Security Café

Quint Ketting Menno van der Horst

“Pull up a chair at the Security Café – your monthly deep dive into the hottest cybersecurity news and trends. Each episode brings you an inspiring guest and a story that will spark your imagination. Produced by Quint & Menno (Atos), this is where insights meet conversation. Don’t just stay informed—join the discussion!”

  1. The Rise of the Agents & Modern Geopolitics

    2 DAYS AGO

    The Rise of the Agents & Modern Geopolitics

    Host: Menno van der Horst Regular Guest & Chief Storyteller: Quint Ketting Special Guest: Jan Paul Oosterom (EMEA Regional Business Lead for Security, Microsoft) Episode SummaryIn this episode, the trio dives into the rapidly shifting threat landscape. While geopolitical tensions remain the "elephant in the room," the real tactical shift is happening within the realm of AI Agents. Jan Paul explains why identity management is no longer just about people—it’s about governing the thousands of non-human entities now operating within corporate environments. The team discusses the "Assume Breach" mindset, the death of "badly written" phishing emails, and why protecting your Intellectual Property (IP) requires a deep understanding of who exactly is targeting you. Key TakeawaysThe Identity of Agents: We are moving beyond managing human access. Organizations now face the challenge of managing non-human identities (AI Agents) that have their own permissions, access levels, and potential for "rogue" behavior.Assume Breach as a Culture: Security isn't just a set of tools; it’s a mindset. "Assume Breach" means every employee and executive must operate with the default action of verifying before acting, especially regarding financial transactions or data access.The Intellectual Property Target: Threat intelligence isn't one-size-fits-all. A camera manufacturer faces different risks (IP theft) than a national tax office (financial disruption). Knowing your "Why" helps you build the right "How."Timestamped Highlights[01:10] – Jan Paul Oosterom’s role at Microsoft and his remit across EMEA.[03:45] – The "Elephant in the Room": Geopolitical risks and the pace of AI evolution.[05:50] – The 10,000 Agent Problem: How one customer already has a massive fleet of autonomous agents running.[07:20] – Deep dive into Identity Management: Protecting non-human identities.[12:15] – The evolution of phishing: Why attackers are now "spot on" with their messaging.[15:30] – The "Assume Breach" mindset: Moving from "Can we stop it?" to "How do we respond when it fails?"[18:45] – Threat Intel: Identifying your specific enemies based on your business IP.[24:10] – Closing thoughts: Why the Board needs to be challenged on security.Memorable Quotes"The days that we were able to easily recognize something bad are over." — Jan Paul Oosterom "What you need to protect is probably not what you have budget for. You need to get those things in line." — Quint Ketting "If you cannot truly verify that what you see is real or good—stop it and start asking questions." — Jan Paul Oosterom The Recommendation CornerMovie: Minority Report (Recommended by Jan Paul Oosterom)Why: It explores the philosophical and ethical boundaries of "Predictive Systems"—how far can we go in flagging "criminal behavior" before a crime is even committed?Quint was referring to a movie which was actually a Serie called: Hannah

    37 min
  2. 3 MAR ·  BONUS

    Bonus Episode: The AI Shift: From Script Kiddies to Agentic Warfare

    SecurityCafe Podcast: Bonus EpisodeThe AI Shift: From Script Kiddies to Agentic WarfareIn this unplanned, deep-dive "after-talk," Menno Van Der Horst, Quint Ketting, and Max Heinemeyer peel back the curtain on the rapid evolution of AI in cybersecurity. Recorded just weeks after a massive shift in the landscape, the trio discusses why the "old ways" of hacking are being supercharged by AI agents and what this means for national resilience. Key TakeawaysThe Scaling of Social Engineering: Data leaks (passports, IBANs, addresses) are no longer just static dumps; AI can now process these at scale to create hyper-personalized phishing campaigns for thousands of victims simultaneously. The "Agentic" Shift: We are moving from static scripts to AI Agents. Unlike traditional malware, agents can make autonomous decisions, potentially making them more effective but also far more unpredictable and dangerous (the "Stuxnet with a brain" scenario). The Defender’s Dilemma: While attackers don't care about "breaking" systems as long as they get in, defenders and penetration testers must remain deterministic and safe—a gap that AI is currently making harder to bridge.Systemic Resilience: Cybersecurity is no longer just about protecting a single company; it’s about the "ecosystem." National security now depends on how well the entire supply chain—from big telcos to small vendors—is defended.Timestamped Highlights[00:41] The Four-Week Shift: Max explains how AI has hit the mainstream for both attackers and personal assistance (OpenCloud, NotebookLM).[01:15] Weaponizing Data Dumps: How AI turns old-school data leaks into targeted, automated social engineering machines.[02:45] From SQLi to Prompt Injection: Quint draws a parallel between the early days of SQL injection and the modern "hobby" of breaking LLM guardrails.[04:48] Nation-State Guardrails: A look at how China and other actors use Western AI infrastructure and the risks of "spillover" (WannaCry style) in AI-led operations.[08:27] The "Autonomous Stuxnet": What happens when an attack isn't run by a human, but by an agent with its own prompts?[09:38] The Car Wash Paradox: Menno shares a hilarious (yet scary) anecdote about an AI losing the plot, illustrating why "hallucinations" in autonomous pen-testing are a major liability.[12:39] The End of the Human Bottleneck: Max discusses how AI is removing the "human hands" requirement for vulnerability research and exploit development.[16:40] The "Football Team" Analogy: Quint argues that cybersecurity needs to move past silos—even the best "players" (companies) lose if they don't play as a coordinated unit.[21:17] Reason for Optimism: Why Max believes NIS2 and the rise of ML-driven SOC operations give defenders a fighting chance to regain the upper hand.Links & Resources MentionedBacktrack / Kali Linux: The "old school" penetration testing roots. DARPA Grand Challenge (2016): The early race for autonomous cyber defense (Shellphish & Mayhem).NIS2 Directive: The evolving European legislation for cybersecurity.Sven Herpig: Mentioned as a leading researcher on nation-state cyber policy.

    23 min
  3. 25 FEB

    The Year of the Data Leak: Why SaaS is the New Frontier (with Max Heinemeyer & Quint Ketting)

    Show Notes | Episode: The Year of the Data LeakWelcome back to the Security Cafe, the podcast where we discuss cybersecurity with good coffee, questionable humor, and guests who—for their own good—know far too much about the cyber world. In this episode, your host Menno Van Der Horst sits down with regular guest Quint Ketting (our human equivalent of a SIEM) and special guest Max Heinemeyer, a heavyweight in cyber threat intelligence and AI-driven defense. As we kick off 2026, one thing is clear: the battlefield has shifted. We are no longer just fighting off ransomware; we are living in the "Year of the Data Leak." From massive telco breaches to compromised SaaS environments, the tactics are getting louder, faster, and more automated. In this episode, we break down: The Pivot in Tactics: Why attackers are moving away from complex network encryption and towards "low-hanging fruit" like CRM databases and SaaS solutions.The Identity Crisis: How AI-driven social engineering is becoming a machine, making phishing attempts nearly indistinguishable from reality.The "Least Privilege" Paradox: Why do we still struggle with basic principles 20 years later? We discuss how a single helpdesk account can lead to 6 million compromised records.Boardroom Liability & NIS2: Moving from "security as a risk" to personal accountability for the C-suite.The Watchlist: Why Mr. Robot is being outpaced by reality and which "hacker" shows you should avoid at all costs.Special Guest Highlight: Stick around for a meta-moment where Max’s own security team accidentally proves that real-world controls actually work during our recording. Grab your coffee, log your accounts, and join us in the chaos.

    38 min

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“Pull up a chair at the Security Café – your monthly deep dive into the hottest cybersecurity news and trends. Each episode brings you an inspiring guest and a story that will spark your imagination. Produced by Quint & Menno (Atos), this is where insights meet conversation. Don’t just stay informed—join the discussion!”