The Cyber Resilience Brief: A SafeBreach Podcast

Ep. 41 - Iran’s Cyber Awakening: From Stuxnet to Shamoon and Beyond

How did Iran evolve from a regional actor into one of the world’s most disruptive cyber threat forces?
In the first episode of our Iran threat series, we trace the pivotal moments that shaped Iran’s modern cyber doctrine — from the Stuxnet attack on Natanz to the rise of destructive wiper malware like Shamoon and today’s era of stealthy, persistent access operations.
Host Tova Dvorin is joined by Adrian Culley, Offensive Cyber Security Engineer at SafeBreach, to unpack how Iran turned humiliation into capability, embraced a contractor-based APT model, and weaponized cyber operations as a tool of retaliation and asymmetric warfare.
You’ll learn:
Why Stuxnet was Iran’s cyber “Big Bang” moment
How Shamoon marked the birth of destructive, message-driven attacks
The evolution from noisy disruption to long-term persistence
Why Iranian APTs target financial services, energy, and supply chains
What today’s geopolitical instability means for Western enterprises and critical infrastructure
How CTEM, BAS, and Continuous Automated Red Teaming (CART) help organizations detect and stop Iranian threat actors before they strike
If you’re a CISO, security leader, or threat intelligence professional, this episode explains why guessing is no longer an option — and why continuous adversarial exposure validation is now essential to defending against Iranian cyber operations.

Ep. 40 - CRINK: The Cyber Threat Accelerating Right Now

China. Russia. Iran. North Korea.
As geopolitical tensions escalate—especially involving China and Iran—their cyber activity isn’t slowing down. It’s converging. In this episode of The Cyber Resilience Brief, Tova Dvorin and Adrian Culley unpack CRINK: an intelligence-community term rarely used in the commercial market, but critical for defenders to understand now.
CRINK isn’t a formal alliance so much as it’s a shared playbook. Chinese pre-positioning, Russian disruption, Iranian sabotage, and North Korean cybercrime combine into a full-spectrum, asymmetric threat targeting critical infrastructure and enterprises.
If your security strategy relies on alerts, assumptions, or patching alone, you’re already behind.
This episode explains why—and how to move from guessing to proving your defenses work.

Ep. 39 - The Shadow War is Already Here: How CISOs Must Prepare for Cyber Conflict

The Shadow War is already underway — and it’s being fought in cyberspace.
In this episode of The Cyber Resilience Brief, host Tova Dvorin and cybersecurity strategist Adrian Culley explore how escalating global tensions are redefining modern warfare and what that means for CISOs and security teams today.
We break down how nation-state cyber threats from Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are operating in a state of persistent engagement — planting access, stealing data, disrupting critical infrastructure, and preparing for future conflict.
Learn why reactive security is no longer enough and how Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS), Continuous Automated Red Teaming (CART), and Adversarial Exposure Validation (AEV) help organizations defend against advanced persistent threats.
The Shadow War isn’t coming — it’s already here.

Ep. 38: The Evolution of Offensive Cybersecurity

Offensive cybersecurity didn’t start with phishing or ransomware; it began with codebreaking, curiosity, and a drive to understand how systems fail.
In this episode of The Cyber Resilience Brief, host Tova Dvorin and SafeBreach Senior Sales Engineer Adrian Culley explore the evolution of offensive security — from early hacking and penetration testing to modern Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) and continuous adversarial exposure validation.
You’ll learn why point-in-time testing is no longer enough, how BAS enables safe testing of live production environments, and what CISOs need to build measurable, continuously validated cyber resilience.

Ep. 37 - Emennet Pasargad Exposed: How Iran’s IRGC Cyber Unit Targets Organizations — and How to Stop Them

Emennet Pasargad is one of the most active and aggressive Iranian cyber threat groups operating today — tied directly to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Cyber Electronic Command.
In this episode of Cyber Resilience Brief, SafeBreach Senior Sales Engineer Adrian Culley breaks down who Emennet Pasargad really is, how they operate through shell companies and phishing campaigns, and why their tactics pose both cybersecurity and geopolitical risks.
You’ll learn how this Iranian nation-state group abuses email, malware delivery, and command-and-control infrastructure — and why traditional security awareness training isn’t enough. More importantly, we explore how adversary emulation, continuous control validation, and real-world attack simulation can help organizations identify gaps, harden defenses, and stop IRGC-linked attacks before they cause damage.
Key topics include:
Who Emennet Pasargad is and their ties to the IRGC
Common tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), including phishing and lateral movement
The difference between cyber simulation vs. adversary emulation
How organizations can proactively defend against Iranian cyber threats
Why continuous cyber resilience testing is now a regulatory and business imperative
For more information on protective measures against Iranian threat actors, check out our SafeBreach blog post.

Ep. 36 - TIBER-EU Explained: How Threat-Led Red Teaming Is Redefining Cyber Resilience

Threat-led red teaming is no longer optional in Europe — it’s becoming the foundation of cyber resilience.
In this episode of The Cyber Resilience Brief, host Tova Dvorin is joined by Adrian Culley, SafeBreach’s offensive security expert for Europe and the UK, to break down the TIBER-EU framework and why it’s reshaping how financial institutions and critical infrastructure organizations approach cyber defense.
Originally developed by the European Central Bank, TIBER-EU (Threat Intelligence-Based Ethical Red Teaming) goes far beyond traditional penetration testing. It simulates real-world adversaries, real attack paths, and real operational pressure — aligning tightly with modern regulations such as DORA, NIS2, and the EU Cyber Resilience Act.
In this episode, we cover:
What TIBER-EU is and why regulators are embracing intelligence-led red teaming
How DORA and TIBER-EU work together to enforce continuous operational resilience
Why point-in-time penetration tests are no longer enough
The evolving role of Breach & Attack Simulation (BAS) in preparing for TIBER-EU assessments
How Adversary Exposure Validation (AEV) reveals real blast radius and business impact
Why Continuous Automated Red Teaming (CART) is emerging as the “always-on” complement to regulator-mandated tests
Whether you’re a CISO, security architect, red teamer, or risk leader, this episode explains how Europe’s regulatory frameworks are pushing the industry toward continuous, adversary-centric security validation — and why organizations outside the EU should be paying close attention.
🎙️ If cyber resilience is a journey — TIBER-EU defines the terrain.
 

Ep. 35 - BAS, APTs, AEV, and CTEM Explained: A Practical Guide to Cybersecurity Acronyms

In this episode of the Cyber Resilience Brief, hosts Tova Dvorin and Adrian Culley clearly and practically explain some of the most commonly used — and most commonly misunderstood — terms in modern cybersecurity.
Together, they break down:
What Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) actually means in practice
How Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) operate — and why persistence matters
What Adversarial Exposure Validation (AEV) is (and what it isn’t)
How CTEM (Continuous Threat Exposure Management) connects these concepts
The difference between attack simulation and adversary emulation
This episode focuses on plain-language explanations, real-world context, and why these terms exist in the first place.
If you’ve ever heard these acronyms used interchangeably — or wanted a grounded explanation you can actually reuse — this episode is for you.

Ep. 34 - Inside the Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack: Supply Chain Failure, Scattered Spider, and the New Threat Ecosystem

The Jaguar Land Rover cyberattack has already cost the UK billions — and exposed a critical weakness in modern cybersecurity: supply chain risk. In this episode of The Cyber Resilience Brief, SafeBreach hosts Tova Dvorin and Adrian Culley sit down with Steve Cobb, CISO of SecurityScorecard, to unpack what really happened, why groups like Scattered Spider, ShinyHunters, and Lapsus are becoming more coordinated, and what CISOs must do now to protect against cascading third-party failures.
We break down:
How the Jaguar Land Rover breach unfolded
Why third-party and fourth-party risk is now first-party risk
The rise of coordinated cybercrime collectives
Why “trust but validate” must be the new supply chain mantra
Actionable steps to strengthen resilience and visibility across vendors
What the JLR incident means for national security, global operations, and the future of supply chain cybersecurity
Whether you're a CISO, resilience leader, threat analyst, or supply chain security professional, this episode delivers essential insights into one of the most significant cyberattacks in UK history.

Ep. 33 - BRICKSTORM Reemerges: CISA & NSA Warn of New Persistence Tactics and Cyber Resilience Gaps

In Episode 33 of The Cyber Resilience Brief, hosts Tova Dvorin and Adrian Culley revisit the BRICKSTORM threat—this time through the lens of the new CISA, NSA, and Canadian Cyber Centre joint advisory. While Episode 24 explored BRICKSTORM’s origin, stealth techniques, and UNC5221’s long-term espionage campaign, this episode focuses on what’s changed, and why BRICKSTORM remains a critical concern for defenders in 2025 and into 2026.
Tova and Adrian break down the advisory’s latest findings, including expanded targeting of government and IT sectors, advanced persistence mechanisms, and new insights into how attackers leverage VMware environments to maintain full, covert control of compromised systems.
The conversation underscores a central message: these tactics aren’t static. BRICKSTORM is evolving, and organizations must evolve their defenses too. That means shifting from occasional checks to continuous validation, embracing Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS), and operationalizing threat exposure management to match the pace of modern threat actors.
What’s New in This Episode
Key updates from the CISA/NSA/CCCS advisory on BRICKSTORM
Evolving persistence and communication-hiding techniques
How attackers continue to exploit VMware and web-facing infrastructure
Why high-value organizations remain prime targets
The growing need for continuous, proactive security validation
How BAS helps validate Zero Trust and uncover blind spots before adversaries do
For more information on SafeBreach's BRICKSTORM coverage, click here to read our blog. 

Ep. 32 - Inside “The Com”: The Social-Engineering Supergroup Behind Global Ransomware Attacks

In this episode of The Cyber Resilience Brief, host Tova Dvorin and offensive security expert Adrian Culley expose The Com—the decentralized cybercrime collective behind threat groups like Lapsus$, Scattered Spider (UNC 3944 / Octo Tempest), and ShinyHunters. Together, they break down how this teenage-to-young-adult adversary ecosystem has weaponized vishing, MFA fatigue, SIM-swapping, and cloud exfiltration to breach giants including Microsoft, Okta, Nvidia, MGM Resorts, and more.
You’ll learn:
How The Com evolved from Lapsus$ chaos into a professionalized extortion machine
Why help desks—not firewalls—are their favorite initial access vector
Their signature TTPs: vishing, MFA bypass, living-off-the-land, cloud data theft, and ephemeral IOCs
How adversarial exposure validation (AEV), BAS, CART, and phishing-resistant MFA (FIDO2/WebAuthn) shut them down
Practical resilience steps you can implement today
A must-listen for CISOs, security leaders, and anyone tracking modern identity-based cyber threats. Stay safe. Stay safe with SafeBreach.