Cyberside Chats: Cybersecurity Insights from the Experts

Claude Opus 4.6 is generating serious buzz for one reason: it can rapidly spot zero-day vulnerabilities out of the box, suggesting that long-trusted software may no longer be as “safe by default” as security teams assume.

At the same time, Microsoft’s February patch cycle included an unusually high number of zero-days already under active exploitation — real-world evidence that the race is already accelerating, and the window betwe...

After the FBI announced it recovered previously inaccessible video from Nancy Guthrie’s disconnected Google Nest doorbell, one thing became clear: in releasing the footage, authorities revealed an important truth — deleted surveillance footage may not really be deleted. That means law enforcement (or threat actors) could potentially access it.

The case remains ongoing and deeply serious. For enterprise security leaders, the lesson ...

Ransomware gangs aren’t operating alone anymore and the lines between them are increasingly blurry.

In this episode of Cyberside Chats, we look at how modern ransomware groups collaborate, specialize, and team up to scale attacks faster. Using ShinyHunters’ newly launched data leak website as an example, we discuss how different crews handle access, social engineering, and data exposure, and why overlapping roles make attribution, ...

AI is no longer a standalone tool—it is embedded directly into productivity platforms, collaboration systems, analytics workflows, and customer-facing applications. In this special CyberSide Chats episode, Sherri Davidoff and Matt Durrin break down why lack of visibility and control over AI has emerged as the first and most pressing top threat of 2026.

Using real-world examples like the EchoLeak zero-click vulnerability in Microsof...

The recent Verizon outage underscores a growing risk in today’s technology landscape: when critical services are concentrated among a small number of providers, failures don’t stay isolated.

In this live discussion, we’ll connect the Verizon outage to past telecom and cloud disruptions to examine how infrastructure dependency creates cascading business impact. We’ll also explore how large-scale outages intersect with security threa...

The FTC has issued an order against General Motors for collecting and selling drivers’ precise location and behavior data, gathered every few seconds and marketed as a safety feature. That data was sold into insurance ecosystems and used to influence pricing and coverage decisions — a clear reminder that how organizations collect, retain, and share data now carries direct security, regulatory, and financial risk. 

In this episode ...

When Venezuela experienced widespread power and internet outages, the impact went far beyond inconvenience—it created a perfect environment for cyber exploitation. 

In this episode of Cyberside Chats, we use Venezuela’s disruption as a case study to show how cyber risk escalates when power, connectivity, and trusted services break down. We examine why phishing, fraud, and impersonation reliably surge after crises, how narratives ar...

The December release of the Epstein files wasn’t just controversial—it exposed a set of security problems organizations face every day. Documents that appeared heavily redacted weren’t always properly sanitized. Some files were pulled and reissued, drawing even more attention. And as interest surged, attackers quickly stepped in, distributing malware and phishing sites disguised as “Epstein archives.” 

In this episode of Cyberside...

Amazon released two security disclosures in the same week — and together, they reveal how modern attackers are getting inside organizations without breaking in.

One case involved a North Korean IT worker who entered Amazon’s environment through a third-party contractor and was detected through subtle behavioral anomalies rather than malware. The other detailed a years-long Russian state-sponsored campaign that shifted away from exp...

AI has supercharged phishing, deepfakes, and impersonation attacks—and 2025 proved that our trust systems aren’t built for this new reality. In this episode, Sherri and Matt break down the #1 change every security program needs in 2026: dramatically improving identity and authentication across the organization. 

We explore how AI blurred the lines between legitimate and malicious communication, why authentication can no longer stop...

Microsoft is rolling out a series of new-ish security features across Microsoft 365 in 2026 — and these updates are no accident. They’re direct responses to how attackers are exploiting collaboration tools like Teams, Slack, Zoom, and Google Chat. In this episode, Sherri and Matt break down the five features that matter most, why they’re happening now, and how every organization can benefit from these lessons, even if you’re not a ...

A massive 7-year espionage campaign hid in plain sight. Harmless Chrome and Edge extensions — wallpaper tools, tab managers, PDF converters — suddenly flipped into full surveillance implants, impacting more than 4.3 million users. In this episode, we break down how ShadyPanda built trust over years, then weaponized auto-updates to steal browsing history, authentication tokens, and even live session cookies. We’ll walk through the t...

Insider threats are accelerating across every sector. In this episode, Sherri and Matt unpack the CrowdStrike insider leak, the two DigitalMint employees indicted for BlackCat ransomware activity, and Tesla’s multi-year insider incidents ranging from nation-state bribery to post-termination extortion. They also examine the 2025 crackdown on North Korean operatives who used stolen identities and deepfake interviews to get hired as r...

From routers to office cameras to employee phones and even the servers running your network, Chinese-manufactured components are everywhere—including throughout your own organization. In this live Cyberside Chats, we’ll explore how deeply these devices are embedded in modern infrastructure and what that means for cybersecurity, procurement, and third-party risk. 

We’ll break down new government warnings about hidden communication m...

Hackers are using AI to supercharge holiday scams—flooding the web with fake ads, phishing pages, and credential-stealing bots. This season, researchers predict a record spike in automated attacks and malvertising campaigns that blur the line between human and machine. Sherri Davidoff and Matt Durrin break down what’s new this holiday season—from AI-generated phishing kits and bot-driven account takeovers to the rise of prebuilt “c...

When thieves pulled off a lightning-fast heist at the Louvre on October 19, 2025, the world focused on the stolen jewels. But leaked audit reports soon revealed another story — one of weak passwords, legacy systems, and a decade of ignored warnings. 

In this episode of Cyberside Chats, Sherri Davidoff and Matt Durrin dig into the cybersecurity lessons behind the Louvre’s seven-minute robbery. They explore how outdated infrastructur...

Attackers are poisoning search results and buying sponsored ads to push malware disguised as trusted software. In this episode, Sherri Davidoff and Matt Durrin break down the latest SEO poisoning and malvertising research, including the Oyster/Broomstick campaign that hid backdoors inside fake Microsoft Teams installers. Learn how these attacks exploit everyday user behavior, why they’re so effective, and what your organization can...

When Amazon Web Services went down on October 20, 2025, the impact rippled around the world. The outage knocked out Slack messages, paused financial trades, grounded flights, and even stopped people from charging their electric cars. From Coinbase to college classrooms, from food delivery apps to smart homes, millions discovered just how deeply their lives depend on a single cloud provider. 

In this episode, Sherri Davidoff and Mat...

When ransomware forced Jaguar Land Rover to halt production for six weeks, the impact rippled through global supply chains — from luxury car lines to small suppliers fighting to stay afloat. In this episode, Sherri Davidoff and Matt Durrin examine what happened, why manufacturing has become ransomware’s top target, and what new data from Sophos and Black Kite reveal about the latest attack trends. 

They share practical insights on ...