The Resilience Room

Immersive

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Welcome to The Resilience Room, where cyber professionals sit back and chat about their lives, passions and experiences. We discuss cyber culture, thought leadership, technical topics and emerging trends. Hosted by Sam Dickison, Community Manager at Immersive.

Oct 23

PHP2Shell: Why the patch is no longer the finish line

PHP2Shell is the name for two critical vulnerabilities in PHP's core, CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, rated 9.2 by the PHP security team. They can let an attacker run code on a web server without logging in. The fix is to update to PHP 8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36, or 8.2.35, and to isolate anything you can't patch. In this episode, Sam Dickison is joined by Kev Breen, Senior Director of Threat Research at Immersive, and James Harris, Senior Cyber Security Engineer, to unpack what happened when PHP2Shell went public. Kev and James spent launch day reproducing the exploit with AI agents and a test range. They share what worked, what didn't, and why most public exploits aren't landing yet. You'll learn: Why a patch release is now the start of the race for attackersWhat an n-day exploit is, and how AI has cut the time to build one from weeks to hoursWhy most PHP2Shell exploit attempts fail against real targetsWhat to do now: patch, isolate, log headers and POST bodies, and alert when PHP spawns a shellWhy security through obscurity was never a defenseGuests: Kev Breen, Senior Director of Threat Research, Immersive: [LinkedIn URL]James Harris, Senior Cyber Security Engineer, Immersive: [LinkedIn URL]Resources mentioned: PHP security advisory: https://www.php.net/archive/2026.php#2026-10-21-5About The Resilience Room: The Resilience Room is the Immersive podcast where security leaders, practitioners, and researchers talk cyber resilience, threats, and the industry. New episodes every other Tuesday.
Oct 13

AI and the Future of Cyber Security Jobs

In this episode, Sam sits down with Immersive's Nye Prior (Senior Manager, Cyber Security Content) and James Riley (Senior Talent Acquisition Partner) to explore how AI is fundamentally changing cyber security roles and the hiring process. Nye and James share their non-traditional career paths before diving into the realities of AI in the workplace. They discuss how AI has shifted from a novelty to an essential daily tool for coding, quality assurance, and problem-solving. The guests also explain why being "AI curious" is now more valuable than claiming to be a true AI expert. The conversation tackles the shifting recruitment landscape. James reveals how recruiters spot AI-generated CVs, how candidates use AI to prep for interviews, and why authentic communication and soft skills are becoming the ultimate differentiators. Finally, they look to the future of junior roles, explaining why entry-level professionals shouldn't fear AI, but rather use it to accelerate their impact and focus on creative problem-solving. Topics covered: Career paths in tech, AI in daily workflows, AI curiosity vs. expertise, the impact of AI on recruitment and CVs, democratizing communication, and the evolution of entry-level cyber security roles.
Sep 8

The AI Debt Bubble, Concentration Risk, and Stranded Assets

In this episode of The Resilience Room, Sam sits down with Corey Ray (Lead Intelligence Analyst) and Rob Klentzeris (Senior Application Security Engineer) to unpack the massive, debt-funded infrastructure boom driving the current AI race. Corey and Rob explain why traditional financial risk metrics fail when evaluating private AI titans, and how this unprecedented CapEx spending impacts enterprise risk models. The conversation tackles the hidden dangers of "concentration risk" in the AI supply chain, and why increased regulation might inadvertently force a monopoly by pricing out smaller competitors. The trio also draws striking parallels between today's AI data center rush and the 19th-century railroad bubble, introducing the critical concept of "stranded assets"—the devastating local and economic impact if these massive infrastructure and energy grid investments become obsolete. Finally, they discuss the race to build AI "super apps," the strategy behind vendor lock-in, and where value investors should actually be looking (hint: it's the sci-fi-level hardware and chip fabricators like ASML and TSMC, not necessarily the frontier models). Topics covered: AI debt financing and financial risk, the AI infrastructure bubble, concentration risk in enterprise tech, regulatory capture, stranded assets and local economies, AI super apps and vendor lock-in, and value investing in the semiconductor supply chain (Nvidia, TSMC, ASML).
Aug 25

When AI Agents Go Rogue

In this episode, Sam sits down with Immersive’s Kev Breen, Jason Flood, and Rob Klentzeris to discuss a wild new reality in cyber security: AI agents going rogue. Kicking off with the recent incidents of AI models escaping sandboxes—including OpenAI’s agent unexpectedly pivoting to attack Hugging Face—the team unpacks the chaos of autonomous attacks and why traditional attribution is becoming nearly impossible. The conversation dives deep into the legal and ethical minefield of "hack back" laws. If an AI compromises a third-party target and uses it to attack you, do you have the right to strike back? The panel debates the implications of these policies, contrasting the US's wild west approach to AI legislation with Europe's more restrictive regulations, and what this means for the future of global cyber warfare. They also tackle the economics and accessibility of artificial intelligence. Will the mounting costs of running massive models force companies to dial back, or will cheap, open-weight "heretic" models running on local hardware democratize—and potentially weaponize—AI for everyone? Topics covered: rogue AI agents, sandbox escapes, OpenAI and Hugging Face, attribution challenges in cyber security, hack back laws and active defense, US vs. EU AI regulation, AI safety guardrails, open-weight models, and the future cost of running local AI.
Aug 11

Building a Black Belt Purple Team: AI, Shadow IT & Cyber Resilience ft. Kev Marriott

In this episode, Sam sits down with Kev Marriott, a seasoned security professional who spent nearly two decades at British Telecom before finding his passion in incident management and cyber security. Kev shares his journey from handling customer escalations to managing major security crises and playbooks for critical national infrastructure. The conversation dives deep into the concept of "Purple Teaming" — breaking down the walls between offensive Red Teams and defensive Blue Teams. Kev explains why this collaborative approach is no longer optional, but essential for elevating an organization's baseline security posture, reducing response friction, and truly understanding the why behind an attacker's movements. They also tackle the unique challenges brought on by the AI era, including the rise of "Shadow AI" and the rapidly shrinking timelines from compromise to exfiltration. Kev offers a grounded perspective on AI, discussing how organizations can safely govern its use, secure their supply chains, and leverage AI to automate manual tasks so security teams can focus on proactive threat hunting. Topics covered: transitioning into cyber security, the fundamentals of Purple Teaming, Red vs. Blue team dynamics, shadow AI and governance, supply chain security, the evolution of vulnerability management, and why building cyber muscle memory is a lot like training for an MMA black belt.
Jul 28

Decoding Cyber Readiness and Building True Resilience | The Resilience Room ft. Abe Burnett & Corey Ray

In this episode of The Resilience Room, Sam sits down with Abe Burnett and Corey Ray to explore the critical intersections of data science, geopolitical risk, and modern cyber security. Drawing from his extensive background in data analytics and machine learning, Abe discusses how AI acts as a tool for building compelling, narrative-driven risk reports that go far beyond standard tables and charts. Meanwhile, Corey shares insights from his geopolitical risk background, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing threats in a world increasingly defined by black swan events and vendor concentration. The conversation defines the crucial difference between readiness—the preparation done before chaos strikes—and resilience, which is the ability to thrive through disruption. They tackle the realities of modern cyber security maturity, exploring why a deep organizational bench is critical because businesses must go to battle with the team they have on the day, not the team they want. The group also dives into the dangers of complacency, skill atrophy, and the necessity of holistic, live-fire training (coined "Cyber Pilates") over isolated checkbox exercises. Topics covered: data science and AI in cyber security, managing geopolitical risk, defining readiness versus resilience, overcoming skill entropy, building a deep organizational bench, peer benchmarking, and holistic live-fire training.
Jul 14

Hacking AI: The Jade Puffer Attack, Prompt Injection, and the Dead Internet Theory | Glenn Wilkinson

In this episode, Sam sits down with Glenn Wilkinson, a long-time ethical hacker, keynote speaker, and CEO of Agger Labs. Glenn shares his journey from a curious teenager in Zimbabwe bypassing game demo protections to snooping on audience phones for a Daniel Radcliffe stage show. The conversation dives deep into the evolution of ransomware and how Agger Labs is combatting novel threats. Glenn explains their approach of using local, deterministic deception technology—laying traps in the file system for ransomware to trip over—alongside robust anti-tampering measures. They also break down the recent "Jade Puffer" attack, highlighting how AI is now being used to orchestrate the hacker tradecraft of reconnaissance and lateral movement by exploiting unpatched, year-old vulnerabilities. Addressing the anxiety around artificial intelligence, Glenn offers a grounded perspective: AI will replace tools, not necessarily people. He discusses why the future belongs to the "AI Wrangler" and provides a hacker's insight into prompt engineering. Glenn explains why bypassing AI guardrails is currently a game of "whack-a-mole," comparing it to early SQL injection because data and commands share the same channel. Finally, they debate the technical realities of banning social media for teenagers, with Glenn arguing that bans simply drive kids to unregulated, darker corners of the internet. The episode wraps up with Glenn's 2030 prediction: a societal pushback against big tech, driven by the "dead internet theory" and a desire for local, offline communities. Topics covered: the hacker mindset, ransomware defense and deception technology, the Jade Puffer AI attack, cybersecurity fundamentals, AI replacing tools vs. jobs, prompt injection and bypassing LLM guardrails, the proposed UK social media ban for minors, dumb phones, and the dead internet theory.
Jun 30

The Black Belt of Cyber Security | The Resilience Room ft. Mike Vetri

In this episode of The Resilience Room, Sam sits down with Mike Vetri, Senior Director of SecOps at Veeva Systems and a former Air Force Cyberspace Operations Officer. Mike shares his fascinating transition from training as a military pilot to finding his true calling in cyber defense during the early 2010s—a time when the industry was still widely misunderstood. Drawing from his extensive military background and his journey as a corporate security leader, Mike explains how emotional intelligence and empathy are not just "soft skills," but critical drivers that directly impact a company’s performance and revenue goals. He digs deep into the realities of cybersecurity burnout, sharing tactical leadership frameworks—like the four pillars of moderation (time, money, recognition, and development)—to keep high-performing teams thriving under pressure. The conversation also tackles the chaotic nature of incident response. Mike details how leaders can act as an "umbrella" during a crisis, using military principles like the OODA loop to manage resource allocation and maintain calm in the eye of the storm. He also gives a masterclass on the current AI threat landscape, discussing the terrifying rise of AI-generated phishing and highly polymorphic malware like Phantom Raven, while explaining why human judgment must remain the final line of defense. Finally, Mike reveals how his years as a Black Belt instructor in Krav Maga perfectly parallel the modern cyber battlefield. From weapon disarming to fighting nation-state threat actors, he explains why security teams must abandon complacency and constantly train at a "black belt level" to survive. Topics covered: Military to civilian cyber transitions, empathetic leadership and emotional intelligence, managing cybersecurity burnout, crisis and incident response management, the OODA loop in security, AI-powered phishing and polymorphic malware, the risks of AI automation in security stacks, insider threat risks, and applying Krav Maga principles to threat modeling.

Welcome to The Resilience Room, where cyber professionals sit back and chat about their lives, passions and experiences. We discuss cyber culture, thought leadership, technical topics and emerging trends. Hosted by Sam Dickison, Community Manager at Immersive.

Creator

Immersive
Years Active

2026
Episodes

13
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Immersive
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The Resilience Room