Learning from Mistakes: Hard Lessons in Building Cyber Defenses

Learning from Mistakes: Hard Lessons in Building Cyber Defenses

Most security architectures are built around vendor guidance, compliance frameworks and assumed best practices. But real attackers don’t follow these models. Adversaries are adapting faster than most defensive programs, exploiting predictable gaps and repeated design mistakes. The stakes are high, and organizations need to rethink their approach to stay ahead.

 

This session focuses on building cyber defenses grounded in real-world attack patterns rather than theoretical frameworks. Drawing from direct observations of threat actor behavior, we’ll explore where defensive architectures fail, why these failures persist and how they are leveraged in modern intrusions. Attendees will gain practical guidance to align defenses with how attacks actually happen, addressing challenges like AI-driven threats, criminal ecosystems and the impact of human error.

 

Key Takeaways:

- Identify and eliminate repeatable failure points in security architectures.

- Design defenses based on real-world attack paths, not theoretical frameworks.

- Adapt continuously to evolving threats, including AI-driven attacks.

- Mitigate the impact of human error on otherwise well-designed systems.

Alex Holden | 06, 09 2026 | 60 min
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AI: Insider, Threat Actor, and Accomplice

AI: Insider, Threat Actor, and Accomplice

Organizations and individuals are feeding sensitive corporate data, source code, internal documents, credentials, and security decisions into AI systems without fully understanding the consequences. At the same time, many organizations are blindly relying on AI-generated code, AI security advice, vibe-coded applications, and automated decisions without realizing how often these systems hallucinate, fail, leak information, or confidently make terrible choices.

 

At the same time, threat actors are having a field day. Criminal groups are using AI to scale phishing, fraud, impersonation, romance scams, malware development, reconnaissance, and even penetration testing operations faster than most defenders can react. Some of the examples we will walk through show AI acting less like a tool and more like an accomplice that helps bad actors refine ideas, automate abuse, and remove skill barriers that used to slow criminals down.

 

As usual, this is not a theoretical AI hype talk. We will look at practical real-world examples, attacker workflows, operational failures, and the uncomfortable reality that many organizations are already giving AI enough trust and access to become part of their attack surface.

Alex Holden | 05, 20 2026 | 59 min
War in Iran: Cyber Playbook in Wartime

War in Iran: Cyber Playbook in Wartime

As the war in Iran escalates, cyber activity follows patterns that are often visible if you know where to look. Based on our research and direct observations, Iranian threat actors have effectively been operating in a war-like state for years. They are not changing how they operate as much as they are adjusting how they use existing access and capabilities with fewer limitations.

 

This session will examine known Iranian APT groups, how their historical tradecraft translates into wartime behavior, and what changes when cyber moves from espionage to active conflict. The focus will remain on observed patterns and practical defensive considerations that organizations can apply immediately.

Alex Holden | 03, 24 2026 | 59 min
Mastering Threat Hunting: Aligning with Adversary Tactics in 2026

Mastering Threat Hunting: Aligning with Adversary Tactics in 2026

Cybercriminal tactics are evolving faster than ever. Adversaries are using increasingly sophisticated techniques to outpace traditional defenses. For threat hunters, it's becoming harder than ever to understand their mindset and methodologies. Without this insight, even the most advanced tools and strategies can fall short, leaving organizations vulnerable to emerging threats.

This session explores the gaps in current threat-hunting practices and reveals how aligning with real-world adversary tactics can transform your Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) program. By learning from the techniques attackers use today, businesses can proactively adapt their defenses and stay ahead in the escalating battle against cybercrime.

Join us to uncover actionable strategies that will elevate your threat-hunting capabilities and fortify your organization against evolving threats.

Alex Holden | 03, 10 2026 | 60 min
Leverage Cyber Threat Intelligence for Proactive Risk Mitigation

Leverage Cyber Threat Intelligence for Proactive Risk Mitigation

Breaches have become a daily reality. Dark web activities and emerging threat vectors outpace traditional defenses, creating blind spots that adversaries readily exploit. Without early warning systems, businesses remain vulnerable to sophisticated attacks that could have been prevented.

 

Effective Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) transforms raw intelligence into actionable insights that enable proactive defense strategies. This session demonstrates how to operationalize intelligence, map adversary tactics to business risks, and implement early warning systems that prevent breaches before they occur. Learn to distinguish signal from noise and convert threat intelligence into measurable risk reduction metrics that resonate with executive leadership.

Alex Holden | 01, 14 2026 | 59 min
Cyber Threat Intel 2026 - What’s Next?

Cyber Threat Intel 2026 - What’s Next?

As the cyber threat landscape is changing, we examine new trends, new threats, and new defenses. We look at how the dynamics of threat actors are changing, what the next big things in AI are for cyber criminals and defenders, and how political and social volatility is changing cyber attack patterns.

Alex Holden | 01, 07 2026 | 60 min
Cyber Threat Intelligence & You

Cyber Threat Intelligence & You

In our next installment on Cyber Threat Intelligence, we will explore how any cyber security professional can understand and contribute to CTI, and how it can strengthen your defenses. Through practical examples, you will gain essential skills to deal with cybercrime, navigate the Dark Web, and derive actionable intelligence that makes a real difference.

Alex Holden | 12, 04 2025 | 59 min
The Cyber Talent Shift: Rise of the Human+AI Workforce

The Cyber Talent Shift: Rise of the Human+AI Workforce

As AI rapidly reshapes tools, tasks, and entire workflows in cybersecurity, many professionals are asking: “Will I advance, adapt or be automated?” This talk explores the evolving cyber security job market in 2026, highlighting which roles are transforming, which are emerging, and how to stay indispensable. Whether you’re a hands-on analyst, a strategist, or a technical expert, we’ll explore how to future-proof your career and turn AI from a competition into an ally.

Alex Holden | 10, 30 2025 | 45 min
I vs AI – AI Threat Landscape 2026

I vs AI – AI Threat Landscape 2026

AI is a friend, but it can be a terrible foe when not properly used. In cybersecurity, we also see AI as an enabler of cyber-criminal activities and security errors. In this talk, we will focus on what you need to know to defend your enterprise against AI-enabled cyberattacks. We will also discuss how to protect yourself and your company against errors caused by the improper use of AI.

 

Learning objectives:

- Understand emerging AI-enabled cybercriminal trends

- Recognize and avoid mistakes that stem from blindly trusting AI

- Apply AI effectively to reduce and manage your organization’s threat landscape

Alex Holden | 10, 22 2025 | 56 min
The Human Firewall: Building Resilience Against Cyber Deception

The Human Firewall: Building Resilience Against Cyber Deception

Technology will remain one of our biggest security weaknesses; however, today most cyberattacks have a social engineering component, where threat actors target people as the most vulnerable part of the system. As cybersecurity professionals, we are tasked with training our personnel to avoid both simple and complex mistakes while still doing their jobs, delivering good customer experiences, and keeping business running.

 

In recent years, threat actors have dissected business processes to find hidden vulnerabilities, leveraged AI to craft highly realistic scams, exploited employee trust, and even infiltrated corporate ranks from within.

 

This talk will explore the latest techniques for detecting and preventing breaches at the human level, highlight practical approaches to security training, and discuss how we must adapt our business practices to operate under the constant assault on our social systems and trust, well beyond the realm of technology.

 

Takeaways:

- Technology isn’t the weakest link, people are.

- Training must be practical, not theoretical.

- Threat actors evolve, so should we.

- Security is a business function, not just IT.

Alex Holden | 10, 07 2025 | 59 min
Threat Actor Psychology: Using Social Engineering and Other Jedi Tricks - Part 2

Threat Actor Psychology: Using Social Engineering and Other Jedi Tricks - Part 2

Forget textbook phishing templates and generic vishing scripts. This is a continuation of the talk that continues a deep dive into the psychology, culture, and behavior of real-world threat actors and shows how we turn their own tactics against them. We’ve been successfully using social engineering techniques against cyber threat actors for decades, and in this presentation, I’ll share some of the key techniques and approaches that have made this possible.

Alex Holden | 10, 03 2025 | 31 min
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