In this month’s episode, we start by focusing on the real-world impact of bots (scripts used to automate tasks and exploit business logic). In the UK, bots are being used to book up every available driving test before reselling them for profit; meanwhile in the US, gig workers delivering groceries are losing out to bots that hoard the most profitable delivery jobs. Our panel explains how this happens and discusses what can be done to stop it.

A fresh Netacea panel of cyber experts are on hand once again to discuss the latest developments in security and bot-related news! This month, in light of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman standing before US senators and requesting regulation of AI businesses, we give our views on whether one body – or even one nation – can or should regulate this rapidly developing industry.

In part two of our RSA Conference 2023 series, Netacea CPO Andy Still and CISO Andy Ash return from San Francisco to share their insights from the biggest cybersecurity event of the year.

Welcome to a new format for the Cybersecurity Sessions! We’ve refocused our podcasts to provide insights into the latest news and trends in cybersecurity, calling on the expertise of Netacea’s threat researchers, bot specialists and business leaders. This month, new host Dani Middleton-Wren is joined by Matthew Gracey-McMinn, Chris Pace and Tom Platt. First they discuss the ever-intriguing topic of ethics in AI, with facial recognition tech from Clearview AI and PimEyes coming under legal and moral scrutiny, followed by the practicalities of fighting back against automated ticket scalping.

Our reliance on personal mobile devices leaves us vulnerable to attack; not just from anonymous criminal groups, but in some cases, from those closest to us. Stalkerware, a category of apps designed to secretly monitor the unsuspecting victim whose device they’re installed on, are a growing concern for security and privacy advocates, as well as law enforcement agencies.

Not a week goes by without a massive data leak being reported in the news – both in tech publications and across mainstream media. According to Atlas VPN, 5.9 billion credentials were leaked in 2021 alone. But it’s not just credentials under attack; personal data, payment information, sensitive corporate data, and even source code are all at risk of being leaked. But how is so much data leaked so often? What do criminals do with this data once they have it? How much risk does this pose to the public, and what can be done about it?

If a stranger walked into your workplace and asked you your name and email address, would you co-operate? What if they asked you to open a door for them, or to use your laptop or phone, all whilst wearing a shirt that said “CHALLENGE ME” on it?

In 2021, we published our first “Cost of Bots” report. 2021 was a time of flux, of lockdowns, furloughs, and home working. A lot of predictions were made as to how this would change cybersecurity. A year on from our cost of bots report, we wanted to know what has changed. Has remote working led to a new wave of bot attacks? Is there a better understanding of how these attacks work? Are businesses fighting back, or losing the war?

In a recent Netacea report, 60% of businesses reported a minor financial impact caused by bots skewing their analytics, and with the busiest eCommerce period of the year fast approaching, businesses need to fight back. How do bots affect businesses’ data, marketing campaigns and paid media planning? Host and Principal Security Researcher Cyril Noel-Tagoe is joined by Spike’s Head of Paid Media Matt Wilkinson to discuss the effect bots will have on marketing analytics this Black Friday and how to keep your enterprise’s analytics safe from automated threats during periods of peak traffic.

Illicit forums and dark web marketplaces are so closely guarded that it’s almost impossible to know how many stolen user accounts, digital assets, or data leaks are exposed, let alone who is responsible. But the more we can uncover, the better we can defend against attacks and hold threat actors accountable.