, and owning your storm
What does it mean to lead with honesty, show vulnerability, and embrace your authentic self – even when life feels chaotic? In this episode of The Progress Report, host Tash Taylor sits down with Rebecca Woolnough, area manager - Oceania for SMART Technologies, to unpack what true resilience and self-leadership look like beyond the polished titles and structured systems. From navigating self-doubt and impostor moments to learning how to "be the hurricane", Bec shares a refreshingly raw and honest reflection on leadership, motherhood, and maintaining identity amid constant pressure. The conversation explores everything from women's evolving roles in Defence to the mental load of balancing career, family, and self-worth. Through laughter, humility, and insight, Beck opens up about the moments that nearly broke her – and how those same moments built her into the leader she is today. She reminds us that progress isn't about perfection or control, but about showing up fully as yourself, even when the storm hits. The Progress Report. New voices. Real stories. Big shifts. Enjoy the podcast, The Progress Report team
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SPOTLIGHT: Empowering the digital transformation of Defence, with DXC Technology
In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, host Steve Kuper is joined by Tim West, John Hillsdon and Mohammad Siddique from DXC Technology to unpack the digital transformation of the Australian Defence Force. Together they discuss a range of topics, including: The central role of digital technologies as the backbone of the increasingly information and technology-driven "integrated, focused force" that the ADF is becoming. The complexities, opportunities and challenges emerging from cloud computing and artificial intelligence both in friendly and adversarial use across the five warfighting domains. The digital transformation of Defence and the scale and scope of what will be fundamentally essential to enhance and maintain Australia's qualitative edge against adversaries in the era of great-power competition. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team
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CYBER UNCUT: Lumify Work's Louis Cremen talks about AI risks and opportunities, staff training, and how to protect data
In this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, host Liam Garman is joined by Lumify Work's lead cyber security instructor, Louis Cremen, for a talk about all things AI, from how best to protect sensitive data to managing AI governance. The pair start things off with a discussion about how AI is rapidly transforming workplaces and how organisations must prioritise governance to protect data integrity and output decisions. Cremen and Garman follow that up with a look at how attackers are leveraging AI to create highly personalised phishing, multilingual scams, convincing deepfakes and AI-assisted malware. The pair finish up talking about the challenge of implementing fine-grained access controls, data provenance checks, and model testing and monitoring to detect prompt injection or poisoning. Enjoy the podcast, The Cyber Uncut team
The Defence & Security Podcast Network hosts a unique series of podcasts, featuring discussions with key enablers from across the Australian defence and security industry.
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